The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads Wow.

Crunchy numbers

The Louvre Museum has 8.5 million visitors per year. This blog was viewed about 72,000 times in 2010. If it were an exhibit at The Louvre Museum, it would take 3 days for that many people to see it.

In 2010, there were 6 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 340 posts. There were 6 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 330kb.

The busiest day of the year was March 22nd with 814 views. The most popular post that day was IS THIS A GREAT BARNYARD OF A COUNTRY OR WHAT?.

Where did they come from?

The top referring sites in 2010 were search.aol.com, facebook.com, en.wordpress.com, google.com, and mail.yahoo.com.

Some visitors came searching, mostly for fox, kamikaze, christmas tree, nancy pelosi, and vivica a fox.

Attractions in 2010

These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.

IS THIS A GREAT BARNYARD OF A COUNTRY OR WHAT? August 2007
7 comments

Well done Florida Gulf Coast University & the PC Police. November 2008

Quick Call Jesse & Rev. Al! June 2007
2 comments

Kamikaze Obama aka, Our Dear Leader, Comrade Obama. December 2009
1 comment

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Drug lobby showers money on its hero Harry Reid

By: Timothy P. Carney

Examiner Columnist

July 7, 2010

No scalp would be as treasured by Republicans this fall as that of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. And no incumbent is receiving as much air support from the drug industry as is Reid, who championed a health care bill that pads drug company profits.

Want to buy a Senator? Reid is your man!

The drug lobby has begun a pro-Reid TV blitz in his home state of Nevada. One ad praises Reid for saving jobs and for understanding that “good jobs with good benefits [mean] a better future.” The narrator then instructs viewers to “call Harry Reid today; tell him to keep fighting for Nevada families.”

But “Nevada families” didn’t pay for the ad. The drug lobby did. And while the TV spot makes only passing reference to the health care bill passed in March, there’s no doubt this ad buy — and the rest of the drug industry’s generosity toward Harry Reid — is a big thank you for the corporate-welfare “reform” bill that Reid shepherded through the Senate.

Flash back one year to last July, when Democratic congressmen going home for the Independence Day recess began to hear from their constituents about Obamacare, with the result that “reform” was threatened. That’s when top drug lobbyist Billy Tauzin came to the rescue.

Tauzin was president of the Pharmaceutical Researchers and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), the largest single-industry lobbying organization in the country. He was also formerly public enemy No. 1 for the Obama campaign, which had held him up as the poster boy for Washington’s revolving door and “game playing.”

Last July, Tauzin visited the White House twice (and who knows how many meetings he had at nearby coffee shops?) and hashed out a deal on health care. As the Los Angeles Times first reported, Tauzin pledged to support Obamacare if the White House would keep its hands off the government favors the drug industry was already receiving. In addition, Democrats loaded up the bill with plenty more drug company goodies including subsidies, mandates and unprecedented 12-year, government-enforced monopolies on complex drugs.

In the end, PhRMA shaped “reform” as it wanted, and the group ran millions of dollars of ads supporting the bill. Reid passed it. Now PhRMA is doing heavy lifting for Reid, whose approval ratings are in the 30s.

Beyond the PhRMA-funded sappy TV spots, there are plenty more signs of the industry’s affection for Reid.

Right after Tauzin’s July 22, 2009, West Wing visit, for instance, drug industry political action committees began pumping cash into Reid’s endangered campaign.

Tauzin visited the West Wing on a Wednesday, and Eli Lilly’s $5,000 PAC check reached Reid on Friday. The following Monday, Reid got two $5,000 PAC checks: one from PhRMA and another from the nation’s largest drug maker, Pfizer. Within a week, drug giants Merck and Astra-Zeneca had ponied up, too. That’s at least $23,000 in pharmaceutical PAC money in 10 days.

When the bill became law in March, PhRMA, Pfizer, Lilly, the Biotechnology Industry Organization and other drug PACs all ponied up again.

Reid has received $154,000 from Pharma PACs as of May 30, making him the No. 2 recipient behind Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., whose base is in the Research Triangle. Reid is the only politician to get the maximum $10,000 contribution from PhRMA as of the end of May. He’s also the only senator to get the max from Eli Lilly’s PAC. The health sector is Reid’s prime source of PAC funds: half a million dollars already — and that doesn’t count the TV buys.

Reid’s lobbyist-bundlers (his volunteer fundraisers from K Street) also come from Big Pharma. Paul DiNino is a lobbyist at Cornerstone Government Affairs, which represents PhRMA, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer and Sanofi-Aventis. DiNino also raised $23,950 for Reid last year alone.

Tony Podesta represents Amgen and Genzyme, and he has bundled at least $78,400 for Reid. William Singer, a Pfizer lobbyist, clocked $39,750 for Reid last year. DLA Piper — the K Street firm that cut ties with Republican former House Majority Leader Dick Armey because of his opposition to Obamacare — has a PAC that has raised at least $26,400 for Reid.

