Mike Huckabee Charlie Rangel: Easier to Defend Jeffrey Dahmer's Diet than Rangels Ethics: Charlie Rangel Annouces He Will Run for a 21st Term

There was never an ethics charge that any Democrat took seriously or with shame, and that's certainly the case with Rep. Charlie Rangel. Mike Huckabee told the crew at Fox and Friends Weekends that it's easier to defend cannabilist/murderer Jeffrey Dahmer's diet than it is to defend Charlie Rangel's Ethics.

Charlie lounging at his income-producing Dominican villa 

Income unreported to the IRS

Rangel, the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee certainly has his "ways," and his "means." He has blamed his tax problems on his wife, claimed years of "hardship status" by reporting lowered income to retain ownership of a controlled-rent apartment in New York City, and let a private-sector firms, major payor Citibank, send him on a couple of Caribbean junkets, in violation of House Ethics rules. He blamed his staff for that one. Today, Rangel (D-NY) announced he will run for re-election for a 21st term in Congress - this two days after a formal House admonishment for his "lack of ethics"

With the House Ethics Committee finding that the Harlem Congressman was guilty, Democrats are beginning to speak out. Reps. Paul Hodes (D-NH), Gene Taylor (D-Miss) Bobbie Bright  (D-AL), and Mike Quigley want Teflon-Charlie to step down from his chairmanship. This from Rep. Hodes:

The citizens of his home state sent him here, that's their decision. But members of the Democratic Caucus made him chairman of that committee, and he should step down until all this is resolved.

The once "untouchable" Charlie Rangel (as we're told the White House refers to Rangel) is beginning to see the President withdraw support: Press Secretary Robert Gibbs says, the Prez sez, "rules are put in place for a reason and those rules can and must apply to each and every person." Now that's a unique thought.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi is tone-deaf. It's not yet time for her to hear the murmurs around her. She see's the Ethics problem but says "it was not something that jeopardized our country in anyway - this from a woman who spent millions in taxpayer monies to jet the skies, and treat her grandkids. These people are accustomed to others paying their way. A few Ethics rules will not deter them.

Pelosi did acknowledge, however, that Rangel has more than a couple of junkets to worry about, saying "there is more to Mr. Rangel's situation," and she looks forward to hearing from the Ethics Committee about other claims against him.

Such as:

The junkets, the rent-controlled apartments, the misreported income are not his only predicament. There's the mortgage at the Yacht club that was converted to an interest-free loan in violation of House rules, there's the claiming of two primary residences and qualifying for exemptions on each, there's a lie about the value of a Florida property, some unethical fundraising for a charity in his name, and the illegal use of the House parking garage to house his older model, unlicensed Mercedes-Benz, and a now infamous "shelter loophole" to benefit a corporation that was a heavy donor to the City College of New York. Read about Charlie's own culture of corruption here.

Here is the video of Mike Huckabee talking about Jeffry Dahmer's diet and Charlie Rangel's ethics.






Mike Huckabee on Fox and Friends Weekend on Charlie Rangel's Ethics (video)

Joseph McStay Summer McStay Missing: Children Gianna and Joseph Missing McStay

Joseph McStay and his wife Summer McStay and their two children, Gianna and Joseph have been missing since February 4th, 2010. See a video below. See an update 3-7-10 below.

Joseph McStay 

The McStay's live in Fallbrook in the Bonsall area, north of San Diego. Family contacted authorities and police checked the family home on February 14th. The morgue, the airport, the bus terminals and taxi drivers were checked. The McStay's white 1996 Izuzu Trooper was found in San Ysidro, California, two blocks from the Mexican border, and 80 miles from the McStay home. The car was empty with the children's car seats intact.

Summer McStay

Joseph "Joey" Bryan McStay is 40 years old. His wife Summer is 43, and sons Gianna 4, and Joseph 3.

Gianna McStay                          Joseph Mateo McStay

A search of the McStay home seems to show that the family did not plan to leave home for an extended stay. Their two dogs were left without food or water. Eggs were left on the kitchen cabinet. Police are working to determine if there has been any activity on their passports. Surely by now, the family bank accounts have been checked but I have found no confirmation.

A drone based out of San Diego State University will be used in the search.

Drone pilot Mike Hennig said, “As we fly, digital camera systems on board … high-resolution, 9- or 10-megapixel digital cameras on board to do still imagery. We also use streaming video from the aircraft.”

When they are launched, they can search every inch of a 15-mile area in a matter of minutes. The drones feed high-resolution digital images and GPS locations back to the search team.

If we find something of particular interest in an image, all the material that is recorded in the aircraft is GPS logged so we can sit there, find the image, pull the GPS data and be able to direct people on the ground to search specific areas,” said Hennig.

Tim Miller's Texas Equusearch, a Texas search and rescue team which became a household name while searching for Natalee Holloway, has joined the hunt. Miller said the drones can spot footprints and clothing. One drone search can take the place of 100 ground searches.

Friends and family say that the couple would not have left without notifying someone, especially Joseph. McStay's brother, Michael. The family was close, and Michael said he and Joseph speak at least once a week, but always on Friday.

Joseph McStay was self-employed. His company, Earth Inspired Products, designs, installs and ships indoor fountains worldwide. Joseph and Michael's father, Patrick McStay told authorities that he thinks his son had done business in Tijuana as recently as December 2009, and had traveled to "nearby border towns" late last year to buy granite for his home kitchen. Some of McStays smaller fountains are manufactured in Mexico according to the father. Patrick McStay said he was the initial investor in his son's company. Earth Inspired Products is said to be to successful. The family home is estimated to be valued at $300,000, and the McStay's are new to the neighborhood.

McStay home on Avacado Vista Lane

Lt. Dennis Brugos of the San Diego County Sheriff's Department said there is nothing in the McStay's background that would indicate a drug connection or any "high risk criminal activity," and the Department has found no hint of marital problems.

