Boxer VFW Endorsement In Dispute By VFW Leadership

Photo of letter issued by the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States calling the actions of the VFW-PAC into question as it relates to political endorsements. This photo was taken at a protest rally outside of the VFW-PAC news conference to endorse Barbara Boxer for her fifth term as United States Senator. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2010)

Boxer VFW Endorsement In Dispute By VFW Leadership

In what may be a case of identity theft through going rogue, the separate political action committee organization using the "VFW" in its name is endorsing candidates without the blessing of the real VFW organization out of Kansas City, MO.

In a letter issued October 8, 2010 titled "VFW Leadership at Odds with VFW-PAC" and signed by Richard L. Eubank - National Commander, Richard L. DeNoyer - Sr. Vice Commander, and John E. Hamilton - Jr. Vice Commander the VFW called the methodology process used by the PAC "seriously flawed at best this year and in immediate need of extensive review," in the wake of the recent congressional endorsements made by the committee.

This separate organization, formed by 12 VFW members, is acting rogue in their endorsements of Barbara Boxer, Harry Reid, and Nancy Pelosi - especially given that the voting record and personal statements of these candidates should have had them removed from consideration.

This photo was taken at a protest rally outside of the VFW-PAC news conference to endorse Barbara Boxer for her fifth term as United States Senator. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2010)

This excerpted and edited from the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States website -

VFW Leadership at Odds with VFW-PAC
By Richard L. Eubank - National Commander, Richard L. DeNoyer - Sr. Vice Commander, and John E. Hamilton - Jr. Vice Commander - October 8, 2010 - VFW, Kansas City, MO.

“Even though the law requires that VFW-PAC be a separate organization, the acronym ‘VFW’ is attached to the committee and the natural assumption is that the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States is somehow making the endorsement decisions. Nothing could be further from the truth, but perception is reality,” said National Commander Richard Eubank.

“Obviously, an organization's political positions have to reflect the opinions of its members. But those opinions can't be perceived as ‘off the wall,’ and the methodology used this year to grade candidates obviously is skewed in favor of the incumbent. That isn’t fair, and it actually subverts the democratic process.”
Reference Here>>

Paul Chabot - Statewide Chairman, Veterans for Carly Coalition, Iraq War Vet, Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States (Kansas City) Lifemember) as he presents the letter from the VFW leadership out of Kansas City, MO, and reviews Barbara Boxer's voting record on Veteran's Affairs. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2010)

Barbara Boxers record is as follows (re-published from LA Conservative Examiner):

To be clear, this endorsement should be protested on these facts on the actions and voting record of this current Senator from California (information provided by the Pasadena Patriots - TeaPac - Paul Chabot - Statewide Chairman, Veterans for Carly Coalition, Iraq War Vet, Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States (Kansas City) Lifemember):

Boxer Military Fact Check

1) Barbara Boxer continues to campaign with Jane Fonda. I do not have to remind Veterans the harm that Jane Fonda caused to our Nation - they know all too well.

2) In California, we have 1.9 million Veterans, 30,000 returning from war each year. While the California unemployment rate is 12.4%, Veterans in California have over a 30% unemployment rate. Of the total number of unemployed persons in California, 25% are Veterans. The problem has gotten much worse under Boxer, not better.

3) Our VA Hospitals are overloaded, bulging at the seams; the quality of care is decreasing while wait lines are increasing beyond any reasonable expectation. As a Vet who receives care at California VA's, I can firmly
attest to this fact and the outrage felt by my fellow Veterans.

4) Barbara Boxer has consistently voted against funding for our troops in times of war. In 2007, she was one of only 14 senators to vote against supplemental funding for the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. That bill included billions of dollars in funding for body armor, for mine-resistant vehicles, for defense health programs - including funding for the treatment of soldiers suffering from PTSD and brain trauma - and to help combat IEDs.

5) In 2003, Boxer was one of just 12 senators to oppose the $87 billion supplemental appropriation for the reconstruction of Iraq and Afghanistan, which provided funding for body armor, communications equipment, equipment maintenance and operation, defense health programs, increased imminent danger pay. The reconstruction package also included funds to help military families by increasing the Family Separation Allowance, by allowing family members to visit soldiers who are ill or injured as a result of their active-duty service and by providing access to the benefits of the Family Medical Leave Act.

6) Boxer has repeatedly disrespected prominent members of our military. Who can forget the time she upbraided Brigadier General Michael Walsh during a committee hearing for calling her "ma'am" instead of "senator."

7) Boxer has also refused to condemn the offensive, defamatory advertisement MoveOn.org ran against General David Petraeus, who is now commanding our forces in Afghanistan.

It is for these reasons, that we must ask the VFW-PAC to rescind its endorsement of Barbara Boxer.

Reference Here>>

This photo was taken at a protest rally outside of the VFW-PAC news conference to endorse Barbara Boxer for her fifth term as United States Senator. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2010)

This excerpted and edited from the LA Times -

Boxer highlights endorsement by VFW-PAC
By: Cathleen Decker - October 10, 2010 | 5:13 pm

Fiorina has been critical of Boxer’s record on military issues, including Boxer's vote against a military spending bill that Boxer opposed because she said it did not outline a clear exit strategy from Iraq. On Sunday after speaking at a civic affairs conference hosted by the Iranian American Jewish community in Century City, Fiorina said the VFW PAC had “lost a great deal of credibility because they’ve demonstrated once again that all they ever do is endorse incumbent politicians.”

“There are a great number of veterans who are offended by Boxer’s refusal to support our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan," Fiorina told reporters Sunday. "There are veterans who are offended by the way she dressed down a general, and there are, unfortunately for the VFW PAC, now a whole lot of veterans who are offended by the decision the VFW PAC has taken.”

Fiorina’s campaign also released a statement by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and other military veterans, objecting to the VFW's endorsement of her. (McCain is campaigning for Fiorina).

Asked after her speech about McCain's objection, Boxer merely smiled and replied: "I'm so excited to have the VFW endorsement. I couldn't be more thrilled."
Reference Here>>

This photo was taken at a protest rally outside of the VFW-PAC news conference to endorse Barbara Boxer for her fifth term as United States Senator. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2010)

Well, no matter how tainted or in dispute, or bogus an endorsement may be (especially given one's own voting record and personal statements) ... the accepting of this VFW-PAC endorsement passes for something to be excited about by Barbara Boxer, here during Carter's Second Term (the 44th Presidency of the United States).

Boxer Endorsement UPDATE - VFW Leaders Tell PAC to Rescind Boxer, Klein Endorsements - Published October 13, 2010 | FOX News/Associated Press

VFW UPDATE - VFW Commander-in-Chief disolvess its Political Action Committee (VFW-PAC) after disputed endorsements - October 15, 2010

It is now evident to most of the VFW leadership, both National and especially the departments, that the VFW has been subjected to extreme negative publicity throughout the nation, and the recent endorsement decisions have, in fact, harmed the VFW’s reputation and future ability to fulfill our mission.