Reid this fall will likely follow Obama’s lead, and falsely paint himself as the scourge of the special interests — all on the drug lobby’s dime.

Timothy P. Carney, The Examiner’s lobbying editor, can be reached at tcarney@washingtonexaminer.com. He writes an op-ed column that appears on Friday.

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And remember, this is just one member of the group of thieves who MADAM Pelosi would be one of the most ethical senates ever. Well so much for that promise, sort of like have the most transparent government in history.

When will the U.S. government close this loophole? I won’t hold my breath.

Mexico opens California office to provide ID for illegals

By: Sara A. Carter

National Security Correspondent

June 3, 2010

The Mexican government is opening a satellite consular office on Catalina Island — a small resort off the California coast with a history of drug smuggling and human trafficking — to provide the island’s illegal Mexican immigrants with identification cards, The Washington Examiner has learned.

The Mexican consular office in Los Angeles issued a flier, a copy of which was obtained by The Examiner, listing the Catalina Island Country Club as the location of its satellite office. It invites Mexicans to visit the office to obtain the identification, called IDs for Illegals, by appointment.

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, a Republican whose district includes Catalina Island, said handing out matricular cards will exacerbate an already dangerous situation.

“Handing out matricular cards to Mexicans who are not in this country legally is wrong no matter where it’s done,” he said. “But on Catalina it will do more damage. It’s a small island but there’s evidence it’s being used as a portal for illegals to access mainland California.”

Rohrabacher added, “If there were a large number of Americans illegally in Mexico and the U.S. consulate was making it easier for them to stay, Mexico would never permit it.”

Mexican officials with the consular office in Los Angeles could not be reached immediately for comment. The matricular consular identification card, is issued by the Mexican government to Mexican nationals residing outside the country, regardless of immigration status. The purpose is to provide identification for opening bank accounts and obtaining other services. But the cards are usually used to skirt U.S. immigration laws, since Mexicans in the country legally have documents proving that status, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said.

In 2004 testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee, FBI officials called the card an unreliable form of identification. The agency said that Mexico lacks a centralized database for them, which could lead to forgery, duplication, and other forms of abuse.

Officers with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said their agency was asked by Mexican officials not to enforce U.S. immigration laws on the island while the cards were being issued.

“It amazes me every time that the Mexican government has the gall to tell us what to do,” said an ICE official, who asked not to be named. “More surprisingly is how many times we stand by and let them. This is just an example of one of hundreds of requests we’ve had to deal with.”

In April, Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies seized a boat carrying large quantities of marijuana and detained three Mexican nationals who said they were being smuggled into the United States.

The island has a sizable Mexican migrant population. Most are undocumented low-income workers.

1:15pm UPDATE:

Mexican government officials have moved their satellite consular office from the Catalina Island Country Club to a Catholic Church – citing protection under the Vienna Convention – after it was discovered that they did not have the appropriate paperwork to issue the island’s illegal immigrants identification cards.

Since The Washington Examiner reported that the management of the club, on the island of Catalina, discovered that the event was not a multi-cultural celebration as they had been told and refused to allow the Mexican government to set up shop.

The Mexican officials will provide “matricular” card services to Mexican nationals at St. Catherine’s Church, on the island.

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, a Republican whose district includes Catalina Island, is heading to the island by helicopter today to confront the officials.

“If the Catholic Church insists on preventing immigration law from being enforced, then they should step up and pay the bill. Let the Catholic Church open up its schools for free and use their vast resources to pay for the benefits of illegals if they feel it’s such a moral issue,” Rep. Rohrabacher told The Examiner. “I don’t exactly see Cardinal Mahoney announcing the sale of catholic church property to pay the bills for illegal immigration. This holier than thou hypocrisy has got to stop.”

By AHMED AL-HAJ, Associated Press Writer

SAN’A, Yemen – Yemen would not hand over a U.S.-born, al-Qaida-linked cleric to the United States because the country’s law bans extradition of its citizens, a Yemeni official said Tuesday.

The radical Yemeni-American cleric, Anwar al-Awlaki, is believed to be hiding in Yemen since 2004.

The U.S. says he is an active al-Qaida recruiter and has placed him on the CIA’s list of targets for assassination, despite his American citizenship. Yemen’s al-Qaida offshoot last month released a video of al-Awlaki calling for the killing of Americans.

Al-Awlaki is also believed to have helped inspire recent attacks in the U.S., including the Fort Hood shooting, the Times Square bombing attempt and the failed Christmas Day airline bombing.

Yemen’s Islamic Affairs Minister Hamoud al-Hitar told The Associated Press that Yemen is encouraging al-Awlaki to turn himself in, but if and when in Yemeni custody, he will not be extradited to the U.S.

“There are constitutional and legal texts the government cannot get around,” al-Hitar said.