Apparently, the last known contact with the McStay's was on February 4th. Michael McStay broke a window in the family home, after not being able to contact Joseph. That was on February 15, 11 days after someone in the family talked to family friend, Diane Cignani. The McStay's Izuzu was found in a parking lot in San Ysidro on February 8th and towed before anyone knew they were missing. Access the family website here.

Update 3-7-10:

A surveillance camera captured footage of a man, woman and two children resembling a missing Fallbrook family as they crossed the U.S.-Mexico border into Tijuana on foot last month, around the time they dropped out of contact with family, friends and business associates, a sheriff’s investigator said Friday.

The video images were shot at the San Ysidro Port of Entry about 7 p.m. on Feb. 8 — four days after the disappearance of Joseph McStay, 40, his wife, Summer, 43, and their sons, Gianni, 4, and 3-year-old Joseph Jr., homicide Sgt. Roy Frank said. The people on the surveillance tape seemed to be casually strolling into Mexico, with each adult holding hands with one of the toddlers, according to Frank.

There was no signs that the four, who match the general descriptions of the McStays, were distressed in any way or leaving the United States against their will, he said. Roughly four hours after the footage was recorded, security personnel towed an apparently abandoned vehicle from a commercial parking lot on Camino de la Plaza, about a five-minute walk from the border. The white 1996 Isuzu Trooper turned out to belong to the McStays. Source: San Diego News Network

  Summer McStay's Family Pleads for Information (video)

Chile Earthquake Update: 2 Million Homeless

Chile's 8.8 magnitude earthquake early yesterday morning has wreaked havoc on the country that already held the unfortunate record of being the home of the strongest earthquake on record, a 9.5 magnitude, now takes second place as well. Today we hear more than 700 are dead, 2 million are homeless, one million buildings are damaged, 500,000 of them homes, and the cities are dealing with downed bridges and upheaved highways. The video below is raw footage from a security camera as the quake hit. Update 3-3-10 795 reported dead this morning. Update 3-3-10 see reports of a 6.3 aftershock in Concepcion here.

 Chile - raw security camera footage

Aftershocks in massive numbers and strong magnitudes continue to rock the people fighting for survival. Some 90 aftershocks have been recorded, with the worst being 6.2, 6.0, 6.9, 6.1, 6.0, with many in-between measuring close to 6.0., and one today measuring 6.1.

In the coastal areas, where damage is heavy from both tremblors and tsunami waters, people are desparate for food and clean water, and looting has begun.

 In Constitucion, located near the city of Concepcion and the quake's epicenter, 350 people died as tremblors and tsunami waves hit the town. Constitucion, located about 220 miles south of the capital city of Santiago. Large fishing boats were swept onto land and cars flipped in this seaside town of about 38,000.

Pelluhu, Chile a popular seaside resort with a population of about 1,000 is said to be destroyed. Summer is underway in Chile and the town may have had many more tourists when the quake hit. Jim Hoft at GatewayPundit has some awesome photos of Pellehu.

Concepcion, a city of about 690,000 regionally, 200,000 in the city proper, is located only about 70 miles from the epicenter. The downtown area is said to be mostly rubble. There is no power.  The country's death toll was boosted this morning as it is feared 60 - 100 people may be found dead in the collapse of a new 15-story apartment building in Concepcion.

Concepcion, Chile - new apartment building

It took rescuers 24-hours to get 16 people out alive and another 6 dead. Rescue efforts were stalled as police fired tear gas at looters. In photos linked below, you can see a rescue using a cable to slide a young man down to safety. President Bachelet said the list of missing is growing.

She [President Bachelet] signed a decree giving the military control over security in the province of Concepcion, where looters were pillaging supermarkets, gas stations, pharmacies and banks.

Today, large waves were continuing their assault near Concepcion in the Bio-Bio region.

President Bachelet announced that she is sending army troops into Concepcion to help restore order and assist in rescue and recovery:

Crowds overran supermarkets in the port city of Concepcion, which sustained widespread damage, and were making off with food, water and diapers but also television sets. Several banks also were hit. Police in armored vehicles sprayed looters with water cannons and made several arrests, mostly of young men.

The Juan Fernandez Islands are reporting dead and missing. On Robinson Crusoe Island, the largest of the Juan Fernandez Islands, a tsunami surged over two miles inland into San Juan Bautista village where at least 5 are dead and 11 missing.

A Concepcion resident said he an his daughter escaped their building "in terror amid shattering glass and an ungodly roar," because he was able to throw clothing on the floor to protect their feet as they exited the nightmare that was once their home.

For anyone in an earthquake-prone-area (like my son), I'm struck by the constant advice to always keep shoes close to your bed, or wherever you are resting shoeless, as cuts are the major cause of amputations after an earthquake.

In Santiago:

...the century-old national Fine Arts Museum was badly damaged, and an apartment building's two-story parking lot pancaked, smashing about 50 cars whose alarms rang incessantly.

A car dangled from a shattered overpass and overturned vehicles lay scattered below. "I can now say in all surety that seat belts save lives in automobiles," said Cristian Alcaino, who survived the fall in his car.

Though most modern buildings survived, a church bell tower collapsed and several hospitals were evacuated because of damage.

Santiago's Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport was closed, with smashed windows, collapsed ceilings, and destroyed walkways in the passenger terminals. The capital's subway was also shut, and hundreds of buses were stuck behind a damaged bridge.

Marco Vidal, a program director for Grand Circle Travel traveling with a group of 34 Americans, was on the 19th floor of the Crowne Plaza Santiago Hotel when the quake struck.

Bachelet called for damage assessment experts, field hospitals, temporary bridges, and fresh water and water purification equipment.

To strip away any need for looting, Bachelet announced that essentials on the shelves of major supermakrets would be given away for free, under the supervision of authorities. Troops and police will also distribute food and water, she said.

In the country's main seaport town of Valparaiso two oil refineries are closed and damage assessment are underway. Elsewhere, Codelco's copper mining facilities were shutdown just after the quake but are gearing up to restart. Chile is the No. 1 copper-producing country and Codelco is the biggest copper-producing company.

While workers in the U.S. Embassy have been reported "okay" and "all accounted for," U.S. Ambassador Paul Simons says three Embassy "wardens" in Concepcion have not been in contact.

