Why Hollywood should be very nervous about Elena Kagan

Hollywood may have some reason to be nervous about President Obama's nomination of Elena Kagan to be the next U.S. Supreme Court justice.

Not a whole lot is known about Kagan's judicial philosophy, which in some ways, makes her the perfect pick to win confirmation by the Senate. Her record on issues the industry cares about, though, isn't entirely opaque. Hollywood's biggest worry about Kagan might be her philosophy on intellectual property matters. As dean of Harvard Law School from 2003 to 2009, she was instrumental in beefing up the school's Berkman Center for Internet & Society by recruiting Lawrence Lessig and others who take a strongly liberal position on "fair use" in copyright disputes.

Most notably, during those years, Professor Charles Nesson at the Berkman Center represented accused file-sharer Joel Tenenbaum in the defense of a lawsuit by the RIAA. Professor Nesson led his cyberlaw class in alleging that "the RIAA is abusing law and the civil process" with excessive damage claims in piracy cases. It was Kagan herself who wrote a personal letter to the U.S. District Court to help certify the students.

Ironically, the Obama administration later weighed in on the side of the RIAA in the case. But it was before Kagan was fully confirmed as U.S. Solicitor General. At the time, Professor Nesson expressed some doubts about whether Kagan would back the government's amicus brief and also called her "enlightened" on these issues.

Kagan got her biggest opportunity to showcase her feelings on IP when the U.S. Supreme Court asked her, as U.S. Solicitor General, to weigh in on the big Cablevision case.
Hollywood was upset when Cablevision announced its intention to allow subscribers to store TV programs on the cable operator's computer servers instead of a hard-top box. The introduction of remote-storage DVR kicked off furious litigation, and the 2nd Circuit overturned a lower court ruling by saying that the technology wouldn't violate copyright holder's rights. The studios appealed to the Supreme Court.
In Kagan's brief to the high court, she argued the justices shouldn't take the case and trumpeted fair use. She went against broadcasters there and even criticized Cablevision for limiting the scope of its arguments.
Of course, this isn't quite enough evidence to predict what kind of U.S. Supreme Court justice she will be. At Harvard, she was famous for ingratiating herself to professors of all political stripes, so who knows if Nesson has a good read on her? Working in the Obama administration, she also surrounded herself with entertainment industry advocates, including as her assistant, Ginger Anders, who worked on an amicus brief in the Cablevision case for a coalition that included the RIAA.
And finally, Hollywood's got at least one reason to cheer. Her history in academia suggests she'll be an extreme supporter of free speech under the First Amendment.

The Best Offense is a strong Defense

Granting illegal immigrants citizenship is a top priority of the Obama administration. We can stop this by enacting state laws nationwide to enforce our federal immigration laws.

Yesterday, Pennsylvania Representative Daryl Metcalfe introduced a law modeled after Arizona's new Anti-Illegal Immigration Law. Our state is the first state to join Arizona on this issue; other states are expected to join the effort soon. Rep. Metcalfe's bill, HB 2479, entitled Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act, is essentially the new Arizona Law plus incorporation in the Pennsylvania law of the federal government's e-verify system, the SAVE system, and a new law against smuggling of illegal aliens, which were preexisting in Arizona law. Rep. Metcalfe is part of a national coalition of legislators from 37 states called the State Legislators for Legal Immigration. statelegislatorsforlegalimmigration.com

Tomorrow, a group of illegal aliens is protesting this new bill in Philadelphia, so we need to act quickly to have our voices heard.

We are asking for your help in two ways. First, please contact your local state representative and ask for support for HB 2479 the Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act. The representatives' contact information can be found at: http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/find.cfm.
 (If you live in Rep. Metcalfe's district please just thank him for sponsoring the bill.) Second, please pass this on to friends in other grassroots groups in Pennsylvania. This is one of the first state issues our tea party group has addressed and we want our elected state officials to know that there are many of us with tea party values.
Enforcement of illegal immigration laws is consistent with our core value of fiscal responsibility. If Pennsylvania were to correct its illegal alien problem, our state budget deficit issue would be resolved. This law essentially calls on the Federal government to perform its constitutional duty to enforce existing immigration laws and secure our sovereign borders.
Rep. Metcalfe issued a press release regarding HB 2479 that provides considerable detail on the new law and supporting arguments: http://www.repmetcalfe.com/NewsItem.aspx?NewsID=8874

If you would like to read the law in full, it will be posted on the state website
http://www.legis.state.pa.us/ later today.

 http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billinfo/billinfo.cfm?syear=2009&sind=0&body=H&type=B&BN=2479

This new law would facilitate local enforcement of immigration laws which has been a problem in the past in Pennsylvania, specifically in Hazleton.

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8L4BC3O0&show_article=1
The best offense is a strong defense. Let's end the discussion of granting illegal aliens citizenship as quickly as possible. Thanks for calling.

