Jets over Libya as H. Clinton Assumes Presidency

◼ Jets over Libya as H. Clinton Assumes Presidency Roger L. Simon at PajamasMedia
◼ European governments “completely puzzled” about U.S. position on Libya - The Cable

Re: Japan - Journalist Wall of Shame

◼ WHY BAD JOURNALISM HAS DRIVEN ME TO DESPERATE ENDS - squeeze box

In retrospect, I should have had this idea before, but I guess today I just hit critical mass (not sure if it’s appropriate to use a nuclear energy turn of phrase here): one too many pieces of bad journalism.

So I decided to start a wiki Bad Journalism Wall of Shame and invite some of the other people who were frustrated with some of the shoddy, alarmist, and shocking wrong journalism we’ve seen since last Friday’s Tohoku quake.... read the rest

◼ Journalist Wall of Shame
◼ Some Good Journalism scroll down on this page
◼ Let's recognize the efforts of real heroes in the crisis!

YOU have the power

◼ Gov. Walker releases e-mails. "The majority are telling us to stay strong, to stand with the taxpayers" - Riehl World View
Friday afternoon, Governor Scott Walker released the thousands of e-mails sent to him during the three-week standoff with Wisconsin Senate Democrats who went AWOL as well as thousands of union protesters.

Walker let it be known that the majority are standing by his side.

◼ Gov. Walker releases e-mails. “The majority are telling us to stay strong, to stand with the taxpayers” - cubachi
◼ Wis. Governor Releases E-Mails About Union Rights - NYT

Never underestimate the importance of weighing in.

TRANSCRIPT: SARAH PALIN SPEECH IN INDIA

◼ Video: Governor Palin’s Speech at the India Today Conclave
◼ Video: Governor Palin’s Q&A at the India Today Conclave
◼ Sarah Palin speech in India- Gateway Pundit
◼ Governor Palin’s Speech at India Today Conclave - Tammy Bruce

Other upcoming Palin speeches:
Wednesday, March 23, Naples, FL Townhall Distinguished Speaker Series
Saturday, April 30, Bethesda, MD “Heroes Among Us” Event

TRANSCRIPT: ◼ via India Today

Sarah Palin: America and India are a testament to the positive force of human aspirations

Tragic, but not unexpected, news of another union "negotiation" gone south.

◼ Thank a union boss: city workers 'shell-shocked' after half of Costa Mesa employees are laid off and one then apparently commits suicide - Doug Ross
◼ Nearly half of Costa Mesa city employees get layoff notices LA Times

Costa Mesa has sent layoff notices to nearly half of its employees in a dramatic austerity program being closely watched by other cities struggling with ballooning pension obligations. ...Costa Mesa is among hundreds of local governments around the country facing massive future shortfalls in what they owe retirees. This year's tab — $15 million out of the city's $93-million budget — is estimated to grow to more than $25 million within five years... Faced with an unprecedented pension and retiree healthcare crisis, "cities are being forced to look at things that would've been unthinkable before," he said....

"Clearly they are trying a new model," said Stuart Drown, executive director of the Little Hoover Commission, a bipartisan state public policy oversight agency. "A city that lays off half its staff — by any standard that's got to be considered a big move."

Costa Mesa "appears to have gone with the nuclear option," said Joe Nation, a professor of public policy at Stanford University who is studying the issue of underfunded public pensions.

Faced with an unprecedented pension and retiree healthcare crisis, "cities are being forced to look at things that would've been unthinkable before," he said.

◼ Not just Costa Mesa: San Francisco's Pension Gap Is Truly Terrifying Business Insider

San Francisco's public pension crisis is way worse than many thought, according a new study from Stanford professor Joe Nation.... The report concludes that the only way San Francisco could even begin to dig itself out of its pension hole is through serious pension reform - namely, increased employee contributions. The city's labor unions, however, have made it clear that any changes will meet stiff resistance.