See some exceptional photos here.

Original Reporting - Related and Background:
Chile 8.8 Devastation - Tsunami Alert

What You Can Do About Obama's Politics?

How much time do you spend thinking about what you, personally, can do to affect the outcome of Barack Obama's politics, other than showing up at the polls? It never leaves my mind - all day, every day. Tom Wright at American Daughter thought about it and put some suggestions in a blog post.

The Insidious Enemy
by Tom Wright at American Daughter

Most conservatives are wondering, “What can I, personally, do to help stop Obama’s anti-America juggernaut?” Recall that grammatically incorrect statement — “All politics is local.” It’s true! Every marxist and conservative in Washington is there because of local politics.

Do this. All patriotic citizens who cherish the vision of our founding fathers for the United States should attend the local Precinct Convention for their political party. It is at these meetings that the process of composing the party platform begins. At the Convention you will be asked to vote for or against Resolutions that will be forwarded to the County Convention, and if passed there, on to the State Convention. This is how national party platforms and some state laws are formed.

You can affect both party platforms and state laws. Make up your own Resolutions. Make them plain and specific to one issue. Give concrete and detailed reasons why adopting the resolution is necessary. If your Resolution is against the actions of a group, give no quarter. Take 3 copies to be signed and forwarded to the County Convention. Take many more to pass out to attendees.

---

The primary elections in the race for Texas governor will be held this Tuesday, March 2 for both major parties. Following the primaries, precinct meetings will be held to compose the party platforms. Conservative Texans are urged to attend their Precinct’s Convention about 7:15 p.m. next Tuesday. When you vote, ask someone where it will be held. It will likely be in a school classroom, cafeteria, etc.

At other times and in a variety of formats, similar efforts will be taking place in all of the other states. All patriotic Americans should learn the particulars for their location and become involved. The ideological forces of Marxism and Islamic sharia have insinuated themselves into the fundamental levels of our democratic process, and have permeated our public education. An overwhelming participation by true patriots is needed to rout them.

---

Here’s a bit of background. In 1961 (or 1962, I forget), I attended a meeting of the Christian Anti-Communism Crusade in the Emerald Room of the (then) Shamrock Hotel, in Houston, Texas. One of the many guest speakers was Herb Philbrick — whose real life experience in infiltrating the Communist party was the basis for the TV series, “I Led Three Lives.”

Philbrick told how the communists had taken control of many civic organizations across America, including his home town’s civic association in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The communists had previously gone to classes to learn Robert’s Rules of Order — and they learned those rules perfectly. They then went to many civic organizations’ meetings and participated. At every opportunity, they raised simple “points of order.” They would then, helpfully, state how some motion, etc., should have been handled. Soon, they had the confidence of the usual hometown Americans — who frequently knew nothing about the use of parliamentary law in meetings. Soon, everyone agreed that the person who knew the rules should become the president of the local organization.

Once in the controlling positions of the organization, they used the organization (and the organization’s money) to promote the communist agenda. As a local civic association, they had the local stature to raise funds. As the controlling officers, they had the power to direct those funds to the use of the Communist Party’s causes. The local civic organizations became communist fronts.

---

The same thing is going on today, not only by proponents of socialism, but now in addition by muslims, who seek to institute Sharia Law in our communities. One of their prime targets is the Precinct Convention meeting — after the primary polls close.

Be Warned!

1) Buy a copy of and brush up on Robert’s Rules of Order 


2) Many towns have “Parliamentary Law Clubs,” where ladies (mostly) fellowship together in a civic club with a purpose. Frequently, the members of such clubs are officers in other community organizations. If your town has one, join it. Those ladies are great contacts for networking.

3) Get your friends and neighbors to attend your Precinct meetings. Yes. I know. “It’s a pain.” Just do it. Or let the Muslims have the power in your local community.

 4) Carry multiple copies (many require three copies) of typed party planks, to be voted on and forwarded to the County and State conventions. Don’t try to prepare them on the spot.

5) Do not allow any muslim to intimidate you by saying that you are persecuting him because of his religion. Islam is both a religion and a political system. Sharia Law is a political issue.

But, first and foremost: Don’t let foreign subversives — whether Marxist or Islamic — get control of your local organizations, precinct chairmanships, county organizations, or state organizations.

---

I’m a Texan so, as an example, let me share the resolution that I will be offering this Tuesday evening. For background, read this article — Organizing Kids for Obama:

President Barack Obama’s budget has added more than $100 billion of federal taxpayers’ money to what is called “education,” so that means it will be spent by alumni of the Saul Alinsky school of radical community organizing and/or the Chicago Democratic machine…. Obama is using the public schools to recruit a private army of high-schoolers to “build on the movement that elected President Obama by empowering students across the country to help us bring about our agenda.” We now know that Obama’s “agenda” is to move the United States into European-style socialism…. 

Obama’s Internet outreach during his campaign, Obama for America, has been renamed Organizing for America (OFA) in order to recruit students to join a cult of Obama and become activists for his goals. …the teacher of an 11th-grade government class in Massillon, Ohio, passed out the sign-up sheet, headed with Obama’s “O” logo, asking students to become interns for Organizing for America….

