Vick’s teammates react to star’s new mega-deal (With Video)

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Vick's teammates react to star's new mega-deal (With Video) Delaware County Daily Times   PHILADELPHIA – Almost as compelling as the Eagles' six-year, $100 million commitment to quarterback Michael Vick is the reaction of teammates to the, contract extension. The real Mike Vick lies somewhere between the extremes. …   Michael Vick's six-year, $100 million contract extension delights, dismaysCherry Hill Courier Post Marc Lamont Hill: Vick gets something rare for ex-cons: A payday after paying …Philadelphia Daily News Now comes the hard part for VickESPN CBSSports.com -The News Journal -SportingNews.com all 1,260 news articles »

Vick’s teammates react to star’s new mega-deal (With Video) – Delaware County Daily Times

Buffett’s Billion-Dollar Tax Hypocrisy

By Bill Wilson
 
Writing for the New York Times recently, Berkshire Hathaway chairman and chief executive Warren Buffett called for taxes to be increased on the so-called “super-rich,” suggesting that he and his elite billionaire and millionaire friends are itching to pay more.

Buffett wrote, “Most wouldn’t mind being told to pay more in taxes as well, particularly when so many of their fellow citizens are truly suffering.”

Of course, if that’s the case, why doesn’t Buffett’s company settle its own ongoing tax disputes with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)? As Americans for Limited Government (ALG) has reported exclusively — a story given national attention by a New York Post editorial — according to Berkshire Hathaway’s own annual report, the company has been embroiled in an ongoing standoff over its tax bills.

Using only publicly-available documents, a certified public accountant (CPA) detailed Berkshire Hathaway’s tax problems to ALG researcher Richard McCarty. Now, the American people have a better idea of how much in back taxes the company could owe Uncle Sam.

According to page 56 of the company report, “At December 31, 2010… net unrecognized tax benefits were $1,005 million”, or about $1 billion. McCarty explained, “Unrecognized tax benefits represent the company's potential future obligation to the IRS and other taxing authorities. They have to be recorded in the company’s financial statements.”

He added, “The notation means that Berkshire Hathaway’s own auditors have probably said that $1 billion is more likely than not owed to the government.”
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EU Tightens its Noose

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Obama Taking Shots From Every Direction, Including The Left

Video by Frank McCaffrey

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Spreading ‘Big Oil subsidy’ disinformatio

By Paul Driessen

Every American manufacturing company gets tax deductions that help it create jobs and strengthen our economy — whether it produces newspapers, furniture, cars or fuel. Eliminating those deductions would increase unemployment and further slow our nation’s desperately needed economic recovery.

Yet that is precisely what President Obama wants to do when oil companies want to use the deductions. It is one of many ways the Obama administration is undermining the oil industry and 9.2 million Americans whose jobs it supports. It is part of the administration’s strategy for replacing fossil fuels with heavily subsidized “alternatives” that taxpayers cannot afford, and consumers will not purchase on their own.
Newspapers that benefit from the same genre of tax deductions as oil companies nevertheless sometimes join attacking the oil industry, and the jobs and benefits it creates. This is rank hypocrisy.

“If Republicans are truly determined to slash the budget and end government waste,” the New York Times editorialized, “they will start [by] ending the web of tax breaks enjoyed by the rolling-in-dough oil industry and terminating the ethanol subsidy. Together these cuts would save up to $100 billion over 10 years.”
The Times is right about ending ethanol subsidies. But it and other “progressives” are wrong on every other argument they present to justify their job-killing, economy-crippling energy agenda.

1) Oil industry tax deductions cover costs incurred in exploration, drilling, production, transportation and refining. They aren’t subsidies or special tax breaks. They are essentially the same deductions claimed by all manufacturers, in conducting their business under our complex tax code. They ensure that businesses recover their costs and get taxed only on net income, in the process of making essential products.

Refineries and petrochemical manufacturers play an especially vital role in the oil industry — transforming crude oil and natural gas into fuels and raw materials used to make fabrics, plastics, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, fertilizers, carpets, paints, roofing, siding, and myriad other products that improve and safeguard our lives. Solar panels and resins for fiberglass wind turbine blades are also petroleum-based.

The New York Times itself enjoys similar tax breaks, and hasn’t offered to give one of them up, to help end government waste. Nor have other newspapers, some of which have even sought to benefit under the “failing newspaper act,” which would let them operate as “educational nonprofits,” and pay no taxes. Others have sought exemptions from antitrust laws, so that they can set online subscription prices.
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Still packing a punch, Dick Cheney tells his story

—Dick Cheney is confident of the rightness of the hawkish policies he espoused as vice president and the wrongness of his critics, then and now. By H. Darr Beiser,, USA TODAY Dick Cheney's memoir praises former president George W. Bush as a bold and

By Alex Weprin on August 30, 2011 5:45 PM The NBC “Dateline” special featuring an interview with former VP Dick Cheney gave gave the network a close first-place finish at 10 PM. “Dateline” averaged 5.53 million total viewers, including a 1.7 rating/4

John Prescott's inability to engage with Dick Cheney resulted in a "fatal gap" between the US and the UK, a senior British diplomat has told the Iraq inquiry. Tony Blair has waded into the debate over England's riots, constructing an explanation that

Dick Cheney said "heads will explode" over his memoir, "In My Time."

John McCain's attempt to suspend his presidential campaign to deal with the financial crisis in the fall of 2008 stunned many in the White House and struck then-Vice President Dick Cheney as a sign that “the Republican presidential ticket was in

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15 arrested in N.Y. Playland melee over head scarves

The park was crowded with Muslims celebrating Eid-ul-Fitr, one of Islam’s two major holidays.

Police from at least nine agencies converged on the park after county police sought assistance in responding to the disturbance, which involved 30 to 40 people.

Another 13 people were arrested, most charged with disorderly conduct. All those charged were released by Tuesday night.

“It’s unfortunate because everybody just wants to be home with their families today,” said Zead Ramadan of the Council on American Islamic Relations.

Parks officials “painstakingly” told the organizer about the headgear ban, said Tartaglia. But he said that the rules might not have been communicated by the organizer to some attendees.

Three accidents on Playland rides that killed two children and a park worker between 2004 and 2007 were unrelated to clothing the victims were wearing. But the headgear ban was among safety rules that went into effect after those deaths.

“It’s a safety issue on rides. If it’s a scarf, you could choke,” Tartaglia said.

Accounts of what happened varied, but everyone agreed the dispute began after parkgoers were told the headgear ban applied to women wearing traditional Muslim head coverings, known as hijabs.

