State of the Union Preview: 'It's Not My Fault'

By Gary McCullough

In our office pool to predict the paraphrased expression most often used in President Obama's first State of the Union, I chose the catch phrase of Star Wars' Hans Solo; it's not my fault. I use the term paraphrased because although it is exactly what the President will mean, he will never speak the words.

But I have been told that my pool entry is too broad, thus unfair, akin to predicting American Idol judge Simon Cowell will say, you can't sing. So I am being forced to break down "it's not my fault" into more specific sub-phrases. For those who have yet to finalize your blather-pool on what President Obama will say, here is how we did it:

Number of times said __ -- It's Bush's fault

Number of times said __ -- It's finance executives' fault

Number of times said __ -- It's corporate executives' fault

Number of times said __ -- It's obstructionist Republicans' fault

Number of times said __ -- It's talk radio's fault

Number of times said __ -- America is to blame

I am not going to give you the odds as to which is our pool's leading phrase; that would be cheating. But if you have a sure-winner that we missed, please email it to me marked private. Me cheating? I am just, aaaah, doing research.

I do have a disclaimer since there is a way President Obama will sound like he is accepting blame. It is likely he will say something close to, "I should have communicated our message better." This could be mistaken as President Obama owning-up -- but he and all of us know how inundated we have been with his messages. Such a mea culpa would actually be the President blaming us for either not listening or not understanding his brilliance. Stupid us.

Gary McCullough is Director of Christian Newswire.

Terror Alert: Two Men on 'No-Fly' List Stopped at Heathrow

From The Daily Mirror
By Vincent Moss

Two men were stopped boarding US-bound planes at Heathrow days before Britain's terror threat was raised to "severe".

News of the incidents came hours after Home Secretary Alan Johnson lifted the threat level amid fears that al-Qaeda is planning an attack.

The new level, which means an attack is reckoned "highly likely", is second only to "critical".

Security sources say an Egyptian was stopped last Saturday as he tried to board an American Airlines flight to Miami. A man from Saudi Arabia was banned from boarding a United Airlines flight to Chicago the next day and sent back to Saudi.

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45 Americans Claim Asylum in Britain

Guess we'll have to look at Australia or New Zealand for possible refuge from Obamunism.

Home Office statistics reveal dozens of applications by people claiming persecution in the US

From The Guardian
By Helen Pidd

They hail from the land of the free, the home of the brave, a place where it is said anyone can prosper regardless of colour, creed or religion. But dozens of Americans have tried in recent years to gain asylum in the UK by claiming they were persecuted in their homeland, according to figures released to the Guardian under the Freedom of Information Act.

Home Office statistics show that between 2004 and 2008, 45 Americans submitted asylum applications to the UK Border Agency claiming they had fled the US and were unable to go back because they had a well-founded fear of persecution. Fifteen Canadians also applied. All 60 were turned down.

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Black Conservative Leader Calls on Michael Steele to Resign

Reverend Jesse Lee Peterson, nationally syndicated radio and TV personality, author, and founder of The Brotherhood Organization of A New Destiny (BOND), a group dedicated to promoting the empowerment of African Americans, has called on RNC Chairman Michael Steele to resign.

We can only hope that other Republican and conservative leaders will also step up and ensure that the Republican National Committee has dynamic, conservative leadership going into the 2010 elections.

The following is Reverend Peterson's statement:

"Despite the hope that many Republicans see in a Scott Brown victory, the Republican Party has a serious problem--namely Michael Steele. In the short time since Steele was elected--he's acted less like a friend and more of a foe to conservatives.

"On election eve, anticipating a Brown victory in Massachusetts, Steele claimed that the RNC 'has been working very diligently behind the scenes' (prematurely taking credit for the victory). Whatever effort Steele put into Brown's campaign, it's too little too late for him. Steele has allowed his ego and need to be liked by liberals get in the way of being an effective Party Chair:

• Earlier this month, Steele appeared on Sean Hannity's TV show and stunned everyone when he announced that the GOP couldn't win back a majority in the House in 2010.

• In November of 09', the RNC Chairman appeared on TV One, a liberal black network, and reinforced the lie that white Republicans are fearful of blacks.

• In March of 09', he appeared on CNN with a liberal host and dismissed Rush Limbaugh as an 'entertainer' whose show is 'incendiary' and 'ugly.'

"When some Republican leaders rightfully criticized Steele for his slams against Republicans, Steele told them to: 'Get a life... If you don't want me in the job, fire me. But until then, shut up.'

"Michael Steele is a weak leader and he needs to resign or be fired. We need someone who's not afraid to boldly promote strong conservative Republican ideas. The only reason Steele is still RNC Chair is because he's black and the party is terrified of the implications of firing him.

"The Republicans have a serious leadership problem with Steele at the helm and they had better correct it, or what could be a historic November election could instead be a disaster, and in 2012 Barack Hussein Obama--God forbid--could even be re-elected!"

Mike Oldfield - "Broad, Sunlit Uplands"

Can Alaska Secede if America Ceases to be the 'Land of the Free'?

Hat Tip: ToBeFree
From the Juneau Empire

The union of Alaska with the United States is again safe, thanks to the vigilance of Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell and the Alaska Supreme Court. Earlier this month Parnell refused to certify an initiative petition that would have asked Alaska voters whether the state should "seek changes in existing law and constitutional provisions to authorize ... independence from the United States."

Certification would have meant the group could try to gather the roughly 35,000 signatures needed to get their proposition on the ballot. I think they'd have about zero chance of that; but according to Parnell, seeking changes in the U.S. and Alaska constitutions to allow independence is itself unconstitutional, and therefore something that Alaskans can't be allowed to vote on, or even sign up for.

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On This Day in History

On this day in 1965, the great Sir Winston Churchill died at the age of 90. "He had correctly predicted that he would die on the same date as his father, Lord Randolph Churchill, who had died exactly 70 years before."

The following is an excerpt of Prime Minister Churchill's address to a Joint Session of Congress on December 26, 1941.