WE DON'T know where to begin with the latest mess that has ensnared Sen. Roland W. Burris (D-Ill.). No, "ensnared" isn't the right word. That would imply that he's blameless for his troubles, which isn't the case. Phone conversations taped by federal prosecutors that were released May 26 between Mr. Burris and the brother of then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich belie the senator's repeated assertions that there was no quid pro quo for his appointment to the seat vacated by President Obama.

President Barack Obama assured the nation his recovery plan was on track, scrambling to calm Americans unnerved by unemployment rates still persistently rising nearly four months after he signed the biggest economic stimulus in history.

A $100 billion bill to fund U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is rapidly accumulating extra items such as money for military aircraft the Pentagon doesn't want and possibly a scheme to jump-start sagging auto sales.

The cars and planes are not directly linked to the U.S. war effort. But they are typical of Congress' penchant for loading bills with unrelated spending in hopes the funds will sail through on the strength of the main legislation.

 

The sale of bankrupt automaker Chrysler LLC to a group led by Italian carmaker Fiat SpA was temporarily blocked by a U.S. Supreme Court justice, with no indication how long the delay would last.

In a one-sentence order, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said the bankruptcy judge's orders allowing the sale "are stayed pending further order" by her or by the Supreme Court.

 

CIA Director Leon Panetta told a federal judge that releasing documents about the agency's terror interrogations would gravely damage national security.

Arguing release of agency cables describing tough interrogation methods used on al-Qaida suspects would tell the enemy far too much about U.S. counterterrorism work.

 

FBI Director Robert Mueller on Monday defended the agency's use of informants within U.S. mosques, despite complaints from Muslim organizations that worshippers and clerics are being targeted instead of possible terrorists.

Mueller's comments came just days after a Michigan Muslim organization asked the Justice Department to investigate complaints that the FBI is asking the faithful to spy on Islamic leaders and worshippers. Similar alarm followed the disclosure earlier this year that the FBI planted a spy in Southern California mosques.

 

This link is to a graphical animation representing the net gain/loss of jobs over the last 5+ years for various geographical areas of the U.S.  If anyone is having trouble grasping the extent of the recent economic downturn, this animation will clarify things dramatically.

 

Exactly how did these slip by the Homeland Security folks, who supposedly are screening all the cargo coming into the nation's ports to keep out nuclear bombs? And how much other crap from China has made it through that is radioactive?

The mood at the Space Business Forum, an annual gathering of investors and space geeks was impatience to get the feds out of the way so the private sector can attract investments and grow quicker. "I'd say the role of government [in the space industry] is too high," says Heidi Wood, the senior equity analyst for aerospace for Morgan Stanley. "There are far too many hands on it." 

Euro Pacific Capital's Peter Schiff  and Author, "The Little Book of Bull Moves in Bear Markets" will be interviewed on The Daily Show with John Stewart 6/9/09.  This will be a great interview without all the "normal" pundits cutting off Peter when he talks about the economy.  So plug into the Matrix for this one [ED]

Last week, General Motors finally declared bankruptcy.  Many in government thought $20 billion in taxpayer dollars would save the company, but as predicted, it only postponed the inevitable. The government will dump another $30 billion into GM and take a 60 percent controlling interest for it.  Public officials are now involving themselves in tactical business decisions such as where GM’s headquarters should move and what kind of cars it will build.

Afraid as always that patriots would take the blame, Liberty Rider desperately pedals on into Indiana. Calling Indiana patriots, now is your turn to host! Get your picture up on the Ride For Honesty blog!

In May of last year the U.S. money supply stood at roughly $834 billion. Now, a year later, the Federal Reserve has created an additional $941 billion out of thin air. Pay close attention to those numbers…

* The amount of new money the Fed has created is roughly $107 billion more than all the money that was in circulation just a year ago
* In other words, the U.S. money supply has more than doubled

 

Homeschooling is a wonderful way to stay close to your children while helping them become well-rounded adults. It offers you the opportunity to tailor your children’s education to suit your children, your lifestyle, and your beliefs. Schooling at home also gives you a safe ‘home base’ for your children while they explore the people and places around them. With the ability to individualize your child’s education, you can truly foster a life long love of learning.  

Even by the standards of the Pentagon fringe science arm, this project sounds far-out: “programmable matter” that can be ordered to “self-assemble or alter their shape, perform a function and then disassemble themselves.” But researchers backed by Darpa are actually making progress on this incredible goal.