Our Own Oil Cartel
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Contemplate this the next time you spend $60 or more filling up your tinny little car with gasoline made from imported oil: The U.S. government knows where it can get its hands on more untapped petroleum than exists in the proven reserves of Iran or Iraq, which have 136 billion barrels and 115 billion barrels, respectively. Hijacked by Enviro-Liberalism.

Confessions of a Global-Warming Agnostic
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Yet on the basis of this speculation, environmental activists, attended by compliant scientists and opportunistic politicians, are advocating radical economic and social regulation. “The largest threat to freedom, democracy, the market economy and prosperity,” warns Czech President Vaclav Klaus, “is no longer socialism. It is, instead, the ambitious, arrogant, unscrupulous ideology of environmentalism.”

The Local Role in Disaster Response
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The increasing tendency since 9/11 to look to Washington for every answer regarding disaster response is troubling. The insistence that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) play an ever-expanding role in addressing day-to-day emergency responses is hindering, not strengthening, the agency’s ability to prepare for the next national catastrophic disaster. Even worse, as the federal government pledges to improve its response, state and local governments are getting a false sense of security, relying on Washington rather than preparing proper emergency responses themselves. The risk of catastrophic terrorist attacks is real, and it is high. Much work remains to be done to prepare for these probabilities. It is time to get back to our federalist tradition and empower state and local governments to take the lead in managing disasters.

William J. Bennett: My Old Party
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This is an astounding moment in American politics. And thus the Democratic party is about to nominate a far left candidate in the tradition of George McGovern, albeit without McGovern’s military and political record. The Democratic party is about to nominate a far-left candidate in the tradition of Michael Dukakis, albeit without Dukakis’s executive experience as governor. The Democratic party is about to nominate a far left candidate in the tradition of John Kerry, albeit without Kerry’s record of years of service in the Senate. The Democratic party is about to nominate an unvetted candidate in the tradition of Jimmy Carter, albeit without Jimmy Carter’s religious integrity as he spoke about it in 1976. Questions about all these attributes (from foreign policy expertise to executive experience to senatorial experience to judgment about foreign leaders to the instructors he has had in his cultural values) surround Barack Obama. And the Democratic party has chosen him.

Obama Fundraiser Indicted on Corruption Charges
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A federal jury today convicted developer Antoin "Tony" Rezko of corruption charges for trading on his clout as a top adviser and fundraiser to Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Rezko's guilty verdict on 16 of 24 corruption counts could have broad repercussions for Blagojevich, who made Rezko a central player in his kitchen cabinet. It could also prove a political liability for U.S. Sen. Barack Hussein Obama, who once counted Rezko as a friend and fundraiser.

Nation of Islam activists on Obama camp payroll
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Barack Hussein Obama employed and continues to employ senior staffers who belong to the Nation of Islam, and the presidential candidate has some "worrying" ties to the controversial group headed by Louis Farrakhan.

Miami pays mosque-based Muslim group $150,000 to patrol, promote civility
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The City of Miami hired Muslims with ties to the Nation of Islam to patrol streets and keep the peace. The city will pay $150,000 to Peacemakers, a civilian group run by Progressive Land Development International, as part of a $1 million crime-fighting initiative, Fox News reports. However, a great deal of controversy has been caused by the organization's mailing address – it also belongs to the Miami's Nation of Islam.

Bodies Revealed Cannot Dispute that Bodies were Executed Prisoners
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The New York State Attorney General’s office has ordered the owners of a “plastinated” body display in New York to post signs at the entrance of the exhibit telling visitors that it is not possible to confirm whether the bodies displayed were those of executed Chinese prisoners who may have been victims of torture.The order came last Thursday after the company, Premier Exhibitions, admitted it had no way of knowing the exact origin of the bodies, all of which were obtained in China, a country that executes more of its citizens than any other nation. Under the terms of the settlement, the New York Times reports, the exhibitors cannot obtain new bodies without documentation proving the individual’s identity, cause of death and consent for the body to be displayed. The company has put aside $50,000 for refunds to visitors who have seen the display.

Iraq hits milestones on U.S. troop deaths
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U.S. troop deaths in Iraq fell to their lowest level last month since the 2003 invasion and officials said on Sunday improved security also helped the country boost oil production in May to a post-war high.

State checking collegians’ Social Security numbers
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The Arkansas Department of Higher Education has begun checking students’ Social Security numbers and alerting colleges and universities if they appear invalid. Jim Purcell, the department director, said Thursday that the goal is to ensure that illegal aliens aren’t allowed to pay instate tuition rates when state officials think they’re ineligible under federal law. The investigation into the Social Security numbers began last week after Purcell alerted institutions, at the direction of Gov. Mike Beebe, that they need to ask students for evidence of legal residency before allowing them to pay the cheaper in-state rates.

