SUBJECT: REQUEST FOR URGENT BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP

B sent this one.

SUBJECT: REQUEST FOR URGENT BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP

DEAR AMERICAN:

I NEED TO ASK YOU TO SUPPORT AN URGENT SECRET BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP WITH A TRANSFER OF FUNDS OF GREAT MAGNITUDE.

I AM MINISTRY OF THE TREASURY OF THE REPUBLIC OF AMERICA. MY COUNTRY HAS HAD CRISIS THAT HAS CAUSED THE NEED FOR LARGE TRANSFER OF FUNDS OF 800 BILLION DOLLARS US. IF YOU WOULD ASSIST ME IN THIS TRANSFER, IT WOULD BE MOST PROFITABLE TO YOU.

I AM WORKING WITH MR. CHRISTOPHER DODD, MILLIONAIRE SENATOR, WHO WILL BE MY REPLACEMENT AS MINISTRY OF THE TREASURY IN JANUARY. AS A SENATOR, YOU MAY KNOW HIM AS LEADER OF THE AMERICAN BANKING DEREGULATION MOVEMENT IN THE NINETIES. THIS TRANSACTION IS 100% SAFE.

THIS IS A MATTER OF GREAT URGENCY. WE NEED A BLANK CHECK. WE NEED THE FUNDS AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. WE CANNOT DIRECTLY TRANSFER THESE FUNDS IN THE NAMES OF OUR CLOSE FRIENDS BECAUSE WE ARE CONSTANTLY UNDER SURVEILLANCE. MY FAMILY LAWYER ADVISED ME THAT I SHOULD LOOK FOR A RELIABLE AND TRUSTWORTHY PERSON WHO WILL ACT AS A NEXT OF KIN SO THE FUNDS CAN BE TRANSFERRED.

PLEASE REPLY WITH ALL OF YOUR BANK ACCOUNT, IRA AND COLLEGE FUND ACCOUNT NUMBERS AND THOSE OF YOUR CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN TO WALLSTREETBAILOUT@TREASURY.GOV SO THAT WE MAY TRANSFER YOUR COMMISSION FOR THIS TRANSACTION. AFTER I RECEIVE THAT INFORMATION, I WILL RESPOND WITH DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT SAFEGUARDS THAT WILL BE USED TO PROTECT THE FUNDS.

YOURS FAITHFULLY MINISTER OF TREASURY PAULSON

It's legit because I checked Snopes.

Linked by: The invaluable American Digest, Cold Fury and Mitchell Langbert. Thanks!

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Larwyn's Link Kerplosion: 'One of the Great Success Stories of All Time'

Face the State: "Democracy Alliance memo details Dem plan to "educate the idiots" and target minorities"

The Corner at National Review: "I've had it with the Left and I've had it with "conservatives" who haven't had it with the Left."

Reuters: "Vatican official attacks U.S. Democrats as 'party of death'"

Newsbusters: Maureen Dowd ditched in Pennsylvania by McCain campaign

Copious Dissent: Hugh Hewitt eviscerates the mainstream media (on CNN, no less)

Jack Cashill: Did Bill Ayers write Obama's 'Dreams'?

Jammie Wearing Fool: 'This is One of the Great Success Stories of All Time'

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The Mortgage Meltdown Trial of 2010

You may call the final witness.

Your Honor, I call the head of the Federal Reserve.

Sir, could you describe how defendant Dodd -- former Senator Christopher Dodd -- interacted with Fannie, Freddie and the financial services companies under his purview as head of the Senate Banking Committee?

During the past 20 years... PACs and employees of these firms contributed more than $13 million to Dodd... including nearly $6 million in the past two years.

That's $250,000 a month from people who expected protection. And he protected them alright. All the way until the catastrophic meltdown.

Sir, what about defendant Frank? Former Representative Barney Frank?

Well, by now all of us have heard Frank's incriminating tapes... he said, "I don't think we face a crisis; I don't think that we have an impending disaster. ...Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac do very good work, and they are not endangering the fiscal health of this country."

Not only was he wrong, but even in July of '08, he was pitching Fannie stock to investors on CNBC. Retirees, boomers, young people... anyone who listened to him thought Fannie was healthy. Right before everything evaporated.

And Frank had a major conflict-of-interest: his live-in partner, Herb Moses, was a Fannie Mae executive "at the forefront of the agency’s push to relax lending restrictions."

Which one is more culpable, though?

Neither. [Muffled surprise expressed by crowd]

Excuse me?

Is the man behind this mess sitting in the courtroom?

Yes, sir, he is.

Could you please point him out to the jury?

Yes. He's right there.

Phil Spector?