I cannot let this erosion of public support for our great organization continue. The apparent lack of the committee to address these concerns will lead to a proposal by me, as Commander-in-Chief, to amend the by-laws at the 112th National Convention for the purpose of dissolving the PAC. Meanwhile, under the authority granted to me as Commander-in-Chief in section 619 of the VFW National By-Laws and under section 620 of the Manual of Procedure, I am withdrawing all PAC appointments effective October 15, 2010.

One Nation Rally - The Hodge-Podge Of Disgruntled Socialist Rant

Side-By-Side - Restoring America Rally on left (packed with concerned American citizens) / One Socialist Nation Rally on right (packed with all of the Messiah's socialist citizens) - ironic and telling, isn't it? Image Credit: The Blaze (2010)

One Nation Rally - The Hodge-Podge Of Disgruntled Socialist Rant

This rally, billed as being planned before the Restoring Honor Rally was planned and held, was a disorienting and divisive collection of speeches and music without a clear direction to it except an "I Want More From You" chant of bigger Government socialist utopia.

One by one, Communists the likes of Van Jones, Union Leadership operatives from SEIU, AFL-CIO, and etc., and single Race representatives from American Indian tribal associations political landscape operatives (Al Sharpton), La Raza (which translates to "The Race") hispanic rights over all others ... especially legal citizens, came to the microphone to exclaim their injustice and ax to grind in the name of unity ... with all of this being moderated by MSNBC's Ed Shultz. Can you feel the love?

More than 400 organizations, including liberal faith, environmental, union, and gay rights groups, sponsored the "One Nation Working Together" demonstration on the same end of the National Mall where a month ago tea party activists and sympathizers met to hear conservative TV and Radio commentator Glenn Beck, Former Governor Sarah Palin, and a host of other speakers talk to the issue of "Restoring Honor" to our broken nation.

Organizers claimed they had as many participants as Beck's rally. But Saturday's crowds were less dense and didn't reach as far to the edges as they did during Beck's rally (see photo below). The National Park Service stopped providing official crowd estimates in the 1990s.

Demand the changes we voted for - One Nation Working Together is a social movement of individuals and organizations committed to putting America back to work and pulling America back together. Coming from a diverse set of backgrounds, experiences, beliefs and orientations, we are determined to build a more united country with good jobs, equal justice, and quality public education for all [how come they did not use a photo from the actual rally?]. Image Credit: OneNationWorkingTogether.org via the infamous Martin Luther King speech held on the mall 47 years ago

This excerpted and edited from Gateway Pundit -

Figures. CSPAN Uses Tea Party Rally Crowd Shot for Leftist “One Nation” Rally Article

Posted by Jim Hoft on Saturday, October 2, 2010, 10:56 AM

CSPAN is airing the leftist “One Socialist Nation” rally today in Washington DC.

Unfortunately, they didn’t have a good crowd shot of the turnout… So they used a photo from a Glenn Beck tea party rally.

Notice the Gadsden flags in the background.
(Hat Tip Editor)

This is despite the fact that thousands of supporters were given free rides by unions and the NAACP to the rally.

The actual crowd is a little sparse at the One Nation rally today.

Despite the free rides and T-shirts the leftists just couldn’t match this crowd.

This photo is from the Glenn Beck rally last month.

Reference Here>>

AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka urged participants, including his union's members, to band together. "There is nothing, and I mean nothing, we can't do when we stand side by side, shoulder to shoulder," Trumka said. "We will stand together. And we will win together. And we won't let anyone — and I mean anyone — stand in our way."

"Coming out of here, we've got to go home and ask our friends to vote, ask our neighbors to vote," NAACP President Benjamin Todd Jealous said.

Socialist protesters and paraphernalia dominated today's left-wing protest rally in Washington, DC. The so-called "One Nation" rally was led primarily by labor unions as an attempt to counter Glenn Beck's Restoring Honor Rally, which took place in DC on 8-28-2010.

Rose Dixon, a health care worker from Pawleys Island, S.C., said she hopes the rally sends a message to lawmakers on Capitol Hill. "Stop the obstructionism. Work together," Dixon said. "Stop playing politics as usual and to put the American people first. We're tired of the politics and the posturing and the games."

This quote sticks out because of its absurdity ... we have been governed since January 20, 2009 by an Executive Branch and Legislative Branch that has a single political party with a voting super majority - and they have passed legislation that has expanded Federal Government by nearly 25% and added more taxpayer debt in 19 months that it took forty previous Executive and Legislative Branches to amass in over 200 years (over 3 Trillion Dollars).

The "obstructionism" Rose Dixon is referring to, of course, is having the Federal Government release money directly to her and people like her. These people believe all power and income comes from Government as opposed to the fruits of one's own labor or intellectual property.

Not once during the rally observed on C-SPAN did we, at MAXINE, see or hear anyone stand up for the Constitution of the United States or the Bill of Rights. Frankly, there was very little in the way of displaying the American flag or anything Red, White, and Blue!

Organizers insisted the rally was not partisan. They said the message of the rally is about job creation, quality education and economic justice. However, the 400 organizations, such as the AFL-CIO and the Service Employees International Union, Code Pink, the ACLU, and etc. always back Democrat Party candidates. We have to ask ... what are they rallying for? Their political party currently controls all of the power of this current Federal Government and unfortunately it is "One Nation"!

NAACP President Benjamin Todd Jealous was right as it relates what is needed to change things as they are in Washington today ... "we've got to go home and ask our friends to vote, ask our neighbors to vote" ... that is, we have to go into our neighborhoods and ask each of our neighbors to vote for a person that will go to Washington and vote to uphold working to have a smaller government, the Constitution of the United States, and the Bill of Rights here during Carter's Second Term (the 44th Presidency of Barack Obama).

Congressional Adjournment - The Food Stamp Party Versus The Paycheck Party

PELOSI: ... It is definitely an advantage for us because we have aligned ourselves with those who passed Social Security, Medicare and now health care for all Americans as a right not a privilege. Image Credit: Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images via Examiner

Congressional Adjournment - The Food Stamp Party Versus The Paycheck Party

Democrat leadership over these last four years has given us nearly 10% unemployment, an increase in our debt through spending by nearly 25%, and an increase in people on welfare assistance by nearly 50%. Now, Democrats want to send Congress into recess without taking any action to cancel the tax hikes that will come at the end of the year, putting off the debate until after the midterm elections. They want to play the percentages that they can put the blame on Republicans for supposedly blocking the debate in an attempt to force Democrats to agree to an extension of all current tax rates, rather than letting "just" the highest income brackets get hit with a tax increase.

The big problem with this strategy is that centrists in Pelosi’s House of Representatives caucus can read the writing on the wall in their districts. They don’t want to go back home and explain any kind of tax hike, not even a class-warfare explanation about soaking the rich, in a recessionary environment. Their Republican opponents would use such a vote to paint them as tax-and-spend Democrats ... which they are, given their record over these last four years, and many of them would have to look for a new job.

This has led to a bipartisan consensus that would pass, TODAY, an extension of the current taxation plan put in place at the beginning of the previous administration - hence NO Tax Increase!