CRP: Republican Governors Lead The Way

◼ GOVERNOR FAILS TO MEET OWN BUDGET DEADLINE cagop.org
One Month Before Taking Office, Jerry Brown Announces 60-Day Budget Deadline:"Gov.-elect Jerry Brown said Tuesday that he wants to complete a budget agreement within two months, an accelerated timeline that would allow a late-spring special election for potential tax increases or other revenue generation. ‘I’m going to try to get the budget agreements done within about 60 days. I don’t think we have a lot of time to waste,‘ [Gov. Brown] said." (Seema Mehta, "Brown wants to complete budget in 60 days, predicts cuts to education," ◼ Los Angeles Times, 12/14/10)

60 Days After Taking Office, Jerry Brown Admits That He Failed On His First Promise: "Still in the midst of intense talks with legislators, Gov. Jerry Brown on Wednesday called off action on the budget to provide breathing room as they seek to resolve their differences. That means Brown will miss his self-imposed deadline of Thursday to have his budget approved and tax extension proposal ready for the ballot." (Steve Harmon, "Brown will miss state budget deadline," ◼ Contra Costa Times, 3/10/11)

MEANWHILE, OTHER GOVERNORS ARE MOVING FORWARD WITH BUDGET CUTS, SIGNIFICANT GOVERNMENT REFORM

Republican Governors Lead The Way:
◼ Scott Walker Pushes Back On Unions, Promises Sweeping Pension Reform Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, 2/10/11
◼ Chris Christie Shakes Up New Jersey, Calls For Significant Cuts, Government Worker Concessions CNNMoney.com, 2/22/11
◼ Florida’s New Governor Calls His Budget The Most Fiscally Conservative In The Country Southern Political Report, 3/9/11
◼ Pennsylvania Governor Keeps His Word--No Taxes, Deep Spending Cuts Philadelphia Inquirer, 3/9/11

Why liberal women should fight against Sharia law.

◼ Why liberal woman should fight against Sharia law. - Hillbuzz

Budget battle continues in Sacramento: Legislature approves cuts, GOP proposal has some environmental groups worried

◼ Budget battle continues in Sacramento: Legislature approves cuts, GOP proposal has some environmental groups worried Times-Standard

As the California Legislature continued to wrangle over budget bills Thursday, local officials were coming to terms with cuts enacted the day before.

As of the Times-Standard's deadline Thursday, little clarity was coming out of Sacramento, with proposed tax extensions, realignments of state services and the elimination of redevelopment agencies throughout the state still being hotly debated. What was clear is that cuts enacted Wednesday targeting state social services promise to have a dramatic impact on Humboldt County.

News trickling out of Republicans' negotiations with Gov. Jerry Brown regarding a compromise to get tax extensions before voters in a June special election also has some environmental groups on the North Coast concerned and some local developers keeping their fingers crossed.

Faced with a $26.6 billion deficit, the Legislature is in the midst of voting on a package of 36 bills, which, if enacted, would cut $12.5 billion in spending and put $12 billion of proposed tax and fee extensions before voters. The remaining $2 billion would be made up through a variety of internal loans, accounting maneuvers and fund shifts.

Back in Sacramento, at around 5 p.m. Thursday as the Senate passed one of the 36 budget bills on a strictly party-line vote and the Assembly was repeatedly derailed by partisan bickering and procedural arguments, Assemblyman Wesley Chesbro, D-Arcata, took a break to offer a statement to the Times-Standard.

”We have spent the last two days doing what needs to be done to save the state of California,” he said. “It is disappointing that so many of our Assembly Republican colleagues who keep saying they want to reduce the size of government are unwilling to join us in voting to make necessary cuts.”

