Spread the wealth around

We know to where this "spreading the wealth around" usually leads. Here. Or here.

"It's not that I want to punish your success. I just want to make sure that everybody who is behind you, that they've got a chance for success too. My attitude is that if the economy's good for folks from the bottom up, it's gonna be good for everybody ... I think when you spread the wealth around, it's good for everybody."

You guessed right who said it. Read MM and ST.

Eight Bailout Questions from Laura

Laura's E-Blast
http://www.LauraIngraham.com
October 1, 2008

Eight Bailout Questions

How many times over the last few days have we heard politicians, talking heads and other self-proclaimed "experts" tell us the reason the $700 billion bailout is so wildly unpopular is that we just don't understand it. The economy is complicated. Just trust Congress, President Bush and his royal highness, Hank Paulson. They'll fix it. Don't worry about that $700 billion number. It only sounds high.

Well. If that's the case - if we're really too dumb to understand what's happening - perhaps Congress can show us how much they know. To start, here are some questions I'd like answered.

1) Since the White House introduced the bailout last week, a number of alternative ideas have been proposed. For one, Michigan Republican Thaddeus McCotter wrote a 10-point plan that carries no cost to taxpayers. Others, like George Soros', are significantly less expensive and, in his estimation, likelier to be effective. Can you explain why this bill is the best option, despite being the most expensive?

2) We're told the bailout could actually turn a profit for taxpayers. Assuming that's true, how can we be sure the money actually ends up back in taxpayers' hands? For years the Social Security system took in more money than it paid out, yet instead of putting the surplus revenue toward future benefits, Congress snatched that extra cash for general expenditures. Likewise, Fannie and Freddie's "profits," were used for congressional pet projects. With this track record, how can we trust that this program will be any different?

3) The McCain campaign yesterday pointed out that the most recent housing bill gave the government nearly $1 trillion to purchase mortgages. If this is true, why exactly does Congress need to pass this monstrous legislation?

4) Does the latest version of this bill still "allow the government to purchase troubled assets from pension plans, local governments, and small banks that serve low- and middle-income families"? Americans are having a hard enough time swallowing the idea of a bailout for irresponsible home, car, and student lending. The notion that we'll be on the hook for insolvent pension plans administered by awful, union-controlled lawmakers in cities like Detroit and New York is simply insane.

5) Does the bill's preamble still proclaim that the law "provides authority to the treasury secretary to ... ensure the economic well-being of Americans?" Does anyone know if there are limitations to this seemingly unbridled authority? Otherwise, what prevents the Treasury secretary from becoming a de-facto dictator? This strikes me as especially worth discussion.

6) Are there still no meaningful curtailments of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac? Does the bill contain anything even hinting at accountability?

7) What concrete assurances do taxpayers have that the turmoil's provenance - Carter and Clinton-era social-engineering dictums that upended safe-lending practices in favor of higher minority home ownership - will forever be outlawed? How do we know taxpayers won't be asked to finance another $700 billion bailout in 10 years? What has Congress learned from its past mistakes?

8) After Enron's collapse, former CEO Jeffrey Skilling, then-CEO Ken Lay, and then-CFO Andrew Fastow, were called to testify before Congress. According to the Business and Media Institute, Fannie's and Freddie's overstated earnings were 19 times larger than Enron's fake numbers. So when can we expect Congress to call Jim Johnson, Franklin Raines, Barney Frank, Chris Dodd, and the rest of Fannie's and Freddie's enablers to testify before Congress?

At the end of the day, we're not being asked to bailout Wall St. so much as we are the Democratic Party. For $700 billion, answers to the questions above are the least Congress can do in return.

Dura Realidad

Here's a link to a video made by "Popular and Influential Latino actor Eduardo Verastegui" on the evils of abortion, why the Hispanics are being targetted, and what he believes is O's stand.

This video was posted in YouTube but it was edited so as not to show the graphic abortion video.

Caution: Very graphic.

Thomas Vander Woude

This is the story of Mr. Thomas Vander Woude.

But those who know him say they always knew Thomas Vander Woude was special. Whether it was installing a gymnasium floor, training altar boys or coaching sports, when the daily communicant father of seven saw a need, he stepped in.

That trait led to the ultimate sacrifice on Sept. 8, when he dove into a septic tank to save the life of his son.

Not only in the Philippines?