On Nov. 2, three of the temporary Senate appointments will expire. That means Illinois's Roland Burris, Delaware's Ted Kaufman and West Virginia's Carte Goodwin will all be out of a job. If voters do not allow this tactic of sending Congress into recess without taking any action to cancel the tax hikes that will come at the end of the year to stand by going to the polls in five weeks, and voting every Democrat party incumbent out - their replacements would be Republicans. Democrats could return to the lame-duck session with three fewer members of their party, making it less likely they can hold out against the efforts of Republicans and centrists Democrats who want to extend the "Bush Tax Cuts." They've also potentially made voters question the Democrat Party's determination to fix the economy in general.

As Newt Gingrich put it this morning - "This election is a fight between The Food Stamp Party versus The Paycheck Party [Democrats vs. Republicans]!"

This is not a time for Democrats to show a lack of guts and leadership for it will cost them for decades to come. When they lose power, who would ever take the progressive agenda seriously again?

UPDATE - September 29, 2010:

Pelosi's Congress votes to adjourn just as 47 Democrats commit to pass an extension to our current tax laws.

By voting to go on recess, the Democrats show that they wish to raise taxes on all citizens while continuing to spend money we do not have at record levels. This group of leaders have increased the debt in two years what it took forty Presidents to spend and add to our country's debt in over two-hundred years.

Dreamin' On The Nightmare Of The Dream Act

U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez discusses immigration issues while pandering to students at a conference organized by Elev8 Chicago students. Image Credit: Eric Young Smith

Dreamin' On The Nightmare Of The Dream Act

Harry Reid, in an effort to diminish the Rule-Of-Law, is working actively to give benefits and citizenship away through a piece of legislation he wishes to get passed by tucking it away as a rider on a military appropriations bill currently working through Congress.

The reason this "Dream Act" is a nightmare is that it seeks to slice up and weaken current immigration law that protects those who played by the rules and waited to become legitimate Green Card holders and/or citizens in the first place.

To have this legislation come up and be potentially passed into law as a rider without the debate and the vetting process required through the rule of law attacks the essence of sovereignty that makes the United States be the United States.

Further, these law breakers who make it into the United States believe they are entitled to have all of the financial assistance that full citizens are able to apply for just because they are here - a belief held by those we elect to protect us and the sovereignty our country.

This from Representative Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.)

"These [kids] are Americans in ALL, but paper ..." - This quote from Representative Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.), in its full context, can be found starting at 3:04 and the fact is, these people, no matter what age, are NOT Americans - in paper or otherwise.

Illegal is illegal no matter what the circumstance. All undocumented immigrants need to be held to the Rule-Of-Law for without enforcement ... there is no law. The Dream Act opens the door to convert illegal to citizen without the processes that all other immigrants had to go through to become citizens. Sneak in and get citizenship ... try this approach in any other country. The Dream Act is nothing but a nightmare.

This is why I am urging everybody to pick up the phone and call Sen. Brown now to urge him to NOT support the DREAM Act due to the issue - the Rule-Of-Law. This issue should be debated and considered on its own merits alone and not tucked into a military appropriations bill. His number is (617) 565-3170.

Tell him (or the representative who answers the phone) that it doesn't make sense to diminish the Rule-Of-Law and to talk to his Senate colleagues Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins to vote down the Dream Act for the same reasons.

Dreamy UPDATE - Reid ends up voting against own amnesty agenda rider ... The Dream Act!:

Today two Arkansas Democrats, blocked the bill that had the two riders - one repealing "Don't Ask Don't Tell" gay rights agenda for military service and one prelude to amnesty for Students and etc. ... "The Dream Act", with many arguing that the added measures, whether they supported them or not, had no place riding in a defense-spending bill. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who had championed the bills, also ended up voting against the defense bill for procedural reasons. The Republicans held strong - "Hats Off!"

More than 2.1 million children and adults under 35 years old would have been eligible if the DREAM Act passed, according to estimates by the Migration Policy Institute, and a little more than a quarter of them live in California alone. This means that California dodges another UNFUNDED Federally mandated spending bullet!

The defense policy bill has traditionally enjoyed bipartisan support, passing 48 years in a row with both parties eager to back the military. But this year, with the bill being introduced to the Senate floor in a paralyzing atmosphere just weeks ahead of the midterm elections, both parties have sought to add amendments that motivate their supporters.

“They want to weigh this bill down with controversy in a transparent attempt to show their special interest groups that they haven’t forgotten about them ahead of the election,’’ said Senator Mitch McConnell, the minority leader. “This is not a serious exercise. It’s a show.’’

2010 MPG Track Day Banquet - Zoran Segina's Piano Serenade

The MPG Track Day event brings together the greatest cross section of Automotive Professionals for 2 days of diverse automotive focused activities. Two Days of diverse driving activities including special courses and events for product evaluation and comparative analysis, driving instruction from professional drivers and driving competitions. Shown is a photo from the Cocktail Reception, Dinner & Awards Banquet and Afterglow Party with interactive games, contests and prizes. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2010)

2010 MPG Track Day Banquet - Zoran Segina's Piano Serenade

The 2010 Motor Press Guild's Track Day event is certainly an event dripping in automobile culture but no one expects the emphasis would ever shift from automobile to culture.

In this video caught at the mixer just before the attendees were called to sit down for a shared dinner banquet and awards ceremony for the 2010 MPG Track Day, member Zoran Segina ESQ. (LA Car) serenade's his fellow members with an impromptu, and fun, rendition of "New York, New York" on the Sheraton Ontario Airport's lobby piano.

Welcome to the cultured part of the Motor Press Guild's membership on display.

Ground Zero Imam Issues Threat To New Yorkers ... et al!

The project, known as the Cordoba Initiative, began soon after the terrorist attacks. Image Credit: newscottage.blogspot.com

Ground Zero Imam Issues Threat To New Yorkers ... et al!

In what has to be a classic example of how the religion of perpetual outrage, Islam, takes a "finger in everyone's eye" approach to dealing with propriety, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, the religious leader behind the proposed Islamic Center near Ground Zero - yesterday spoke to CNN about the controversy and issues a threat to New Yorkers and the rest of the free world.

Said Rauf, "If this is not handled correctly, this crisis could become much bigger than the Danish cartoon crisis, which resulted in attacks on Danish embassies in various parts of the Muslim world,” Rauf said later. “…. If we don't handle this crisis correctly it could become something which could really become very, very, very dangerous indeed.”

Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf says the reason he can’t move the Islamic center now is because of national security concerns, saying parts of the Muslim world would be violently inflamed at the news of the center’s relocation.

“The headlines in the Muslim world will be that Islam is under attack… (there’s) the danger of the radicals in the Muslim world to our national security, to the national security of our troops,” he said.

“If we do move,” Rauf continued, “it will strengthen the argument of the radicals to recruit, their ability to recruit, and their increasing aggression and violence ... .”

"If we move from that location, the story will be the radicals have taken over the discourse," the imam told CNN in his first televised interview since returning from a two-week State Department-sponsored cooperation tour of the Middle East.

So he characterizes anyone who believes that Muslims have the right to build but object because of the context that Islam attacked us already by flying planes into the World Trade Center towers and killed thousands of innocent people not related to their outrage and grievance against freedom of thought of the free world ... as RADICALS.

We, at MAXINE, have to ask - Isn't flying hijacked commercial planes into buildings and killing thousands of people while destroying massive amounts of property ... RADICAL?