No... that guy right there.

Barack Obama???

Yep. That's him.

But how? We know Obama took more money from Fannie and Freddie per year than anyone else, but how could that be the root cause?

Easy. Mr. Peabody, set the Wayback machine to 1985... *** Schwang!!! ***

This is Barack Obama in 1985 when he was a community activist.

Obama worked with one of the heads of Acorn, the radical leftists who have been heavily involved with voter intimidation and fraud -- even trading crack cocaine for votes.

In those days Acorn "proudly touted 'affirmative action' lending and pressured banks to make subprime loans." When "Acorn was beginning its campaign against these banks, Barack Obama trained the leadership of organizers in Chicago."

Even in February of this year, the mainstream media was decrying the activities of Acorn in setting the stage for the mortgage meltdown: "In the 1980s, groups such as the activists at ACORN began pushing charges of "redlining" - claims that banks discriminated against minorities in mortgage lending." In 1995, the Clinton administration loosened underwriting further, erasing "'outdated' criteria included the size of the mortgage payment relative to income, credit history, savings history and income verification."

"Banks that got poor reviews were punished; some saw their merger plans frustrated; others faced direct legal challenges by the Justice Department... Flexible lending programs expanded even though they had higher default rates than loans with traditional standards. On the Web, you can still find CRA loans available via ACORN with '100 percent financing . . . no credit scores . . . undocumented income . . . even if you don't report it on your tax returns.'

Ironically, an enthusiastic Fannie Mae Foundation report singled out one paragon of nondiscriminatory lending, which worked with community activists and followed "the most flexible underwriting criteria permitted." That lender's $1 billion commitment to low-income loans in 1992 had grown to $80 billion by 1999 and $600 billion by early 2003.

That was Countrywide, the same firm that gave sweetheart loan deals to prominent Democrats including... Senator Chris Dodd.

You see, it was Obama all along. His support for Acorn's intimidation of banks...

...and the millions he provided Acorn using his directorships of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge...

...and the Woods Fund (both with terrorist Bill Ayers)...

-- were primary drivers behind the mortgage meltdown.

Obama designed a slow-motion attack on the American economy, designed to promote "economic fairness" -- an Acorn code-phrase for socialism.

Consider: every one of Obama's mentors -- from communist Frank Marshall Davis to Jeremiah Wright -- were unapologetic Marxists who hate America.

Mr. Obama: what do you have to say for yourself?

Guilty as charged, your honor. I really thought I could get away with it -- what, with the mainstream media in the tank for me.

Bailiff: take all three ex-Senators into custody. Court is adjourned!

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Depressed

DC sent this one in.

I was so depressed last night so I called Lifeline.

Got a freakin' call center in Pakistan.

I told them I was suicidal.

They got all excited and asked if I could drive a truck.

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Worst Congress Ever. Donate now.

These past two years we've seen the most disfunctional, unpopular and irresponsible Congress in our lifetime. The Worst. Congress. Ever.

For the first time in US history this Democratic-led bunch abandoned our men and women in uniform on the battlefield by voting against funding war operations. They voted to lose a war.... Damn the consequences.

We've also seen gas prices more than double and the economy collapse as Democrats continue to offer no answers and no relief! We've seen Democratic politicians caught in scandal after scandal. We've also seen the Democratic leaders turn their heads the other way.

And, just this week we heard the most vile speech by a House Speaker we have ever witnessed in our country's history...

Therefore, I'm joining Ace of Spades HQ, Atlas Shrugs, Conservatives With Attitude, Gateway Pundit, Moonbattery, PoliPundit, Power Line, Redstate, Right Wing News, & Wizbang! to help raise money for worthy candidates in the last month of the campaign.


Gateway Pundit has more on the rationale and the slate we're supporting. Suffice it to say that you can make a difference. Any donation, no matter how small (even a dollar), can help kick the assclown to the curb.

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Barack Obama's Top Seven Fuel-Saving Tips

It's not just proper tire inflation, kids.

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Why you simply must vote for Barack Obama

I've arrivitated at a substantial list of reasons I'm endorsiating Barack Obama. After serious contemplatious ruminitation, I've come to the irrefutile conclusion that it just makes sense.

Because energy prices must increase now to force a quick transition to environmentally friendly technologies:

The accompanying map depicts "The No Zone." This is the region surrounding the United States where Democrats have blocked oil exploration for decades.

Democrats oppose drilling in deepwater, even though Hurricanes Katrina and Rita proved that modern offshore drilling platforms pose virtually no pollution risk. Democrats oppose exploration in a tiny, postage-stamp sized region of Alaska. As for new refineries or nuclear energy, well, the Democrats oppose those, too. The net result of Democratic behavior is that America will become increasingly dependent on foreign oil. While alternative energy sources remain an admirable goal, they are decades away from becoming serious alternatives to oil.

