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IPCC will Not Reexamine Errors

Review of U.N. panel's report on climate change won't reexamine errors

By David A. Fahrenthold
Thursday, March 11, 2010

An outside review of a U.N. panel -- promised after flaws were uncovered in the panel's most recent report on climate change -- will not recheck that report's conclusions and will instead focus on improving procedures for the future, officials said Wednesday.

U.N. officials defended their decision, saying that there is still no reason to doubt the most important conclusions of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. In a landmark report in 2007, the panel found "unequivocal" evidence that the climate was warming.

"Let me be clear: The threat posed by climate change is real," Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said during a news conference at U.N. headquarters in New York. "Nothing that has been alleged or revealed in the media recently alters the fundamental scientific consensus on climate change, nor does it diminish the unique importance of the IPCC work."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/10/AR2010031002891.html?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Morning%2BBell



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ROTC Enrollment on the Rise

ROTC Enrollment on the Rise Across U.S, Army Reports

FOXNews.com

After being shunned by scores of colleges across the country for more than 40 years, the U.S. Army's ROTC program is making a comeback.

Roughly 32,000 cadets are currently enrolled in the Reserve Officer Training Corps on the university level -- a modest, yet notable, increase from previous years, says Lt. Col. Michael Indovina, chief public affairs officer with the U.S. Army Cadet Command. He said the program had 30,721 cadets a year ago and 28,489 the year before.

About 273 colleges and universities currently host the 200-year-old ROTC program, which often covers a student's full tuition in exchange for a fixed period of active and inactive military service after graduation.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/03/11/stanford-university-considers-ending-year-old-campus-ban-rotc/

Tags: Military  
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Graham to Obama: If You Use Reconciliation, Passing Comprehensive Immigration Reform will be Tough

Graham: Health Care Reconciliation Could Stall Immigration Reform

By Jennifer Bendery
Roll Call Staff
March 11, 2010, 7:19 p.m.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) used a Thursday meeting with President Barack Obama on immigration reform to warn him that the issue “could come to a halt for the year” if Democrats use reconciliation to pass health care reform.

Graham, along with Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), met with Obama to update him on their efforts to advance immigration reform legislation. During the meeting, Graham said he made it clear to the president that the already difficult task of passing immigration reform becomes even harder when reconciliation is in play.

“I expressed, in no uncertain terms, my belief that immigration reform could come to a halt for the year if health care reconciliation goes forward. For more than a year, health care has sucked most of the energy out of the room. Using reconciliation to push health care through will make it much harder for Congress to come together on a topic as important as immigration,” Graham said in a statement.

http://www.rollcall.com/news/44120-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS


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Obama on Immigration: "My Commitment to Comprehensive Immigration Reform is Unwavering"

Obama pledges support for Schumer, Graham on immigration

By Michael O'Brien - 03/11/10 06:25 PM ET
President Barack Obama vowed to continue partnering with congressional leaders on comprehensive immigration reform.

Obama, after a meeting with Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who are working to craft a comprehensive immigration bill, pledged support for the senators and other leaders to craft an immigration reform bill.

"Today I met with Senators Schumer and Graham and was pleased to learn of their progress in forging a proposal to fix our broken immigration system," Obama said in a statement following the meeting. "I look forward to reviewing their promising framework, and every American should applaud their efforts to reach across party lines and find commonsense answers to one of our most vexing problems."

...

"I told both the Senators and the community leaders that my commitment to comprehensive immigration reform is unwavering, and that I will continue to be their partner in this important effort," the president said.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/86343-obama-pledges-support-for-schumer-graham-on-immigration
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Romney has Huge Early Lead in Florida

Romney up in Colorado, Florida

Mitt Romney is the early favorite for the 2012 Republican Presidential nomination among the party's voters in Colorado and Florida. Romney also led recent polls in New Mexico and Texas, and was second behind Mike Huckabee in both Georgia and North Carolina. Sarah Palin has not had the lead in any of the six states we've polled over the last month.

Florida's the first really important stop on the GOP calendar that we've looked at, and Romney's lead there is overwhelming. He gets 52% to 21% for Huckabee and 18% for Palin. It's closer, but still a double digit advantage, in Colorado. There Romney gets 44% to 25% for Palin and 17% for Huckabee.

http://publicpolicypolling.blogspot.com/2010/03/romney-up-in-colorado-florida.html
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Kasich Leads Strickland by 11 in Ohio's Gubernatorial Election

Election 2010: Ohio Governor
Ohio Governor: Kasich 49%, Strickland 38%

Republican challenger John Kasich has extended his lead over incumbent Democrat Ted Strickland to 11 points in Ohio’s gubernatorial race.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of Ohio voters finds Kasich leading Strickland 49% to 38%. Six percent (6%) prefer another candidate, and seven percent (7%) are undecided.

