Zorro
Zorro's JournalRep. Hunter calls for preemptive strike against North Korea
Rep. Duncan Hunter said that the United States needs to launch a preemptive strike against North Korea in order to prevent the rogue nation from harming the U.S. first.
“You could assume, right now, that we have a nuclear missile aimed at the United States, and here in San Diego. Why would they not aim here, at Hawaii, Guam, our major naval bases?” Hunter, an Alpine Republican, said during an appearance on a KUSI show on Thursday.
“The question is, do you wait for one of those? Or, two? Do you preemptively strike them? And that’s what the president has to wrestle with. I would preemptively strike them. You could call it declaring war, call it whatever you want,” Hunter continued.
Hunter, a member of a House Armed Services Committee and the subcommittee with jurisdiction over the United States’ nuclear arsenal, did not say if the military should strike North Korea with conventional or nuclear weapons.
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/politics/sd-me-hunter-attack-20170921-story.html
Another Republican asshole under federal investigation looking to start a war.
Solar ruling may tee up Trump to impose tariffs, could increase costs in California
Source: San Diego Union-Tribune
In a decision that may make it more expensive to install rooftop solar systems and affect utility-scale projects, the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) ruled Friday that the solar manufacturing industry has been hurt by a flood of cheap, imported solar panels.
The ITC ruled 4-0 in favor of a complaint filed by a pair of bankrupt companies who used a little-used provision in trade cases called Section 201.
The next step? Determining what should be done about it, which includes imposing tariffs on solar panels and modules coming into the United States.
And, according to federal rules, the final decision is made by the sitting president — in this case, Donald Trump, who has advocated an “America First” trade policy.
Read more: http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/business/sd-fi-solar-tradecase-20170921-story.html
Good opportunity to do the bidding of the oil companies and kill off home solar installations.
People Who Feared Obama Would Take Their Guns Happy to Have Trump Take Their Health Care
WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—Americans who feared that Barack Obama would come for their guns are happy that Donald Trump is coming for their health care, a new report finds.
In interviews conducted across the country, people expressed satisfaction that, by taking away their ability to see a doctor rather than their ability to shoot people, the federal government “finally has its priorities straight.”
“I couldn’t get a night’s sleep, worrying about Obama taking away my guns,” Carol Foyler, a gun owner from Kentucky, said. “Now that we have a President who’s just taking away my family’s health care, I can breathe easier.”
Harland Dorrinson, a gun fancier from Wyoming, concurred. “In Europe, everyone has health care and no one has guns,” he said. “You couldn’t pay me to live there.” Noting that thousands of people die in hospitals every year, he added, “Health care has killed more people than guns have.”
https://www.newyorker.com/humor/borowitz-report/people-who-feared-obama-would-take-their-guns-happy-to-have-trump-take-their-health-care
Fox News seeks dismissal of suit by contributor who said he was used to deflect Trump-Russia story
Source: LA Times
Fox News has filed a motion to dismiss a defamation and discrimination lawsuit filed by a former contributor who said he was used by the network in a plot to downplay reporting on President Trump’s ties to Russia.
Rob Wheeler, a private investigator and former Washington, D.C., police detective, alleged in a suit filed Aug. 1 that Fox News fabricated quotes by him in an online story that suggested that the death of Seth Rich, a Democratic operative, was related to the leak of Democratic National Committee documents to WikiLeaks. Wheeler had been hired by Rich’s family to look into their son’s unsolved July 10, 2016, slaying.
The story published on FoxNews.com quoted Wheeler as saying that Rich had exchanged emails with WikiLeaks. The story was retracted and removed from the site with Fox News stating that it did not meet its standards.
Wheeler said the story was an attempt by Fox News and Ed Butowski, a Trump supporter also named in the suit, to “shift the blame from Russia and help put to bed speculation that President Trump colluded with Russia in an attempt to influence the outcome of the presidential election.”
Read more: http://www.latimes.com/business/hollywood/la-fi-ct-seth-rich-fox-20170919-story.html
San Diego rejects televangelist's plan for huge religious retreat in Mission Valley
Source: LA Times
Longstanding plans by San Diego televangelist Morris Cerullo to transform an aging Mission Valley hotel into a $160-million religious-themed retreat and conference center failed to win support from the San Diego City Council on Monday after some members raised concerns about the potential for increased traffic congestion.
Although city planners pointed out that the 18-acre project would add little more traffic to the area than what exists today, some council members questioned the validity of the traffic estimates and said for that reason they could not support the project.
Voting against the proposed Legacy International Center, as it is being called, were Council President Myrtle Cole and council members Chris Ward, David Alvarez, Georgette Gomez and Barbara Bry, all Democrats.
The council agreed to continue discussion of the project to Oct. 17, when another major development, the $70-million overhaul of the nearby Town and Country hotel, will also be considered.