Because trial lawyers need more money and power:

...Biden is one of the tort bar's staunchest allies in Congress, blocking reform at every opportunity while trying to defeat conservative judicial nominees. His quid pro quo with SimmonsCooper in Delaware helps explain why asbestos suits continue to weigh down the courts even after tens of thousands of cases have been shown to be invented. The "change" lawyers will believe in if Mr. Biden makes it to the White House is cold, hard cash...

Because Fannie Mae is an outstanding success story that has helped promote home ownership:

Among the groups denouncing the [Bush] proposal [to strengthen oversight of Fannie and Freddie] today were ...Congressional Democrats who fear that tighter regulation of the companies could sharply reduce their commitment to financing low-income and affordable housing.


”These two entities — Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac — are not facing any kind of financial crisis,” said Representative Barney Frank of Massachusetts, the ranking Democrat on the Financial Services Committee. ”The more people exaggerate these problems, the more pressure there is on these companies, the less we will see in terms of affordable housing.” ...Representative Melvin L. Watt, Democrat of North Carolina, agreed.

Because our nation's borders are antiquated remnants of an elitist society and must be erased:

In case you thought there was some limit to how blatantly Democrats would betray their own country, this was passed out at the pro–illegal immigration rally in Dallas yesterday...

...The less than subtle suggestion that Texas belongs to Mexico is sure to win hearts among the MEChA set, which holds that the Southwest should be wrested away from the Gringo through massive immigration followed by ethnic cleansing.

Because the American manufacturing sector is too strong and must be weakened:

Our politicians are lucky that most Americans are too busy to follow their antics, because voters would surely howl over Nancy Pelosi's trade priorities this week... the same "fair trade" crowd that bemoans the U.S. trade deficit wants to have only one-way free trade with Latin America -- free for them to sell to us, but not for us to sell to them. Has anyone told the UAW about all those Caterpillar machinery exports to Colombia that Democrats are blocking?

Because Americans need to pour a trillion dollars into another corrupt and certain-to-fail United Nations program:

[Obama's Global Poverty Act bill] efers directly to a United Nations declaration called the Millenium Development Goal, which calls "for a 'redistribution (of) wealth and land,' cancellation of 'the debts of developing countries' and 'a fair distribution of the earth's resources.'"

It effects a "tax on the rental value of land and natural resources," a "royalty on worldwide fossil energy production - oil, natural gas, coal," "fees for the commercial use of the oceans, fees for airplane use of the skies, fees for use of the electromagnetic spectrum, fees on foreign exchange transactions, and a tax on the carbon content of fuels."

Because our intelligence services need to concentrate on global warming climate change, not Jihadists with nukes:

With the introduction of a new "Intelligence Authorization bill", Democrats intend to divert funds from national security intelligence efforts in order to consider "the effects that climate change has on national security." In other words, Democrats view global warming as a threat that justifies stripping funds away from fighting terrorism.

Also see: LGF: Video - I'm Voting Democrat because... and Frivolous vs. Magnanimous.

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Tens of millions in Obama donations under FEC review

The National Review references Kenneth Timmerman's blockbuster report on illegal campaign donations to the Obama campaign.

The FEC has compiled a separate database of potentially questionable overseas donations [to the Obama campaign] that contains more than 11,500 contributions totaling $33.8 million. More than 520 listed their "state" as "IR," often an abbreviation for Iran. Another 63 listed it as "UK," the United Kingdom.

More than 1,400 of the overseas entries clearly were U.S. diplomats or military personnel, who gave an APO address overseas. Their total contributions came to just $201,680. But others came from places as far afield as Abu Dhabi, Addis Ababa, Beijing, Fallujah, Florence, Italy, and a wide selection of towns and cities in France.

Until recently, the Obama Web site allowed a contributor to select the country where he resided from the entire membership of the United Nations, including such friendly places as North Korea and the Islamic Republic of Iran. Unlike McCain's or Sen. Hillary Clinton's online donation pages, the Obama site did not ask for proof of citizenship until just recently....

In July and August, the head of the Nigeria's stock market held a series of pro-Obama fundraisers in Lagos, Nigeria's largest city. The events attracted local Nigerian business owners. At one event, a table for eight at one fundraising dinner went for $16,800. Nigerian press reports claimed sponsors raked in an estimated $900,000. The sponsors said the fundraisers were held to help Nigerians attend the Democratic convention in Denver. But the Nigerian press expressed skepticism of that claim, and the Nigerian public anti-fraud commission is now investigating the matter.