The truth is this mosque project, its location, its naming, and timing of its celebration of launch of September 11, 2011 ... exactly 10 years after radical Islams attack on the United States ... is the definition of RADICAL and it should not be allowed to stand.

Take this and all other Imam's threats of violence and throw them back into their face.

UPDATE - Additional Thought:

The highest level of threat that the Ground Zero Imam stated in his responses to Soledad O'Brian in the CNN interview-based article (Ground Zero Imam Issues Threat To New Yorkers ... et al!) is to label all of the people who do not think a Mosque should be placed at "Ground Zero" - named Cordoba, set to be launched exactly 10 years to the date of the attacks on the World Trade Center (about 70% of most American's asked) - RADICALS.

Just now on ABC, Meredith Vieira let a CAIR spokesman label these same Americans as Racists. When will the illegitimate name calling from Muslim Haters end?

This excerpted and edited from NewsBusters -

Vieira let Council on American-Islamic Relations' (CAIR) Zead Ramadan go on, uninterrupted, as he proceeded to compare the protest surrounding the Ground Zero mosque to some of America's worst moments of intolerance as he went on to say:

"The issue with the public sentiment is that when an issue is related to bigotry, unfortunately our history has shown that sometimes we're on the wrong side. For example we interred Japanese during World War II, we segregated our military, our schools, and it took on Executive Order to undo that. And we also enslaved our fellow Americans. So I mean when it comes to bigotry we've got to be careful about the public sentiment."
Reference Here>>

This Ground Zero Mosque issue over principles is probably the clearest example that we are in a culturally-based Values War with Muslims and they are the ones looking for the fight. The Muslim culture would like to erase American culture and the freedoms it once guaranteed through the Bill Of Rights and the Constitution.

(ht: quotes excerpted and edited from CNN, Washington Post, & ABC News)

Robert Gibbs defends Obama's 'mainstream' Christian religion

Trinity United Church of Christ - "A CHURCH IN BLACK ... and white". Trinity UCC was founded in 1961. Ten years later, when the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright became its pastor, the church had 87 families. Today, Trinity UCC has more than 8,000 members, 70 ministries and three Sunday worship services. Image Credit: TUCC Newsletter


Robert Gibbs defends Obama's 'mainstream' Christian religion

Glenn Beck stated on his radio program this week (as reported by Associated Press) that President Barack Obama practices a version of Christianity that is not recognized by most people. Beck said that this "liberation theology" is all about "oppressors" and "victims."

The White House Press Secretary, Robert Gibbs defended this critique by Glenn Beck by saying President Barack Obama is a "committed, mainstream Christian." Further, Gibbs said, "I can only imagine where Mr. Beck conjured that from."

We, at MAXINE, looked into the website of Barack Obama's church during the 2008 presidential campaign ... the one he claims to have attended for twenty years, where he married his wife Michelle, and had his two daughters christened ... and this is exactly what we found.

Originally published at MAXINE on January 13, 2008 -

"Ideating" Barack Obama & Trinity United Church of Christ

IBM has a commercial where a workgroup is lying on floormats spread out on the floor of a large room, with those pillows people use on airplanes that form around the neck. The lights are off. When a man who is checking the rooms opens the door and turns on the lights to a neon glow, he discovers this room full of people, lying on the floor in orderly rows.

The man asks, “What are you guys doing?”

A female voice calls out, “We’re ideating.”

Well, we at MAXINE, felt like doing a little “Ideating” of our own when we began to read about Barack Obama and his twenty year association with the Chicago-based Trinity United Church of Christ.

The problem isn’t that this church may/may not have practices or beliefs that many would not consider mainstream – such as have some believers who speak in tongues, or handle snakes, or think that the Devil and Jesus Christ are related in a family way, or do a bunch of faith healings in a tent, or – well you get the idea. The problem starts with what this church tells about ITSELF and what it believes on its website.

Barack Obama (pictured here with TUCC Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr.) has put his religion back into the headlines, trumpeting the power and salvation of faith and asking a church audience in South Carolina to help him become “an instrument of God” and join him in creating “a Kingdom right here on Earth." Image Credit: Trinity United Church of Christ/Religion News Service via FOX News

This issue first came to our attention during a morning review of Pajamas Media through this excerpted posting –

Obama’s Creepy, Race-Obsessed Church
By Burt Prelutsky - Pajamas Media – 1/12/2007

Introduction from PJM
A leading Democratic candidate for president attends an “Afrocentric” church that bestows awards on Louis Farrakhan and practically defines itself through race-baiting. Burt Prelutsky asks, why isn’t Barack Obama’s faith-based problem making national headlines and the nightly news?

One of the obvious differences between Democrats and Republicans is the role that religion plays in their presidential campaigns. For instance, every Democrat, while pretending to believe that “separation of church and state” actually appears somewhere in the Constitution, must also insist that religion plays an essential role in his or her life.
----
What’s more, when questioning these people, the liberal media kindly limits itself to a yes or no question regarding the existence of God.
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Why is it, I wonder, that nobody is asking Barack Obama about his religious convictions? From what I’ve gathered, they’re far more fascinating than Mitt Romney’s.
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The vision statement of the TUCC is based upon something called the systematized liberation theology that began in 1969 with the publication of Dr. James Cone’s book, “Black Power and Black Theology.” Dr. Cone believes that black Christians should not follow the “White Church,” as it had failed to support them in their struggle for equal rights in America. I suspect that most white Christians would disagree.

Trinity United boasts that it is a congregation “Unashamedly Black and Unapologetically Christian.” What’s more, “it is a congregation with a non-negotiable commitment to Africa. We are an African people, and remain true to our native land, the mother continent, the cradle of civilization.”

Its pastor, Reverend Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr., has referred to “white arrogance” and “the United States of Whiter America.” To my ears, that sounds unashamedly black, but I’m not so sure about the unapologetically Christian.

Furthermore, Rev. Wright’s church publishes a magazine, The Trumpet. Not too surprisingly, all things considered, the recipient of the 2007 Lifetime Achievement Trumpeter Award for Social Justice was none other than Louis Farrakhan, the fellow who plays the race card even better than he plays his violin.
----
That being said, I have no idea how a member of a black church that apparently feels it owes greater allegiance to Africa than to America and that pays homage to a bigot like Farrakhan, has the gall to present himself as the one candidate who can bring us all together.
Reference Here>>

Of course we had to do some investigation of our own, and sure enough this “Ideating” stuff can get really interesting.

Again, Barack Obama states that he has been an active member of this church for the last twenty years.

The website of the Trinity United Church of Christ has several revealing and disturbing written postings that need to be read in context in order to see what all of the fuss is about.

Trinity United Church of Christ sanctuary. Image Credit: TUCC

This from the TUCC website –

Trinity United Church of Christ

We are a congregation which is Unashamedly Black and Unapologetically Christian... Our roots in the Black religious experience and tradition are deep, lasting and permanent. We are an African people, and remain "true to our native land," the mother continent, the cradle of civilization.

God has superintended our pilgrimage through the days of slavery, the days of segregation, and the long night of racism. It is God who gives us the strength and courage to continuously address injustice as a people, and as a congregation. We constantly affirm our trust in God through cultural expression of a Black worship service and ministries which address the Black Community.

