Warned by the Court

Obama has lambasted lobbyists and moneyed interests who "have turned our government into a game only they can afford to play."

"It's an entire culture in Washington -- some of it legal, some of it not," the Democratic hopeful told a New York crowd in June. But last year Obama introduced nine separate bills exempting foreign chemical company Nufarm from import fees on a range of chemical ingredients it uses in the manufacture of pesticides and herbicides.

Nufarm wasn't the only beneficiary of Obama's efforts to reduce customs fees and duties. In early May of 2006, two Washington lobbyists registered to work on behalf of Astellas Pharma, a Japanese-owned drug company which also has offices in Illinois.

Together, Obama's obscure measures -- known as tariff suspensions -- steered more than $12 million away from federal coffers, according to government estimates.

While legal, Obama's bills on behalf of Nufarm and other companies are part of the special treatment machine Washington rolls out for special interests, say good-government watchdogs. With a dozen tariff suspension bills to his name, Obama stands out as the most prolific of any presidential hopeful on the topic. Sen. John McCain introduced none.

"If you have a company...there's a whole factory set up to help you get these suspensions," said Steve Ellis, president of the Washington, D.C.-based watchdog group Taxpayers for Common Sense. "It's a pay-to-play system you have to rev up and work." Hire the right lobbyist, pay the right fee, and you can save millions, he explained.

Some say the tariff suspension process isn't how Washington should operate.

In his speeches, Sen. Obama seems to agree: "We need a president who sees government not as a tool to enrich well-connected friends and high-priced lobbyists, but as the defender of fairness and opportunity for every American," the candidate said in his June speech. "That's the kind of president I intend to be."

But his actions speak louder than his words.

Junker defended tariff suspensions as good for American businesses. "It's nothing to be embarrassed, ashamed or suspicious of," he said.

justifying the breaks for Nufarm to import a chemical known as 2,4 D and other ingredients by claiming they would "eliminate these unnecessary and avoidable...costs to [Nufarm's] consumers."

But the company's financial reports, issued just two months after Obama introduced Nufarm's numerous tariff-lifting bills, indicate Nurarm was making more money than ever before in North America because it had increased its prices on its U.S. and Canadian customers, predominantly farmers, in particular on "phenoxy herbicides," a family which includes 2,4 D.

Economics aside, some medical researchers have purported to find a link between high exposure to the chemical and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a type of cancer.

http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2007/07/despite-rhetori

Palin is pro-life, even in the case of rape, and opposes same-sex marriage and favors the discussion of creationism alongside evolution in schools. But she hasn't pushed for legislative changes in any of those areas.

The Associated Press reported Sept 3: "Palin's children attend public schools and Palin has made no push to have creationism taught in them. ... It reflects a hands-off attitude toward mixing government and religion by most Alaskans."

She even vetoed a bill that would have denied benefits to employees in same-sex relationships because she said it was unconstitutional.

That says plenty. It shows she knows the limits of government, and believes that government isn't there to tell us what to do.

Obama seems more inclined to use government to control what choices we have than Palin does. Have you seen HR 800? The democrats are trying to eliminate the secret ballot in union elections. That will mean another hand in the worker's pocket (for dues, which have to be paid before the worker can even get the job), and less opportunity to advance on the merits when you do have a job.

I bet all those small businesses our economy is so dependent on will be so happy to know that the democrats want to unionize every business in the country. That will definitely make their products and services more competitive with foreign competition.

Barack Obama 110th Congress

In the 1st month of the newly Democratic-controlled 110th Congress, Obama worked with Russ Feingold (D???WI) to eliminate gifts of travel on corporate jets by lobbyists to members of Congress and require disclosure of bundled campaign contributions under the "Honest Leadership and Open Government Act," which was signed into law in September 2007. He joined Chuck Schumer (D-NY) in sponsoring S. 453, a bill to criminalize deceptive practices in federal elections, including fraudulent flyers and automated phone calls, as witnessed in the 2006 midterm elections. Obama's energy initiatives scored pluses and minuses with environmentalists, who welcomed his sponsorship with John McCain (R-AZ) of a climate change bill to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by two-thirds by 2050, but were skeptical of his support for a bill promoting liquefied coal production. Obama also introduced the "Iraq War De-Escalation Act of 2007," a bill to cap troop levels in Iraq, begin phased redeployment, and remove all combat brigades from Iraq before April 2008.

Later in 2007, Obama sponsored with Kit Bond (R-MO) an amendment to the 2008 Defense Authorization Act adding safeguards for personality disorder military discharges, and calling for a review by the Government Accountability Office following reports that the procedure had been used inappropriately to reduce government costs. He sponsored the "Iran Sanctions Enabling Act" supporting divestment of state pension funds from Iran's oil and gas industry, and joined Chuck Hagel (R-NE) in introducing legislation to reduce risks of nuclear terrorism. A provision from the Obama-Hagel bill was passed by Congress in December 2007 as an amendment to the State-Foreign Operations appropriations bill. Obama also sponsored a Senate amendment to the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) to provide one year of job protection for family members caring for soldiers with combat-related injuries. After passing both houses of Congress with bipartisan majorities, SCHIP was vetoed by President Bush in early October 2007, a move Obama said "shows a callousness of priorities that is offensive to the ideals we hold as Americans

If Palin should see Wooten as an evil spirit and she does not tolerate evil, she is responsible for explaining why Bristol's free sex without marriage is not evil and setting up a Down-syndrome child for life-long failure is not evil.