In June, Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi gave a public speech praising Obama, claiming foreign nationals were donating to his campaign. "All the people in the Arab and Islamic world and in Africa applauded this man," the Libyan leader said. "They welcomed him and prayed for him and for his success, and they may have even been involved in legitimate contribution campaigns to enable him to win the American presidency..."

[O]n July 31 that donors from the Gaza strip had contributed $33,000 to the Obama campaign through bulk purchases of T-shirts they had shipped to Gaza.... A pair of Palestinian brothers named Hosam and Monir Edwan contributed more than $31,300 to the Obama campaign in October and November 2007, FEC records show. Their largesse attracted the attention of the FEC almost immediately. In an April 15, 2008, report that examined the Obama campaign's year-end figures for 2007, the FEC asked that some of these contributions be reassigned. The Obama camp complied sluggishly, prompting a more detailed admonishment form the FEC on July 30. The Edwan brothers listed their address as "GA," as in Georgia, although they entered "Gaza" or "Rafah Refugee camp" as their city of residence on most of the online contribution forms.... The latest Obama campaign filing shows that $891.11 still has not been refunded to the Edwan brothers, despite repeated FEC warnings and campaign claims that all the money was refunded in December.

A ...review of the Obama campaign finance filings found that the FEC had asked for the redesignation or refund of 53,828 donations, totaling just under $30 million.

But none involves the donors who never appear in the Obama campaign reports, which the [Center for Responsive Politics] estimates at nearly half the $426.8 million the Obama campaign has raised to date.

Hat tip: Larwyn.

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I wonder if Richard Cohen's gonna put some ice on that?

B just sent this letter to the Editor of the Washington Post (hint: it ain't ever gonna see newsprint).

Mr. Cohen,

I enjoyed your column in today's Washington Post  and was particularly taken by your statement that "[h]ard times are hard on truth."   By this measure, The Washington Post  must be enduring some very hard times indeed.

While the Post treats its readers to articles about an advisor for John McCain lobbying for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the paper makes no mention of the fact that Barack Obama received more money from lobbyists and employees of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac than any other member of Congress, except for Christopher Dodd. http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2008/09/update-fannie-mae-and-freddie.html . And it took Senator Obama only three years to raise more money from these institutions that many of his colleagues were able to raise in ten years.

Similarly, the Post  (and most of its columnists) tell readers that the current financial debacle is the result of deregulation of the financial services market, suggesting that the problems we currently face are properly placed at the doorstep of President Bush and conservative philosophy.  But The Washington Post  fails to mention efforts by the Bush Administration to rein in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.  For example, the Federal Housing Enterprise Regulatory Reform Act of 2005 (S. 190), of which Senator McCain and three other Republicans were co-sponsors, would have regulated the secondary mortgages market and placed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac under tighter regulatory oversight.  http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c109:1:./temp/~c1094zZ77z::  The bill went nowhere.  It was reintroduced in 2007 (S. 1100) and referred to the Senate Banking Committee chaired by Senator Dodd. Again, the bill went nowhere.   Despite these and other well-intentioned efforts to address the current crisis before it actually became a crisis, The Washington Post  (and most of its columnists) apparently do not want to burden their readers with such facts.

Instead, readers of the Post are treated to a puff piece about Barney Frank, claiming that he is the "real deal" and that his "sense of urgency" in solving the current financial crisis is "palpable."  Libby Copeland, "Rep. Barney Frank Dives Right in on the Bailout," Washington Post  (Sept. 27, 2008).  Yet, the Post  makes no mention of Rep. Frank's persistent opposition to efforts to tighten regulation of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac that would have avoided, or at least lessened the disaster that our economy is currently facing.  In fact, in 2003 during debate on H.R. 2575—THE SECONDARY MORTGAGE MARKET ENTERPRISES REGULATORY IMPROVEMENT ACT, which would have created a "strengthened regulator" for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, this is what Rep. Frank had to say: "I think it is clear that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are sufficiently secure so they are in no great danger... I don't think we face a crisis; I don't think that we have an impending disaster. ...Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac do very good work, and they are not endangering the fiscal health of this country."  http://commdocs.house.gov/committees/bank/hba92628.000/hba92628_0f.htm.  Obviously, Mr. Frank was wrong (as were other prominent Democrats leading the "financial recovery" effort, including Senator Dodd), but you wouldn't know that from reading The Washington Post .

People buy newspapers to get the truth, in both good times and bad.  When people can't get the truth, they look to other sources of information, which likely explains the continued decline in subscribership to The Washington Post. 

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