The Pastor as well as the membership of Trinity United Church of Christ is committed to a 10-point Vision:

1. A congregation committed to ADORATION.

2. A congregation preaching SALVATION.

3. A congregation actively seeking RECONCILIATION.

4. A congregation with a non-negotiable COMMITMENT TO AFRICA.

5. A congregation committed to BIBLICAL EDUCATION.

6. A congregation committed to CULTURAL EDUCATION.

7. A congregation committed to the HISTORICAL EDUCATION OF AFRICAN PEOPLE IN DIASPORA.

8. A congregation committed to LIBERATION.

9. A congregation committed to RESTORATION.

10. A congregation working towards ECONOMIC PARITY.
Reference Here>>

Image from YouTube video of The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan receiving from Obama's pastor, Dr. Wright Jr., the "Rev. Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright,Jr. Lifetime Achievement Trumpeteer" Award for Social Justice at the 2007 Trumpet Gala held on November 2, 2007 - Hyatt Regency Chicago - Video Credit: TRINITYCHGO - TUCC

Talking Points

Dr. Wright’s talking points (3.1.7) [3/1/2007] for Trinity United Church of Christ its Web site and the Black Value System (in response to Erik Rush’s comments (2.28.07) on the Hannity and Colmes show):

• One of the biggest gaps in knowledge that causes the kind of ignorance that you hear spouted by this man [Erik Rush] and those like him, has to do with the fact that these persons are completely ignorant when it comes to the Black religious tradition. The vision statement of Trinity United Church of Christ is based upon the systematized liberation theology that started in 1969 with the publication of Dr. James Cone’s book, Black Power and Black Theology.

• Black theology is one of the many theologies in the Americas that became popular during the liberation theology movement. They include Hispanic theology, Native American theology, Asian theology and Womanist theology.

• I use the word “systematized” because Black liberation theology was in existence long before Dr. Cone’s book. It originates in the days of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. It was systematized and published by theologians, Old Testament scholars, New Testament scholars, ethicists, church historians, and historians of religion such as Dr. James Cone, Dr. Cain Hope Felder, Dr. Gayraud Wilmore, Dr. Jacqueline Grant, Dr. Kelley Brown Douglas, Dr. Renita Weems, Dr. Katie Cannon, Dr. Dwight Hopkins, Dr. Linda Thomas, and Dr. Randall Bailey.

• These scholars, who write in various disciplines, also include seminary presidents like Dr. John Kinney and professors of Hebrew Bible, like Dr. Jerome Ross. Black liberation theology defines Africans and African Americans as subjects – not the objects which colonizers and oppressors have consistently defined “others” as.

• We [African Americans] were always seen as objects. When we started defining ourselves, it scared those who try to control others by naming them and defining them for them; Oppressors do not like “others” defining themselves.

• To have a church whose theological perspective starts from the vantage point of Black liberation theology being its center, is not to say that African or African American people are superior to any one else.

• African-centered thought, unlike Eurocentrism, does not assume superiority and look at everyone else as being inferior.

• There is more than one center from which to view the world. In the words of Dr. Janice Hale, “Difference does not mean deficience.” It is from this vantage point that Black liberation theology speaks.

• Systematized Black liberation theology is 40 years old. Scholars of African and African American religious history show that Black liberation theology, however, has been in existence for 400 years. It is found in the songs, the sermons, the testimonies and the oral literature of Africans throughout the Diaspora.
Reference Here>>

“IDEa … what?”, The man at the door asks the workgroup lying on the floor, on mats, while having their necks supported with custom travel pillows. Image Credit: IBM via Mikntosh3001

And last but not the least -

THE BLACK VALUE SYSTEM

Trinity United Church of Christ adopted the Black Value System, written by the Manford Byrd Recognition Committee, chaired by the late Vallmer Jordan in 1981.

Dr. Manford Byrd, our brother in Christ, withstood the ravage of being denied his earned ascension to the number one position in the Chicago School System. His dedication to the pursuit of excellence, despite systematic denials, has inspired the congregation of Trinity United Church of Christ. Prayerfully, we have called upon the wisdom of all past generations of suffering Blacks for guidance in fashioning an instrument of Black self-determination, the Black Value System.

Beginning in 1982, an annual Black Value System – Educational Scholarship in the name of Dr. Byrd was instituted. The first recipient of the Dr. Manford Byrd Award, which is given annually to the man or woman who best exemplifies the Black Value System, was our brother, Dr. Manford Byrd.

These Black Ethics must be taught and exemplified in homes, churches, nurseries and schools, wherever Blacks are gathered. They consist of the following concepts:

1) Commitment to God. “The God of our weary years” will give us the strength to give up prayerful passivism and become Black Christian Activists, soldiers for Black freedom and the dignity of all humankind.

2) Commitment to the Black Community. The highest level of achievement for any Black person must be a contribution of strength and continuity of the Black Community

3) Commitment to the Black Family. The Black family circle must generate strength, stability and love, despite the uncertainty of externals, because these characteristics are required if the developing person is to withstand warping by our racist competitive society.

Those Blacks who are blessed with membership in a strong family unit must reach out and expand that blessing to the less fortunate.

4) Dedication to the Pursuit of Education. We must forswear anti-intellectualism. Continued survival demands that each Black person be developed to the utmost of his/her mental potential despite the inadequacies of the formal education process. “Real education” fosters understanding of ourselves as well as every aspect of our environment. Also, it develops within us the ability to fashion concepts and tools for better utilization of our resources, and more effective solutions to our problems. Since the majority of Blacks have been denied such learning, Black Education must include elements that produce high school graduates with marketable skills, a trade or qualifications for apprenticeships, or proper preparation for college.

Basic education for all Blacks should include Mathematics, Science, Logic, General Semantics, Participative Politics, Economics and Finance, and the Care and Nurture of Black minds.

5) Dedication to the Pursuit of Excellence. To the extent that we individually reach for, even strain for excellence, we increase, geometrically, the value and resourcefulness of the Black Community. We must recognize the relativity of one’s best; this year’s best can be bettered next year. Such is the language of growth and development. We must seek to excel in every endeavor.

6) Adherence to the Black Work Ethic. “It is becoming harder to find qualified people to work in Chicago.” Whether this is true or not, it represents one of the many reasons given by businesses and industries for deserting the Chicago area. We must realize that a location with good facilities, adequate transportation and a reputation for producing skilled workers will attract industry. We are in competition with other cities, states and nations for jobs. High productivity must be a goal of the Black workforce.

7) Commitment to Self-Discipline and Self-Respect. To accomplish anything worthwhile requires self-discipline. We must be a community of self-disciplined persons if we are to actualize and utilize our own human resources, instead of perpetually submitting to exploitation by others. Self-discipline, coupled with a respect for self, will enable each of us to be an instrument of Black Progress and a model for Black Youth.

8) Disavowal of the Pursuit of “Middleclassness.” Classic methodology on control of captives teaches that captors must be able to identify the “talented tenth” of those subjugated, especially those who show promise of providing the kind of leadership that might threaten the captor’s control.