Kansas Lawmakers Want More Oversight on Gov Mansion After Abortion Event
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Some pro-life lawmakers are seeking more oversight on the governor's mansion after Gov. Kathleen Sebelius held a reception there featuring late-term abortion practitioner George Tiller. They say the governor should not be selling access to the building. Rep. Lance Kinzer and Sen. Tim Huelskamp, both Republicans, say they are considering legislation that would call on the governor's office to provide more public information about the events at Cedar Crest.

Novak: The Vice President for Abortion
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Those positions are necessary for Democratic politicians to pass their party's pro-choice litmus test, but Sebelius' connection with abortion is more intimate. She is allied with the aggressive Kansas branch of Planned Parenthood in a bitter struggle with anti-abortion activist District Attorney Phill Kline. There is substantial evidence she has been involved in laundering abortion industry money for distribution to Kansas Democrats. Kansas is the fiercest state battleground for abortion wars, making Kathleen Sebelius the national pro-choice poster girl.

Gallup Poll: Just 28 Percent of Americans Take Pro-Abortion Position
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A new Gallup poll finds just 28 percent of Americans take a pro-abortion position on the question of when abortions should be allowed. Another 71 percent of Americans either want all abortions to be illegal or want them limited to certain rare circumstances.

South Carolina Governor Officially Signs Abortion-Ultrasound Measure
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Just one day after South Carolina residents received good news that Choose Life license plates are on the way, Gov. Mark Sanford on Thursday signed a pro-life bill into law. The legislation allows women a chance to see an ultrasound of their unborn child before the abortion. When used in pregnancy centers, such ultrasounds persuade as many as 70-80 percent of women to keep their baby rather than follow through with an abortion.

Tax-Funded Law Firms Invested in Booze, $750,000 IT Guy
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Non-profit law firms funded by the federal Legal Services Corporation invested tax dollars in booze, interest-free loans for employees, lobbying registration fees and $750,000 for an independent "information technology" contractor whose contract had been lost and whose address was identical to the law firm's address, says the Government Accountability Office. The LSC received $358.6 million in federal tax dollars last year and used it to fund 137 "legal-services providers" who operated 900 non-profit legal offices around the country, according to Franzel. The purpose of these legal offices was to provide "low-income" persons with free legal representation.

Global Warming Tax on Airline Tickets
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A tax on airline tickets and an auction of pollution rights are just two ideas likely to be studied at a 162-nation conference examining ways of raising the billions of dollars needed every year to fight global warming. More than 2,000 delegates opened the two-week meeting Monday, launching an 18-month process of intense negotiations on an agreement to succeed the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012.

The Lieberman-Warner Climate Change Act: A Solution Worse Than the Problem
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Lieberman–Warner puts the cart before the horse by requiring significant emissions reductions before the technologies capable of achieving them in an affordable manner are available. At the same time, the science points away from a dire need to act precipitously and impose such a dramatic slowing of the American economy in such a tight timeframe. The compliance costs of Lieberman–Warner are likely to be far out of proportion to its benefits.

Global Warming Lunacy
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Click here to see the various government regulations and taxes associated with the Lieberman-Warner Climate Change Act.

Citizens fire back with carbon 'belch'
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Thousands of Americans are pledging to fire up their charcoal barbecue grills, bask in the infinite glow of numerous incandescent light bulbs, shun recycling of any kind and take spontaneous road trips in gas-guzzling vehicles to increase their personal carbon output – all in protest of the Senate debate over a bill calling for a "cap-and-trade" system.

The Return of the Soviet Bear
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Political humor in general has been exiled from television here. One of the nation's most popular satirists, Viktor Shenderovich, once had a show that featured puppet caricatures of various politicians, including Putin. It was canceled in Putin's first term and Shenderovich has been all but barred from television.

Bubba: The Comeback Id
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Old friends and longtime aides are wringing their hands over Bill Clinton’s post–White House escapades, from the dubious (and secretive) business associations to the media blowups that have bruised his wife’s campaign, to the private-jetting around with a skirt-chasing, scandal-tinged posse. Some point to Clinton’s medical traumas; others blame sheer selfishness, and the absence of anyone who can say “no.” Exploring Clinton world, the author asks if, “the former president will be consumed by his own worst self.”

Good Guys 2 Bad Guys 0
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The good guys and their dogs battle the bad guys. This week the importance of FLIR.