Voter fraud.  Yep, even in the great US of A.  The complaints against ACORN or the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now concerning their voter engagement programs are mounting.  See here and here for samples.

And it seems that ACORN is positioning to get a share of profits expected from the Mother of All Bailouts in the US (yep, the USD700B government bailout surrounding the home mortgage mess). Thanks to their backers.

H/T:  Michelle.

Who's not taking the 3am call?

It’s shocking that someone who believes himself ready to lead the free world would so brazenly try to dodge any participation in what could be a defining moment in our history. That’s not leadership — it’s cowardice. It’s attempting to stay out of the way of any of the tough choices so that one is free to criticize them after others have stepped up. You can fault John McCain for a lot of things, but lack of leadership and shrinking from the hard choices isn’t one of them.

Guess who Carol Platt Liebau talks about.

H/T: GayPatriotWest. And while you're at it, see what he also says about MSM's missing stories.

Newsbusters also talks of MSM's "lack of interest" in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's in the past years even as many people have expressed the risk to this present day's US financial markets. Of course now they are all over the issue. Because now it is convenient?

May not have been greed nor lack of regulation after all

It seems that the US financial crisis involving Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Lehman, AIG, and many others may not have been caused by greed. At least not by financial greed, that is. They were just trying to cover for losses they already knew would come if they did not resort to the innovative derivatives in the mortgage market.

Political greed perhaps? It now seems that the push for that almost "inalienable right" to have a house, even if people cannot afford to pay for the house is the culprit. Heck it even looks like it was a conspiracy that took 15 years.

Let Drew Zahn or Ace of Spades tell you about it. H/T: ST

Catholic and Pro-choice

H/T: Jill Stanek and Joseph Bottum.

It's news like this that makes me ask again, "What's happening, SJ?"

Catholic University to Honor Justice Breyer Who Wrote Majority Opinion Supporting Partial-Birth Abortion

NEW YORK, September 15, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In a brash move defying the U.S Bishops' speakers policy, Fordham University's Stein Center for Law and Ethics announced that pro-abortion Supreme Court Justice Stephen G. Breyer is the 2008 recipient of the Fordham-Stein Ethics Prize. Breyer infamously wrote the majority opinion in Stenberg v. Carhart, which struck down state laws banning the practice of partial-birth abortion.

Read the rest here.

I really want to ask again, "What's happening, SJ?". Perplexing.

Meet Gianna Jessen

Get to know Gianna Jessen, through a story by Ted Harvey, Assistant Minority Leader in the Colorado House of Representatives.

Here is how it ends (but read from the top of Ted's story):

Ironically, Alice Madden, the majority leader and sponsor of the Planned Parenthood resolution, walked over to Gianna and congratulated her.

As the applause began to die down, I raised my hand to be recognized one more time.

"Mr. Speaker, members, if you would allow me just a few more moments I would appreciate your time.

"My name is Ted Harvey, not Paul Harvey, but, please, let me tell you the rest of the story.

"The cause of Gianna's cerebral palsy is not because of some biological freak of nature, but rather the choice of her mother.

"You see when her biological mother was 17-years-old and 7-and-a-half months pregnant, she went to a Planned Parenthood clinic to seek a late-term abortion. The abortionist performed a saline abortion on this 17-year-old girl. This procedure requires the injection of a high concentration of saline into the mother's womb, which the fetus is then bathed in and swallows, which results in the fetus being burned to death, inside and out. Within 24 hours the results are normally an induced, still-born abortion.

"As Gianna can testify, the procedure is not always 100 percent effective. Gianna is an aborted late-term fetus who was born alive. The high concentration of saline in the womb for 24 hours resulted in a lack of oxygen to her brain and is the cause of her cerebral palsy.

"Members, today, we are going to recognize the 90th anniversary of Rocky Mountain Planned Parenthood…"

BANG! The gavel came down.

Just as I was finishing the last sentence of my speech — the climax of the morning — the speaker of the House gaveled me down and said, "Representative Harvey, I will allow you to continue your introduction, but not for the purposes of debating a measure now pending before the House."

At which point I said,

"Mr. Speaker, I understand. I just wanted to put a face to what we are celebrating today."

Silence.

Deafening silence.

I then walked back to my chair shaking like a leaf. The Democrats wouldn't look at me. They were fuming. It was beautiful. I have been in the Legislature for five tough years, and this made it all worthwhile.