State Assembly (Humboldt)
Wes Chesbro (D)
P.O. Box 942849
Sacramento, CA 94249-0001
Phone: (916) 319-2001
Fax: (916) 319-2101
Eureka phone: 445-7014 Fax: 445-6607
Email: assemblymember.chesbro@assembly.ca.gov
Website: http://democrats.assembly.ca.gov/members/a01/
http://lcmspubcontact.lc.ca.gov/PublicLCMS/ContactPopup.php?district=AD01& (contact via webform)

Humboldt: (Also represents Del Norte and Trinity Counties.)
710 E Street, Suite 150
Eureka, CA 95501
Tel: (707) 445-7014 Fax: (707) 445-6607
Mendocino & Lake:
311 N. State Street
Ukiah, CA 95482
Tel: (707) 463-5770 Fax: (707) 463-5773
Sonoma:
50 "D" Street, Suite 450
Santa Rosa, CA 95404
Tel: (707) 576-2526 Fax: (707) 576-2297

State Senate (Humboldt)
Noreen Evans
State Capitol Building
Room 4081
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (916) 651-4002
710 E St.
Eureka, CA 95501
Eureka phone: 445-6508 Fax: 445-6511
Website: http://sd02.senate.ca.gov/
Email: senator.evans@sen.ca.gov
http://sd02.senate.ca.gov/contact (contact via webform)

APNewsBreak: Source: minuscule fallout reaches US

◼ APNewsBreak: Source: minuscule fallout reaches US
...Initial readings are "about a billion times beneath levels that would be health threatening," the diplomat told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because the CTBTO does not make its findings public....

Obama and the Democratic Party have but one aim in mind for the rest of this presidential term: to get elected for a second

◼ BARACK OBAMA: THE WEAKEST PRESIDENT IN HISTORY?

INEFFECTUAL, invisible, unable to honour pledges and now blamed for letting Gaddafi off the hook. Why Obama’s gone from ‘Yes we can’ to ‘Er, maybe we shouldn’t’...

Deconstructing Obama

◼ Deconstructing Obama c-spanvideo 1 hour 4 minutes

Jack Cashill questions whether President Obama wrote his memoir, Dreams from My Father. Mr. Cashill argues that Barack Obama was assisted in the writing of his 1995 memoir by Bill Ayers and contends that the president's life story is different than the one presented in his biography. ..video at the link

Palin Doctrine Emerges as Arab League Echoes Her Demarche on Libya

◼ Palin Doctrine Emerges as Arab League Echoes Her Demarche on Libya - nysun
The call by the Arab League for Western military intervention in an Arab state — in this case asking that a UN “no-fly zone” be imposed over Libya – is not only without precedent but it puts in formal terms what Governor Palin stated three weeks ago should have been America’s response to the political and humanitarian crisis now unfolding there.

The former GOP vice presidential candidate was being interviewed on February 23rd on national television by Sean Hannity on a range of issues. On the Libya crisis, she proposed a no-fly-zone to protect the armed and un-armed opposition to the Qaddafi regime. Mrs. Palin’s formulation had been blogged about for nearly a week when it was echoed by the man who, before the Iraq war, had led the Iraq democratic movement in exile, Ahmed Chalabi.

◼ Palin "ruffles a lot of feathers because she plays by her own rules" Riehl World View
◼ "When people actually meet her, they're blown away" - sisu

The Day Of Reckoning has arrived

TRANSCRIPT: REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT ON THE SITUATION IN JAPAN

◼ REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT ON THE SITUATION IN JAPAN
Rose Garden 3:35 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon, everyone. Over the last several days, the American people have been both heartbroken and deeply concerned about the developments in Japan.

We’ve seen an earthquake and tsunami render unimaginable — an unimaginable toll of death and destruction on one of our closest friends and allies in the world. And we’ve seen this powerful natural disaster cause even more catastrophe through its impact on nuclear reactors that bring peaceful energy to the people of Japan.

Today, I wanted to update the American people on what we know about the situation in Japan, what we’re doing to support American citizens and the safety of our own nuclear energy, and how we are helping the Japanese people contain the damage, recover and rebuild.

Update from Nuclear Energy Institute

UPDATE AS OF 1:30 P.M. EDT, THURSDAY, MARCH 17:

Radiation readings at the Fukushima Daiichi site boundary were measured today at a lower level, between 2 and 3 millirem per hour.