Tartaglia said once word of that got out there were “a lot of unhappy people.”

Tartaglia said park officials were in the process of arranging refunds when members of the Muslim group got into a scuffle with each other.

Ramadan said he could see both sides.

“The people feel like victims, and the police feel like they were just doing their jobs,” Ramadan said. “Personally I think things got a little out of control on both sides.”

Lola Ali, 16, of Astoria said she witnessed a group of girls and women wearing hijabs go to park security to confront them about the headgear issue.

She said the women were upset and yelling. She said the security officers started pushing them away and the girls stood their ground, at which point the security officers grabbed them, pushed them to the ground and handcuffed them.

Men within the park saw this and tried to intervene, Ali said, and the situation went downhill from there.

“They were beating down the girls, then they started beating down the guys,” she said of the security officers.

Earlier, a park cashier told a Journal News reporter that a woman wearing a hijab either pushed or hit a ride operator who forbade her from going on the ride. She said a police officer tried to restrain the woman and the woman’s husband took offense, at which point a multiple-person fight broke out.

Brooklyn resident Amr Khater, who had come to the park about noon with his family, said his family was told about the hijab rule by park employees when they arrived.

“Everybody got mad, everybody got upset,” he said. “It’s our holiday. Why would you do this to us?”

Eid-ul-Fitr marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan. It is a three-day period during which Muslims give to charity and celebrate their completion of Ramadan’s requirements with family and their community.

Contributing: (Westchester, N.Y.) Journal News reporters Gary Stern and Tim Henderson

Until Next Time…

Until Next Time…

By Richard A. Lee

At this time in 1971, I was getting ready to start my freshman year as a journalism major at Saint Bonaventure University. Forty years later, I find myself returning to Saint Bonaventure, about to begin a new chapter in my career as a member of the school’s journalism and mass communication faculty.

It makes for a nice story with a lot of symmetry. Not only is Saint Bonaventure my alma mater; it is the place where I met my wife, made some of my closest and lifelong friends, and acquired skills and values that helped to shape me professionally and personally.

But I am not returning to Saint Bonaventure for nostalgia. I’m heading back to the university near Olean, N.Y., because I am passionate about journalism and the critical role it plays in our society.

Journalism in America is at a critical juncture today. The internet has radically altered the manner in which news is gathered, reported and delivered. It also has undercut the financial foundation of the industry at the worst possible time – in the midst of a global economic crisis. On the other hand, the internet provides unprecedented benefits for all of us as consumers of news. It enables us to receive news and information faster and more conveniently than ever.

As a consequence, the challenges confronting journalists in the 21st Century also are greater than ever. Mergers and consolidations have resulted in an unhealthy concentration of media ownership. Cutbacks, layoffs and buyouts have depleted personnel and resources. Yet while the business side of the industry struggles, the journalism side continues to do its job -- and do it well.

Last week, I wrote about New Jersey’s Race to the Top debacle, recounting how the state lost $400 million in federal education funds a year ago because of a clerical error. The error, which ultimately cost a cabinet member his job, might not have come to light without the journalists who pursued the story. Likewise, we may never have known that Governor Christie took a state helicopter to his son’s high school basketball game had not a reporter broke the story, which eventually resulted in the Governor reimbursing the state for the ride. And earlier this year, an article on the struggles of agencies that combat poverty in New Jersey so moved Bruce Springsteen that he took time to write a letter to the editor to the Asbury Park Press commending the paper and the author of the story.

At a time when critics of the media are extremely vocal, I find inspiration in this type of journalism and hope for the future of the industry. As a journalist, much of my work at the Hall Institute and my research at Rutgers University has focused on media issues and the importance of quality journalism. At this stage in my career, I believe the best way for me to foster quality journalism is to train the next generation of journalists.

This is why I have decided to leave the Hall Institute of Public Policy – New Jersey for a teaching position at Saint Bonaventure. Although this is my final column as Communications Director of the Hall Institute, it will not be the last you hear from me. Once I am settled in my new job at Saint Bonaventure, I hope to find time to write an occasional column for the institute and the various internet news sites that have been kind enough to post my work over the past few years.

So rather than say goodbye, I prefer to sign off with a phrase I learned in Italy: A domani. Taken literally, it means “See you tomorrow,” but in a broader sense, it is a warmer way to leave because it conveys a message of “until next time” instead of farewell.

A domani, New Jersey.

# # #

Richard A. Lee is Communications Director of the Hall Institute. A former State House reporter and Deputy Communications Director for the Governor, he also has taught courses in media, politics and government at Rutgers University, where he is completing work on a Ph.D. in media studies. Read more of Rich’s columns at richleeonline and follow him on Twitter.

Rev. Jesse Jackson: Unemployment At “State Of Emergency”

MIAMI — Taking the microphone at a church in a predominantly black neighborhood of Miami, the Rev. Jesse Jackson asked how many in the crowd knew someone looking for a job.

Most of the several hundred people in the televised town hall gathering stood up. How many knew someone facing foreclosure? Student loan debt? In jail? Considered suicide? Crowds of people stood up in answer to each of his questions.

“This is a state of emergency,” the civil rights leader and one-time Democratic presidential candidate declared.

The Congressional Black Caucus organized a town hall gathering in Miami to address black unemployment rates Monday evening, one of five taking place in August in distressed communities across the country. At issue is the stubbornly high unemployment rate in the black community, now at 16.8 percent nationwide, more than double that for whites and a figure that doesn’t even include those who’ve stopped looking for work.

U.S Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Mo. and the caucus chairman, said representatives are frustrated at being unable to advance bills in Congress aimed at encouraging job growth. Caucus members have introduced more than 40 such bills since January and none of them have passed. Republicans took control of the House nearly nine months ago.

Now, the lawmakers are taking to the road to ensure angry constituents that they are doing all in their power to help, while offering a job fair in each city as assistance. In Atlanta, Cleveland and Detroit, the events have drawn thousands, and more than 1,000 people streamed into a downtown convention center Tuesday morning for the Miami job fair. Another will be held in Los Angeles at the end of the month.
“We left the complaint counter and that’s why we’re on this tour,” Cleaver said.

The mounting frustration over jobs is beginning to have political repercussions in the black community.
“Unemployment in South Florida, especially in the black community, is no longer a crisis,” U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., said before the event. “It’s an epidemic.”

The job fairs come amid a growing debate within the black community about the Obama administration’s urban agenda. While black lawmakers have been reluctant to criticize the country’s first black president, some are beginning to voice concern about the administration’s focus on deficit reduction at a time of high joblessness and poverty in urban areas.