The House majority leader wouldn't talk to me the rest of the day.

Was it because I introduced an abortion survivor, or was it because we touched her soul? She could congratulate an inspirational cerebral palsy victim and advocate, but was outraged when she discovered that the person she congratulated was also an abortion survivor.

The headline in The Denver Post the next day read "Abortion Jab Earns Rebuke." The majority leader is quoted as saying, "I think it was amazingly rude to use a human being as an example of his personal politics."

Yes, Representative Madden, Gianna Jessen is a human being. She was when she was in her mother's womb, and she was when she sang the national anthem on the floor of the Colorado House of Representatives.

The paper went on to quote Gianna, stating she was glad I told her story.

"We need to discuss the humanity of it. I'm glad to be able to speak up for children in the womb," she said. "If abortion is about women's rights, where were my rights?"

All I can say is, "Glory to God!" He orchestrated it all, every minute of it, and I was so honored to have been chosen to play a part. May we all continue to be filled with and to fight for the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ!

Here are her words at Born Alive Truth:

Can you imagine not giving babies their basic human rights, no matter how they entered our world? My name is Gianna Jessen, born 31 years ago after a failed abortion. I’m a survivor, as are many others…but if Barack Obama had his way, I wouldn’t be here.

Unfortunately, Barack Obama voted four times against affording these babies their most basic human right. I have serious concerns about Senator Obama’s record and views on this issue, given he voted against these protections four times as a state Senator. Just as abuse victims share their stories to educate the public, fight for the common good and hope that as a result politicians do what’s right, I felt it was important to come forward and give these new born babies a voice.

I am living proof these babies have a right to live, and I invite you to learn more about Senator Obama’s record on this important issue.

-Abortion Survivor Gianna Jessen

Magnificent Cat

This from Bettnett: parody of the Magnificat. Be sure to read the blog post for the context.

“Magnificent Cat”:

Mass media proclaim the greatness of the Obama
Your spirit rejoices in Barry, your savior
For he has looked with earmarks upon his base.

From Election Day, all demographics will call themselves blessed
The BO Man has passed great entitlements for us
And, Hey!, Hussein is NOT his name.

He is the one we’ve been waiting for.
He is the change that we seek.

He has mercy on those who fear him
In every Republican.

He has shown the strength of his polling
He has scattered the journalists in their fawning dispatches

He has cast down the middle class from their suburbs
And has given tingles to Chris Matthews.

He has filled the power-hungry liberals with promises of change
And the rich (Republicans) he has sent away with empty pockets.

He has come to the help of his servant Pelosi
For has remembered his promises of incumbency
The promise he made to the lobbyists
To Biden and his lobbyist son forever.

Blue vs Green

or Green vs Blue, depending on what team you're cheering for. Yep, it is another dream match-up in the UAAP basketball championships.

The dream showdown just got sealed.

Ateneo de Manila University and De La Salle University ousted their final Four opponents in contrasting fashions to arrange the much anticipated title duel between the country’s fiercest collegiate rivals.

The Green Archers earned a shot at defending the UAAP crown by ousting Far Eastern University with a dramatic 67-62 escape in the 71st men’s basketball semifinals yesterday at the jampacked Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.

And it seemed that the Blue Eagles couldn’t wait to lock up the blockbuster finale as this season’s top seed trampled on the University of the East Warriors, 70-50, in the other Final Four duel.

It will be the fourth overall Finals confrontation between the two elite teams, whose rivalry extends beyond the hardcourt.

Ateneo won in 1988 and 2002, while La Salle prevailed in 2001.

If color is any indication what team I am betting on (no bets, please, cheering for, is better), then you know now.

Palin Comparison

My pro-life blogs have all lit up with McCain's choice of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. Good move Mr. McCain. Now, Biden pales in comparison. Obama blinked on this one for sure. Any "toldjaso" from Hillary?

Palin, who belongs to Feminists for Life, also came out in the news early this year when she gave birth to a son who was diagnosed early in her pregnancy to have Down Syndrome. She's also known to have sued the Bush Administration for declaring the polar bear in Alaska as endangered species.

From: Dawn

Obama, face Down

Jill Stanek, who will certainly have something to say about McCain veep pick, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, on her blog, wrote earlier today in an e-mail (links are my addition):

Palin chose life for her baby with Down syndrome.

