I have the opportunity to upgrade to a different blog engine. I have considered using WordPress, because of its ease of use. I have less time now that I'm a father.

The only problem is that I have not yet found a converter that will move me from my current engine over to WordPress. This blog is maintained (at least text wise) using a database. The problem is that there are differences between the way that b2evolution (the blog engine I use) and WordPress access and configure the database. There are converters to move from b2evolution to WordPress, but they all have issues with correcting HTTP linking. For me that would be a huge problem, because I frequently link to other sources for my posts.

Anyway, if any of you out there know anything about blog engines in general or WordPress perhaps you could help me.

Note: You DO NOT need to register to leave a comment.

Iran Nuclear Ring Probed

An Iranian firm closely linked to Tehran's nuclear program acquired special hardware for enriching uranium, despite sanctions intended to keep such equipment out of Iran, according to officials with knowledge of the matter.

In recent weeks, the officials said, an Iranian procurement firm obtained critical valves and vacuum gauges made by a French company that until December was owned by U.S. industrial conglomerate Tyco International. The French and U.S. firms said they knew nothing of the case.

Western officials said the firm has been working since last year to procure nuclear materials on behalf of the Kalaye Electric Company, an Iranian firm involved in centrifuge research and development that is part of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran. The officials said JMT also has sought to acquire magnets used in centrifuges systems during uranium enrichment.

Both Kalaye and the AEO were sanctioned by the U.N. in December 2006 for alleged nuclear activities. Iran says it has the right to develop nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, including technology that could be used to build nuclear weapons.

I find this to be quite interesting. I'm not implying any foul play on behalf of the French, but it does seem strange that these things keep happening. Somehow they keep happening right after sanctions or trade embargoes are enacted.

Remember this?

U.S. Military Officer Dies in Rocket Barrage at Baghdad Hotel

BAGHDAD, Iraq, Oct. 26 — An American colonel was killed and at least 16 people were wounded early Sunday when a barrage of air-to-ground missiles from a homemade launchpad slammed into a highly protected hotel where Deputy Defense Secretary Paul D. Wolfowitz was staying.

Half the missiles were 68-millimeter, which have a range of two to three miles; the other half were 85-millimeter, with a three- to four-mile range, he said. The smaller ones were French-made, and designed for use by helicopters. The others were Russian. The French rockets, officers said, were quite new, and were probably purchased after the arms embargo was in place. "They were in pristine condition," said one military officer who inspected the rocket tubes and assembly.

Mr. Hussein had weapons of that type, but General Dempsey said he did not know if the missiles used the hotel attack came from Mr. Hussein's arsenal.

Considering all of the sanctions and embargoes; we should be done with all of this right? Oh that's right, there is absolutely no way to enforce U.N. agreements.

Note: You DO NOT need to register to leave a comment.

Obama set to reject ‘nuclear posture’ on eve of Start deal with Russia

President Obama will rewrite America’s policy on nuclear weapons next week, heralding further reductions in the US stockpile and giving a pledge not to develop new systems.

After the President’s speech in Prague last April, when he laid out his personal vision of a world without nuclear weapons, the US has been carrying out a review of its nuclear posture and the conclusions are due to be published in a declassified version early next week — before Mr Obama flies back to Prague to sign the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (Start) with President Medvedev of Russia on April 8.

I have a few questions:

-- With all of the problems plaguing the country, why is disarmament even an issue?

-- With the U.S. being attacked in many ways and from many fronts; why would we want to disarm, and pledge to stop development?

-- At a time when more rouge nations are liable to become a nuclear threat; why would it make sense for the U.S. and Russia (two responsible nuclear nations) to disarm?

-- How will nuclear weapons reduction and help secure the country in any way?

-- Why am I asking these questions, not the U.S. media? Does this not effect all of us?

Obama's ignorant stance on nuclear weapons reminds me of a song by Rush. A line from the song "Manhattan Project"; while referring to atomic weapons (and their development) states, "The big shots tried to hold it back Fools tried to wish it away." Obama is a fool. Obama has a "personal vision of a world without nuclear weapons"!? Well isn't that nice.

Obama's vision of a world without nuclear weapons will result in a world --with nuclear weapons belonging to those most likely to use them. What Obama is doing will insure that the number of responsible nations with nuclear weapons is reduced, while countries like Iran move forward with weapon development.

Obama is the antithesis to Ronald Reagan. As the antithesis to Ronald Reagan; Obama (either directly, or by congress' legislation) will weaken the country economically, militarily, reduce our freedom and reduce America's influence on a global scale.