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections2/election_2010/election_2010_governor_elections/ohio/election_2010_ohio_governor


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'Health Care End Game Begins Monday'

Health Care End Game Begins Monday

It all starts in the House Budget Committee.

BY Matthew Continetti

March 11, 2010 5:00 PM

Nancy Pelosi does not have the 216 votes necessary to pass the Senate health care bill. She's planning to go ahead without the votes of the Stupak 12. Today the Senate parliamentarian ruled the Senate bill must become law before "fixes" can be made via the parliamentary tactic known as reconciliation. The GOP Senate caucus will rigorously enforce the Byrd rule, limiting the reconciliation changes to budget matters and nothing more.

What's going on?  The final push for Obamacare is about to begin. It starts on Monday, when the House Budget Committee will insert reconciliation instructions into the November House health care bill. By late Monday / early Tuesday, Budget will pass this bill and send it to the House Rules Committee, where Pelosi will change the language so that it matches the Senate bill. This is the final compromise legislation that may come to a vote on the House floor within weeks. "They're creating the shell," says Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin.

Why move ahead when the votes aren't there? Pelosi hopes that launching the process will create enough momentum to flip Democrats her way. The clock is ticking. The speaker has two weeks before Congress breaks for Easter Recess. And the recess could kill off health care reform, since many of the wavering Democrats will get an earful from their constituents when they return home. Republicans expect Democrats to lose votes over the break.

http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/health-care-end-game-begins-monday


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'Radicalizing Civil Rights'

Radicalizing Civil Rights
The people behind the Civil Rights Division’s politicization.

In his State of the Union address, President Obama mentioned the protections enshrined in the Constitution and said, “No matter who you are or what you look like, if you abide by the law, you should be protected by it.” Obama followed this lofty rhetoric with a claim that his Justice Department “has a Civil Rights Division that is once again prosecuting civil-rights violations and employment discrimination.”

As anyone familiar with the Division’s workings can tell you, this assertion is patently false. Obama’s Civil Rights Division will prosecute cases only depending on “what you look like.” If you are white and you are discriminated against in your job, at the polls, or in seeking equal access to federally funded institutions, the Division won’t lift a finger to make sure you’re “protected.”

Over the last year, I have written many articles about the politicization and outright misconduct of the Civil Rights Division under the Obama administration. I have pointed out the Division’s politically motivated dismissal of a voter-intimidation case against the New Black Panther Party, its highly dubious objection to the state of Georgia’s verifying the citizenship of newly registered voters, and its almost comedic effort to prevent the small town of Kinston, N.C., from changing its partisan town-council elections to nonpartisan because it might hurt Democratic candidates.

If you want to understand how the Civil Rights Division is being run in the Obama administration, imagine for just a moment what would happen if the most radical, ideologically left-wing advocacy organizations in Washington took control of it. Because that’s exactly what happened.

So who are the players who are responsible for all of this?

http://article.nationalreview.com/427240/radicalizing-civil-rights/hans-a-von-spakovsky
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Court Dismisses ACORN Lawsuit Against James O'Keefe, Hannah Giles, and Breitbart's Breitbart.com After ACORN Missed Service Deadline

Via Big Government:

A state court in Baltimore has dismissed ACORN’s lawsuit against James O’Keefe, Hannah Giles, and Breitbart.com LLC after the plaintiffs failed to serve the complaint on the defendants within Maryland’s 120-day limit.


Tags: ACORN   courts  
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NYC Judge Rules that the Government Must Stop Blocking Money to ACORN

NYC judge: Govt must stop blocking money to ACORN

NEW YORK — A federal judge who found it unconstitutional that Congress tried to cut funding to the activist group ACORN has rejected a government request to change her mind and has ordered government agencies to make it clear the funding isn't blocked.

In a written ruling Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Nina Gershon made permanent her conclusion last year that the cutoff of funding was unconstitutional. She ordered all federal agencies to put the word out about it.

The Brooklyn judge said ACORN was punished by Congress without the enactment of administrative processes to decide if money had been handled inappropriately. She said the harm to ACORN's reputation continues because the government never rescinded its advice to withhold funding after it was distributed to "hundreds, if not thousands, of recipients."

ACORN, or the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, describes itself as an advocate for low-income and minority home buyers and residents.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5goHmEoyYhLPQ7xhPuFBAM-gBjbUAD9EC4J0O1

Tags: ACORN   courts  
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If the Justice Department is All Right with Black Panthers Intimidating Voters, Why Not Support ACORN

Obama Justice Department Shut Down Federal ACORN Investigation According to Documents Obtained by Judicial Watch

WASHINGTON, March 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, announced today that it has obtained documents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) detailing federal investigations into the alleged corrupt activities of Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN). The documents reference serious allegations of corruption and voter registration fraud by ACORN as well as the Obama administration's decision to shut down a criminal investigation without filing criminal charges.

