PositiveSarcasm.com Challenging the Politically Correct

Congress Blows $50 Billion On AIDS Bill

SFGate.com - Senate negotiators said Wednesday they had reached a tentative agreement on a key obstacle to one of the most ambitious federal health initiatives ever, a $50 billion act to combat AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis in Africa and other countries hard-hit by those diseases. The agreement sets the stage for the Senate to vote in the near future on the five-year bill that would more than triple the size of the $15 billion global AIDS bill that Congress, at the urging of President Bush, passed in 2003. The current act expires at the end of September.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said they had an “agreement in principle” with several Republican senators, led by Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, who had voiced opposition to aspects of the bill. With that agreement, Reid said, “we should be able to do this quickly and easily and it should be done before President Bush goes to the G-8 Summit next week. That would send an important message to the world that our country’s commitment to fight HIV/AIDS has not wavered.” read more

Marriage Islamic Style

FoxNews.com - Saudi marriage officiant Dr. Ahmad al-Mu’bi told Lebanese television viewers last week that it’s permissible for girls as young as 1 to marry — as long as sex is postponed.Al-Mu’bi’s remarkable comments also included an explanation that “there is no minimal age for entering marriage.”

“You can have a marriage contract even with a 1-year-old girl, not to mention a girl of 9, 7 or 8,” he said. “But is the girl ready for sex or not?” What is the appropriate age for sex for the first time? This varies according to environment and tradition,” al-Mu’bi said. read more

Hispanics Discovered Florida License Plate

SunSentinel.com -  Honk if you love Hispanics. A license plate that touts “Hispanics Discovered Florida” may soon join the 109 specialty tags drivers can choose from. The idea to celebrate the contributions of Hispanics came from National Hispanic Corporate Achievers, a Longwood group that sponsors minority job fairs. The plate would become a fundraising tool to support job and mentorship programs.

Danny Ramos, the group’s president, said the tag’s message is about cultural pride for Florida’s 3.6 million Hispanics — even if not all of Latin American or Spanish descent identify with the term. “Every community wants to be recognized for its contributions to society,” Ramos said. “I think this is just part of our assimilation process and our acceptance in Florida”. read more

The Fed Un-Reserved

Europac.net - Throughout history, governments have always used crises to justify blatant power grabs. Often the crisis subsides, but the expanded government powers remain. In America this week, the tendency came into sharp focus. Congress signaled that it is preparing to perpetuate the Bush Administration’s domestic wiretapping program, and has even abandoned the pretense that warrantless surveillance be confined to terrorism. Similarly, even though our financial crisis has yet to reach full flower, Treasury Secretary Paulson announced plans to give the Federal Reserve new and explicit powers to oversee and regulate the financial services industry. However, a sober look at his plan reveals that it is tantamount to giving the fox complete autonomy to guard the henhouse.

What few economic leaders have acknowledged is that the Federal Reserve itself is responsible for the real estate and credit bubbles, which are the source of our current troubles. By keeping interest rates too low for too long, the Fed ignited a speculative fever and engendered a disregard for risk management that pushed asset prices above rational levels. Should we blame the private sector for taking advantage of all the cheap credit, or the Federal Reserve for supplying it? If a kindergarten teacher passes out handfuls of Pixie Sticks, and then leaves her classroom unattended for several hours, should we blame the five year olds for the hysteria that ensues? read more

Pelosi Wants To Unplug Talk Radio

HumanEvents.com -  The speaker of the House made it clear to me and more than forty of my colleagues yesterday that a bill by Rep. Mike Pence (R.-Ind.) to outlaw the “Fairness Doctrine” (which a liberal administration could use to silence Rush Limbaugh, other radio talk show hosts and much of the new alternative media) would not see the light of day in Congress during ’08.

In ruling out a vote on Pence’s proposed Broadcaster’s Freedom Act, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D.-CA.) also signaled her strong support for revival of the “Fairness Doctrine” — which would require radio station owners to provide equal time to radio commentary when it is requested. read more

Court Rejects Death Penalty For Child Rapists

MSNBC.com - The Supreme Court on Wednesday outlawed executions of people convicted of raping a child. In a 5-4 vote, the court said the Louisiana law allowing the death penalty to be imposed in such cases violates the Constitution’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment.

“The death penalty is not a proportional punishment for the rape of a child,” Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote in his majority opinion. His four liberal colleagues joined him, while the four more conservative justices dissented. read more

Dubai Ports Deal Back Again

WorldTribune.com - A leading Gulf firm in the United Arab Emirates whose plans to operate six U.S. ports was last year rebuffed by Congress, has been certified as a partner in a U.S. port security program. The state-owned Dubai Ports World has been certified as a partner in the Customs-Trade Partnership against Terrorism. DP World underwent a successful audit that determined the company met international ISO 28000 security standards required by C-TPAT.

In 2007, DP abandoned plans to purchase a British company that operated six major ports in the United States, Middle East Newsline reported. Congress was opposed to a state-owned UAE company having direct access to U.S. ports. read more

Senator Dodd Denies Mortgage Wrongdoing

TBO.com - Sen. Christopher Dodd said Monday that the controversy over two loans he received will not compromise his ability to lead Congress’ efforts to ease the subprime mortgage meltdown. Dodd, D-Conn., chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, also repeated that he received no special treatment from Countrywide Financial Corp. His comments came before a speech to the Greater Danbury Chamber of Commerce. “No. I don’t think so at all,” Dodd told The Associated Press, when asked if the mortgages he received would affect his high-profile role in seeking to stem the nation’s housing foreclosure crisis.

Conde Nast Portfolio’s Web site first reported more than a week ago that Countrywide made two loans at special rates to Dodd in 2003 to refinance homes in Washington and East Haddam, Conn. The loans were reportedly part of a “V.I.P.” program that gave preferential rates to “friends” of the company’s chairman and chief executive, Angelo Mozilo. Several other notable politicians were participants in the program, the magazine said. read more

2 Public Schools Become Spanish Language

Charlotte.com - Thirteen schools would lose magnet programs. Collinswood and Oaklawn elementaries would become K-8 Spanish-language schools. International Baccalaureate and math/science programs would become tougher to get into, a move that could strengthen schools that house them but push more struggling students back to neighborhood schools.Those are among the proposals Superintendent Peter Gorman will pitch to the school board Tuesday as the board gets serious about revamping its slate of specialized academic programs. read more