“…British Foreign Secretary David Miliband says critics of U.S. President Barack Obama are wrong to complain…

…some expected Obama to revive the global economy and broker Middle East peace singlehandedly…

…In modern politics, he says, “no one country can bring the world to heel.”…

…Obama won election on the premise that governments, businesses and individuals all play a role in solving the world’s ills… 

…he remains optimistic about Obama’s “defiantly transformational administration.”…” – AP, UK foreign secretary: Obama critics miss the point

Are we looking at the new excuse for Obama?  For almost a year now, we have heard how all the problems we face have been inherited from the Bush administration, with zero admission that the Dems ran Congress for the last 2 years of Bush’s administration.  Still, is the new excuse now going to be that it’s not Obama’s fault; it’s everyone else’s fault for failing to follow Obama faithfully?

Is it that we all just don’t have enough FAITH in our new demigod that is the problem?  Isn’t this the very same excuse that faith healers use?  If someone fails to climb out of the wheelchair on stage, it’s never the healer’s fault but because the individual simply doesn’t have enough faith for the healing to happen. 

It took no faith on my part for Obama to buy GM and Chrysler, print / borrow trillions (plural) of dollars for various liberal pet projects.  It took no faith on my part to leave our troops in Afghanistan without the requested re-enforcements.  (Can you imagine being a police officer and calling in for back-up during a fire fight only to have the mayor say that they are trying to decide whether or not to send help because they are not sure if they support your strategy?)

Mr. Miliband may have faith in Obama’s “defiant transformation” (defiant: against the will of the people.) of our society through Marxism, but I don’t!  Mr. Miliband seems to be saying that if we all just do our part and step in lock like good little lemmings with Obama’s vision for a new order in America that all the world’s problems will be resolved.  He is telling us in advance that if this administration fails, the blame will never be able to be laid in the failed policies and decisions of this administration, but fault will lie directly in the hands of his critics.

Personally, if I can be one of those given credit for helping to stop the spread of Marxism in America and around the world, I will be proud!

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We were up against a hard break and had to wrap the hour up before Jesse could respond.

Luckily, Jesse has posted a response at the FreeUTOPIA blog.

Read it here.

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Tuesday’s election results are in across the nation.  Was there a win for the GOP, a message for Democrats hidden in the results?

And Phishing scams are on the rise.  We’ll discuss the latest online threats to your identity and bank account.

UPDATE: After our 4pm hour with Jesse, we turned the show over to ABC News feed for updates on the shooting in Fort Hood that left 12 soldiers dead, 31 wounded.

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I don’t think I’m alone in suspecting that the Climate Change movement is more like a religious revival than an advance of scientific understanding. Indeed, it seems that in today’s polarized political atmosphere, merely being skeptical of the apocalyptic conclusions of the Global Warming prophets welcomes a kind of ostracism that can only be motivated by dogma. By expressing any doubt, no matter how thought-provoking, automatically brands the skeptic as a violator of reason- an apostate to “pure science!”

Well, maybe it’s not that dramatic. Nevertheless, the Climate Change movement often gets a little hysterical, especially when politics are infused into the debate… and the product often resembles a kind of radicalism more often associated with religious extremism.

So is Climate Change some kind of religion? No matter how absurd the question may seem, it appears that it is formally being recognized in this way.

From the Daily Telegraph:

In a landmark ruling, Mr Justice Michael Burton said that “a belief in man-made climate change … is capable, if genuinely held, of being a philosophical belief for the purpose of the 2003 Religion and Belief Regulations”.

The ruling could open the door for employees to sue their companies for failing to account for their green lifestyles, such as providing recycling facilities or offering low-carbon travel.

The decision regards Tim Nicholson, former head of sustainability at property firm Grainger plc, who claims he was made redundant in July 2008 due to his “philosophical belief about climate change and the environment”.

In March, employment judge David Heath gave Mr Nicholson permission to take the firm to tribunal over his treatment.