Those so identified are separated from the rest of the people by:

** Killing them off directly, and/or fostering a social system that encourages them to kill off one another.

** Placing them in concentration camps, and/or structuring an economic environment that induces captive youth to fill the jails and prisons.

** Seducing them into a socioeconomic class system which, while training them to earn more dollars, hypnotizes them into believing they are better than others and teaches them to think in terms of “we” and “they” instead of “us.”

** So, while it is permissible to chase “middleclassness” with all our might, we must avoid the third separation method – the psychological entrapment of Black “middleclassness.” If we avoid this snare, we will also diminish our “voluntary” contributions to methods A and B. And more importantly, Black people no longer will be deprived of their birthright: the leadership, resourcefulness and example of their own talented persons.

9) Pledge to Make the Fruits of All Developing and Acquired Skills Available to the Black Community.

10) Pledge to Allocate Regularly, a Portion of Personal Resources for Strengthening and Supporting Black Institutions.

11) Pledge Allegiance to All Black Leadership Who Espouse and Embrace the Black Value System.

12) Personal Commitment to Embracement of the Black Value System. To measure the worth and validity of all activity in terms of positive contributions to the general welfare of the Black Community and the Advancement of Black People towards freedom.
Reference Here>>

Not at all as White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs put it - President Barack Obama is a "committed, mainstream Christian." All pretty biased and somewhat inflammatory stuff if what we are seeking here is a mainstream Christian culture based on Christian values.

The Fear & Loathing Shown Through Projection By The Progressive Left

This photo image was captured from the top of the Washington Monument and shows the following - about 200,000 people can fit directly around the Reflecting Pool and under the trees in the center of The Mall ... the large field on the left can hold an additional 350,000 people. There are no estimates for the people on the right that are spilling out from under the trees or the people gathered directly in front of the Washington Memorial and the WWII Memorial circle between the WM and the Reflecting Pool. The estimate derived from this image places the crowd at over 500,000 peaceful and trash-free citizens. Image Credit: AP as submitted to the Lake Oswego Review by Art Scevola

The Fear & Loathing Shown Through Projection By The Progressive Left

Last weekend, those who were paying attention to movements in our American Culture, were treated to an exhibition of the power of like-minded people gathering just to recognize and affirm that this American concept of self-rule was still alive.

Glenn Beck held a rally entitled "Restoring Honor" on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, situated at one end of an area in Washington D.C. known as The Mall. The Mall is an area that stretches in a straight line for eight-tenths of a mile from the Lincoln Memorial to the Washington Monument obelisk which is adorned by a large rectangular body of water placed there to reflect the monuments stature from the surface of the water to anyone standing around this "Reflecting Pool".

On August 28, 2010, people came from all over the country to stand and listen to Glenn Beck and others talk about Restoring Honor and raise money for scholarships to be applied to the children left behind by their fathers who had died defending our country.

What was one of the most amazing elements of this Restoring Honor (honor equals TRUTH) rally is that it was estimated, through aerial photography of The Mall, that this crowd of like-minded people gathered around the Reflecting Pool and the adjacent open field was at least 500,000 people strong.

The newspapers and television broadcasts that reported on this event labeled the gathering as being influenced by Tea Party Movement of political activism yet this gathering, arranged by Glenn Beck, was purposefully non-political.

Absolutely no government policy agendas were presented, no political candidates gave speeches asking for support, and the crowd was treated to a challenge to restore their own honor in their lives by first re-connecting to the very power that gave them the rights to self-determination for their lives ... GOD, and not the Government ... the Judeo-Christian ethic that birthed this nation known as the United States.

Those that seek to have the Government be the primary source of wealth and power in this country (as opposed to the individual) are fearful of what this gathering was trying to accomplish and have just announced today September 2, 2010 a "counter-rally" to be held on October 2, 2010 on the very same mall. This gathering is also labeling itself as "non-political" however it is being sponsored and promoted by the NAACP, The Huffington Post, labor unions like the AFL-CIO and the SEIU, CODEPINK, and etc..

This excerpted and edited from an attendee and published in The Lake Oswego Review -

Honor to attend D.C. rally
By Art Scevola - Sep 2, 2010

Take it from this eyewitness, what took place was an old fashioned revival, mixed with a military tribute, sprinkled with healthy doses of humor, music and love of country. The Restoring Honor event may become the textbook case in how to organize and run a large charitable event in a peaceful but powerful manner. The budget for this event was designed and met some weeks in advance, resulting in several millions of net proceeds to benefit the Special Operations Warriors Foundation. Thus, this day will have the long term effect of helping that foundation fund a complete college education for hundreds of the surviving offspring of deceased special ops warriors.
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Whatever else said, this was the very antithesis of a “tea party.” Ironically, by not focusing on the politics, the day could have, by its size and reach, put incumbents and candidates alike on notice. It was the polar opposite of the critics pronouncements about the hi-jacking of the MLK speech anniversary. It was of epic size and scope and proved freedom-loving Americans will protect and defend the Constitution, religious freedom and individual liberty even when and while many elected officials will not. As the day rally concluded, he suggested that the next great leader for freedom might be within the assembled, a child who, drawing inspiration to such ideals, would grow to be the next George Washington or Abraham Lincoln.

He suggested that we must now look deep within ourselves to keep faith with those principles and values set forth by the nation’s framers, that have made America the last beacon of light in an increasingly troubled and dangerous world, and the greatest country in the sweep of human history.
Reference Here>>

And this excerpted and edited from The Daily Caller -

NAACP launches coalition watchdog site to ‘monitor’ Tea Party ‘racists’
By Matthew Boyle - The Daily Caller | Published: 4:16 AM 09/02/2010 | Updated: 7:04 AM 09/02/2010

The NAACP partnered with Media Matters, Think Progress and New Left Media to launch teapartytracker.org, a website that will specifically publish and monitor “racism and other forms of extremism within the Tea Party movement.”
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As for what Media Matters, New Left Media, Think Progress and the NAACP plan to do with teapartytracker.org, Think Progress editor Faiz Shakir and Media Matters Vice President for Research and Communications Ari Rabin-Havt said the NAACP contacted them about sharing content related to the Tea Party.

Shakir said the website isn’t meant to attack the Tea Party, only to “hold it accountable.”
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Conservative media guru Andrew Breitbart, who was once a victim of New Left Media’s trickery (though he says he doesn’t object to that type of journalism), said Think Progress and Media Matters shouldn’t, by any means, partner with an advocacy group, especially the NAACP, in trying to the paint the Tea Party a certain color.

“It’s called projection,” Breitbart said. “The alliance of the left, the Think Progress, the Media Matters and the NAACP are projecting onto the Tea Party. The accusations are a projection of who the coordinated, well-funded left is. They are manufacturing the racism. They are the ones who are fomenting the violence, the ones who are the only perpetrators of violence over the last year.”

Shakir thinks his organization, though, unlike the NAACP, has held itself to higher journalistic standards. He said Think Progress is a group of “advocacy journalists,” but that his staff values fact-checking and reporting truth.
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Rabin-Havt and Shakir stressed the fact that they’re not changing their journalistic practices or funding the teapartytracker.org website — they’re only allowing their content to be published on it.

