obama and co. canceled 77 permits already granted to drill, and then granted one other permit.

1. Bill Clinton
2. PJ Crowley (manning forced to wear suicide proof garment or nude)

+ news dump
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http://sweetness-light.com/archive/bill-clinton-obamas-oil-ban-ridiculous?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sweetness-light%2FsURR+%28Sweetness+%26+Light+-+Articles%29

Bill Clinton: Obama Oil Ban ‘Ridiculous’

From the Politico:

Bill Clinton: Drilling delays ‘ridiculous’

By DARREN GOODE | 3/11/11

Former President Bill Clinton said Friday that delays in offshore oil and gas drilling permits are “ridiculous” at a time when the economy is still rebuilding, according to attendees at the IHS CERAWeek conference.

Actually, "ridiculous" is far too kind of a characterization. We would call it ‘criminal.’

Clinton spoke on a panel with former President George W. Bush that was closed to the media. Video of their moderated talk with IHS CERA Chairman Daniel Yergin was also prohibited.

What a shock that Mr. Clinton said this away from the cameras. But, as usual, the only time Democrats will ever dare to speak the truth is when they think nobody outside of their circles will ever hear it.

But according to multiple people in the room, Clinton, surprisingly, agreed with Bush on many oil and gas issues, including criticism of delays in permitting offshore [sic] since last year’s Gulf of Mexico spill.

We’re pretty sure that Mr. Clinton has never waited for a permit to drill anything.

“Bush said all the things you’d expect him to say” on oil and gas issues, said Jim Noe, senior vice president at Hercules Offshore and executive director of the pro-drilling Shallow Water Energy Security Coalition. But Clinton added, “You’d be surprised to know that I agree with all that,” according to Noe and others in the room.

Clinton said there are “ridiculous delays in permitting when our economy doesn’t need it,” according to Noe and others.

“That was the most surprising thing they said,” Noe said.

The two former presidents both generally agreed on the need to get offshore drilling workers back on the job.

Clinton and Bush also agreed on the need for more domestic shale gas production, with Clinton noting that it has been done safely for years in his home state of Arkansas.

Clinton’s even into fracking! (Of course he probably thinks it means something else.)

Bush — who referred to oil and gas in the discussion as “hydrocarbons” — described the anti-hydrocarbon sentiment in Washington as “dangerous.” He said while there is a need to develop new energy technologies, “we have to be prosperous in order to afford those technologies and, in order to be prosperous, we need to drill,” according to Noe…

Energy only came up among the last couple of questions from the audience, with the discussion dominated by talk of the geopolitics of the Middle East and anecdotes and memories.

Clinton also said he was supportive of enacting a no-fly zone in Libya at a time when the Obama administration and other experts in the region are urging caution, according to witnesses…

So the supposedly wizened ‘policy wonk’ Bill Clinton is for drilling everywhere and for a no-fly zone in Libya. He is sounding more and more like that crazy Gov. Palin every day.

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http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/03/13/spokesman-crowley-state-department-comments-wikileaks-suspect/

Spokesman Crowley Out at State Department After Comments on Egypt, Accused WikiLeaker

Published March 13, 2011

| FoxNews.com

P.J. Crowley resigned as assistant secretary of state Sunday after remarks about Defense Department treatment of WikiLeaks suspect Pfc. Bradley Manning.

FNC

P.J. Crowley resigned as assistant secretary of state Sunday after remarks about Defense Department treatment of WikiLeaks suspect Pfc. Bradley Manning.

State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley is out of a job after criticizing the Pentagon last week for its detention of a private accused of feeding hundreds of thousands of documents to WikiLeaks.

Crowley resigned Sunday after also recently angering the White House for comments that he made during the height of the Egyptian crisis that forced President Hosni Mubarak to step down.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton issued a statement saying, "It is with regret that I have accepted the resignation of Philip J. Crowley as assistant secretary of state for public affairs. P.J. has served our nation with distinction for more than three decades, in uniform and as a civilian. His service to country is motivated by a deep devotion to public policy and public diplomacy, and I wish him the very best."

Crowley also issued a statement acknowledging his remarks about Manning.

"The unauthorized disclosure of classified information is a serious crime under U.S. law. My recent comments regarding the conditions of the pre-trial detention of Private First Class Bradley Manning were intended to highlight the broader, even strategic impact of discreet actions undertaken by national security agencies every day and their impact on our global standing and leadership.