UPDATE AS OF 11:35 A.M. EDT, THURSDAY, MARCH 17:

Fukushima Daiichi
The reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi plant are in stable condition and are being cooled with seawater, but workers at the plant continue efforts to add cooling water to fuel pools at reactors 3 and 4.

The status of the reactors at the site is as follows:

Join us for lunch

Orlean Koehle, guest speaker at our March meeting, will be addressing the topic, Stealth and Deception in Government. Her organizational affiliations include serving as State President of the Eagle Forum of California since 2002, President of Concerned Citizens of Sonoma County, Parents Involved in Education, and Vice President of Santa Rosa Republican Women Federated. In 2006 she started an organization, the "Sonoma County Land Rights Coalition", and served as its president. She received Pacific Justice Institute's "California State 2006 Faith and Community Award" for her many years of voluntary service.

Orlean has authored several published books. They include: The Golden Rule School, Character in Education; A Closer Look at the Real ID Act of 2005; and her most recent: By Stealth and Deception, USA Transformation and it Parallel to the European Union. Another recent publication is a booklet entitled: Just Say No to Big Brother's Smart Meters.

On a personal note, Orlean and husband Kurt Koehle, have five sons, one daughter and five grandchildren. She grew up on a farm in Idaho, attended Idaho Falls High School and was selected to serve as Miss Idaho Falls. She graduated from Brigham Young University and later taught speech, drama and journalism at a junior high school in Idaho Falls. She has been substitute teaching in Sonoma County for 16 years.
----------------
General Meeting: St. Patrick’s Day, March 17th
11:30 AM Lunch 12:00 - 1:00 PM
445 Herrick, Eureka
Lunch & Speaker ~ $14.50 Beverage & Speaker ~ $4.00

Follow us on TWITTER @hrwf (http://twitter.com/hrwf)
Find us on FACEBOOK - Humboldt Republican Women

The Importance of Saying Thank You

◼ The Importance of Saying Thank You
We ask members of congress to stand for their convictions and, when they do, they are often berated and attacked by their own side.

In the past 24 hours there have been numerous stories planted by House Republican leaders attacking their conservative colleagues and spinning blame onto them for voting against the three week continuing resolution.

Below are the 54 Republicans who voted no. Call them at 202-224-3121 and make sure they know you appreciate their stand. Right now, they are only hearing a lot of yelling from their leadership.

Contact info: Last Name - State - Address, Phone and FAX humbers

NFRW headed to New Orleans for the 2011 Republican Leadership Conference

The National Federation of Republican Women is an official partner of the 2011 Republican Leadership Conference and Reagan Centennial Celebration.

This will be one of the most prominent GOP events of the year and you won’t want to miss it. Please join us June 16-18th 2011 in New Orleans for this unforgettable event.

◼ Use the form at the link to register today!

Information from the Nuclear Energy Institute that provides updates without the hysterics of the news media

◼ NEI, Nuclear Energy Institute

An explosion at Unit 2 of the Fukushima Daiichi plant earlier today has damaged the suppression chamber, which holds water and steam released from the reactor core. Personnel not directly supporting recovery efforts have been evacuated from the plant, with about 50 employees remaining, principally to restore cooling water in the reactors.

Later in the day, water level inside the Unit 2 reactor was measured at 1.7 meters below the top of the fuel rods, but it was rising as workers pumped sea water into the reactor, reports said. more at the link

◼ Fact Sheet - Used Nuclear Fuel Storage at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant - (Last updated 3/15/11)
◼ RAQs - Frequently Asked Questions

This site also includes links to select news articles on the Japanese earthquake and reactors in the region. These links are being regularly updated, with the newest links on top.

And you can subscribe to ◼ NEI's Twitter Feed for up-to-date information.