“I think our politicians need to step up and do a better job of helping people,” said Lavern Eli, the executive director of Curley’s House of Style in Miami’s Model City neighborhood. “It’s really like they’re playing games with people’s lives because people are hurting. The community is hurting. People are so desperate, just trying to survive.”

Cleaver said he shares the community’s frustration.

“I’m frustrated with the president, but I’m frustrated with me,” Cleaver said in an interview Monday. “I’m frustrated with the tea party. Maybe I should have used my communications skills better to try to convince some of them to work with us. I’m frustrated with the Democratic leadership. The Republican leadership. The president. I think all of us bear some responsibility, some more than others, however.”

At the town hall on Monday, congressional leaders, a White House representative, Jackson and a church leader fielded questions from an MSNBC moderator about what they’ve done to create jobs, reduce unemployment, push for another stimulus, and address the influence of tea party Republican legislators.
Don Graves, executive director of the president’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness, told representatives and constituents that President Barack Obama is focused on every community in the nation, but acknowledged some have bit hit harder than others.

U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., told him to be more specific: the black community.
“We’ve got to target where the greatest need is,” she said.

Wilson said the job fair on Tuesday is expected to offer up to 3,000 jobs, from custodians to janitors, and draw upward of 5,000 people. She said unemployment in her district is about 17 percent, and as high as 40 percent for black males.

“I think the president is doing as much as he can, and I’m anxious to hear his proposal when we go back in September,” Wilson said, referring to the president’s job creation plan. “But if it includes any funding, we’re going to have to fight. Because the tea party will stop him.”

As the economy has struggled to recover, minorities have been disproportionately affected. An analysis of Census data released in July found that wealth gaps between whites and minorities have grown to their widest levels in a quarter-century, with whites on average having 20 times the net worth of blacks and 18 times that of Hispanics.

Algernon Austin, director of the race, ethnicity and economy program at the Economic Policy Institute, said a number of factors are pushing up the black unemployment rate, including a somewhat younger labor force, less-educated workers and discrimination. He pointed to several studies in which black and white workers presented the same qualifications to prospective employers. The black candidate consistently received less favorable responses.

“Even in good economic times, African American communities experience very high levels of unemployment,” Austin said.

Tracey Turner, 40, of North Miami, came to Monday’s event hoping to get some information on jobs. She has been out of work for nearly two years, after being laid off from her job as an accountant for Wal-Mart in September 2010.

Turner’s unemployment benefits have expired and she is supporting four children. She has been working temp jobs but hasn’t had any the last four months.
“It’s killing me,” she said.

Jaron Taylor, an 18-year-old Miami resident, said Tuesday he is desperately looking for work to help pay for college. Among the booths he visited was one set up by Starbucks.

“I have a good feeling,” Taylor said. “The energy in this room is something. There’s a good vibe. People are addressing the issue. They are making sure something will be done.”
Written by Associated Press

Suicide? Recent College Grad Found Dead; Left Apology Note

The body of a recent Temple University graduate who was reported missing Friday was found in the Delaware River in New Jersey Monday morning, police say.

Roswell Friend, the 22-year-old who was a member of Temple’s track team, was found dead by the New Jersey State Police marine unit in the Delaware River in Riverton, reports the Philadelphia Daily News.

The Baltimore Sun reported Friend wrote, “Sorry guys” on a note board in his house and posted “I’m sorry everyone” on his Facebook page before he disappeared.

Read more at TheGrio.com

Warren Buffett’s Taxing Hypocrisy

By Bill Wilson


The Obama Administration has turned to billionaire Warren Buffett, chairman and chief executive of financial giant Berkshire Hathaway, to make the case for raising taxes on the rich because, says Buffett, he can afford it. On Aug. 22, the White House reportedly chatted with Wall Street’s most famous investor to get his thoughts about the sputtering economy.

What likely got the Administration’s attention was Buffett’s oped in the New York Times. Buffett proposed that “It’s time for our government to get serious about shared sacrifice.” He implied he would like to see the capital gains be treated equally as income.

To wit, he wrote of the so-called “super-rich”, which he apparently defines as households earning $1 million or more a year: “Most wouldn’t mind being told to pay more in taxes as well, particularly when so many of their fellow citizens are truly suffering.” Isn’t that nice of Mr. Buffett?

But if he were truly sincere, perhaps he might simply try paying the taxes the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) says his company owes? According to Berkshire Hathaway’s own annual report — see Note 15 on pp. 54-56 — the company has been in a years-long dispute over its federal tax bills.

According to the report, “We anticipate that we will resolve all adjustments proposed by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (‘IRS’) for the 2002 through 2004 tax years at the IRS Appeals Division within the next 12 months. The IRS has completed its examination of our consolidated U.S. federal income tax returns for the 2005 and 2006 tax years and the proposed adjustments are currently being reviewed by the IRS Appeals Division process. The IRS is currently auditing our consolidated U.S. federal income tax returns for the 2007 through 2009 tax years.”

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Next Vacation

Next Vacation

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Our Daily National Debt Growth Is A Bigger Order Than Papa John's Could Handle!

Video by Frank McCaffrey

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Hurricane Irene Now Category 4; New England Braces Itself

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The U.S. National Hurricane Center has reported maximum winds of 115 mph (185 kph) as Irene advances through the Caribbean toward the U.S.

The hurricane has been building momentum as a tropical storm since last week and finally hit land in Puerto Rico on Monday. In the midst of torrential rains, heavy winds, flooding and collapsed trees and power lines, among other destruction, no injuries have been reported.

Currently, Irene is out-skirting southeast of the Bahamas islands after pummeling through the Dominican Republic and Turks and Caicos, where street signs were ripped out of the ground and several buildings were destroyed.

Associated Press reports that the storm is currently about 335 miles (540 kilometers) southeast of Nassau, Bahamas and is moving west-northwest near 9 mph (15 kph). It will move through the Bahamas in the next two days.

Bahamian residents are doing their best to prepare for the storm, clearing out shelves in Nassau convenience stores. Many hurricane veterans are nervous about the fact that Irene is now Category 4.

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"I just want to blink my eyes and have it be Friday so I can see what's left," Pamela Klonaris, who has lived through several storms over 41 years, told Palm Beach Post.

"We've stayed through every hurricane, but I don't know about a Category 4."
The NHC projects that Irene will soon become a Category 4 hurricane; they expect to see 125 mph (201 kph) winds in the northwest Bahamas as early as midday Thursday; which is just 5 mph below the criteria for Category 4.