This must never happen in my state. Here’s my Resolution:

Resolution Opposing Use of Texas Public Schools for Community Organizing

WHEREAS in his inauguration speech, President Obama promised to “transform this country; 

WHEREAS in his budget, the Obama administration added more than $100 billion in taxpayer’s money for what he listed as “Education;” 

WHEREAS at American Taxpayer expense, his Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, mailed instructions to every school on how to participate in the September 8 political speech that was broadcast to public school children, making it clear that he has no reservations about using taxpayer money to promote his agenda; 

WHEREAS Mr. Obama’s campaign Internet outreach — Obama For America — has been renamed “Organizing for America” (OFA) with the purpose of recruiting students to become activists for his goals; 

WHEREAS the application to join the OFA Internship program states its goal as, “empowering students across the country to help us bring about our agenda of change;” 

WHEREAS the application further states, “credit must be approved by your school ahead of time;” 

WHEREAS OFA’s “National Intern Organizer Curriculum” includes a reading list that includes Saul Alinsky’s “Rules for Radicals;” 

WHEREAS OFA’s reading list also includes Zack Exley’s “The New Organizers” in which it brags about “an insurgent generation of organizers” inside the Obama campaign that has “almost without anyone noticing … built the Progressive movement a brand new and potentially durable people’s organization, in a dozen states, rooted at the neighborhood level;” 

WHEREAS on OFA’s reading list is Rinku Sen’s “Stir It Up: Lessons from Community Organizing and Advocacy;” 

WHEREAS on OFA’s reading list is Obama’s “Dreams of My Father,” who is well known as a radical Marxist-Leninist; 

WHEREAS a federal government organization, the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), having a budget of $1.416 billion, oversees other taxpayer funded “service organizations;” 

WHEREAS CNCS oversees Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America, which regularly dole out millions of Dollars to radical liberal organizations; and 

WHEREAS the U.S. Senate has recently confirmed CNCS’s new chief executive, Patrick Corvington, who was a senior official of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, which has given over a million and one-half dollars to the Acorn network of organizations; 

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that we urge the Texas Legislature to enact legislation requiring that neither Texas public schools nor their students be used as instruments for political agendas, such as community organization, but, rather focus on history, reading, writing, mathematics, and science. 

Adopted this 2nd day of March, 2010, at the Precinct Convention of Precinct # ____ of the Republican Party of Texas.
__________________________________________
Precinct Convention Secretary

For your convenience, American Daughter provided these useful links:

Robert’s Rules of Order

Parliamentary Motions Guide

Pelosi to House Members: Sacrifice Your Job for Health Care (and Me)

Speaker Nancy Pelosi has asked Democrat members of the U.S. House to vote for health care even if it means they lose their November 2010 election. How much sense does it make to ask lawmakers to ignore the will of the people who sent them to Congress in the first place? See video and transcript below.

Rep. Paul Ryan

On ABC's This Week, the Speaker said "we are not here just to 'self-perpetuate our service in Congress, we're here to do the job for the American people." She has no worries about her Liberal throne in the House. San Francisco, District 8 far-left voters, assure her an eternity in the House if she wants it, but she
needs a health care reality to hold together the most Liberal members of the House.

Chris Wallace interviewed Rep. Paul Ryan today on health care, and the votes Pelosi does, and does not have. The message is: the votes are not there for her now, but she muscles votes well. The full transcript is below the video. It addresses the questions and answers that are untruthful in the health care debate.

Related reading:
Pelosi Lies about Abortion: Catholic Bishops Agree Pelosi Lies
Quote of the Day - Nancy Pelosi
Paul Ryan: Health Care Full of Gimicks, Smoke and Mirrors - a Ponzi Scheme

Chris Wallace and Rep. Paul Ryan on Health Care

Transcript:






WALLACE: In the health care summit this week, there was one Republican President Obama didn't want to mess with, someone who knows as much about the issue as he does.

We want to go inside the numbers of health care reform with Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan, the GOP's top man on the House Budget Committee.


Congressman, one of the big disagreements -- in fact, perhaps the first big disagreement at the summit -- was the question of whether or not the Democratic plan would raise or lower people's--

RYAN: Right.

WALLACE: -- health care premiums. Isn't it true, in fact, that most Americans would end up paying less?

RYAN: No, it's not true. The Congressional Budget Office says they will get higher premium increases, 10 to 13 percent. Private actuaries put those premium increase in the double-digit to triple- digit territory.

The Blue Cross plans are telling us they're going to see a massive spike in premiums for people. That's the problem. What we're hearing coming out of Washington, the rhetoric, doesn't match the actual facts that are underneath this legislation.

WALLACE: Well, let me ask you about that, because I want to put up -- you know, for lack of anybody better, we're dealing with the Congressional Budget Office, nonpartisan agency, and here's what they said. Let's put the numbers up on the screen.

It said that for those in large group policies there would be somewhere between no change and a 3 percent decrease in premium costs. And it said for those in the individual market, the average premium, as you said and as Lamar Alexander said, would go up 10 to 13 percent.

But the CBO added that those folks would get better policies, and well over half would get subsidiaries, quote, "that would reduce their costs well below the premiums that would be charged for such policies under current law." Congressman?

RYAN: Well, if you add these -- if you add subsidiaries, sure. But let's get this point clear. We're not going to have more insurance competition under this new law. We're going to have less insurance competition. That's going to increase prices.

And if you put more mandates on insurance, as this does -- this federalizes the regulation of health insurance, displacing states' rights -- that's going to make it more expensive.

So what this bill attempts to do is, yes, make health insurance much more expensive and then just have Washington subsidize more of it to try and limit people's out-of-pocket costs. That's a deficit nightmare. It's a cost nightmare.

And so you will be putting more costs onto the backs of the taxpayers at the end of the day here.

WALLACE: All right. Well, let's talk about the question of costs, because that was something that you brought up with the president.

RYAN: Yeah.

WALLACE: Another big disagreement is whether, as you said, the Democratic package bends the cost curve of government spending--

RYAN: Right.

WALLACE: -- up or down, as the Democrats claim. And again, let's go to the CBO, which says that the Senate bill would cut the deficit by $132 billion over the first 10 years.

RYAN: OK, so the CBO has to score the legislation that's put in front of them. And the legislation that's been put in front of them is full of smoke, mirrors and gimmicks.

Let me give you an example. It double counts Medicare cost savings. It double counts increased taxes for Social Security, increased premiums for this new CLASS Act.

If you take all the double counting out of the bill, which the CBO can't do because that's the way it's put in front of them, this thing has a $460 billion deficit in the first 10 years, a $1.4 trillion deficit in the second 10 years.

WALLACE: Well, explain the double counting, because you made a--

RYAN: Right.

WALLACE: -- big point of that at the summit.

RYAN: OK. So two things. This bill looks like it reduces the deficit because they raise taxes a half a trillion dollars over 10 years and cut Medicare a half a trillion dollars over 10 years to pay for six years of spending.