But Grainger challenged the ruling on the grounds that green views were political and based on science, as opposed to religious or philosophical in nature.

John Bowers QC, representing Grainger, had argued that adherence to climate change theory was “a scientific view rather than a philosophical one”, because “philosophy deals with matters that are not capable of scientific proof.”

That argument has now been dismissed by Mr Justice Burton, who last year ruled that the environmental documentary An Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore was political and partisan.

The decision allows the tribunal to go ahead, but more importantly sets a precedent for how environmental beliefs are regarded in English law.

Mr Nicholson, 42, from Oxford, told a previous hearing that his views were so strong that he refused to travel by air and had renovated his house to be environmentally-friendly.

But his beliefs led to frequent clashes with Grainger’s other managers, while he said that Rupert Dickinson, the firm’s chief executive, treated his concerns with “contempt”.

Once Mr Dickinson flew a member of staff to Ireland to deliver his Blackberry mobile phone after leaving it in London, Mr Nicholson claimed.

Mr Nicholson hailed the Employment Appeals Tribunal ruling as “a victory for common sense” but stressed climate change was “not a new religion”.

He said: “I believe man-made climate change is the most important issue of our time and nothing should stand in the way of diverting this catastrophe.

“This philosophical belief that is based on scientific evidence has now been given the same protection in law as faith-based religious belief.

“Belief in man-made climate change is not a new religion, it is a philosophical belief that reflects my moral and ethical values and is underlined by the overwhelming scientific evidence.”

His lawyer Shah Qureshi, head of employment law at Bindmans LLP, argued that if the ruling had gone against them, “the end result would be that the more evidence there is to support your views, the less likely it would be for you to enjoy protection against discrimination”.

Grainger now plans to contest Mr Nicholson’s claim of unfair dismissal at tribunal.

Dave Butler, its corporate affairs director, said: “This decision merely confirms that views on the importance of environmental protection are capable of amounting to a philosophical belief.

“We are looking forward to addressing the issues at tribunal level and demonstrating that there was no causal link between Mr Nicholson’s beliefs and his redundancy.”

The grounds for Mr Nicholson’s case stem from changes to employment law made by Baroness Scotland, the Attorney General, in the Employment Equality (Religion and Belief) Regulations 2003.

The regulations effectively broaden the protection to cover not just religious beliefs or those “similar” to religious beliefs, but philosophical beliefs as well.

Hmmm. What do you think?

- Marc

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Last night’s election brought few surprises in Cache Valley (especially in the arena of low voter turnout!), but throughout the state and the nation that wasn’t the case. And what is the future of Logan’s Independence Caucus, considering all the candidates they endorsed, well… lost.  We’ll wrap up the off-year election coverage tonight at 4:40.

And this week USU is hosting the Huntsman School of Business Week. We’ll speak with Landon Essig on the importance of this year’s theme: “Dare Mighty Things.” [As requested, to RSVP for tomorrow night's $15 "Business Etiquette Dinner" at Hamilton's email Landon for details]

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Subject: Suspension of US Senate Campaign

Dear Supporters and Friends,

Today, I am announcing the suspension of my campaign for the U.S. Senate. This announcement comes with sorrow because I do want to serve my country, and I do believe both political parties have put this nation in grave danger by spending so foolishly that our children and grandchildren will have a difficult time recovering.

I have chosen to take pause because my daughter’s health is very fragile. She is struggling with emotional issues and has recently been placed in a treatment center. Her recovery depends on the focus and energy we give her as parents over the next several months. In the time since I announced my candidacy for the U.S. Senate, she has started experiencing severe mental health problems and is now in a treatment center. M’liss and I have been told by her doctors that we will be needed in numerous counseling sessions to give our daughter a chance of recovery.