Putting a radiation rumor to rest

◼ Putting a radiation rumor to rest - Michelle Malkin

Japan is facing the very real possibility of a massive release of radiation following three explosions at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, where workers are frantically trying to cool the overheating reactors before they completely melt.
Perhaps more alarming to our readers in the United States is a map circulating on the Internet that purportedly shows the fallout from the ongoing disaster will expose the U.S. West Coast to 750 rads of radiation. The map, allegedly from the Australian Radiation Services, doesn’t say what exactly that means, but it sure sounds bad.
Fortunately, the map is a hoax, according to the real Australian Radiation Services, which has put a disclaimer on its website letting readers know it had nothing to do with the map.
One of the giveaways is that the “rad” is an outdated unit of measurement and is no longer widely used, said Joe Young, managing director for the service.
…THE RUMOR DOCTOR’S DIAGNOSIS: This map is a fake, but the situation at Fukushima is real. Still, U.S. citizens — like those in Japan — should remain calm.

◼ Crichton on science and fear (an excerpt) - neoneocon
◼ The full piece at michaelcrichton.net

Conflicting messages appear in the effort to buy iodide tablets

◼ Surgeon General: Buying Iodine a "Precaution"

The fear that a nuclear cloud could float from the shores of Japan to the shores of California has some people making a run on iodine tablets. Pharmacists across California report being flooded with requests.

State and county officials spent much of Tuesday trying to keep people calm by saying that getting the pills wasn't necessary, but then the United States Surgeon General supported the idea as a worthy "precaution."

U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin is in the Bay Area touring a peninsula hospital. NBC Bay Area reporter Damian Trujillo asked her about the run on tablets and Dr. Benjamin said although she wasn't aware of people stocking up, she did not think that would be an overreaction. She said it was right to be prepared.

On the other side of the issue is Kelly Huston of the California Emergency Management Agency. Hoston said state officials, along with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the California Energy Commission, were monitoring the situation and said people don't need to buy the pills.

"Even if we had a radiation release from Diablo Canyon (in San Luis Obispo County), iodide would only be issued to people living within a 10-mile radius of the plant," Huston added.

◼ West Coast Radiation Risk Minimal: Experts - MBC Bay Area

Call your doctor before taking any pills - is also good advice. There's a lot of hype and misinformation flying around.

◼ Fighting Radiation Effects - ABC news 13

Radiation exposure victims from the earthquake-damaged power plants in Japan are taking iodine tablets to stay healthy.

The potassium iodide tablets block the radiation from invading the thyroid gland, and causing cancer or other searious health problems in the future.

Health officials are giving exposure victims the pills that will allow the body to eliminate radioactive iodine.

A radiation safety officer at Mission Hospital says the potassium iodide tablets fill the thyroid up with all the iodide it can handle, and that prevents the body from absorbing the radioactive elements.

An emergency supply of those pills are only needed for people living within about ten miles of a nuclear power plant.

◼ U.S. Drug Stores Report Sudden Increase in Potassium Iodide Sales - FOX
One drug supplier says it has sold 250,000 anti-radiation pills to people in the U.S. concerned about possible exposure from Japanese nuclear reactors.
Troy Jones, president of Nukepills.com, said his company sold out over the weekend of potassium iodide pills, which prevent against radiation poisoning of the thyroid gland. Jones, in an interview with FoxNews.com, said that the pills were sold to dozens of U.S. pharmacies, corporations, hospitals and nuclear labs....

Live NHK News coverage

◼ in English

You will know more about nuclear power plants after reading it than all journalists on this planet put together

◼ Fukushima Nuclear Accident – a simple and accurate explanation
Along with reliable sources such as the IAEA and WNN updates, there is an incredible amount of misinformation and hyperbole flying around the internet and media right now about the Fukushima nuclear reactor situation. In the BNC post Discussion Thread – Japanese nuclear reactors and the 11 March 2011 earthquake (and in the many comments that attend the top post), a lot of technical detail is provided, as well as regular updates. But what about a layman’s summary? How do most people get a grasp on what is happening, why, and what the consequences will be?

ACTION ITEM: Alert Regarding Health Care Funding

By now, many of you have heard about the $105.5 Billion that was written into the health care bill by the Democrats. Representative King of Iowa and Representative Bachman of Minnesota have been working to have this money stripped out of the health care bill. Without this money, the health care bill is for all practical purposes dead.