So 10 years of tax increases and Medicare cuts with six years of spending makes it look as if this thing reduces the deficit. And then if you double count those tax increases, those Medicare cuts, which this does do-- 


WALLACE: Well, explain the double counting, though.

RYAN: -- that's the whole smoke and mirrors.

WALLACE: What do you mean, double counting?

RYAN: Right. So they're bringing in more money for premiums to pay for a new entitlement called the CLASS Act. You can't count that premium increase for deficit reduction.

They're taking more money in Social Security taxes, which is reserved for Social Security benefits. And if it's -- if you're not going to pay those benefits, then you can use it. But you can't count it both for paying benefits and reducing the deficit.

If you're going to say that all these Medicare cuts are improving the solvency of Medicare, which is what they say, then you can't use that money to spend on the creation of another government program.

So what they're doing is they're raiding a half a trillion dollars from Medicare to pay for a new government program. And you can't say that's going to improve Medicare, which is what they're saying. So--

WALLACE: But -- but--

RYAN: -- in each of these cases they're counting the numbers twice.

WALLACE: OK, but let -- but let me ask you this, because the CBO says -- let's -- again, we have to go back to them as the umpire in this whole deal--

RYAN: Right.

WALLACE: -- that once revenue and spending have all kicked in, because you talk about 10 years of revenue, six years of spending, they're saying that once it's all kicked in, the revenue will still exceed the spending. And in fact, it says, "The CBO estimates that enacting the legislation would not cause a net increase in deficits -- would not cause a net increase in deficits in excess of $5 billion in any of the four 10-year periods beginning after 2019."

They're projecting out 50 years and saying that if it has any impact on deficits, it'll be only minimal.

RYAN: Now, there are a couple -- I can go great into the detail here, but one of the things they're saying is--

WALLACE: No, please -- please don't do that.

RYAN: OK. One of the things they're saying is we're putting this new commission in charge of Medicare that is not elected, unelected bureaucrats, to ration care and put the clamps down on spending.

And they're saying if this commission does its job, cuts Medicare even more across the board, then that will happen. Other point is the president's own chief actuary of Medicare and Medicaid is saying quite the opposite. He's saying this is going to increase health care costs by $222 billion over the first 10 years, and so instead of bending the proverbial cost curve down, it's going up.

So when you actually look at a real-life look at how these numbers add up, and you take out the smoke and mirrors that the CBO can't take out in their analysis, it reveals these things as not being true.

Let me just give you another point.

WALLACE: Can I -- well, let me just--

RYAN: OK, go ahead.

WALLACE: -- because I want to go on to another subject, malpractice, because in the summit, Republicans kept talking about malpractice reform, limiting doctors' liabilities.

And in fact, House leader, your leader, John Boehner said that medical malpractice and defensive medicine are the single biggest driver of medical inflation. That isn't true, is it?

RYAN: Well, it's one of the biggest drivers. I think there are other contributing factors which are not being addressed in this bill. But it's a huge contributing factor.

WALLACE: Well, let me -- let me just pick up on that, because again, the CBO says -- and let's put up the numbers -- that malpractice reform would reduce total U.S. health care spending by about 0.5 percent. That's one-half of 1 percent, about $11 billion in 2009.

I mean, the fact is drugs, and technology, and an aging population are much bigger drivers of medical inflation than malpractice, aren't they?

RYAN: Right. What CBO measures is, you know, the cost of government. And they say, "We'll have $54 billion of savings with medical liability reform."

What they cannot measure -- and I understand why they can't measure this. They can't measure all of that defensive medicine. They can't measure all the additional tests that are being ordered by doctors, not because it's good health care, because it's good liability protection. They don't measure all of that.

So there's a lot of stuff that is not being measured that we would appreciate from if you actually did medical liability reform. So what John Boehner is saying is if we actually get rid of the process of defensive medicine by having real tort reform, that would give us a lot more cost savings. Those are cost savings that the CBO just can't measure. WALLACE: All right. Let's turn to another subject -- and there's certainly no disagreement about the numbers here -- which is the question of coverage.

The Democrats say that their plan would cover 30 million uninsured -- currently uninsured Americans, would give them health insurance coverage. The Republican plan would cover 3 million. What happens to the 27 million--

RYAN: Well--

WALLACE: -- other Americans?

RYAN: Well, there -- there's lots of Republican bills. That's one particular bill the president was talking about. The president referenced the bill that I have with Tom Coburn, Devin Nunes and Richard Burr which covers those 30 million people, which gets us toward full coverage in America without all these new tax increases, without all these Medicare cuts.

So we believe we can get to the same coverage numbers without having a government takeover of health care.

WALLACE: Well, how do you--

RYAN: So we've been--

WALLACE: Very briefly and generally--

RYAN: -- offering these ideas all year.

WALLACE: -- how do you do that? How do you get -- how do you cover 27 million other people?

RYAN: We propose to do it through refundable tax credits, to give people the ability to have tax credits by ending the discrimination against people who don't buy health insurance from their jobs. And we say there are better ways of doing this.

So there are lots of Republicans' ideas that have been offered all session long to get at this coverage number without massive tax increases, Medicare cuts and a government takeover of health care.

The point is we haven't -- we've been frozen out of this process, Chris. The only time we've had bipartisan discussion, you've seen it, because it's been on TV. We've been frozen out of this process all session long, and it's quite clear to us that they're really not interested in engaging in collaborating and bipartisanship. They want to jam this thing through.

WALLACE: All right. We have about two minutes left. I want to get into one last area with you, preexisting conditions. All sides agree that there needs to be reform that prevents insurance companies from keeping out people who have preexisting--

RYAN: Right. WALLACE: -- medical conditions. The White House says -- Democrats say, "Hey, look. The only way you can do that is by having an individual mandate that everybody get insurance so you have these big pools. Otherwise, people will game the system. They won't get health insurance until they get sick. And then they'll say, 'I want to buy a policy.'"