In the U.S., several southern and southeastern states are also preparing for Irene's destruction.
Tourists and residents of Ocracoke Island, a small barrier island off North Carolina, have been ordered to evacuate.

Irene is expected to affect a great deal of the east coast, and may cause flooding and power outages as far as Maine, according to ABC News.

Manager of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Craig Fugate has warned that residents from the Mid-Atlantic region to New England should also be preparing for Irene hitting land in the U.S.
"It's going to be close and whether we get a brush or whether we have a landfall, it's too early to say," he said.
"Go ahead and make sure you're ready and then if evacuations are required, heed those evacuation orders. The Hurricane Center says this storm is going to grow and strengthen...and it's really something people need to be prepared now for so they can be ready if they have to act."

Pro-Gadhafi forces try to halt rebels’ momentum – CNN

Pro-Gadhafi forces try to halt rebels' momentum
CNN
By the CNN Wire Staff Tripoli, Libya (CNN) -- Libyan rebels weathered resistance from pro-Moammar Gadhafi forces in several volatile pockets across Tripoli on Wednesday, and a few dozen journalists kept hostage for days by the strongman's armed ...

Gaddafi loyalists face last stand in TripoliBBC News
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world reacts to the fall of Col Gaddafi's regimeTelegraph.co.uk
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Al Qaida Trying To Co-Opt Syrian Revolution

Al-Qaida’s new senior leader is trying to co-opt Syria’s revolution with a message of anti-Americanism and hate, in a new video translation recently released to jihadi forums.

Zawahiri: Syria,  are you listening? Hello?

“Peace be upon you while you teach the rebellious, treacherous, traitorous system severe lessons on how to resist him, his corruption and treachery, his compliance in favor of the global hegemony and his desertion of Golan,” Ayman al-Zawahiri says in his attack on Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. “Peace be upon you, O champions and heroes! Indeed you have presented a great example, teaching your Arab and Islamic Ummah lessons about sacrifice, resilience and fighting injustice.”

In the clip, “The Glory of the East Begins with Damascus,” Zawahiri paints America as responsible for pulling the strings of Syria’s brutal regime. His conspiracy theory alleges America wants to manipulate the region for its own interests and to protect Israel from the wrath of the revolution.

Notably, Zawahiri tries to blend traditional al-Qaida ideas with Syrian resistance to the regime. This means praising the martyrs in Islamist strongholds like Homs and Hama, showing local bravery as a rejection of American intervention in the Middle East, and manipulating popular grievances against Israel to strike out against the United States.

The propaganda includes reciting a long line of salutes and poetry about Syria’s famous warriors and conquerors, and also incorporating modern martyrs into the list. “Peace be upon you, O courageous and fierce, free and noble, in Daraa, Jisr ash-Shugur, Ma’arrat al-Numan, Baniyas, Homs, and Hama, the land of heroism and martyrdom,” Zawahiri said, recognizing places where Syrians had staged protests.


Most important was the mention of Hama, an Islamist stronghold that witnessed repression of modern Islamist protests and the brutal crushing of a Muslim Brotherhood revolution in February 1982. “Whenever a martyr falls from amongst you, hundreds of others present themselves for martyrdom, and whenever someone is imprisoned, hundreds of others offer themselves, ready to sacrifice,” Zawahiri said in praise of the revolution’s fallen.

Al-Qaida has traditionally rejected the Muslim Brotherhood’s approach of removing un-Islamic regimes through civil activity and elections, so the salute to the MB’s martyrs may show a warming of ties toward either the Islamist groups or protesters in general. Such a warming would be consistent with Zawahiri’s first statement as al-Qaida’s leader, where he pledged, “we offer our hands and open our hearts to cooperate with everyone working on supporting Islam in the Islamic groups and organizations and outside of them” – even those that are not Jihadist groups.

Staples of al-Qaida’s ideology were also part of Zawahiri’s exhortation to Syrian protesters. “Say to him [Assad]: In fact it is you who is the leader of the gang of criminals… the partner of America in the war against Islam, which they call the ‘war on terror,’ and the guardian of the Israeli borders,” Zawahiri stated, reinforcing the American “war on Islam” narrative.

As part of his praise of Syrian resistance, Zawahiri sounded an optimistic note that protesters had supposedly not been impressed by American sanctions. “I believe you not to have been fooled by the plots of the global hegemony and the ruses of the new Crusades,” he added. “America, who worked with Bashar al-Assad throughout his tenure, now claims to be on your side, after it has seen the earth overcome with the tremors of your anger and after its plans were foiled in Tunisia and Egypt by the loss of two of their most important agents!” The United States has had sanctions on Syria since 2004 and hasincreased them in recent months.

Zawahiri also accused Washington of trying to take control of the revolution to protect Israel, a country which is universally unpopular in Syrian society. “Washington today seeks to replace Assad, who sincerely guarded the borders of the Zionist entity, with another regime which will end your uprising and Jihad, a government which will grant the Ummah some of their rights, but in essence will still be obedient to America and will safeguard the interests of Israel,” he said.

Syrians have a responsibility to rise up and shout out to America about its hypocrisy, al-Qaida’s new leader said.

“Tell America and Obama that you are the children of great conquerors, the progeny of Mujahideen… Tell them you are waging a war of liberation and freedom – liberation from the corrupt idolic tyrants and liberation for the Muslim lands.

“Tell them that your blessed anger and awesome uprising will never settle, Allah willing, until you raise the victorious flag of Jihad over Mount Scopus in our beloved and usurped land of Jerusalem,” he stated, focusing on a target that had been a part of Israel since its founding.

One of the obvious gaps in al-Qaida’s propaganda is its lack of a physical presence in Syria. Zawahiri addressed this by claiming that his fighters were busy fighting against the “new crusades,” and that they were held back by “borders and restrictions penned by Sykes and Picot, then sanctified by our [Arab] rulers.” However, he consoled Syrian Islamists by saying that Syria is “the land of Islam and martyrdom” and it “has enough mujahideen for themselves as well as others.”

If al-Qaida has its way, Syrian efforts to topple Assad will open a new battlefront with America and Israel. “May Allah reward you with the best of rewards, on behalf of Islam and the Muslims,” Zawahiri concluded. “May the Majestic reward you, O sons of Damascus, the Glory of the East begins with Damascus!”