The 2010 elections are coming. Obama can be stopped by replacing members of congress. It's time we take The United States of America back from those who do not like this country the way it was was founded. Vote out those who show contempt for the United States Constitution. That is the only way to stop the downhill slide.

Note: You DO NOT need to register to leave a comment.

I find it interesting that CNN starts out their article this way.

Washington (CNN) - Most Americans disapprove of the health care reform law, but that does not translate into majority support for the "repeal and replace" strategy backed by most GOP leaders, according to a new national poll.

They attempt to spin it to look as if the dislike of the bill does not equal a want to remove it. There is a disconnect here. I guarantee that anyone who understands the implications of this health care bill will want it repealed. For crying out loud; the only thing bipartisan about the bill was the opposition to it! Why else would democrats have been so worried about getting the votes to pass it?

Here are the internals...

Tell me that the questions are not leading. It starts at 16 don't ask me why. Let me list a few:

16. Which of the following statements best describes your views about the health care bill that Congress passed this week:

Mar. 25-28
2010

You approve of the bill becoming law and have no
reservations about it - 15%

You approve of the bill becoming law but you think it did
not go far enough - 27%

You disapprove of the bill becoming law but you support
a few of its proposals - 31%

You disapprove of the bill becoming law and oppose
all of its proposals - 25%

No opinion - 1%

That makes 56% who disaprove. Not everything in the bill is nasty, but the vast majority of it is. Lets read on...

17. Thinking about the health care bill that Congress passed this week, which of the following statements best describes your view of what Congress should do in the future?

Mar. 25-28
2010

Congress should leave the bill as it is - 23%

Congress should make additional changes to increase the government's involvement in the nation's health care system - 27%

Congress should repeal most of the major provisions in that bill and replace them with a completely different set of proposals - 47%

No opinion - 3%

How does this number not equal "Repeal and Replace"?

18. Do you feel enthusiastic, pleased, displeased, or angry about the health care bill that Congress passed?

Mar. 25-28
2010

Enthusiastic - 15%

Pleased - 30%

Displeased - 27%

Angry - 26%

Other (vol.) - 2%

No opinion - 1%

Call me crazy here, but couldn't you consider angry also displeased? That number is more like 53% displeased not 27%. I couldn't see someone in favor of the bill being angry that it passed.

19. From what you know of that legislation, do you think you and your family would, in general, be better off, worse off or about the same if it becomes law?

Mar. 25-28 Mar.
2010

Better off - 22%

Worse off - 39%

About the same - 37%

No opinion - 1%

This plainly shows that nobody polled thinks that they will be better off. and for the last one...

19. From what you know of that legislation, do you think you and your family would, in general, be better off, worse off or about the same if it becomes law?
20. (IF WORSE OFF OR ABOUT THE SAME) Do you think other families in this country would be better off if that legislation becomes law, or do you think that legislation would not help anyone in the country?

QUESTIONS 19 AND 20 COMBINED

Mar. 25-28 Mar. 19-21
2010

Better off (from Question 19) - 22%

Better off for other families - 43%

Not help anyone - 29%

No opinion - 5%

Everyone agrees that we need to do something to curb the cost of health care, so the answer is always going to be better off for other families. The media has been throwing around this number of 46 million Americans, and 30 million American Citizens. They claim that the bill will allow for some of those people to get coverage, so people are going to assume that they will be better off. This just shows that most of the people polled have health care! 43% think that someone else might benefit from the bill's passage.

This last question is completely pointless.

Do you consider the passage of the health care bill to be a major victory for Obama, a minor accomplishment for Obama, or not a positive achievement at all?

Mar. 25-28
2010

Major victory - 47%

Minor accomplishment - 20%

Not a positive achievement - 33%

No opinion *

This question is pointless and misleading. What does Obama's accomplishment, or lack of, have to do with the overall potential positive effect of the bill? These two questions make no sense together.

As you can see CNN is attempting to make things look more rosy than they are for the Obama administration. Most people are aware that this bill is going to do the opposite of what is proposed. Americans no that this country was not founded on "Rob Peter to pay Paul." The question is; what are we going to do about it?

Note: You DO NOT need to register to leave a comment.

If you pay attention to the news, as of late, you might be thinking that everyone at a Tea Party gathering is a wacko just waiting to crack some skulls! On the contrary it's a much more relaxed atmosphere from what I hear.

I find it interesting that all of these complaints are coming out at the same time. You would figure that the democrats would have taken a lesson from the "Run Away Prius" guy. These kinds of claims are not believable when they all happens at the same time. Democrats act as if some memo went out to the Tea Party members saying, "Let's all try and look like fools now. Let's insight violence!" These claims of violence and racist slurs are obviously false. Here is an example.

