Barack Obama meets with an agent of Hezbollah. (Hat Tip: Oatney.)

Basic economics: If oil companies make no profit, they won’t drill.  (Hat Tip: Hugh Hewitt.)

Plus if big oil’s profits are obscene, what about the 57 industries that earn a higher margin. (Hat Tip: Club for Growth.)

Plus Christian Persecution in Zimbabwe.

Plus what’s behind a Massachusetts pregnancy pact? Don Surber suggests bringing back the stocks and pillories.

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On the heels of hugely successful legislative battles against the Democrats, President Bush reached an astonishing conclusion as summarized by this Yahoo News headline, “Bush says Congress wasting time, money.” It’s an interesting what having the other party will reveal. But President has a plan to bypass Congressional earmarks which is exciting the Club for Growth.

Dick Durbin can hardly wait to tell the people of Illinois what he did by passing the Omnibus Spending Billion sending around half a billion dollars in earmarks to Illinois. (hat tip: Reformed Chicks Babbling.) However, based on his exchange with Jim DeMint on the floor of the Senate, it’s clear that not even Durbin knows what all he did.

Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-Arkansas) earns the porker of the month award for her opposition to reforming Ag. Subsidies which benefit her family back in Arkasas. (Hat Tip: Club for Growth.) 

A home school mother in Utah flees an out of control judge in a reminder that for some liberals the only place for freedom of religion is inside a church and that you are unable to made decisions for your own children. (Hat Tip: Idaho Values Alliance.)

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Trackposted to The Virtuous Republic, Rosemary’s Thoughts, Faultline USA, Woman Honor Thyself, The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns, The World According to Carl, Walls of the City, Blue Star Chronicles, Pirate’s Cove, The Pink Flamingo, Celebrity Smack, Big Dog’s Weblog, Chuck Adkins, Conservative Cat, and Right Voices, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

Sen. Ted Stevens (Republican Pork King-Alaska) is back with a sequel to the bridge to nowhere, the ferry to nowhere. Congress overall has packed $20 billion in pork into Appropriations Bills. (Hat Tip: Reformed Chicks Babbling.) Speaking of pork, 15 Republicans went back on their word and voted to override President Bush’s veto.

Related:

• Congressional leadership’s approval rating is below O.J. Simpson’s approval rating in 1995. (Hat Tip: Don Surber.)

• An unbelievable statement from New York’s budget director. (Hat Tip: Government Bytes.)

• New York goes after Derek Jeter.

• The Greed of States and the absurdity of the Jock Tax. (Hat Tip: Government Bytes.)

• Mayor Bloomberg takes on incompetent teachers in New York City. (Hat Tip: Labor Pains.)

• A very PC Thanksgiving in Seattle.  (Hat Tip: Stop the ACLU.)

• A Michigan man is fed up with the full-time legislature in Lansing.  (Hat Tip: Sam Adams Alliance.)

• A New Solution for Polution presented by the Private Sector.

• Remembering LaFayette.

• The Egotistical ’60s generation.

• Cohabitation increases the risk of divorce. (Hat Tip: Evangelical Outpost.)

• An Illegal Immigrant is demanding to be sent home in Great Britain because he was moved from one rent-free room to another where the kitchen closed at 9 PM, thus “violating his human rights” (Hat Tip: The Corner.)

• Congressman Paul Braun stands up for the unborn.

• Christian Persecution in North Korea and Iran.

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Trackposted to Outside the Beltway, Stop the ACLU, Perri Nelson’s Website, The Virtuous Republic, Rosemary’s Thoughts, Stix Blog, Right Truth, The Populist, Shadowscope, Leaning Straight Up, The Amboy Times, Adeline and Hazel, third world county, Woman Honor Thyself, Pirate’s Cove, The Pink Flamingo, CommonSenseAmerica, Dumb Ox Daily News, Right Voices, Stageleft, Church and State, A Blog For All, Grizzly Groundswell, Big Dog’s Weblog, The Bullwinkle Blog, Cao’s Blog, Conservative Cat, Nuke’s, Diary of the Mad Pigeon, The World According to Carl, Walls of the City, Blue Star Chronicles, Wolf Pangloss, and The Yankee Sailor, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

One of the latest updates:

Update: 1:54pm Eastern. The United Nations “expresses concern.” Oh, the Taliban is trembling now.