Rabin-Havt didn’t have a specific answer as to what publishing “racism and extremism” on teapartytracker.org could actually accomplish but Breitbart did.

“The Glenn Beck rally scares the left greatly and they have to figure out a way to taint that group of people so more people don’t join that group because if half a million people becomes a million people becomes 2 million people, 3 million people, the left is in deep trouble and they know it,” Breitbart said.

The long-term implications and effects of painting the Tea Party as a racist and extremist group, Breitbart said, then cause conservative minorities to be afraid to speak their minds for fear of being ostracized.
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Breitbart called the NAACP a part of an “axis of division.” He said the “axis” — made up of the NAACP, the Democratic Party and several liberal media organizations including Media Matters and Think Progress — drives people away from an “integrated society” and keeps would-be-extinct social boundaries alive.

“My trajectory from left to right was born of recognizing that my desire for a more integrated society and a more colorblind society ran afoul from the Democratic Party’s multicultural model which separates people into their different tribes and manipulates those different tribes for political gain,” Breitbart said. “The NAACP doesn’t represent black people. It represents liberal politics and it is at the forefront of attacking black people who would dare differ on political philosophy.”

Breitbart also said the left is scared because conservatives finally discovered the power of protest – so left-wing politicians and media organizations are “manufacturing” racism to try to stop, or at least slow down, the budding movement.

“I can’t think of anything more un-American than a group telling people of a certain race that they don’t have the right to be conservative or disagree with liberal orthodoxy,” Breitbart said.
Reference Here>>

Love and the hope to restore American values had over 500,000 self-motivated citizens show up on The Mall August 28, 2010 ... we will wait and see what fear and loathing motivated by greed for Government control can bring to the 8/10ths of a mile between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument on October 8, 2010.

Obama Administration - Green Agenda Push Raises Aviation Safety And Security Vulnerability

Wind turbine farms give fits to air traffic control radar. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2010)

Obama Administration - Green Agenda Push Raises Aviation Safety And Security Vulnerability

Funny thing about priorities ... they always have a way of pointing out why the simple approach became the simple approach in the first place.

The Obama Administration, picking up and carrying majority of the water for the (largely socialist) Green Movement through its energy policy, highlights just WHY petroleum based products have become so widely used and continue to be the popular choice for power in the face of other proven alternatives.

The new Chevrolet (not Chevy, ever) Volt ... at only 40 miles per several hour recharge (receptacle shown above) and a list price of around $40,000 dollars ... is poised to place additional strains on an already taxed power grid with little positive benefit. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2010)

Take the creation of electricity for the general grid used for powering our homes, streetlights, and if you listen to what one United States Government owned automobile company has to say - automobiles like the Volt, for example. Many years have been invested into wind turbine technology to the point that it has become an economically viable contributor to the electric power that fuels the grid but as more turbine farms pop-up, incited by incentives provided by the Federal Government, an unintended problem is making itself clear.

Wind turbine farms, when located near military facilities, impair security and safety. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2010)

Wind turbine farms make the radar systems that keep our aviation traffic informed and secure in the skies above completely compromised. That's right, radar systems become confused when wind turbine blades begin to turn enmasse because the radar signal that returns reads or present themselves in many disturbing ways - heavy storm activity and blackout zones where air traffic and its control disappear completely from the radar screen.

This excerpted and edited from The New York Times -

Wind Turbine Projects Run Into Resistance
By LEORA BROYDO VESTEL - NYT - Published: August 26, 2010

The United States military has found a new menace hiding here in the vast emptiness of the Mojave Desert in California: wind turbines.

The wind turbines pose an unacceptable risk to training, testing and national security in certain regions, Dr. Dorothy Robyn, deputy under secretary of defense, recently told a House Armed Services subcommittee.

Because of its concerns, the Defense Department has emerged as a formidable opponent of wind projects in direct conflict with another branch of the federal government, the Energy Department, which is spending billions of dollars on wind projects as part of President Obama’s broader effort to promote renewable energy.

“I call it the train wreck of the 2000s,” said Gary Seifert, who has been studying the radar-wind energy clash at the Idaho National Laboratory, an Energy Department research facility. “The train wreck is the competing resources for two national needs: energy security and national security.”
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Collisions between the industry and the military have occurred in the Columbia River Gorge on the Oregon-Washington border and in the Great Lakes region. But the conflicts now appear to be most frequent in the Mojave, where the Air Force, Navy and Army control 20,000 square miles of airspace and associated land in California and Nevada that they use for bomb tests; low-altitude, high-speed air maneuvers; and radar testing and development.
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The military says that the thousands of existing turbines in the gusty Tehachapi Mountains, to the west of the R-2508 military complex in the Mojave Desert, have already limited its abilities to test airborne radar used for target detection in F/A-18s and other aircraft.

“We cannot test in certain directions because of the presence of wind turbines in the Tehachapi area,” said Tony Parisi, the complex’s sustainability officer. “Our concern is construction in other areas will further limit where we can do this kind of testing.”
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As a result of the military’s opposition, Horizon Wind Energy recently withdrew three project applications in the area. AES Wind Generation said it found out in May, after nine years of planning, that the military had objections to its proposal to build a 82.5-megawatt, 33-turbine wind farm.
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The impact of wind turbines on radar had been a back-burner concern for years, but it heated up in March, when the Defense Department put a last-minute halt to the $2 billion, 338-turbine Shepherds Flat wind project in Oregon out of concern the turbines would impair the effectiveness of long-range surveillance radar.
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Eliminating turbine clutter on radar is complicated. Part of the challenge is that many radar systems in use in the United States date back to the 1950s and have outdated processing capabilities — in some cases, less than those of a modern laptop computer. While there are technology fixes to ease interference on these aging systems, it can be tricky to filter out just the turbines.

On radar, “a wind turbine can look like a 747 on final approach,” said Peter Drake, technical director at Raytheon, a major provider of radar systems. “We don’t want to have the software eliminate a real 747.”
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Mr. Debenham just wants his three individual turbines to win approval. The concerns of the local military have been directed to Washington for review. In the meantime, millions of dollars in financing and renewable energy incentives are, well, twisting in the wind.

“I’m in limbo. My customers are in limbo,” he said. “Can you tell anyone in Obama’s office?”
Reference Here>>

The fact is, and there's plenty of evidence over these last 19 months in office to suggest, no one can tell anyone in Obama's office - or even Back Obama himself - ANYTHING! This crowd is hell bent on placing this country into a full-steam ahead position on every idealistic political agenda they hold no matter how simple the solution or how damaging the alternatives may be.

The Obama Administration is the "Ruling Class" and that is just tough for those who, or what, may be injured from their view and lack of representation of the citizens who supposedly own (Country Class) this country ... remember "by the people, and for the people?"

Korean Automobile Manufacturer Breaks Into American/Japanese Stronghold

The 2010 Hyundai Genesis is a sporty rear-wheel-drive luxury sedan that takes the top position in Hyundai's lineup, above the front-wheel-drive Azera. In its second year of production, the Genesis returns with an updated navigation system, a new adaptive cruise control option, and other minor trim adjustments. With a base price of about $33,000 for V-6 versions and $38,000 for the V-8 edition. Image Credit: Hyundai America

Korean Automobile Manufacturer Breaks Into American/Japanese Stronghold

According to the latest Kelley Blue Book www.kbb.com Market Intelligence Brand Watch™ study, Korean automaker Hyundai has made its first foray into the top five most-considered auto brands among new-car shoppers, ousting Japanese brand Nissan into sixth place.