The documents include background information on two specific complaints filed in October 2008 by Lucy Corelli and Joseph Borges, Republican Registrars of Voters in Stamford and Bridgeport, Connecticut, respectively, during the 2008 election season.

According to Corelli, on August 1, 2008, her office received 1,200 ACORN voter registration cards from the Secretary of State's office. Over 300 of these cards were rejected because of "duplicates, underage, illegible and invalid addresses," which "put a tremendous strain on our office staff and caused endless work hours at taxpayers' expense." Corelli claimed the total cost of the extra work caused by ACORN corruption was $20,000. Likewise, Borges contended that: "The organization ACORN during the summer of 2008 conducted a registration drive which has produced over 100 rejections due to incomplete forms and individuals who are not citizens..." Among the examples cited by Borges was a seven-year old child who was registered to vote by ACORN through the use of a forged signature and a fake birth certificate claiming she was 27-years old.

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=xprnw.20100311.DC69102&show_article=1


Tags: Justice   ACORN  
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No Ethics Probe of Democrat Leaders

GOP loses bid for ethics probe of Dem leaders
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How Obama Doled Out His $1.4 Million Nobel Peace Prize

How Obama spent his $1.4 million Nobel Peace Prize

March 11, 2010 |  1:10 pm

...

$250,000 to Fisher House: Fisher House is a national non-profit organization that....

...provides housing for families of patients receiving medical care at major military and VA medical centers.


$200,000 to the Clinton-Bush Haiti Fund: In the wake of the devastating earthquake in Haiti, President Obama asked former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton to create the Clinton-Bush Haiti Fund to raise funds for long-term relief efforts in Haiti.

$125,000 to College Summit: College Summit is a national non-profit organization that partners with elementary and middle schools and school districts to strengthen college-going culture and increase college enrollment rates, so that all students graduate from high school career and college-ready.

$125,000 to the Posse Foundation: The Posse Foundation is a national non-profit organization that identifies public high school students with extraordinary academic and leadership potential who may be overlooked by traditional college selection processes. Posse’s college and university partners award Posse Scholars four-year, full-tuition leadership scholarships. The scholars graduate at a rate of 90 percent.

$125,000 to the United Negr* College Fund: The United Negr* College Fund plays a critical role in enabling more than 60,000 students each year to attend college through scholarship and internship programs.

$125,000 to the Hispanic Scholarship Fund: The Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF) is the nation's leading Hispanic scholarship organization, providing the Hispanic community more college scholarships and educational outreach support than any other organization in the country. In its 34 year history, the Hispanic Scholarship Fund has awarded close to $280M in scholarships to more than 90,000 students in need.

$125,000 to the Appalachian Leadership and Education Foundation: A non-profit organization funded by foundations and companies, ALEF supports and enables young men and women from Appalachia to pursue higher education though scholarship and leadership curriculum.

$125,000 to the American Indian College Fund: The American Indian College Fund transforms Indian higher education by funding and creating awareness of the unique, community-based accredited Tribal Colleges and Universities, offering students access to knowledge, skills, and cultural values which enhance their communities and the country as a whole.

The Fund disburses approximately 6,000 scholarships annually for American Indian students seeking to better their lives through higher education. The Fund also provides support for tribal college needs, ranging from capital support to cultural preservation curricula.

$100,000 to AfriCare: AfriCare was founded in 1970 and has more projects in Africa than any other U.S. based charity, reaching communities in 25 countries, primarily in Sub-Saharan Africa.  Its programs address needs in three principal areas: health and HIV/AIDS; food security and agriculture; and water resource development. 

$100,000 to the Central Asia Institute: The Central Asia Institute promotes and supports community-based education and literacy, especially for girls, in remote regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan.  The Institute’s co-founder, Greg Mortenson, was also a Nobel Peace Prize nominee this year, whose book, Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace, One School at a Time, recounts his attempt to successfully establish dozens of schools and promote girls’ education in rural Afghanistan and Pakistan.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2010/03/obama-nobel-prize-money.html


Tags: obama  
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Senate Parliamentarian has Ruled that the House Must Pass Senate Health Care Bill and President Obama Must Sign It Before Moving Forward with Reconciliation

Ruling Kills an Option for Moving Health Bill
March 11, 2010, 2:30 P.M.
By David M. Drucker
Roll Call Staff

The Senate Parliamentarian has ruled that President Barack Obama must sign Congress’ original health care reform bill before the Senate can act on a companion reconciliation package, senior GOP sources said Thursday.

The Senate Parliamentarian’s Office was responding to questions posed by the Republican leadership. The answers were provided verbally, sources said.

http://cdn.rollcall.com/media/44110-1.html


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