National Tea Party Federation calls for Federal Government to Execute its Constitutional Duty

Defend the borders and protect US citizens

Enforce existing immigration laws already on the books

May 3, 2010 - The National Tea Party Federation (NTPF) in a statement of support for the citizens of Arizona, calls on the Federal government to perform its constitutional duty and enforce existing immigration laws and secure our sovereign borders. It is in the national security, and economic interest of this nation that the appropriate actions be taken.
The illegal entry of foreign nationals, drug and human trafficking, has had a devastating effect on the border communities. It has caused undue hardship on border residents, and led to untold human suffering of illegal foreign nationals. In addition, there has been a significant increase in murder, home invasions, kidnappings, and robberies, especially in the state of Arizona.

Toby Walker, President of the Waco Tea Party stated, "While the focus of criticism seems to be that the state of Arizona decided to act in its best interests, we in Texas understand the frustration by the lack of action from the Federal Government in protecting our borders. Representatives in our own state are now calling for a similar law to be passed in Texas. When the Federal Government does not execute its Constitutional duties, the states must act to protect its citizens."  Jason Hoyt of the Orlando Tea Party commented, "The left is trying to make this about race. It is not. This is about the rights of states and their respective responsibility to protect their citizenry. The border must be secured and the crime, drug dealing and human trafficking that now engulfs the border states must be dealt with before we discuss immigration reform. I'm proud of the state of Arizona for exercising their state's rights and no longer waiting for the Federal government."  Robin Stublen president of Punta Gorda Tea Party said, "The failure by the Federal Government to meet its obligations under the Constitution resulted in the passage of a new state law by Arizona. We respect and support the leaders of Arizona in their effort to restore order in their state and protect their citizens. We can all agree that more must be done and that our borders must be protected. However, until the Federal Government and those elected decide to take the necessary steps to properly secure our borders against trespassing by foreign nationals, we support Arizona and urge other states to adopt the Arizona law as well. It is not only their right under Article 4 Section 4, but their duty to protect their citizens and their property. Jerry Clark, President of the Las Cruces Tea Party said, "New Mexico is a diverse state. We embrace legal immigration and the enforcement of our laws. However, Arizona is acting in its best interests for its people. The Federal Government has done little to secure our borders and we expect nothing more. A nation without borders is not a nation and the Obama administration has shown no interest in performing one of the key Constitutional duties enumerated in the Constitution, protecting our national security."

As a nation of immigrants we honor those foreign nationals who reside within our sovereign boundaries legally by obeying visa and residency laws. We welcome and acknowledge those following the legal and reasonable process to become proud, naturalized citizens of the United States.

For further information or to register and participate in the National Tea Party Federation, log on to

http://www.thenationalteapartyfederation.com/

About the National Tea Party Federation (NTPF):

The Federation is a broad coalition of national and regional Tea Party groups committed to improving communications between local, regional, and national tea party organizations. Our purpose is to facilitate and support clarity of message, rapid response to media misinformation, and to continue to collaborate and promote the movement's core principles of Fiscal Responsibility, Constitutionally Limited Government, and Free Markets.

"Meeting of wealthy white men"

It wasn't long ago that the liberals were all in love with Warren Buffett. When then Senator Obama was running for President, Buffett was a strong ally on the Obama financial team. President Obama touted him as proof of his great wisdom on all things financial. Those same people are now going out to destroy him by calling him “one of the rich white men”. I have attached a link that supports that claim as well as the most recent support of Goldman.

http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/archives/2010/05/warren_buffet_r.php

OMAHA, Neb.— Warren Buffett, long a critic of the excesses of Wall Street and the risks of derivatives, is emerging as a stalwart defender of the financial system.

At Berkshire Hathaway Inc.'s annual meeting here this weekend, the legendary investor mounted a vigorous defense of Goldman Sachs Group Inc., sued for civil fraud by regulators and under assault by Congress for its business dealings. And he praised the business model of Moody's Corp., whose ratings agency has been lambasted as too cozy with bankers.