RYAN: That is not the only way to do it. And the Republican alternative says there's a better way to do it, which is well-funded high-risk pools in the states that make sure we target subsidies to those people who have preexisting conditions.

You accomplish two things by doing that. You make sure that that person who has a chronic disease gets the need -- gets the care they have and they need so that they don't go bankrupt when they get sick. And by subsidizing their coverage, you actually lower the price of health insurance for everybody else.

Unlike the Democratic plan -- it raises everybody's health care cost. So what we're saying is you don't have to unnecessarily raise everybody's premiums to help those with a preexisting condition. Let's target and focus our support to those with preexisting conditions to help them get affordable coverage.

And by doing it the way we're proposing to do it, you actually lower everybody else's premiums. We think that's a better idea and you can do it without making everybody buy health insurance.

Look, this is a new--

WALLACE: And--

RYAN: Let me give you this. They're saying you have to buy what the federal government defines. We've never done that before.

WALLACE: And real quickly -- we've got less than 30 seconds left -- Congress -- Speaker Pelosi is saying, "You know, we're going to push the Senate bill and a reconciliation, a fixed bill, through."

Does -- do the Democrats have a majority of votes to get the comprehensive health care plan through the House?

RYAN: They do not now have the votes from our best count. I wouldn't count her out, because she is very good at muscling votes. They were down 24 on cap and trade the night before. They passed it by eight.

So the speaker is very good at making deals behind closed doors and muscling votes, but right now they don't have the votes.

WALLACE: Congressman Ryan, we want to thank you. As always, it's a pleasure, sir.

RYAN: Thanks, Chris. 




Others talking about Pelosi and Job Sacrifices:

The Astute Bloggers Alliance

The Lonely Conservative
Gateway Pundit

Pelosi Lies About Abortion: Catholic Bishops Agree Pelosi Lies

We've never known Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi to dodge a lie if she can help it. At last week's health care summit she objected to Rep. John Boehner's statement that the health care bill would end 30 years of prohibition against taxpayer funding of abortion. As members of her own Party insist abortion-funding is in legislation, and Catholic Bishops agree, Pelosi faced the Nation and told a whopper.

Nancy Pelosi

The Speaker said Boehner was "misleading" the country. It's time for a public smackdown between the two, because either Boehner or Pelosi are lying. The Catholic church points the finger directly at the Speaker:

[PELOSI] “I think it’s really important to note, though, and I want the record to show, because two statements were made here that were not factual in relationship to these bills,' Pelosi claimed.

"My colleague, Leader Boehner, the law of the land is there is no public funding of abortion and there is no public funding of abortion in these bills and I don't want our listeners or viewers to get the wrong impression from what you said," Pelosi asserted.

Just as The Speaker continues to insist that the CIA lied about her "interrogation briefings, she can't decide whether to tell the truth - the Church isn't important - or continue the lies. In December 2009, Pelosi spoke her truth, saying "the free will" of women wanting abortions outweighs pro-life Catholic teachings. I'm not Catholic and I have only a little knowledge about how the Church handles their high-profile wayward strays - but can't help wondering if Pelosi is still receiving Sacraments. From Hot Air:

Here’s Canon 915, withholding communion from those “obstinately persevering in manifest grave sin.” The defense, presumably, is that participating in abortion might be a sin but merely supporting laws that legalize the practice doesn’t quite rise to that level.

In the original House bill the Stupak amendment removed any possibility of taxpayer-funded abortion, which allowed about 40 Democrats to support the bill. Their vote, contrary to the confidence the Speaker is showing,  may not be there for her the next time around.

Another report from CNSNews quotes Pelosi, a Catholic, on Friday, February 23rd, saying she has spoken to "Catholic bishops" and she indicates that she has assured the Church there is no public funding for taking the life of a baby.

“Law prevents federal funding, and federal law prevents federal funding of abortion,” said Pelosi. “There is no federal funding of abortion in this bill. There’ll be no expansion or diminution of a woman’s right to choose and that does not happen in this bill, and we’re determined that we are going to pass health care reform.” 

“This bill that passed the Senate does not have federal funding of abortion,” said Pelosi. 

But the Church is not buying what the Speaker is pitching.

Richard Doerflinger, associate director for the U.S. Conference of Catholic bishops (USCCB) told CNSNews that the Senate bill and the President's proposal does allow taxpayers to pay for health care coverage that covers abortion. The Catholic church is supportive of health care, up to the inclusion of abortion funding. Read the Conference of Bishops 13-page document stating that the Senate bill does allow for government-funded abortion.

Douglas Johnson, the National Right to Life Committee said Pelosi has "just repeated the same deceptive claptrap...denial and deception."

Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI) said the "Senate language is a departure from current law and is unacceptable."

Rep. Dennis Cardoza (D-CA), a member of the Blue Dog Coalition, says Obama's bill lacks anti-abortion language, and the bill does nothing to cut costs.

Echoing the Republican voices at the health care summit, some fiscally conservative Democrats are asking for smaller measures - a less ambitious bill, "take two or three or four issues on which everyone agrees and build on it," said Frank Kratovil (D-MD).  Rep. Altmire asks the question all of us are asking: why is Obama bothering?

Others, like Representative Jason Altmire, a Pennsylvania Democrat who also voted against the House bill, seem to wonder aloud why Mr. Obama is bothering. With so many Democrats feeling nervous about their past votes in favor of the health bill, Mr. Altmire said, he can imagine vote-switching in only one direction: from yes to no.

...And I know of a handful of yes votes who regret it and would relish the opportunity to put a no vote on the board so they could go back home and talk about that.”

Since these are not easy issues to explain, and since the President acknowledged the Nation's dismay at a 2400-page piece of legislation, which he likely knows no one can understand, Richard Foerflinger explains how we know that abortion is a part of the bill and proposal. Here are the important talking points:

While the Senate bill includes some language limiting the direct use of tax credits to subsidize abortion coverage, it still violates longstanding federal precedent on abortion funding in two ways.” 

”First, the Senate’s abortion language limits only the use of tax credits for abortion in qualified health plans, not other funding in the bill,” he said.

