NB Staff's blog

Open Thread

For general discussion and debate. Possible talking point: What is Iran planning for Thursday?

Khamenei, whose public statements should be taken seriously, is promising some sort of devastating "punch" against the West on Thursday the 11th, the same day as the Green Movement is calling for a monster protest against his regime.

What might he have in mind? I don't know; they say a lot of things just for effect, but threats/promises from the supreme leader have a certain standing. If I were an Israeli official, I'd recheck my information on Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad.

What do you think, NBers? A legitimate threat, or more posturing?

MRC Video: Is Mandatory Health Insurance Even Constitutional?

It's the central question of the health care debate to liberty-loving Americans: Where in the Constitution does our charter of government grant the federal government the power to make us buy health care (or make us buy anything, for that matter)?

 

But to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, it's an illegitimate question. "Are you serious?!" she shot back at a CNSNews.com correspondent Matt Cover. Pelosi is not alone. Her friends in the liberal media also find the question ludicrous.

So Media Research Center video producer Bob Parks worked up a brief video that showcased how many in the liberal media see no constitutional problem with federal mandatory health care insurance.You can watch the video in the embed at right.

MRC's Bozell, American Papist Blogger Discuss Harry Knox's Anti-Catholicism on 'Hannity'

Anti-Catholic bigot and Obama faith-based initiative advisor Harry Knox must be fired, Media Research Center's Brent Bozell and numerous other conservative signatories demanded in an open letter to President Barack Obama.

Picking up on the story, "Hannity" substitute host Tucker Carlson had Bozell and fellow signatory American Papist blogger Thomas Peters on the Friday, February 5 show to discuss Knox's record of anti-Catholic rhetoric, including his refusal to apologize for saying that the Pope's opposition to condoms was "hurting people in the name of Jesus."

Said Bozell [audio available here]:

Open Thread

For general discussion and debate. Possible talking point: the debt bomb is China's ultimate weapon.

By their carelessness Congress and the Obama administration are steadily handing over control of America's economic and financial future to a handful of Chinese officials and generals in Beijing. Those who think the Chinese won't use that control if they feel they have to are ignoring history -- and the Chinese.

The ancient military strategist Sun Tzu said that the best strategy was to render an opponent's army helpless even before the battle began. America may still have the biggest and best military in the world.

But many at the Pentagon are starting to realize that, thanks to our growing fiscal irresponsibility, we may be surrendering control of America's destiny to a rival superpower -- and all without a shot being fired.

What will it take to avert catastrophe?

Super Bowl Open Thread

Will it be a game to remember, or another Super Bowl bust?

Open Thread

For general discussion and debate. Possible talking point: you tell us.

Open Thread

For general discussion and debate. Possible talking point: Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

As historic amounts of the white stuff fall on part of our nation, many look at this event as another example of how absurd the manmade global warming myth is. On the other hand, the climate alarmists claim that not only don't single weather events have anything to do with long-term climate trends, but also that extreme events such as blizzards are actually part of climate change.

What do you think this weekend's mid-Atlantic blizzard means to this debate if anything?

UPDATED: Bozell to Discuss on Hannity | MRC's Bozell, Other Conservatives Call for Firing of Anti-Catholic Obama Advisor Knox

Harry Knox | NewsBusters.org | photo by Catholic News AgencyUPDATE (11:57 a.m. EST): Brent Bozell is confirmed to appear on "Hannity" tonight to discuss this. He should appear around 9:10 p.m. Eastern time.

House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) has joined Media Research Center President Brent Bozell, Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI) and a coalition of Catholic leaders today in an open letter to the White House demanding that President Obama fire Harry Knox (depicted at right*), an appointed member of the Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.

This week Knox once again boldly and shamelessly showcased his hatred for the Catholic faith, its teachings and leader by reaffirming his belief that the Pope “is hurting people in the name of Jesus” by not promoting the use of condoms as a means to control the spread of HIV.  As first reported by the MRC's CNSNews.com who documented the attack with video footage, Knox reaffirmed the charge he made against the Pope in March of 2009 by declaring “I do” when directly asked by CNS News if he still stood behind those words. 

The outrage has spurred Catholic leaders from across the country to convene and issue the following open letter:

Open Thread

For general discussion and debate. Possible talking point: the real GlacierGate fallout begins.

The Indian government has established its own body to monitor the effects of global warming because it "cannot rely" on the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the group headed by its own Nobel prize-winning scientist Dr R.K Pachauri.