He said the U.S. should provide any proof it has of al-Awlaki’s terrorist ties “to the Yemeni justice system, so it can do its job.”

Al-Hitar’s remarks come as the U.S. has encouraged Yemen to step up its crackdown on al-Qaida.

Read rest if story here: Yemen won’t extradite US radical cleric

And yet Yemen is a country that has received million upon millions in aid from the United States. The question is WHY!

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) signed a $121 million agreement in September 2009 with the Government of Yemen, which will guide USAID’s cooperation over the next three years, including targeting resources to local communities where instability and weak security have caused development efforts to falter. (1.)

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January 2, 2010 LONDON — The United States will more than double its security assistance to Yemen, officials said Friday, and Britain will host an international meeting this month to seek ways to prevent the poorest Arab nation from becoming an al-Qaeda stronghold.

The announcements highlight mounting Western concern over Yemen after a failed attempt to bomb a U.S. airliner on Christmas; the suspect is a Nigerian man who reportedly told authorities that he received training and equipment in the country, which borders Saudi Arabia…..

The increase in U.S. backing for Yemen was announced in Baghdad by Gen. David H. Petraeus, head of the U.S. Central Command. Petraeus said at a news conference that the United States gave Yemen about $70 million in security assistance last year, and “that will more than double this coming year.” (2.)

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Feb 22, 2010: The $150 million approved by Gates for fiscal 2010, up from $67 million last year, underscores U.S. concerns about the growing threat of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

The sum does not include covert U.S. assistance for Yemen, which has quietly increased in recent months.

The Yemen-based group claimed responsibility for a failed plot to blow up a U.S. passenger jet as it prepared to land at Detroit on Christmas Day. U.S. intelligence officials say it is emerging as al Qaeda’s most active and sophisticated cell outside the Pakistan-Afghanistan border region.

The $150 million in funding will be used to supply equipment to and training for Yemen’s counterterrorism forces, said the officials, who asked not to be identified.

U.S. Special Operations forces spearhead the training.

U.S. military and intelligence agencies have shared satellite and surveillance imagery, as well as intercepted communications, with Yemeni security forces to help them attack al Qaeda targets, officials said.

Critics say the expanding U.S. role in Yemen risks fueling anti-American sentiment and boosting al Qaeda’s standing. (3.)

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[31/May/2010] SANA’A, May 31 (Saba)- Undersecretary Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation Mohammed al-Ghashm held Sunday talks with USAID Director of Technical Programs in Yemen Sean Jones on aspects of supporting the agricultural sector for ensuring food security.

The USAID will be implementing the project of good governance including support of various sectors at a cost of more than $26 million granted to Yemen, in addition to agriculture and irrigation sector over three years of Shabwa, Dalei , Aden, Hajjah, Jawf, Marib, Abyan and Amran governorates.

The Good governance Project is focusing on finding sources of income for communities through programs and policies to enhance capacity and provide technical training programs for cadres and leaders. (4.)

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1. http://www.usaid.gov/press/factsheets/2010/fs100205.html

2. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/01/AR2010010101762.html

3. http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE61L4L120100222

4. http://www.sabanews.net/en/news215950.htm

This is a classic example of The Commander in Chief being out of touch with the men and women he commands. The Navy HOSPITAL CORPS

A Hospital Corpsman (HM) is frequently the only medical care-giver available in many fleet or Marine units on extended deployment. Hospital Corpsmen serve as enlisted medical specialists for the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps. The Hospital Corpsman works in a wide variety of capacities and locations, including shore establishments such as naval hospitals and clinics, aboard ships, as the primary medical caregivers for sailors while underway. Hospital Corpsman perform duties as assistants in the prevention and treatment of disease and injury and assist health care professionals in providing medical care to Navy people and their families. They may function as clinical or specialty technicians, medical administrative personnel and health care providers at medical treatment facilities. They also serve as battlefield corpsmen with the Marine Corps, rendering emergency medical treatment to include initial treatment in a combat environment. Qualified hospital corpsmen may be assigned the responsibility of independent duty aboard ships and submarines; Fleet Marine Force, Special Forces and Seabee units, and at isolated duty stations where no medical officer is available.

Our proud history goes back to Continental Navy. It was finally officially recognized by the Navy Regulations of 1814. We have proudly served along side our comrades in the Navy and the Marine Corps ever since.

Decorations of Valor Awarded to Hospital Corpsmen

* Medal of Honor, 22
* Navy Cross, 174
* Distinguished Service Cross (United States Army), 31
* Silver Star, 946
* Bronze Star, 1,582

The colloquial form of address for a Hospital Corpsman is “Doc”. In the U.S. Marine Corps, this term is generally used as a sign of respect.

I had the privilege to serve with Kilo 3/7, 1st Marine Division in Vietnam. I am extremely proud to have the title “Doc”.

Mr President, learn you Navy/Marine history and pronunciation of the term Hospital Corp!