HR1 would have funded the government as regards the continuing resolution. Representative King offered an Amendment to strip the funding but it could not be offered and the defunding must be written into the underlying Bill. In other words, the defunding must be written into the continuing resolution which funds the government.

The House of Representatives will be voting on this tomorrow night (March 15th). If the continuing Resolution Passes in the House, the bill goes to the Senate. The Senate must pass the continuing Resolution and then it goes to the President. He will probably veto a Continuing Resolution that defunds the health care bill. It takes a 2/3 vote to override a Presidential veto.

Besides calling your own Congressman, you might want to call the Republican Leadership.

Faxes work the very best.

Speaker Boehner
Phone: 202-225-6205
Fax: 202-225-0704

Eric Cantor (VA)
202-225-2815
202-225-0011

Kevin McCarthy (CA)
202-225-2915
202-225-2908

Paul Ryan (WI)
202-225-3031
202-225-3393

Harold Rogers (KY)
202-225-4601
202-225-0940

U.S. Congress
Mike Thompson
Cannon House Office Building
Room 415
Washington D.C. 20515
Phone: (202) 225-3311
317 3rd St., Suite 1
Eureka, CA 95501
Eureka phone: 269-9595 Fax: 269-9598
http://mikethompson.house.gov/< (contact via webform)

Let the Representatives know your opinion about this defunding. Please, keep it polite.

Remember, you can always check our "GET INVOLVED" page (link above) for CONTACT INFO for your elected Representatives. If you haven't checked it out, do it now! we also have links to tips on dealing with Congress, writing letters to the editor, and how to access televised local meetings.

RELATED:
◼ $105 billion in appropriations hidden in the bill - hrwf
◼ Establishment GOP: yes, we'll fund Obamacare with our Continuing Resolution and, as an aside, do we get to call it BoehnerCare now? - Doug Ross

It's Digital Nuisance Time

◼ It's Digital Nuisance Time - Peter Hannaford/THE AMERICAN SPECTATOR

Yesterday you forgot to set the alarm clock so you had to scramble to get to church. This morning when you got in the car you realized you hadn't re-set the clock. So, next weekend you'll pull out the owner's manual and once again figure out how to do it.

Welcome to Daylight Saving Time, a.k.a. Digital Nuisance Time. In this age when nearly everything is digital, millions of Americans (not to mention folks elsewhere) must remember to set all of their timepieces ahead. A few timepieces do it themselves. Most do not. And it costs businesses untold millions to do the same with office and operating equipment.

HUMBOLDT DELEGATES HEAD FOR STATE REPUBLICAN CONVENTION

Humboldt County’s Republican Central Committee will send a delegation of seven to the California Republican Party’s state convention in Sacramento, March 18-20. The delegation includes Peter Hannaford, Eureka, chairman; Kathy Rodriguez, McKinleyville, treasurer; Joy Finley, Eureka; Sharon Pierson, Eureka; Park Bostrom, Eureka; Steve Rodriguez, McKinleyville and Patricia Welch, Ferndale, the immediate past chairman of the county committee and now a candidate for secretary of the state party.

Interactive Before & After Satellite Images

◼ Satellite Photos of Japan, Before and After the Quake and Tsunami - nyt
Move the slider to compare satellite images, taken by GeoEye, from before and after the disaster.

An Unbelieveably Foolish NRO Editorial

◼ An Unbelieveably Foolish NRO Editorial On Wisconsin - riehlworldview

...They simply concluded that a governor under incredible pressure finally standing up to it somewhere in America is a moderate accomplishment. No, the very moderate Christie is the one accomplishing those types of temporal changes in New Jersey. Walker, on the other hand, is governing like a genuine conservative and the fight he started and won represents serious long-term institutional change. That, not simply heated, videotaped rhetoric, is what we need in America today. Perhaps Walker should encapsulate it and post it to YouTube so that the editors at the purportedly staunchly conservative NRO might actually take notice of it....