The move is a significant snub to both the IPCC and Dr Pachauri as he battles to defend his reputation following the revelation that his most recent climate change report included false claims that most of the Himalayan glaciers would melt away by 2035. Scientists believe it could take more than 300 years for the glaciers to disappear.

Is India playing politics with science, or avoiding others who do?

 

Notable Quotables Show: CBS Hails Obama’s ‘Command Performance,’ MSNBC’s Matthews ‘Forgot’ Obama Was Black

Check out the latest episode of NewsBusters’ Notable Quotables comedy show. Our news analysts give their take on the latest and most outrageous sound bites from the liberal media.

This week there was everything from MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann proclaiming the U.S. Supreme Court “murdered” democracy to CNN’s Rick Sanchez being unsure what the annual March for Life in Washington was all about.  

To see the current episode in a larger size or to go back and watch past episodes, visit the Media Research Center’s video sharing website, Eyeblast.tv.

Enjoy the show!

Open Thread

For general discussion and debate. Possible talking point: Clarence Thomas notes liberal media hypocrisy regarding the "Citizens United" decision (via Freedom's Lighthouse).

Open Thread

For general discussion and debate. Possible talking point: the federal payroll hits an all-time high.

The Obama administration says the government will grow to 2.15 million employees this year, topping 2 million for the first time since President Clinton declared that "the era of big government is over" and joined forces with a Republican-led Congress in the 1990s to pare back the federal work force.

Most of the increases are on the civilian side, which will grow by 153,000 workers, to 1.43 million people, in fiscal 2010.

To paraphrase candidate Obama, "government is the one you've been waiting for."

MRC's Bozell, Other Conservative Leaders Respond to Obama's State of the Union Tonight at 8 p.m. ET

[Originally posted January 28; reposted Feb. 2, 2010. Visit TVTownhall.com to register]

At 8 p.m. Eastern next Tuesday, Media Research Center President Brent Bozell will unite with seven of the nation's top conservative organizations - collectively representing more than 15 million Americans - to hold their own State of the Union Address in a live webcast expected to draw one of the largest viewerships in webcast history.

The February 2 "Voice of the People" event -- to be hosted by Herman Cain at http://www.tvtownhall.com -- is designed to give the American people a chance to respond to the President's address and declare their views and concerns of where the country is headed.

"The President made it clear last night that he is not interested in the will of the people, who are sick and tired of being ignored by their elected officials and lied to by the ‘news' media," Bozell argued in a statement released today.

For more information, click here or read more after the page break:

Open Thread

For general discussion and debate. Possible talking point: a spirited defense of the Tebow ad from...the Washington Post?

I'll spit this out quick, before the armies of feminism try to gag me and strap electrodes to my forehead: Tim Tebow is one of the better things to happen to young women in some time. I realize this stance won't endear me to the "Dwindling Organizations of Ladies in Lockstep," otherwise known as DOLL, but I'll try to pick up the shards of my shattered feminist credentials and go on...

I'm pro-choice, and Tebow clearly is not. But based on what I've heard in the past week, I'll take his side against the group-think, elitism and condescension of the "National Organization of Fewer and Fewer Women All The Time." For one thing, Tebow seems smarter than they do.

Does anyone else find it troubling that "femenist" organizations call for "tolerance" while demanding the suppression of speech?

Open Thread

For general discussion and debate. Possible talking point: Walter Russell Mead proclaims the "death of global warming" (the movement).

The global warming campaigners got into this mess because they had a deeply flawed political strategy.  They were never able to develop a pragmatic approach that could reach its goals in the context of the existing international system.  The global warming movement proposed a complex set of international agreements involving vast transfers of funds, intrusive regulations in national economies, and substantial changes to the domestic political economies of most countries on the planet.  As it happened, the movement never got to the first step — it never got the world’s countries to agree to the necessary set of treaties, transfers and policies that would constitute, at least on paper, a program for achieving its key goals...

For better or worse, the global political system isn’t capable of producing the kind of result the global warming activists want.  It’s like asking a jellyfish to climb a flight of stairs; you can poke and prod all you want, you can cajole and you can threaten.  But you are asking for something that you just can’t get — and at the end of the day, you won’t get it.

Is he calling in the mortician a bit early, or are we actually hearing death rattles?

Open Thread

For general discussion and debate. Possible talking point: Despite ClimateGate, junk science on Himalayan glacier melts, junk science on deforestation, and polls showing global warming is now at the bottom of Americans' priority list, our President STILL wants to curb carbon dioxide emissions?