Barack Obama 109th Congress

Obama took an active role in the Senate's drive for improved border security and immigration reform. In 2005, he cosponsored the "Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act" introduced by Sen. John McCain (R-AZ). He later added three amendments to the "Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act", which passed the Senate in May 2006, but failed to gain majority support in the U.S. House of Representatives. In September 2006, Obama supported a related bill, the Secure Fence Act, authorizing construction of fencing and other security improvements along the United States???Mexico border. President Bush signed the Secure Fence Act into law in October 2006, calling it "an important step toward immigration reform."


Senate bill sponsors Tom Coburn (R-OK) and Obama discuss the Coburn-Obama Transparency Act. Partnering first with Sen. Dick Lugar (R-IN), and then with Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK), Obama successfully introduced two initiatives bearing his name. "Lugar-Obama" expands the Nunn-Lugar cooperative threat reduction concept to conventional weapons, including shoulder-fired missiles and anti-personnel mines. The Lugar-Obama initiative subsequently received $48 million in funding. The "Coburn-Obama Transparency Act" provides for the web site USAspending.gov, managed by the Office of Management and Budget. The site lists all organizations receiving Federal funds from 2007 onward and provides breakdowns by the agency allocating the funds, the dollar amount given, and the purpose of the grant or contract. In December 2006, President Bush signed into law the "Democratic Republic of the Congo Relief, Security, and Democracy Promotion Act," marking the first federal legislation to be enacted with Obama as its primary sponsor.

As a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Obama made official trips to Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. In August 2005, he traveled to Russia, Ukraine, and Azerbaijan. The trip focused on strategies to control the world's supply of conventional weapons, biological weapons, and weapons of mass destruction as a first defense against potential terrorist attacks. Following meetings with U.S. military in Kuwait and Iraq in January 2006, Obama visited Jordan, Israel, and the Palestinian territories. At a meeting with Palestinian students two weeks before Hamas won the legislative election, Obama warned that "the U.S. will never recognize winning Hamas candidates unless the group renounces its fundamental mission to eliminate Israel." He left for his third official trip in August 2006, traveling to South Africa, Kenya, Djibouti, Ethiopia and Chad. In a nationally televised speech at the University of Nairobi, he spoke forcefully on the influence of ethnic rivalries and corruption in Kenya.The speech touched off a public debate among rival leaders, some formally challenging Obama's remarks as unfair and improper, others defendin

Palin is pro-life, even in the case of rape, and opposes same-sex marriage and favors the discussion of creationism alongside evolution in schools. But she hasn't pushed for legislative changes in any of those areas.

The Associated Press reported Sept 3: "Palin's children attend public schools and Palin has made no push to have creationism taught in them. ... It reflects a hands-off attitude toward mixing government and religion by most Alaskans."

She even vetoed a bill that would have denied benefits to employees in same-sex relationships because she said it was unconstitutional.

That says plenty. It shows she knows the limits of government, and believes that government isn't there to tell us what to do.

Obama seems more inclined to use government to control what choices we have than Palin does. Have you seen HR 800? The democrats want to do away with the secret ballot in union elections -- no more elections, just check off cards.

Alright, big mama is showing up now. Nothing against women working, but can she, super woman Gov. Sarah Palin, really do the job in Alaska let alone as the VP of the U.S? A lot of folks are posting about the money and how it might be illegal, but what about the time she needs to be home with First Dude and her kids? Or is something else going on here? Maybe it's my lying eyes. I'm sorry, it's in Gods plan for me not to see this either. ok ok I'll be quiet, now.

There's only so much of this goofy left wing liberal baloney that anyone can take. Heck, why don't you run Michael Moore for your President since he speaks the things you enjoy hearing. you could have Raul Castro come up and show you how to run the health Care, the Iranian President could come over and show you how to control religion and Kim Jong Ill can run the military. All of these are heros to you sick bunch of whiney butt losers.. You make the majority of Americans sick with your stupid accusations and you are helping to secure a McCain/Palin victory. Thanks and Good Bye!

Living-witout-any- sense, Palin may be pro-life, even in the case of rape, and may oppose same-sex marriage and may favor the discussion of creationism alongside evolution in schools, but she hasn't pushed for legislative changes in any of those areas.

The Associated Press reported Sept 3: "Palin's children attend public schools and Palin has made no push to have creationism taught in them. ... It reflects a hands-off attitude toward mixing government and religion by most Alaskans."

She even vetoed a bill that would have denied benefits to employees in same-sex relationships because she said it was unconstitutional.

That says plenty. It shows she knows the limits of government, and believes that government isn't there to tell us what to do.

Obama seems more inclined to use government to control what choices we have than Palin does. Have you seen HR 800? The democrats want to do away with the secret ballot in union elections -- no more elections, just check off cards.

Such anger and distaste ! You liberals just can't control youselves. Instead of adult-like and civil discussion about the issues of this country, you just rant, rant, rant................did I say rant? Get a grip of yourselves so you don't end up losing your minds. Even a majority of democrats think positively of John McCain. And, the latest polls show more people think Palin understands every day issues better than Obama, Biden, or McCain. If you're one of those people who believe they're part of the "intelligent", "enlightened", and "informed" portion of the population and that everyone else is plain stupid.............there's a place for you on Mars!

I guess you all missed, or omitted, the part of the troopers testimony where the boys family was actually observing this whole thing and laughing as the DEMONSTRATION occurred.

There is obviously much more to this than what the general public knows at this point. Why not do something intelligent like wait for all the evidence and decisions to come out. instead of trying to prejudge, condemn and distort this to your candidates favor.