"The exercise of power in today's challenging times and relentless media environment must be prudent and consistent with our laws and values. Given the impact of my remarks, for which I take full responsibility, I have submitted my resignation," he said.

Last week, Crowley attended an MIT event on social networking, Twitter and the Arab revolution and reportedly was asked by a guest in the audience about WikiLeaks and the "torturing" of a prisoner in a military brig.

According to blogger Phillipa Thomas, Crowley replied without pause that what's being done to Manning by military officials "is ridiculous and counterproductive and stupid."

"Nonetheless, Bradley Manning is in the right place," Thomas blogged Crowley as saying.

Asked about the exchange, Defense Department spokesman Col. Dave Lapan told Fox News on Saturday that it had set the record straight with the State Department press secretary.

"We have since sent him the facts about Manning's confinement. We also understand from the State Department that he has said the comments were his personal opinion and not reflective of the government," Lapan said.

President Obama also did not come to Crowley's defense during a press conference on Friday.

"With respect to Private Manning, I have actually asked the Pentagon whether or not the procedures that have been taken in terms of his confinement are appropriate and are meeting our basic standards. They assure me that they are. I can't go into details about some of their concerns, but some of this has to do with Private Manning's safety as well," the president said.

However, the president's reticence may be the result of Crowley recently going beyond Obama's statements during the critical days of the Egyptian crisis. After Mubarak spoke on Egyptian national television, Crowley tweeted that it wouldn't be enough to "reshuffle the deck chairs."

Sources told Fox News that Crowley's Tweet was not approved in advance from the White House communications team and it did not appreciate his making that remark.

But the statement on Manning may have sped up any pending departure by Crowley.

Manning's lawyer has filed complaints arguing that his client should not be in solitary confinement or on maximum detainee and prevention-of-injury status while being held in the brig at the Marine Base in Quantico, Va.

At least twice, Manning has been made to stand at attention in the nude at the front of his cell in the morning. Officials at Quantico declined to explain those measures, other than to say it was for his own protection.

On Friday, David House, a spokesman with the Bradley Manning Advocacy Fund, noted Crowley's assessment in defending the private.

"There is no justification for Bradley's inhumane treatment. I agree with Mr. Crowley that it’s just stupid and unproductive."

Deputy Assistant Secretary Michael Hammer, who moved to the State Department a few weeks ago from the National Security Council, will serve as acting spokesman in Crowley's place. Hammer may also be nominated to replace Crowley, a position that needs Senate confirmation.

Fox News' James Rosen and Justin Fishel contributed to this report.

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http://gatewaypundit.rightnetwork.com/2011/03/unreal-eric-holder-now-forcing-dayton-police-force-to-hire-black-applicants-who-cant-pass-test/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+gatewaypundit2+%28Gateway+Pundit%29

Unreal. Eric Holder Now Forcing Dayton Police Force to Hire Minority Applicants Who Can’t Pass Test
Posted by Jim Hoft on Saturday, March 12, 2011, 8:36 PM



Attorney General Eric Holder has stepped in and is forcing the city of Dayton to lower its standards so that more minority applicants can pass the test.

Zachary Williams is an EMT for the Franklin Twp. Fire Department. Williams is one of 225 black applicants who took Dayton's November police entrance exam. Contributed photo by E. L. Hubbard

(Dayton Daily News)

This must another one his “my people” moments…

Dayton News Source reported:

The Dayton Police Department is lowering its testing standards for recruits.

It’s a move required by the U.S. Department of Justice after it says not enough African-American candidates passed the exam.

Dayton is in desperate need of officers to replace dozens of retirees. The hiring process was postponed for months because the D.O.J. rejected the original scores provided by the Dayton Civil Service Board, which administers the test.

Under the previous requirements, candidates had to get a 66% on part one of the exam and a 72% on part two.

The D.O.J. approved new scoring policy only requires potential police officers to get a 58% and a 63%. That’s the equivalent of an ‘F’ and a ‘D’.

“It becomes a safety issue for the people of our community,” said Dayton Fraternal Order of Police President, Randy Beane. “It becomes a safety issue to have an incompetent officer next to you in a life and death situation.”

Community leaders agree the Justice Department’s method stigmatizes blacks.