Is this yet another example of Obama's arrogance and how it doesn't matter what happens in the real world or what the public wants, he knows more than everybody else, and will force down our throats what he believes is good for us whether we like it or not?

Open Thread

For general discussion and debate. Possible talking point: Bin Laden blames the U.S. for global warming.

Al Qaeda leader Usama bin Laden has called for the world to boycott American goods and the U.S. dollar, blaming the United States and other industrialized countries for global warming, according to a new audiotape released Friday.

In the tape, broadcast in part on Al-Jazeera television, bin Laden warned of the dangers of climate change and says that the way to stop it is to bring "the wheels of the American economy" to a halt.

Sounds like an endorsement of Cap and Trade. Thoughts?

 

NewsBusted 3-22 - Special No Laugh-track Edition

 We're trying out NewsBusted without a laugh-track to see what our faithful viewers think. Let us know in the comments section!

Topics in today's show: Obama's State of the Union, Krugman wants Obama to blame Bush (even more), Glaciergate, and Roman Polanski.

Love the show? Then help spread the word by embedding it on your blog or telling your friends on Myspace and Facebook.

Think you're funny? Send your (short) jokes to newsbusted at dialognewmedia.com. If we use them, we'll pay you USD $50 for each one.

Starring: Jodi Miller
Director: Bruce Roundtower
Executive Producer: Matthew Sheffield

January 27 'MRC Live!' Now Available On Demand

Yesterday evening before the State of the Union address, CNSNews.com editor-in-chief Terry Jeffrey sat down with NewsBusters Publisher and Media Research Center (MRC) President Brent Bozell for another edition of "MRC Live!", a live webcast taking questions from friends and fans of MRC and NewsBusters.

If you missed it, you're in luck.

We recorded the whole thing and uploaded it to EyeBlast.tv, our video sharing service, here. You can also view it in the embedded video at right by click the play button.

Open Thread

For general discussion and debate. Possible talking point: two ways to consider the SOTU speech:

As with many Obama pronouncements, you can take his statements on health care in one of two ways.

(1) I haven't learned anything from the public's turning against me, and I still think my plan will win people over if I just explain it better.

or

(2) I'm genuinely open to other ideas and will do what it takes to pass a consensus measure.

... This was a clever speech, in that it all hinges on the president's personal credibility, which is higher than his job approval. But it's also a dangerous speech, because it all hinges on the president's personal credibility, which is also the last political asset in his account.

 Was Obama sincere, or was he simply reverting to campaign mode?

State of the Union Overnight Thread

Post your thoughts and observations here. Spot any media bias or other newsy articles? Join the conversation...

MRC Live with Brent Bozell Tonight at 7 p.m. EST

Tonight at 7 p.m. EST, MRC President Brent Bozell will answer questions from a live Web cast audience at live.mrc.org.

CNSNews.com editor-in-chief Terry Jeffrey will read your questions to Mr. Bozell.

The link above should at or a few minutes before 7 p.m., and you can submit your question for Mr. Bozell in advance by emailing: MRCAction@mediaresearch.org.

Bozell: Fox News Winning in Quantity and Now Quality

A poll conducted last week by Public Policy Polling found that among 1,151 registered voters surveyed, Fox News Channel crushed the other networks in trust, with 49 percent of respondents saying they trusted FNC. That's 10 percentage points more than CNN, and 14 points more than MSNBC, the home of Obama-boosting or leftist personalities such as Keith Olbermann, Rachel Maddow, Chris Matthews and Ed Schultz.

Reacting to the news, Media Research Center President and NewsBusters Publisher Brent Bozell issued the following statement today:

The proof is in the pudding. Americans want balanced news, not liberal advocacy. Fox offered them ‘fair and balanced' journalism, and America has embraced them.

Bozell on Breitbart.tv Discussing Media 'Omitting for Obama'

Yesterday, Media Research Center (MRC) President and NewsBusters Publisher Brent Bozell sat down in the MRC studio for a Skype interview with Breitbart.tv's "B-cast." [see video embed below the page break]

The topic: the latest MRC special report, "Omitting for Obama," which is a study of four stories --- Van Jones, Anita Dunn, ACORN, and ClimateGate -- "highlighted by the New Media in 2009 that were damaging to the Obama 'brand'" but were avoided like the plague by the old guard mainstream media.

 

Open Thread

For general discussion and debate. Possible talking point: a different type of stop sign.

 

U-turn ahead?