Read more: http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-san-diego-religious-retreat-20170919-story.html
In War of Elton John Lyrics, Kim Jong Un Calls Trump Honky Cat
PYONGYANG (The Borowitz Report)—In what some security experts fear could be a high-stakes war of Elton John lyrics, minutes after Donald Trump called Kim Jong Un “Rocket Man,” the North Korean dictator responded by calling Trump “Honky Cat.”
As he issued the Elton John-based attack, Kim warned that he had an extensive collection of the singer-songwriter’s albums and was prepared to weaponize every lyric in them.
The White House immediately struck back, warning Kim that “any further provocation involving an Elton John lyric, especially ‘Tiny Dancer,’ will be seen as an act of war.”
But any hope that Kim would be silenced was short-lived. Responding to the White House, Kim stated, “I see the bitch is back,” before signing off, “Goodbye, Yellow-Wigged Toad.”
https://www.newyorker.com/humor/borowitz-report/in-war-of-elton-john-lyrics-kim-jong-un-calls-trump-honky-cat
Built for bottleneck: Is Florida growing too fast to evacuate before monster storms?
Hurricane Irma mercifully weakened before it swept much of Florida with hurricane-force gusts. But the gridlocked madhouse caused by the largest evacuation in Florida’s history shows just how vulnerable runaway development has made one of the nation’s fastest-growing states, emergency planners say.
“We have to stop and take a deep breath and ask, ‘What are we doing?’ ” said David Paulison, a former Miami-Dade County fire chief brought in to run the Federal Emergency Management Agency by President George W. Bush after the agency’s response to Hurricane Katrina was harshly criticized. “The more people we put here, the worse it’s going to be for evacuation.”
Irma could have been Florida’s worst nightmare: A massive Category 5 hurricane wide enough to hit both of the state’s densely populated coasts, where growth has boomed despite the obvious risks of living on the water in an area regularly walloped by storms. The push for more development — one of Gov. Rick Scott’s central policies in his successful effort to revive Florida’s economy — is elevating the risks to both people and property, said Craig Fugate, FEMA chief under President Barack Obama and the state’s emergency management director under Gov. Jeb Bush.
“We’re trying to evacuate more people over the same infrastructure,” Fugate said. “It’s something Florida has to revisit.”
http://www.bradenton.com/news/weather/hurricane/article173618346.html
Republican congressman who opposed Harvey relief funding now in charge of recovery effort
Source: The Independent
A Republican politician who opposed funding for Hurricane Harvey relief is now in charge of Congressional efforts to help Texas recover from the storm.
Texas Representative Joe Barton voted against the $15.25bn federal relief package that Congress offered to help rebuild Texas after the hurricane hit. Mr Barton was one of only 90 Republicans, and four Texas legislators, who voted against the deal. Both Republican senators from the state voted yes.
Now, Mr Barton has partnered with Democratic Representative Henry Cuellar to lead a bipartisan task force on the relief efforts. According to the legislators’ joint statement, the task force will focus on “cutting bureaucratic red tape” that can hamper recovery efforts, and will serve as a liaison between federal government agencies and those in Texas. It will also make recommendations for future relief efforts and disaster planning.
“In the wake of this terrible disaster, I am pleased that the Republican and Democratic members of the Texas Congressional Delegation have come together to form a bipartisan task force aimed at helping those most in need,” Mr Barton said in a statement.
Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/news/republican-congressman-opposed-harvey-relief-164100275.html
Ecuador president accuses predecessor of planting spy camera
Ecuador's President Lenin Moreno angrily denounced his predecessor on Friday for planting a hidden video camera in his office so that he could spy on him remotely.
"Shocked and furious," Moreno wrote in a message on Twitter to denounce the discovery of the device, which he said violated his privacy.
Later in a televised appearance from Guayaquil he said the camera had been monitored remotely by former President Rafael Correa on his cellphone. He did not explain or provide any evidence to back the accusation.
Correa, who moved to Europe after handing off power to his hand-picked successor in May, mocked the accusation on his Twitter account.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/ecuador-president-accuses-predecessor-spy-camera-193847883.html
Caribbean under hurricane watch again. Tropical Storm Maria following Irma's track.
Source: Miami Herald
Tropical Storm Maria formed in the Atlantic Saturday afternoon, threatening to pound islands already hit hard by Irma with another hurricane early next week.
In a 5 p.m. update, National Hurricane Center forecasters said Maria will likely bring dangerous winds, more storm surge and heavy rain to parts of the Lesser Antilles next week. Saturday afternoon, hurricane watches were issued for Antigua, Barbuda, St. Kitts, Nevis, and Montserrat. Tropical storm watches were issued earlier in the day for other islands in the chain.
By midweek, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico could again face fierce winds with Maria expected to become another major hurricane. Watches could be issued for the islands as early as Sunday.
It’s not yet clear what impact Florida and the U.S. might face from the storm. Model projections so far out can often be hundreds of miles off. But an early run of the European model — which reliably tracked Irma — takes the storm toward Florida.
Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/weather/hurricane/article173746616.html
Profile Information
Gender: MaleHometown: America's Finest City
Current location: District 48
Member since: 2001
Number of posts: 15,740