Breaking News: Apparent earthquake rocks Washington D.C. area

Associated Press An earthquake just hit Virginia, and the tremors were felt all the way up here in Manhattan. It was a quake in Mineral, Virginia, southwest of DC, in the middle of Virginia. The magnitude was 6.0, according to USGS — they upgraded that from an initial 5.8. Mandatory market response time: WASHINGTON (AP) — 5.8 earthquake in Virginia felt in Washington, New York City, North Carolina They’ve evacuated the Pentagon and the Capitol Building in DC, so it is kind of a big deal. 5.8 earthquake in Virginia felt in Washington, New York City, North Carolina Associated Press

Afghan MP's Disqualified - Protests Follow

Where Is Colonel Ghaddafi? pp

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KENTUCKY FRIED NEGROES

THE ATLANTA JOB FAIR WAS A HUGE WASTE OF TIME. By Wayne Hodges
ATLANTA – On Thursday (August 18), roughly 5,000 desperate, unemployed souls braved the unrelenting, Dirty-South heat by attending a job fair in Atlanta where an impressive ninety companies were reportedly present.
Coming up!

1) Bobbie chats with rapper Vigalantee

2) Amari shares her Opera experience

3) A pilot dies during air show crash 

4) Big Nash talks the Miami scandal
5) Julee Jonez has the celebrity 411
6) Chiefs get hammered in Baltimore
And much, much more. Back to the story.
Most of crowd camped out overnight, wearing their best business suits and office heels, with resumes tucked neatly underneath their sweaty little armpits.

“You got children, you got kids, you got bills,” said Derric Clayton, a former security guard with three children whose been seeking work since May. “You’ve got to stay somewhere. You don’t want to be homeless.”

Atlanta temperatures were so excessive, authorities treated 20 people for heat exhaustion.
Oh yea, did I mention most (if not all) of the hopefuls waiting in line were African-Americans?

A nonplussed reaction is probably not warranted. Why? Because black unemployment is seemingly affixed at 16 percent, nearly double the national rate. The jobless number in Atlanta alone ballooned to 10.1 percent in July from 9.9 percent in June.

"The For the People Jobs Initiative," hosted by U.S. Representatives John Lewis and Hank Johnson, was sponsored by the Congressional Black Caucus. 


“The Congressional Black Caucus decided to take matters into their own hands,” said Mahen Gunaratna, a representative for Florida congresswoman Frederica Wilson.

“They are tired of Republicans’ inaction that prevents bills from moving forward. This is a real tangible opportunity for our constituents.”
Hmm... the Congressional Black Caucus.

Can somebody please explain why we have a Congressional Black Caucus?
I'm serious. Whatever the aforementioned committee is doing to bring about racial equity and fair business practice, it's not working. And hasn't worked for decades. Now, there's a war of dissenting words taking place in the black community.
A couple days ago, the wonderful Lora McDonald (pictured above) of the Kansas City Metropolitan Crime Commission sent yours truly an inspirational email centered around all the bickering that's going on between community leaders.

Lora's message, which came in response to my article about Mayor Sly James' new curfew law, preached the importance of working collaboratively versus going at each other's throats. See the email below:

Lora McDonald: "Hey- I like your take on this. Curfew, not bad. Is it a solution? Not really, but it is a start. I have been thinking for a few years about all of those who are in this public safety arena and your Alonzo Washington piece reinforced that.

"It seems like we, who do this work, should challenge and be critical of each other but stop all of the public venting/ feuding. Aren’t we just playing out the street wars in a more high brow way? I mean, if Alonzo Washington can call the concerned clergy like my friend Rev. Ray an “old negro,” as he did in your blog, isn’t he just modeling a more sophisticated version of what’s happening on the streets, turf, divisiveness, anger, etc.? 

"Perhaps Mr. (Alvin) Brooks, the Concerned Clergy, Mr. Washington, Mark Porter, Aim4Peace, Ron McMillan, the Crime Commission, the KCPD and the sheriff should sign some sort of a peace treaty and be a better model for how people who don’t always agree should just get along and at least not so publicly disrespect each other."

Lora is 100% right.

As a community, as leaders, as citizens, as parents, our goal should involve working together in unison to bring about positive socioeconomic change; whether it be in reducing crime, preserving public education, increasing employment opportunities, etc.

*Quick Editor's Note: Friday night, a group of friends and I engaged in a fierce debate over Mayor James' 9 p.m. curfew law. Some said it was a "good start" while others, including yours truly, countered "bullcrap." See, a "start" is unnecessary in this circumstance. Mayor James and city council members can either implement a law (like they did with the Country Club Plaza) or choose not to. You don't need a "start." If Mayor James and company decided this morning to set a 9 p.m. curfew on 27th and Prospect, they could do so. Look, I'm not some moron popping off senseless twaddle. I worked in the Kansas Senate. And I know the process. The word "start" is a pacifying term used commonly among lazy people. It has little substance. Moving on...  
  
I asked Lora should we consider setting up a forum with a distinguished panel comprised of Mayor Sly James, Rev. Ray, Alvin Brooks, Alonzo Washington and others?
She concurred with the suggestion.

Maybe it's time to set the wheels in motion?

Like I said, the content of Lora's email is completely true. However, after learning what transpired at the job fair in Atlanta on Thursday, I feel obligated to rant by saying:

Our leadership is hurting us.

It hurts because we refuse to put in the work necessary to bring about a peremptory, viable solution.
It hurts because 5,000 people had to wait in line at one job fair.

It hurts because disenchanted youth have deferred to joining 'Flash Mobs' and other gangs as a means of social support.

It hurts because President Barack Obama was busy vacationing in Martha's Vinyard while legions of unemployed hopefuls were reduced to KFC rotisserie-status in sweltering Atlanta temperatures. Under former president George W. Bush, African-American unemployment was 9 percent, which is still not great. But there's absolutely no way Bush would've survived a 16 percent black jobless rate. Racism claims would've shot through the roof.

It hurts because the programming at BET (Black Entertainment Television) is ran by Viacom, a predominantly-white corporation.

It hurts because 70 percent of black women are mired in the 'single' category.

It hurts because black males make up 35.4 percent of the jail and prison population even though we make up less than 10 percent of the overall U.S population.

It hurts because NFL player's union chief DeMaurice Smith and NBA player's union executive Billy Hunter, both African-Americans, failed to include the lack of black majority ownership as part of the labor talks during each organization's owner-imposed lockout.

It hurts because a prominent black pastor (reportedly homosexual) in Atlanta faced multiple charges of sexual misconduct, he admitted guilt by settling out of court for $25 million, then flipped us the bird by retaining the majority of his congregation afterward.