I feel that the administration wants to draw public attention away from these events:

==> Binyamin Netanyahu humiliated after Barack Obama 'dumped him for dinner'

For a head of government to visit the White House and not pose for photographers is rare. For a key ally to be left to his own devices while the President withdraws to have dinner in private was, until this week, unheard of. Yet that is how Binyamin Netanyahu was treated by President Obama on Tuesday night, according to Israeli reports on a trip viewed in Jerusalem as a humiliation.

After failing to extract a written promise of concessions on settlements, Mr Obama walked out of his meeting with Mr Netanyahu but invited him to stay at the White House, consult with advisers and “let me know if there is anything new”, a US congressman, who spoke to the Prime Minister, said.

“It was awful,” the congressman said. One Israeli newspaper called the meeting “a hazing in stages”, poisoned by such mistrust that the Israeli delegation eventually left rather than risk being eavesdropped on a White House telephone line. Another said that the Prime Minister had received “the treatment reserved for the President of Equatorial Guinea”.

We have a president who wants to have open talks with Iran, but won't talk with the only ally we have in the region? What is that all about?

==> Cuban leader applauds US health-care reform bill

HAVANA (AP) -- It perhaps was not the endorsement President Barack Obama and the Democrats in Congress were looking for.

Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro on Thursday declared passage of American health care reform "a miracle" and a major victory for Obama's presidency, but couldn't help chide the United States for taking so long to enact what communist Cuba achieved decades ago.

"We consider health reform to have been an important battle and a success of his (Obama's) government," Castro wrote in an essay published in state media, adding that it would strengthen the president's hand against lobbyists and "mercenaries."

Now that's good news for Obama! This is not the first time that Obama has received the praise of our enemies.

==> Obama readies steps to fight foreclosures, particularly for unemployed

Is that title not an oxymoron!?

The Obama administration plans to overhaul how it is tackling the foreclosure crisis, in part by requiring lenders to temporarily slash or eliminate monthly mortgage payments for many borrowers who are unemployed, senior officials said Thursday.

The new push, which the White House is scheduled to announce Friday, takes direct aim at the major cause of the current wave of foreclosures: the spike in unemployment. While the initial mortgage crisis that erupted three years ago resulted from millions of risky home loans that went bad, more-recent defaults reflect the country's economic downturn and the inability of jobless borrowers to keep paying.

Exactly how will demanding that lenders not collect money going to help the job market? I fail to see the connection here.

==> Transportation Department Embraces Bikes, and Business Groups Cry Foul

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has announced a “major policy revision” that aims to give bicycling and walking the same policy and economic consideration as driving.

“Today I want to announce a sea change,” he wrote on his blog last week. “This is the end of favoring motorized transportation at the expense of nonmotorized.”

Transportation agencies are urged to take action on a number of fronts, including the creation of pathways for bike riders and pedestrians on bridges, and providing children with safe biking and walking routes to schools.

They are also encouraged to find ways to make such improvements in concert with road maintenance projects and to protect sidewalks and bike lanes in the same manner as roads (by clearing them of snow, for example).

Mr. LaHood also indicated the department is discouraging “transportation investments that negatively affect cyclists and pedestrians.”

Is this really that important? What happened to the president's "Laser Focus on Jobs"? Considering that the U.S. government is now the proud owner of an automobile manufacturer (General Motors) you would think it would be in their best interest, and ours now that we own GM, to maintain the roads for "real" traffic. Let's face it, if there is an emergency, are they going to send first responders on bikes? There are obvious reasons why the roadways are more important than bike lanes.

The articles above are why the "Tea Party Violence" distractions are so important to democrats. The Obama administration is doing more to hurt this country than help it. The media is doing the best they can to disguise what is happening.

Where are all of the jobs? I thought the first "Stimulus" was supposed to keep unemployment below 8.5%; that didn't happen. Where did all of the money go? Who was "Stimulated"? Why are these questions not being asked by the media? Is it that nobody cares? I don't buy that for a minute.

The American people need to wake up completely before November. We must "give the boot" to every member of congress who had anything to do with the passing of the health care reform bill. Those who voted for HCR are unfit to hold office. The representatives who voted to pass the HCR bill are either too ignorant to read and understand its implications, or they have a blatant disregard for the Constitution of the United States. Either way they are unfit to hold office and have broken the public trust.

Note: You DO NOT need to register to leave a comment.