Domestic auto manufacturer Ford continues its reign in the top spot as the most-considered among the 37 new-vehicle brands tracked in the Kelley Blue Book Market Intelligence study, followed by Toyota, Chevrolet, Honda and Hyundai, respectively.

The Hyundai Genesis claims larger luxury sedans like the Mercedes E-Class and BMW 5-Series as its competition-though it naturally lines up against such sedans as the Chrysler 300, Lexus GS, and Infiniti M as well. Image Credit: Hyundai America

Kbb.com Brand Watch Q2 2010 Study

Top Five Most-Considered Auto Brands Overall (Regardless of Segment)

Ford 29%

Toyota 22%

Chevrolet 21%

Honda 20%

Hyundai 13%

According to the Q2 2010 Brand Watch Study, over the past quarter Hyundai consideration has surged nearly six percentage points in the non-luxury coupe/sedan/hatchback segment, now garnering 29 percent of the total consideration among shoppers of this segment and bested only by Honda (45 percent), Toyota (42 percent) and Ford (38 percent).

Ford continues to hold court as the most-considered automotive brand among new-car shoppers, further increasing its lead over the second most-considered brand, Toyota (Ford has 29 percent of overall brand consideration regardless of segment, whereas Toyota has 22 percent). In Q2 2010, Ford particularly excelled in the non-luxury SUV/CUV segment, increasing its lead by four percentage points over the previous quarter to capture nearly half (46 percent) of the consideration among new non-luxury SUV/CUV shoppers. In comparison, Honda and Toyota tie for second and third places, each only having 35 percent.

Meanwhile, Toyota continues to experience the fallout from its recall and reputation crisis earlier this year. Since one year ago (Q2 2009), overall Toyota consideration has fallen eight percentage points (from 30 percent to 22 percent), now holding steady to its number two spot when it formerly dominated the number one spot. In addition, Toyota’s luxury brand Lexus experienced an all-time low since 2007 in the luxury sedan/coupe/hatchback category at 30 percent in Q2 2010 (down from 41% in Q1 2007).

On a bright note for Toyota, the company’s lauded “Swagger Wagon” marketing campaign for the all-new redesigned 2011 Sienna is resonating well with consumers, as the brand surged more than six percentage points in the minivan category over the past quarter to now capture 53 percent of the category consideration for Q2 2010. In addition, new-car shoppers ranked the Toyota brand tops in the minivan category for exterior styling.

“The latest Kelley Blue Book Market Intelligence findings show how the deck is being reshuffled in the automotive marketplace, with certain brands now holding places in consumer perception that we may not have believed just one or two years ago,” said James Bell, executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com. “Ford continues its upward trajectory and Hyundai is truly on a roll. Both brands prove that when you make dynamic, exciting and affordable products that appeal to the new-car shopping masses, consumer perception begins to change and subsequently, sales will follow.”

For Q2 2010, new-car shoppers rank durability/reliability, driving comfort, fuel efficiency, driving performance and safety (respectively) as the top five important factors while shopping for their next new vehicle.

The Q2 2010 Kelley Blue Book Market Intelligence Brand Watch Study was fielded to more than 3,000 in-market new-car shoppers on Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com from April 6 – June 17, 2010. Kelley Blue Book’s Brand Watch is an ongoing study tracking and trending consumer perceptions, detailing strengths and weaknesses of makes within each segment. Brand Watch primarily tracks brand consideration, segment consideration, important consideration factors for new-car shoppers, and how brands perform on those important factors. Kelley Blue Book Market Intelligence has been tracking Brand Watch since 2007.
(ht: KBB)

... notes from The EDJE

H1N1 Flu Pandemic Danger Is Over ... For Now

Image Credit: US Army, Ft. Bliss

H1N1 Flu Pandemic Danger Is Over ... For Now

The World Health Organization (WHO) says the intensity of outbreaks has been reduced and H1N1 virus is no longer as dominant as it once was. The end of the H1N1 influenza pandemic is now in sight. Fear of H1N1 has now receded to the point that the WHO is expecting to declare the pandemic over in the next week or so.

We, at MAXINE, however, believe that after seeing how the Obama Administration responded to the BP oil rig failure in the Gulf of Mexico ... keep the filtration breathing masks that you bought and make sure to get you flu shots early ... and often!

Image Credit: World Health Organization

This excerpted and edited from the Globe and Mail (Canada) -

WHO to declare H1N1 pandemic over
By Joe Friesen - From Monday's Globe and Mail Published on Sunday, Aug. 08, 2010 11:17AM EDT Last updated on Sunday, Aug. 08, 2010 9:48PM EDT

For a few weeks last autumn, fear of pandemic influenza stalked the land. Death seemed to lurk around every corner. A sneeze in public could draw a reproachful glance, and every handshake sent the anxious fumbling for their hand sanitizer. Gradually, the panic subsided, to be replaced by confusion over all the fuss made by governments and public-health agencies.
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Dr. Margaret Chan, director general of the World Health Organization, said the panel of experts that advises the WHO is feeling increasingly confident H1N1, which has killed more than 18,000 people around the world, has taken on the characteristics of a typical seasonal flu.

“All in all, people feel that the overall picture looks like we are ready to declare post-pandemic globally very soon,” Dr. Chan said.

Every pandemic eventually becomes a seasonal flu strain. This fall, when flu season arrives again, H1N1 will still be one of the major variants floating around, but the population has shown sufficient resistance to it that there have been very few new deaths or flu activity in Canada since February, according to Dr. Perry Kendall, British Columbia’s provincial health officer.
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“We were planning with [avian flu] and 1918 in mind, and that meant you had to develop a vaccine as quickly as possible. The lesson learned from this is that unless we get some radical new technologies we’re not going to get an influenza vaccine within the first six months. That means for the first wave of the virus, there’s going to be no vaccine to protect people.” [Kendall]
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The pandemic’s end will be declared as it takes its second tour of winter in the Southern Hemisphere. So far there has been evidence the intensity of outbreaks has been reduced and the virus is no longer as dominant as it once was.
Reference Here>>

Best takeaway? ... "The lesson learned from this is that unless we get some radical new technologies we’re not going to get an influenza vaccine within the first six months" ... make sure to get you flu shots early, and often, and stock up on the breathing masks now before people start dropping.

Image Credit: US Army, Ft. Bliss

Any combination of these symptoms should be enough of a concern to seek medical advice. Fever above 100.5 F - Cough - Sore Throat - Headache - Nausea - Vomiting.

Recommended actions to prevent spread of H1N1 infection:

-Hand washing with soap and warm water. Cold water is not as effective for killing germs. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

-Use a tissue to cover your nose and mouth when you cough or sneeze, or cough or sneeze into your elbow/sleeve rather than your hand.

-Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.

-Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

-Those with flu-like symptoms should stay home from work, school and social gatherings.