Zachary Williams is a 21-year-old black Wayne High School grad who wants nothing more than to be a Dayton police officer or firefighter.He’s one of 225 black applicants who took the November police entrance exam now at the center of a dispute between the city and the U.S. Department of Justice.

His test results are pending the Justice Department’s demand that the city lower its passing score for a police exam to allow for a larger pool of black applicants, while the city argues it is trying to ensure it hires the most qualified candidates.

[...]

Williams said he understands what the Justice Department is trying to accomplish, but he thinks it’s the wrong method and it’s keeping him from achieving his dream.

“You can’t blame the city for the lack of diversity,” Williams said. “This isn’t your normal 9 to 5 job and you have to want it. I don’t want to be in a department where I was hired because of my skin color. I want it because I earned it.”

Community leaders agree with Williams and said the Justice Department’s method stigmatizes blacks.

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http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110313/15333613471/dangerous-free-speech-ruling-blogger-has-to-pay-libel-case-despite-telling-truth.shtml

Dangerous Free Speech Ruling: Blogger Has To Pay In Libel Case... Despite Telling The Truth
from the going-to-be-overturned dept

In a ruling that almost certainly will get overturned, a blogger who was sued for libel, and showed that he had spoken truthfully, was still ordered to pay $60,000, in a highly questionable ruling that routed around basic defamation law by claiming the amount ($35,000 for lost wages and $25,000 for "emotional distress") was due to "tortious interference" with employment. The case involved a blogger named John Hoff, who wrote a scathing blog post about Jerry Moore who was apparently involved in a high-profile mortgage fraud. That blog post generated attention and complaints to the University of Minnesota, who had recently hired Moore. The University fired Moore the next day. The lawsuit tried a few claims to get around various protections, including claiming that Hoff was liable for comments made by users by creating a "defamation zone." Thankfully, the court didn't buy into that (a ruling that never would have survived a Section 230 challenge), but apparently did buy into this crazy tortious interference claim. If telling the truth about someone gets them fired, then the issue should never be about the person who told the truth, but the person who did whatever they did to make the truth about them a fireable offense. There's an expectation that Hoff will appeal, and many believe this will be overturned on First Amendment grounds. That seems likely, but it's still a huge process, and in the meantime, this awful ruling stands.

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http://gatewaypundit.rightnetwork.com/2011/03/far-left-protesters-now-videotaping-license-plates-at-scott-walker-fundraisers/

Far Left Protesters Now Videotaping License Plates at Scott Walker Fundraisers
Posted by Jim Hoft on Sunday, March 13, 2011, 5:35 PM



The “tolerant” far left protesters in Wisconsin are now videotaping the license plates of cars attending Scott Walker fundraisers and tagging their cars with protest signs.

The radical left held a rally last night outside a Scott Walker fundraiser in Washburn. They rambled incoherently to reporters about the rich corporations taking their last pennies. The usual commie stuff…
The leftists even videotaped the license plates of donors at the Scott Walker fundraiser.
The Duluth News Tribune reported:

People were definitely saying their piece, greeting each vehicle that arrived for the dinner with shouts of “Shame!” while waving protest signs and shaking their fists. One person videotaped the license plates of at least some of the vehicles that entered.

Protesters banged pots, shook tambourines at car windows and sounded horns. Most of the drivers and their passengers stared straight ahead. They had to navigate through a narrow tunnel formed by protesters on both sides, held back by Bayfield County sheriff’s deputies and rally organizers.

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http://right-mind.us/blogs/blog_0/archive/2011/03/12/79473.aspx

New York man faces five years in jail for ‘linking’ to online videos

From Raw Story:

You may want to think twice the next time you share a link to your favorite video.

In a case against a New York website owner, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is claiming that merely linking to copyrighted material is a crime.

DHS, along with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), seized Brian McCarthy's domain, channelsurfing.net, in late January. The site has now been replaced with a government warning: "This domain has been seized by ICE - Homeland Security Investigations, Special Agent in Charge, New York Office."

"It is unlawful to reproduce copyrighted material, such as movies, music, software or games, without authorization... First-time offenders convicted of a criminal felony copyright law will face up to five years in federal prison, restitution, forfeiture and fine."

The advocacy group Demand Progress has claimed that McCarthy never reproduced copyrighted material, and that his website simply linked to other sites.