...the Senate bill will indirectly fund abortion through community health centers, adding that the President Obama’s identical proposal on abortion funding will add more money to that cause. 

“For example, the bill authorizes and appropriates $7 billion for services at community health centers (increased to $11 billion in the President’s new proposal),” said Doerflinger. “The Hyde amendment does not prevent direct use of these billions of dollars for elective abortions (because the funds are not provided through the appropriations bill governed by Hyde), nor does any provision in the Senate bill.”

“Second, the Senate’s language on tax credits still allows subsidies for overall health plans that cover elective abortions, against the policy of the Hyde amendment and other longstanding federal laws,” said Doerflinger.

“The bill requires each American purchasing such a plan to make a separate payment to the insurer every month, solely to pay for other people’s abortions,” he said. “This is an enormous imposition on the consciences of the millions of Americans who oppose abortion.”

We have not heard Barack Obama try to set the record straight for Nancy. He obviously has not called her to the White House and admonished her for lying to the people he leads. It's disgraceful, considering he clearly knows what these bills do and do not do - and he is the President, and he knows the deep emotion attached to taxpayer-funded abortion. How about admitting what is in the bill, and then taking the vote - and it is, what it is? The Democrat leadership is lying directly to the Nation.



Nancy Pelosi on Abortion and the Health Care Bill (video)

Quote of the Day - Nancy Pelosi

The Quote of the Day is from Nancy Pelosi speaking about a vote on the health care bill:

"Bipartisanship is a two-way street. A bill can be bipartisan without bipartisan votes." 

~ Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi February 28, 210

Thomas Bruso Bus Brawl: Vietnam Tom 67 Defends Against Racist Felon: Epic Beard Man is Thomas Bruso?

I have two videos here. The first is some raw footage of a fight on an Oakland AC transit bus. I was not   entirely clear about "shining shoes," - didn't want to put it up until I understood what was going on. I made a routine visit to Bunni's at Amusing Bunni's Musings and found an interview with Thomas Bruso, a 67-year-old Vietnam vet, who defended himself on the city bus, against a younger man, a felon (according to Tom) who thought because Vietnam Tom had a full white beard, and looked vulnerable, he could do some bullying.

Watch the first video of Mr. Bruso defending himself, and then watch the second video interview with him and hear his story. God bless this man who tried to defuse, and when that didn't work, he refused to be intimidated by a punk.

Thanks to my 'other little brother' who sent the first video and to TrueCrimeReport.

By the way, there's interesting stuff going around about Mr. Brusco - who may be the bearer of the name Epic Beard Man. Google his name and click around or click here, but I'm giving you a strong language warning and more! This is not the first time Bruso has been on camera.

Vietnam Tom Defends himself on an Oakland Bush (video)

Thomas Bruso Vietnam Tom Defends Himself Against Racist Felon (video)

Joseph P. Kennedy III May Seek House Seat: Delahunt Retires Kennedy III Emerges?

Joseph P. Kennedy, III, one of the twin sons of former Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy II may run for the U.S. House 10th District seat in Massachusetts in November. Rep. William Delahunt is sending signals that he may not seek re-election. The Kennedy-Free Congress may be a short-lived memory. Democrat operatives are believed to be making it happen. Young Joe has little to lose, other than the Kennedy legacy. No Kennedy has ever lost an election in Massachusetts.

Joseph P. Kennedy, III

J.P. Kennedy, III is 29 years old. A Massachusetts Democrat leaked the story today that he is considering a run. Kennedy the Even Younger is a graduate of Stanford University and, of course, Harvard Law. He is a prosecutor in Barnstable County, and registered to vote in Cape Cod. The 10th District represents the South Shore and Cape Cod. Don't miss the story of Joe III's mother a few paragraphs down.

Delahunt, who has not faced a serious challenge since 1996, told the Boston Globe on February 13th, he is considering retiring.  He is under pressure for his failure to investigate University of Alabama Huntsville murderer, Dr. Amy Bishop in 1986 after she shot and killed her 18-year-old brother Sean when Delahunt was a Massachusetts District Attorney. Bishop shot  and killed three of her peers at a UAH department meeting in early February. Three additional persons were wounded, two of them critically.

The circumstances around Sean's death should have called for an investigation, instead then-Police of Chief Polio spoke by phone with then-District Attorney William Delahunt, and when Polio got off of the phone, Amy Bishop was allowed to go home - no further investigation, no charges - even though a car dealer salesman told police Bishop walked into his showroom minutes after the shooting, still armed with her shotgun, and acted in a threatening manner. There was never a follow-up interview with the saleman, and recent reports say that the autopsy report lacks pertinent data. As District Attorney, the autopsy was under Delahunt's oversight. Bishop's mother was well-known in Braintree and some believe her influence shutdown a investigation.

Massachusetts Democrats are said to trying to broker an "endorse Joe III and retire" plan for Delahunt. Joe the Younger is said to be a bright star among the other Kennedys in his generation, and he will no doubt be a front runner from the moment his candidacy is announced.

An interesting Kennedy-side-story: Joe III's father, Joe II divorced his mother, Sheila Rauch Kennedy after 12 years in 1991. Joe II asked the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston to annul the marriage on the grounds that he was not mentally capable of entering the marriage in 1979. Sheila Rauch, an Episcopalian, refused to agree to the annulment.

Joe II married Beth Kelly, his former staffer anyway, in a civil ceremony in 1993. Rauch later discovered that the Boston Archdiocese granted Kennedy the annulment secretly in 1996. Rauch appealed the annulment to the Vatican and in 2005, the Vatican reversed the annulment. Astonishing that an Episcopalian woman could fight the power of the Kennedy's and a powerful diocese...and win.

Republican Jeffry Davis Perry, currently a third term Massachusetts State Congressman announced his U.S. House candidacy on February 2nd. He will kickoff his race, and his first fundraiser for the Massachusetts 10th District on March 5, 2010.

Linked by Storm'n Norm'n - Thank You!