Many of you know that I had a serious motorcycle accident a few years ago, and I would have lost my leg if I had not paused and taken the time to receive medical treatment to take care of it. I am not willing to lose my daughter, so I am suspending my campaign to care for her and my family. Most folks understand physical illness; it is my hope that people will learn how serious and dangerous mental illness can be.

I want to thank the thousands of supporters who have been by my side thus far. I ask for your prayers for my family and specifically my daughter. We don’t think our trials are any harder than rest of the world’s, but right now, we could use a little extra help.

To the citizens of Utah, rest assured, I will continue to do everything I can as Attorney General
to protect you against identity theft, internet predators and anyone who tries to bring harm to the children and families of this great state.

Sincerely,

Mark Shurtleff

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Swine flu parties and vaccination lines.  Are we taking this too seriously, or not seriously enough?

Is the new “V” series (premiering tonight!) a play on the Obama administration and “hope”?

And Google may be targeting the NYT times for acquisition.  The takeover continues.  (Did you get your Wave invite yet?)

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Find out where to go.

Then go.

Now.

Go!

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New co-host Jon Choate will give us the latest “tech” news and an update on his trip to DC with Loralee to discuss health care reform with the White House.

We’ll also wrap up our election coverage on the eve of the election. Logan’s petty political sign theft tradition is going strong.

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We’ll also be visited by Olympic gold medalist and amateur wrestler Rulon Gardner, who is opening a new fitness training facility in Logan.

Finally, we’ll discuss new technology that allows parents to track their children via GPS.  Good idea, or just creepy?

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NEW YORK — Top-level Republican feuding is transforming an obscure congressional election next week into a referendum on the beleaguered party’s direction ahead of the 2012 White House battle.

The November 3 election will fill a vacated congressional seat in upstate New York, but the focus is not so much on the Democratic-Republican rivalry as on fighting between Republicans themselves.

Party chiefs — including potential candidates for the 2012 presidential election — are at loggerheads over whether to support the local Republican candidate or an insurgent backed by the little-known Conservative Party.

The result in New York’s 23rd District is a tight, three-way race pitting Democrat Bill Owens against the official Republican choice, Dede Scozzafava, and the rapidly gaining conservative champion Douglas Hoffman.

This election means nothing to the balance of power in the House, and reveals nothing about the overall direction of 2010, despite what eager uber-conservatives are touting.  But it does stand as a perfect example of the internal battle for the “soul” of the GOP taking place.

In one corner, you have Scozzofava, a moderate Republican who opposes Obama’s health care reforms and restrictions on gun ownership, yet supports legal abortion and gay-marriage.  She’s been endorsed by Susan Collins and Newt Gingrich, who — many speculate — is gearing up for a presidential run, and state RNC leaders.

In the other corner, you have Hoffman, the “Tea party” candidate, endorsed by other presidential hopefuls Sarah Palin and Tim Pawlenty, as well as Fred Thompson, Rick Santorum, Michelle Bachman, Steve Forbes, Gary Bauer, and Freedomworks’ Dick Armey.

Sarah Palin referred to Hoffman as “the real Republican,” while Gingrich warned: “This idea that we’re going suddenly to establish litmus tests, and all across the country we’re going to purge the party of anybody who doesn’t agree with us 100 percent — that guarantees Obama’s reelection.”

The quotes reminded me of a conversation I took minor part in @ Pursuit of Liberty recently that’s also worth a read.

It’s dangerous to read too much meaning into one single election (especially one so low-key).  The results will only concretely reflect the district, not what will or won’t for for Republicans in 2010 and 2012.   But I think the Republican in-fight in NY-23 provides a perfect snapshot of the fight over direction and message taking shape within the minority party itself.

The results of the election could send a message to party leadership as to what will or will not bring the GOP out of the woods, and who gains the favor of party leaders or grassroots activists in the lead up to the 2012 presidential race.

UPDATE: Looks like a similar fight is brewin’ in the Texas GOP.  Palin vs. Cheney in governor candidate endorsements.

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