It hurts because a black superintendent in Kansas City deemed it financially necessary to close a U.S. record 26 public schools - most located within the urban core. Had a white superintendent closed those institutions, we'd all be hollaring "racism" on the White House front lawn.

The moral of the story is once an African-American takes over in a key role of leadership, blacks underneath should take caution and run for cover.

Please excuse me for singling out black leadership. Our nation as a whole is lacking in the guidance department. The issues plaguing Urban America are merely a microcosm of a bigger societal problem.
Enough ranting, back to Atlanta...

As people passed out from heat exhaustion, word on the street claims most of the companies in attendance didn't even provide job applications. Or, as one young man put it: "We just out here for no reason, no applications, nothing."

Instead, company representatives delivered brief pep talks coupled with condescending pats on the back, before instructing would-be applicants to go back home and visit their website.

Ok, you mean to tell me thousands of people camped out overnight, braved the massive Atlanta heat, waited hours in line, only to hear the phrase "please visit our website?"

Lord, please help me. It'll be hard. Oooohhh, it'll be hard. But I promise to abstain from the use of profanity while writing this piece.

Congressman Lewis (pictured left) of Georgia, the black man responsible for putting the job fair together, incensed me even further with his political babble. According to Lewis, the key to rectifying the job crisis is to "keep the faith."

"You have to give people a sense of hope, a sense of optimism," said Lewis to Atlanta news reporters. "And tell them over and over again 'don't give up, don't give up, hang in there, and keep the faith.'"

Congressman Lewis, with all due respect sir, people don't need "hope." And they don't need to "hang in there." People simply need jobs.

Trust me, once they're gainfully employed, hope will soon follow.

Lewis' resolution is a textbook example of why our leadership bites. As African-Americans, it's imperative we rise above the obsolete "keep the faith" theory as a crutch that everything will be alright. Because it's not alright.

Thousands of businessmen, consisting of all races and colors, are sitting at home wealthy as a byproduct of this longstanding, flawed philosophy.

See, I believe in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And, yes, I believe he died for our sins.
However, I also believe the Lord assists those who assist themselves first. And black folks, let me tell you something, we ain't assisting ourselves.

Congressman Lewis' "keep the faith" nonsense and Rev. Jesse Jackson's famous "keep hope alive" slogan are no longer acceptable solutions to black despair.

Because while we're busy keeping 'the faith,' the rest of the world has sprinted on by at an alarming 'Roadrunner' rate. "Beep Beep."
The job fair in Atlanta serves as undeniable proof business owners are either unimpressed or completely fed up with certain aspects of black culture.

In giving reasons for non-hire, a Chicago-based employer let the cat out the bag recently by citing a plethora of racial stereotypes in describing blacks as “uneducated,” “unskilled,” “unstable,” “illiterate,” “dishonest,” “lack initiative,” “unmotivated,” “involved with gangs and drugs,” “don’t understand work,” “lack charm,” “have no family values,” and are “poor role models.”

And trust me, if this employer feels this way - the majority of them probably do too.
Please visit the 'War Zone' below to see what the people have to say. Pastor Jones, Super Joe and Nancy Peace offered some compelling responses.

Look, the good news as it pertains to inadequate leadership evolves around the optimistic notion 'there's nowhere to go but up.'

That said, my question for today's leaders is :
"Which way is up?"
Wayne Hodges, an MBA from St. Mary University, is the Editor-in-Chief of “Mass Appeal News.” He also serves as a contributing writer to YourBlackWorld.com, he’s a Democrat reporter for the Examiner, and he’s a film critic with ILoveBlackMovies.com. Wayne welcomes your comments 24/7 at whodges@massappealnews.com

Every Picture Tells A Story – And More

By Richard A. Lee

Forty years ago, Rod Stewart had a number one single and album named Every Picture Tells A Story. Last year at this time in New Jersey, we had a story that painted a picture – several of them in fact.

The story involved the state’s ill-fated application for federal Race to the Top education funds.  New Jersey lost out on $400 million, essentially because the state made a clerical error on its application.

As for the pictures that story painted, they tell a lot about Governor Christie, the media and more.

For example, Christie demonstrated just how adept he can be at spinning a story. This was not a new revelation. As U.S. Attorney, he had displayed an ability to work the press to his advantage. For the most part, he continued this practice throughout his campaign for Governor and during his first few months as the state’s chief executive.

But the Race to the Top story was a real test. Christie’s Administration had lost out on $400 million in federal education funds because, in response to simple question requesting New Jersey budget information for 2008 and 2009, it provided budget information for 2010 and 2011 instead. As a result, the state lost 4.8 points on its application, enough to place it out of the running for the federal dollars. To make matters worse, it was common knowledge that the state had hurriedly rewritten its application over Memorial Day Weekend after Christie objected to the version that had been submitted to him by his Commissioner of Education.

In his first meeting with the press after the debacle, the Governor’s strategy was to change the focus of the story. He came out swinging and pinned the blame on the Obama Administration and the federal bureaucracy. “This is the stuff, candidly, that drives people crazy about government and crazy about Washington,” he told reporters, adding that the President should tell New Jerseyans “why he's depriving them of $400 million that this application earned them, because one of his bureaucrats in Washington couldn't pick up the phone and ask a question, couldn't go on the internet and find information.” He also said the state attempted to correct the error during an August 11 presentation in Washington, D.C., but federal officials refused to accept the correct numbers because the June 1 application deadline had passed.

In theory, the Governor’s strategy was a good one and it did work, but only briefly. One of the other points this episode underscored was the fact that politicians sometimes bend and embellish the truth. In this case, the U.S. Department of Education fired back at Christie by releasing a video recording of the state’s August 11 presentation refuting the Governor’s statement that federal officials had refused to accept the new numbers. In fact the tape showed that a federal reviewer at the session twice offered the state an opportunity to provide the correct numbers, but the state officials making the presentation were unable to find them.

In explaining the disparity, Christie claimed that he merely was relating information that had been provided to him by his Education Department. But Education Commissioner Bret Schundler had a different story, and when he continued to stand by his version of what transpired, he soon became Christie’s former Education Commissioner – a development that also told us something about the Governor. In case there was still was any lingering doubt, it now was clear: Don’t cross him or you’re likely to pay the price.

Not all of what emerged from the Race to the Top incident involved the Christie Administration. The story showed that the media – despite all of the cutbacks and changes that have hindered the industry in recent years – can still be a powerful and influential force. Had not the press reported the reason why New Jersey lost out on the federal funding, the story would have died within a day or two and Bret Schundler might still be a member of the Christie cabinet.