Though he acknowledged that banks and other financial firms had engaged in excesses in the years leading up to the crisis, he didn't lay blame at their feet. Wall Street was caught up in a "mania that prevailed throughout the investment world," he said.
"I haven't seen anything in Goldman's behavior that makes it any more subject to criticism than Wall Street generally," Mr. Buffett said at a news conference Sunday, the day after Berkshire's annual meeting.
Mr. Buffett's remarks contrasted with his long-standing mantra against what's he has called the self-serving ways of Wall Street and, to an extent, the ethos of his shareholder meeting generally.
The event, held far from financial centers and attended this year by some 40,000 investors, is a sort of pep rally for Berkshire and its brand of Main Street, basic-business values investing.  "I was surprised by how strong he stood by [Goldman]...and that he wasn't more critical of the Wall Street culture," said Justin Fuller, partner at Chicago's Midway Capital Research & Management, which closely tracks Berkshire.
Mr. Buffett's long-time partner, Berkshire vice chairman Charlie Munger, was blunter in his criticisms of Wall Street. The financial industry is "a very defective system," he said at a press conference Sunday. "When systems are defective, very good people will start doing things...that are counterproductive."
Mr. Munger placed the blame on lax or dysfunctional government regulations, comparing the relationship between banks and regulators to that between a tiger and a tiger keeper.
"When the tiger gets out and starts creating damage, it's insane to blame the tiger, it's the idiot tiger keeper" that deserves the blame, he said.   To some extent, Mr. Buffett's defense of Goldman and Moody's could be expected: Berkshire has invested billions in financial firms including Goldman, a close partner for decades. It is also an investor Moody's, though it has been selling the firm's stock in recent months.

Buffett Says Business is on Upswing
Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett on the nation's attitude toward Wall Street, the shareholders meeting and his investment in Goldman Sachs. Courtesy Fox Business Network.
Mr. Buffett addressed in detail the Securities and Exchange Commission's fraud charges against Goldman, which allege the bank defrauded investors when it created a mortgage investment, dubbed Abacus, with the help of a bearish hedge fund and failed to disclose the fund's role and position. Goldman says it did nothing wrong.   "I have no problem with that Abacus transaction. If there were other things that were hugely troublesome, I haven't seen them," Mr. Buffett said. He referred to his experience nearly 20 years ago helping to save Wall Street firm Salomon Brothers, then a big holding of his, from a scandal. "That was my big fear at Salomon—that is always the worry, that you haven't really found the problem yet," he said
Mr. Buffett said parties to the deal, which plunged in value when the housing market fell apart in 2007, should be responsible for their own actions. "It's a little hard for me to get terribly sympathetic for a bank that made a bad credit deal," he said.
The "allegation alone causes the company to lose reputation" and "hurt morale," he said. But he said the charges need more proof beyond the SEC's allegations if they are to have a lasting impact on Goldman. He offered strong support for Goldman Chief Executive Lloyd Blankfein, saying in response to a question about a successor to Mr. Blankfein: "If Lloyd had a twin brother, I'd go for him."  Mr. Buffett also defended Moody's, which owns one of the ratings firm that critics say amplified the crisis by giving triple-A ratings to assets that ultimately collapsed.
Ratings outfits such as Moody's Investors Service and Standard & Poor's, a unit of McGraw-Hill Cos. have "incredibly wonderful businesses," he said, adding that their "pricing power is significant." But he conceded that "many feel that the ratings agencies let them down."   Mr. Buffett did have some criticisms for investment banking. "There's a lot of good in it, and there are a lot of things that take place on Wall Street that we don't like," he said.  Mr. Buffett said Berkshire recorded a first-quarter profit of $3.6 billion, compared with a net loss of $1.5 billion a year earlier.  Mr. Buffett said the company's results show the global economy is showing significant signs of recovery for the first time. Operating profit was $2.2 billion, reversing a year-ago loss of $3.2 billion.  "What was sort of a sputtering recovery months ago seemed to pick up steam in March and April," Mr. Buffett said. "We're seeing a pretty good uptick."  Mr. Buffett has also been taking heat for a push Berkshire has made on Capitol Hill for exemptions for several large derivatives deals his firm has made in recent years.  A bill before Congress could force Berkshire to post billions in collateral for the deals. In the past, Berkshire hasn't been required to put up much cash—if any—to back its derivatives transactions.
Mr. Buffett said he is confident that his firm would likely not be required to post collateral on existing derivative contracts under the financial-overhaul bill currently before the Congress.

OBAMA CHEATING SCANDAL: SHOCKING NEW REPORTS

OBAMA CHEATING SCANDAL: SHOCKING NEW REPORTS

Photo by: splash news online

UPDATED: Reports out of Washington, DC: PRESIDENT OBAMA in a shocking cheating scandal after being caught in a Washington, DC Hotel with a former campaign aide.

A confidential investigation has learned that Obama first became close to gorgeous 35 year-oldVERA BAKER in 2004 when she worked tirelessly to get him elected to the US Senate, raising millions in campaign contributions

Now, the investigators are searching for a hotel surveillance videotape.

While Baker has insisted in the past that "nothing happened" between them, reports reveal that top anti-Obama operatives are offering more than $1 million to witnesses to reveal what they know about the alleged hush-hush affair.

Among those being offered money is a limo driver who says in 2004 that he took Vera to a secret hotel rendezvous in where Obama was staying. 

An ENQUIRER reporter has confirmed the limo driver's account of the secret 2004 rendezvous and has also learned that on-site hotel surveillance video camera footage could provide indisputable evidence to the investigation.

DEVELOPING STORY