Indeed. Regardless, say a prayer for the families and the hostages.

Qari Yousef Ahmadi, who claims to speak for the Taliban, said the militants had extended the deadline on the fate of the kidnapped South Koreans another day after the Afghan government refused to release any of the 23 Taliban prisoners the insurgents want freed.

The militants have pushed back their ultimatum at least three times.

Meanwhile, those who don’t understand in South Korea are criticizing the victims:

“Religious groups should realise once and for all that dangerous missionary and volunteer activities in Islamic countries including Afghanistan not only harm Korea’s national objectives, but also put other Koreans under a tremendous amount of duress,” the right-leaning Chosun Ilbo newspaper said in an editorial on Monday.

The Saemmul church from which the kidnapped Koreans were dispatched is relatively moderate and its missions abroad have focused on volunteer medical and humanitarian work, people in the Christian community say.

You know, most of us in the West live safe, comfortable lives where we never stand up for anything, which is one of our greatest problems. They came to help and do good in this troubled area of the world and are facing death. Meanwhile, Michelle Malkin reports that Human Rights Watch is turning a blind eye to it all, instead their front page complains about mandatory deportation for criminals.

Regardless, send up some prayers.  I’m sure this will be covered by the Persecution Blog later on.

In an interview with WorldNetDaily, Sheikh Abu Saqer, leader of the group Jihadia Salafiya, said that Gaza’s Muslims “expect our Christian neighbors to understand the new Hamas rule means real changes. They must be ready for Islamic rule if they want to live in peace in Gaza.”

“Missionary activity” will no longer be tolerated, and those suspected of trying to covert local Muslims to Christianity will be “harshly punished,” said Abu Saqer. Additionally, the consumption of alcohol is now prohibited in Gaza, and all women must fully cover themselves in public.

In order to ensure compliance with these regulations, Abu Saqer announced the formation of a new “military wing” that will a close eye on the subjects of “Hamastan.”

Following last week’s unprovoked assault on a Catholic church and school in Gaza City, most are unconvinced that even full submission to Gaza’s new conservative Muslim overlords will afford any degree of peace and security to the area’s tiny Christian population.

Prayers up for Christians in Gaza and those who are trying to stop the Islamofascists.

Hat Tip: Persecution Blog

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On May 7th anonymous letters were delivered to churches and Christian homes in the towns of Charsadda and Mardan, Pakistan. The letters demanded that the Christians close their churches and convert to Islam within the next ten days. While some of the letters did not specify what would happen if the Christians refused, others threatened bombings or execution of all Christians.

Christians throughout Pakistan responded to the threats by observing ten days of fasting and prayer, beginning on 17th May, the date that the ultimatum ended. At the time of writing there have been no reports of coming from Pakistan that any of the threats have been realised. The authorities have condemned the threats and called for the protection of the Christians.

At the same time as the letters were being received, other Pakistan Christians had also received threats. In Peshawar two Taliban-style militants put a gun to the head of a junior staff member at the Pakistan Bible Institute. They threatened him, saying “We hear you are converting Muslims”. Thankfully they were disturbed and fled before they carried out their threat.

Pray with Pakistani Christians that God will protect them from harm. Pray that their faith in God to protect them will be a witness to those who wish them harm, that the one who is with us is greater than the one who is in the world (1 John 4:4).

Also, Mark Galli has an interesting piece on Christian education that raises many interesting questions. It doesn’t answer them, but if we an open our hearts to thing, we may find solutions.