The incident also demonstrated something important about the Obama Administration and the President’s chances for re-election. Throughout most of his time in the Oval Office, Barack Obama has been a punching bag, absorbing hits from Republicans and occasionally from members of his own party. He doesn’t generally strike back with the speed and force that his Education Department used in refuting Christie’s comments. With Race to the Top, we saw that the Obama Administration is capable of fighting back. The Obama White House and 2012 campaign staff will have to do more of the same in order to win re-election.

One final and most important point: If you decide to redo a 1,000-page application over a holiday weekend, make sure to proofread it thoroughly. Otherwise, you could end up costing children some very badly needed money for their education.

# # #

Richard A. Lee is Communications Director of the Hall Institute. A former State House reporter and Deputy Communications Director for the Governor, he also has taught courses in media, politics and government at Rutgers University, where he is completing work on a Ph.D. in media studies. Read more of Rich’s columns at richleeonline and follow him on Twitter.

AMERICA'S SHAKY CREDIT

CHINESE AGENCY DOWNGRADES U.S. CREDIT RATING. By Wayne Hodges



BEIJING – President Barack Obama can’t seem to catch a break. First, he’s referred to as a ‘tar baby’ by Rep. Doug Lamborn (R) of Colorado.



Now the unthinkable.



In the aftermath of Congress’ embarrassing debt ceiling negotiations, the U.S. just learned its borrowing power has been reduced to ‘Pay Day Loan’ status.



The Dagong Global Credit Rating Company, China’s leading credit rating agency founded in 1994, downgraded U.S. sovereign debt to an “A” grade amid heightened concerns over the White House’s long-term ability or inability to satisfy its debts.

Keep in mind, Dagong’s assessment score is considerably lower than the AAA ratings given to the U.S. by the so-called ‘Big Three’ Western credit agencies of Moody’s, Fitch and Standard and Poor.



Hell, just last November, Dagong lowered the U.S. rating to an “A+” upon learning the Federal Reserve was operating too loosely with its monetary policy.



A few months prior to that (in July), the agency shocked the world by giving China a more favorable credit ranking than both the United States and Japan.



As of today, Dagong is responsible for rating 67 countries. However, the company expects to double that number by the end of the calendar year.

Deficits aside, the Chinese cited a lack of cohesion between Republicans and Democrats as the primary reason for doubt.



“The squabbling between the two political parties on raising the U.S. debt ceiling reflected an irreversible trend on the United States’ declining ability to repay its debts,” Dagong Chairman Guan Jianzhong told CNN.



“The two parties acted in a very irresponsible way and their actions greatly exposed the negative impact of the U.S. political system on its economic fundamentals.”



Ouch!

The credit rating hurts the U.S. No doubt about it. But China is indirectly affected too. After all, it’s the largest foreign owner of U.S. debt with holdings in excess of $1.1 trillion.




If the U.S. goes down, China could soon follow.



“Our downgrade simply reflects reality,” Guan said. “Our rating didn’t cause China to lose any money — it was the inappropriately high ratings for the U.S. by Western agencies that had led China to make risky investments in U.S. debt.”



In other words, the Chinese feel duped.



Tricked.



Bamboozled even.



Now, you get the sense China will never trust Western credit reporting agencies again.



“People are used to credit ratings issued by the ‘big three,’ but the financial crisis has clearly proved them wrong,” Guan said. “They can no longer shoulder the responsibility of rating the world. That’s the role we are striving to play.”



Hmm… maybe I should consider creating a consumer credit agency as a viable alternative to the ‘Big Three’ of Equifax, Experian and TransUnion?



Who knows?



Maybe China is on to something?

Wayne Hodges, an MBA from St. Mary University, is the Editor-in-Chief of “Mass Appeal News.” He also serves as a contributing writer to YourBlackWorld.com, he’s a Democrat reporter for the Examiner, and he’s a film critic with ILoveBlackMovies.com. Wayne welcomes your comments 24/7 at whodges@massappealnews.com

Jay-Z & Kanye West / Watch the Throne Tour @ Staples Center

Jay-Z and Kanye West have announced the blockbuster rap event of the year as the duo performs live at Staples Center in Los Angeles on Wednesday, October 19 and Thursday, October 20, 2011. The announcement comes along with a date for their new album, Watch the Throne.

While the duo won’t be stopping in the Inland Empire, they’ll also be skipping Orange County and San Diego. Your only chance to see them in a trip down the 10, 60 or 210 to Los Angeles.

On Monday, August 8 tickets will be available for their nationwide tour through LiveNation and the album will be available through iTunes, as Rolling Stone reports. With the pre-ale beginning on August 7, don’t expect to find many good tickets once the tickets begin their public on-sale.

The tour will kick off in Detroit on September 22nd. It will feature performances from the collaborative record as well as hits by both artists.

According to Billboard, fans that buy their tickets online will receive a free digital copy of the album.
The announcement comes just six days after leaking their new single Otis, reports the L.A. Times.
The full Watch the Throne tour dates are:
9/22/11 Detroit, MI Palace of Auburn Hills
9/24/11 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre
9/25/11 Montreal, QC Bell Centre
9/27/11 East Rutherford, NJ Izod Center
9/28/11 East Rutherford, NJ Izod Center
9/29/11 Washington DC Verizon Center
10/4/11 Philadelphia, PA Wells Fargo Center
10/6/11 Chicago, IL United Center
10/7/11 Chicago, IL United Center
10/8/11 Minneapolis, MN Target Center
10/10/11 Denver, CO Pepsi Center
10/13/11 Tacoma, WA Tacoma Dome
10/14/11 Vancouver, BC Rogers Arena
10/16/11 San Jose, CA HP Pavilion
10/17/11 Sacramento, CA Power Balance Pavilion
10/19/11 Los Angeles, CA Staples Center
10/20/11 Los Angeles, CA Staples Center
10/21/11 Las Vegas, NV MGM Grand Garden Arena
10/25/11 Dallas, TX American Airlines Center
10/26/11 Houston, TX Toyota Center
10/29/11 Atlanta, GA Philips Arena
10/30/11 Greensboro, NC Greensboro Coliseum
11/1/11 Baltimore, MD 1st Mariner Arena
11/3/11 Boston, MA TD Garden

Sydney police investigate possible bomb strapped around girl’s neck

SYDNEY (BNO NEWS) -- Police in the Australian city of Sydney are investigating a possible explosive device which has been strapped around the neck of an 18-year-old girl, officials said on Wednesday.