Obama relegated these babies to death despite testimony that at least one aborted-alive Down's baby had been abandoned to die in a hospital soiled-utility room.

As a friend of mine says, the choice between good and evil could not be more obvious this election. May the best man and woman win.

From: MM

James Pethokoukis sends the 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Sarah Palin:

. Sarah Louise Palin (nee Heath) was born Feb., 1964, in Sandpoint, Idaho. Her family moved to Alaska when Sarah was an infant. Her father, Chuck, is a retired schoolteacher.

2. She attended Wasilla High School where she played point guard on the state champion basketball team. Her nickname was “Sarah Barracuda.”

3. Palin graduated in 1987 from the University of Idaho with a degree in journalism. She worked briefly as a sports reporter in Anchorage.

4. She refers to her husband, Todd, as the “First Dude.” He’s worked as a commercial fisherman and as a production operator on the North Slope for BP. He enjoys snowmobiling and has won the Tesoro Iron Dog, billed as the world’s longest snowmobile race, four times.

5. Palin and her husband have five children, Bristol, Piper, Track, Willow, and Trig. Trig, born in 2008, has been diagnosed with Down syndrome. Her son Track joined the army in 2007.

6. Her favorite meal is moose stew.

7. She comes from a family of outdoor enthusiasts. Her parents, Chuck and Sally Heath, enjoy hunting and fishing, and have both completed marathons.

8. Palin was named Miss Wasilla in 1984 and was a runner-up for Miss Alaska. In 1996 she was elected mayor of Wasilla.

9. She’s a lifetime NRA member and enjoys hunting, fishing, and snowmobiling.

10. Elected in 2006, she’s Alaska’s first female governor and the youngest governor elected in the state.

Read also the lifesitenews.com article about Gov. Palin as McCain's running mate.

They come in 3's

Have you ever heard of the belief that plane crashes come in 3's? I have. The other day, I heard the comment again, after hearing that a plane crashed in Kyrgyzstan. This comes about a week after a plane crashed in Madrid. He asked: what will be the third crash of the "series"?

I believe this is the answer: a Philippine Air Force C-130 plane crashed into the Davao Gulf near Davao City. It is said that this plane was one of at least two C-130's in operation with the PAF.

Keep them in your prayers.

Early in August, I took some photos from my seat after I boarded the PAL Express flight that I took from Cagayan de Oro to Cebu. I took photos of a couple of Hueys, a Bronco OV-10 bomber, and the left wing of a C-130 that was being boarded by probably military types and their dependents or sick people -- nothing unusual really.

Would it have been this C-130? Here's one photo: airman checking the plane's fuel?

Sir Sid!

A friend and classmate from high school, Sean, shot three video-messages of our former mentor-teacher at Dole Philippines School.

This first video is in YouTube.

I will upload the video later on this post.

L.I.E.S.

As I stopped by my must-read pro-life blog Jill Stanek, I saw this (excerpts below) by one of the readers of Jill's blog (HisMan):

In analyzing and meditating on Jill's post today, I have invented a new acronym for the MSM. My goal was to capture and express what they do and who they are in as few lettes as possible. I've got to confess, it wasn't difficult, however, it is so right on the money, so easy to remember, so market friendly, I must claim ownership of it amd copyright it. Here it is:

L.I.E.S

It stands for Left In Extreme Spin. It is representative of what a liberal media is willing to do at every level when they realize that their annointed one is in danger of being exposed as one who lies and therefore, be disqualified, i.e., not elected, as one ready and fit to lead the Free World.

So, the LIES lies to expose their LIAR or Leftist In Altered Reality, aka, Barack Obama (another acronym or should I say acrimony I now copyright). Ah, the LIES of a LIAR, aka the Chigago Tribune, Washigton Post, Time, Newsday, Huffington Post, MSNBC, CNN, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.

So, the LIES conspires not by exposing the LIAR, as is their sacred duty confirmed by the shedding of blood in wars past, the LIES add to the pile of lies by attacking the revealer of truth, necessitating more LIES. The downward spiral of LIES begins, while we reminisce the tale of one Dan Rather, the poster boy for the LIES.

The context of this is that mainstream media (over in the US) have not picked-up on one of the more important issues that hound Obamessiah (here, here, here, here, and here, among many who have reported or commented).

Or even if they did, they care very little, or give their own theories as to why O did what he did and continues to believe (as if they are protecting him?).