A police spokesperson said officers were called to a multi-million dollar house in Sydney's exclusive suburb of Mosman at around 2.30 p.m. local time after receiving a 000 call from an 18-year-old girl. It is believed the teenager lives at the property with her parents.

According to Australian media reports, it is believed that a balaclava-clad men had entered the home when the girl was home alone and placed a device around her neck. A note is attached to the device, reports said, although it was not immediately known what is on it.

"While the very delicate operation continues at the house with the bomb squad officers, highly-skilled investigators have been working behind the scenes since the incident was first reported," Assistant Commissioner Mark Murdoch said during a news briefing. "Given the nature of the incident, I am sure you can all appreciate we need to keep the cards very close to our chest."

Murdoch said the teenager is being supported by specialist police who are inside the home while her parents are being kept up-to-date from outside the house. Because of the incident, a number of surrounding homes have been evacuated and roads have been blocked.

Police said it was not yet clear if the device is actually a bomb, but officers are treating it as a live explosive device until they have more information. "Bomb Squad officers remain inside the house where they are examining the device and supporting the woman," police said in a statement, adding that the incident is not being treated as self-harm. "The process demands a high-level of skill and must be meticulous."

Meanwhile, police have appealed for the public's help. "Investigators want to hear from anyone who noticed suspicious activity around the home or on Burrawong Avenue this afternoon to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000," the statement said.
(Copyright 2011 by BNO News B.V. All rights reserved. Info: sales@bnonews.com.)

Egypt puts feeble Mubarak on trial

CAIRO – Egypt's Hosni Mubarak was shown wheeled in to a enclosure in justice in Cairo upon Wednesday with his dual sons as well as alternative defendants to mount hearing for his purpose in a murdering of protesters, state radio images showed.

Desposed Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is due to crop up in justice upon Wednesday, a ultimate turn in what has incited out to be an increasingly violent domestic career.

By YAROSLAV TROFIMOV CAIRO—Egypt's deposed President Hosni Mubarak arrived in justice Wednesday to mount hearing upon charges of grouping a murdering of insubordinate protesters, in a charge which is but fashion in a Middle East's complicated history

By Sarah Mikhail as well as Dina Zayed CAIRO, August 3 (Reuters) – Egypt's Hosni Mubarak was wheeled in to a courtroom enclosure in a sanatorium bed upon Wednesday to face hearing for murdering protesters — an picture which anxious those who overthrew him as well as contingency have chilled.

by Eyder Peralta The story winning a sunrise is which 6 months after his ouster, former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is station hearing upon charges of crime as well as complicity in a deaths of protesters. The bum 83-year-old was in a

The Day the Strength of Men Failed

By Bill Wilson
Tolkien called it the “day the strength of men failed” when the people of Middle Earth failed to destroy the One Ring. So it was with the votes to increase in the debt ceiling, as the American people have received little in exchange for allowing it to keep all of its powers to borrow with abandon.

Was this America’s last chance to kick the spending habit?

All acknowledge the “deal” now struck will not go nearly far enough, as now markets — and the American people — brace for what appears to be an imminent downgrade of our credit rating by at least one major agency.

“Futures down on U.S. credit downgrade worries,” reads a headline from Reuters. “Chinese agency warns of U.S. debt downgrade,” reports CNN International, as Chinese rater Dagong prepares to downgrade the U.S. for the third time since the financial crisis began.

Treasury Secretary Tim Geither, who in April promised the U.S. was at “no risk” of being downgraded, now says, “I don’t know. It’s hard to tell.” Hardly words that inspire confidence about the nation’s credit rating.
In the run-up to the vote, the Obama Administration attempted to strong arm credit rating agencies to back off their threats to downgrade the United States’ Triple-A credit rating, and even to endorse the Reid plan in the Senate in favor over the now-defeated House plan.

S&P, to its credit, has not backed down thus far. Although Moody’s has apparently after hard lobbying from the White House, despite the fact the plan falls far short of the agencies’ calls to cut at least $4 trillion to prevent a downgrade. It cuts only $917 billion over ten years, much of which depends on out-year cuts that likely will not happen based on past experience.

Downgrade or no, the deterioration of U.S. finances was entirely avoidable. That is why the American people, through elections, sent representatives to Congress on a promise not to increase the debt ceiling without trillions in reduced borrowing.

This deal will not balance the budget. It doesn’t even save $1 trillion, when what is required to stabilize American finances totals many trillions in cuts. It will not control the growth of future spending. It will lead to higher interest rates, a sinking dollar, and eventually, a downgrade of our credit rating. Today, the House of Representatives gave America a "deal" when what it was promised was a solution. No amount of spin can obscure the fact that the vaunted pledge to "put us on a path to balance the budget and pay down the debt," has become a hallow slogan.
Get full story here.

The Week Ahead: Obama's Debt Deal Announcement Analyzed

Video by Frank McCaffrey

Get permalink here.

NAACP and EPA would inflict heat prostration and death

By Niger Innis and Bishop Harry Jackson, Jr.


From New York, Washington and Atlanta to Chicago, St. Louis and Dallas, America is baking in a furnace. As millions swelter and gasp, they thank their lucky stars for air-conditioned cars, homes, offices and other places of refuge. And for the reliable, affordable electricity that makes AC possible.

Previous generations weren’t so fortunate. When a record heat wave slammed the nation in July 1936, Midwest temperatures hit 100-107 for a week. With most homes and businesses lacking even fans in this pre-AC era, millions suffered heat prostration. In Wisconsin, 449 died. Nationwide, thousands perished.

Now the EPA and NAACP want to send America back to the “good old days.” Under a perverse notion of “environmental justice,” they are promoting tough new air quality rules that would shut down dozens of coal-fired power plants that make affordable AC possible for millions of poor and minority families.
According to them, coal-based electricity is “racist.” Minorities are more at risk because they often live near “dangerous,” older, more polluting power plants.

There is no excuse for the ridiculous “racism” and “justice” rhetoric, or the way EPA used cherry-picked data and computer models to conjure up health risks and benefits that exist only in virtual worlds. (Visit www.AffordablePowerAlliance.org for details.) Worse, the agency refused to consider the disastrous effects its draconian regulations will impose on families and businesses, due to skyrocketing electricity prices.

EPA’s rules will reduce electricity availability and send costs soaring 12% to 60% by 2015 – especially in the 26 states that depend on coal for 48-98% of their electricity. Families and businesses in those states currently pay less than half as much per kilowatt hour as those in low-coal, high-tax, hyper-regulated states. That means jobs, profits, balanced budgets – and protection against life-threatening heat and cold.
Get full story here.