Despite what some might say that I shouldn't really care about what is happening in the US, I do care; what with the Pinoy's penchant of imitating what the Americans think and do.

Deal a Card

I link to the July 24 article of Orson Scott Card, by way of Bettnet.com, where he writes about "the travesty of courts redefining marriage as well as giving free rein to abortion."

Here's the irony: There is no branch of government with the authority to redefine marriage. Marriage is older than government. Its meaning is universal: It is the permanent or semipermanent bond between a man and a woman, establishing responsibilities between the couple and any children that ensue.

The laws concerning marriage did not create marriage, they merely attempted to solve problems in such areas as inheritance, property, paternity, divorce, adoption and so on.

If the government passed a law declaring that grey was now green, and asphalt was specifically designated as a botanical organism, would that make all our streets into "greenery" and all our parking lots into "parks"?

If a court declared that from now on, "blind" and "sighted" would be synonyms, would that mean that it would be safe for blind people to drive cars?

No matter how sexually attracted a man might be toward other men, or a woman toward other women, and no matter how close the bonds of affection and friendship might be within same-sex couples, there is no act of court or Congress that can make these relationships the same as the coupling between a man and a woman.

This is a permanent fact of nature.

Card says more in the article, a sort of kick-to-the-butt of government pandering to those on the left of the marriage debate. He talks of the American society and government, but what he says could very well play out in the Philippines if we leave these sinistrine advocates and their pundits to wreak havoc.

If America becomes a place where our children are taken from us by law and forced to attend schools where they are taught that cohabitation is as good as marriage, that motherhood doesn't require a husband or father, and that homosexuality is as valid a choice as heterosexuality for their future lives, then why in the world should married people continue to accept the authority of such a government?

What these dictator-judges do not seem to understand is that their authority extends only as far as people choose to obey them.

How long before married people answer the dictators thus: Regardless of law, marriage has only one definition, and any government that attempts to change it is my mortal enemy. I will act to destroy that government and bring it down, so it can be replaced with a government that will respect and support marriage, and help me raise my children in a society where they will expect to marry in their turn.

Biological imperatives trump laws. American government cannot fight against marriage and hope to endure. If the Constitution is defined in such a way as to destroy the privileged position of marriage, it is that insane Constitution, not marriage, that will die.

TESDA Kabalikat Award 2008

Here's the award (institution category) ...

Kabalikat Award

Update: My colleague from CITE, Roy, who was at the awarding ceremony in Manila, says that we got the National Kabalikat Award 2008 for the Institution Category.

Today, the Philippines's Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) will hand out the 2008 Kabalikat Award. According to the TESDA website:

The Kabalikat Award is an annual institutional award hosted by TESDA. This Award aims to recognize and honor outstanding partners in the promotion and enhancement of technical education and skills development.

The Award is conferred to outstanding local government units, institutions and industry for their contributions in the promotion and development of the country’s middle level manpower. Said contribution maybe in the form of technology/competency sharing, donation of training machines and trainees, on the job training and social support services to manpower development.

My school, CITE, is one of the nominees. We will know soon if we get the National Kabalikat Award. If we do, CITE will have won it twice in ten years (the first time we got it was in 1998).

Over my pay grade

What? Thought this was supposed to be about Mark Spitz?
Ooops, sorry . . .

Imagine if he weren't born at all.

I thought he would be silent after Michael's good showing at Beijing.

Mark Spitz, winner of 7 swimming golds in one Olympics (1972 Munich Olympics), a record only very recently broken by Michael Phelps, told the New York Daily News that he could have matched fellow swimmer Michael Phelps stride for stride if the two legends swam against each other in their primes.

I believe him. Heck, he may even beat Michael. Of course, in all humility, Mark also says that Michael could even win some more in 2012.

Mark Spitz is still the best -- he who "was a true amateur in a tiny Speedo bikini with a hirsute body to slow him down" against Michael who "is a well-paid, vitamin/electrolyte/magic protein-engorged professional encased in a second-skin cheater's uniform." (from Debbie Schlussel)

He was my idol. So much that I even usurped his name, partly -- when I'd sign up for anything, I'd use Pitz.

That is, until some friends combined my first name and nickname, and started calling me Armpitz.

They can't beat me at swimming so they call me names -- stick and stones ... Just kidding guys!