Hawaii Live Stream Awaiting Tsunami - Watch Live

If all works correctly, the video below should be live streaming video - on air - from Hawaii. At 12:05 PM Hawaii time (5:05 PM EST), reports are coming through that tsunami effects are being to be seen in Hawaii. Waters are receding, and the surge is beginning. In Hilo no water over the breakwall. Wave action with little to no impact at 12:13 PM Hawaii time - more than one hour later than large waves were expected. The tsunami warning for Hawaii has been lifted. Read a report from Hilo below the live stream.

Live video chat by Ustream  From MSNBC's WorldBlog:

Don Sullivan of Denver, Colo., was vacationing in Hilo when he was awoken at 6 a.m. local time by tsunami warning sirens and forced to evacuate to high ground.  Sirens continued to blare every hour after than, he said.  

"The evacuation seemed smooth, but there were huge gas lines," he said.

He drove to a nearby scenic overlook about 100 feet above the beach, where he had a good view of the tsunami waves as they arrived. The sky was full of helicopters, he said, but there was no sense of panic among the evacuees.

Two hours before the first wave hit, at about 2 p.m. ET, Sullivan said "The whales (were) going nuts, very, very active," he said.  Then, about an hour before that wave, only a single whale remained in view.  [He was] "About 100 yards out, young, looks like he is confused, bobbing up and down, he is in trouble," Sullivan said.  

Then, just after 4 p.m. ET, the water receded with eery calm away from the coast.  

"The beach line quickly (got) wider," he said.  A few minutes later, the water rushed back in. "The bay (looks) bizarre, like a blender," he said.  The churned up bay filled with dirty water, he said.  There was no sign of the struggling whale after the second wave, he said.

Then, at around 5:45, after three "surges" of water, the whales reappeared, suggesting to Sullivan that nature might be getting back to normal. 

"The choppers are leaving and the whales are returning," he said.

But public officials continue to issues warning that the tsunami was still dangerous, so Sullivan, 47, had no idea what to do next.

"We don't really know what to do with ourselves," he said. "I've been up since yesterday morning and we don't know if we will be allowed to go back to our hotel."

Hawaii Chile Earthquake: Tsunami Wave to Hit Hawaii at 4:05 PM EST

The first waves are expected to arrive in Hawaii at 11:05 AM local time, 4:05 PM EST. Continuing updates as available. At 6:00 AM Hawaii time, 11AM EST, FOXNews reports live, that sirens are sounding now in Hawaii. There remains about 5 hours to evacuate tsunami zones. Hilo Bay area may receive the highest waves.  The tsunami warning for Hawaii has been lifted. Read the story of an American tourist on Hilo below.


See live streaming video from Hawaii here.


12:05 PM Hawaii Time (5:10 PM EST) The first surge is nearing the island of Hawaii.

At 11:55 AM EST, Malia Zimmerman with the Hawaiian Reporter says waves are expected to be 6'-12', in long continuing waves - lasting several hours. Some sirens are not working.



WARNING from Charles McCreery: Do not go to the beaches to see the waves. The waves are unpredictable and you may not be able to get out of the way. Go to higher ground.

The tsunami is said to be moving across the Pacific Ocean at the speed of a jet liner.

Charles McCreery, director of The Ewa Beach, a Hawaii-based center, called for "urgent action to protect lives and property." McCreery said the waves are expected to be the biggest to hit Hawaii since 1964.

The state planned to sound warning sirens statewide at 6 a.m. to alert residents and tourists of the incoming tsunami, said Shelly Ichishita, spokeswoman for state civil defense.

People in coastal areas, such as tourist-filled Waikiki, will then be instructed on a possible evacuation. The sirens will also be sounded again three hours prior to the estimated arrival time.

"If you're in an evacuation zone, police or civil defense volunteers would instruct you to evacuate, or instructions will come out over the radio and TV," she said.

If coastal areas are evacuated, visitors in Waikiki would be moved to higher floors in their hotels, rather than moved out of the tourist district, which could cause gridlock.

At 11 AM EST Rick Reichmuth at FOX says warning sirens are sounding, which indicates that ocean buoys are indicating that there are tsunami waves forming.

Update 2-27-10:
Eucadorean President Rafael Correa said a tsunami has passed the Galapagos Islands, causing a swell but no damage.

In Hawaii, tourists in Waikiki may be moved to higher floors in hotels.

10:40 EST - This report says Hilo on Hawaii Island may receive the biggest waves. "The shape of the Bay [Hilo Bay] favors the waves gaining in height. Beaches throughout the Hawaiian Islands are being evacuated.

Get off the shore line. We are closing all the beaches and telling people to drive out of the area," said John Cummings, Oahu Civil

11:40 EST - The Mayor of Honolulu, on FOXNews said tourists will be moved to the third floor of hotels or higher.

From MSNBC's WorldBlog:

Don Sullivan of Denver, Colo., was vacationing in Hilo when he was awoken at 6 a.m. local time by tsunami warning sirens and forced to evacuate to high ground.  Sirens continued to blare every hour after than, he said.  

"The evacuation seemed smooth, but there were huge gas lines," he said.

He drove to a nearby scenic overlook about 100 feet above the beach, where he had a good view of the tsunami waves as they arrived. The sky was full of helicopters, he said, but there was no sense of panic among the evacuees.

Two hours before the first wave hit, at about 2 p.m. ET, Sullivan said "The whales (were) going nuts, very, very active," he said.  Then, about an hour before that wave, only a single whale remained in view.  [He was] "About 100 yards out, young, looks like he is confused, bobbing up and down, he is in trouble," Sullivan said.  

Then, just after 4 p.m. ET, the water receded with eery calm away from the coast.  

"The beach line quickly (got) wider," he said.  A few minutes later, the water rushed back in. "The bay (looks) bizarre, like a blender," he said.  The churned up bay filled with dirty water, he said.  There was no sign of the struggling whale after the second wave, he said.

Then, at around 5:45, after three "surges" of water, the whales reappeared, suggesting to Sullivan that nature might be getting back to normal. 

"The choppers are leaving and the whales are returning," he said.

But public officials continue to issues warning that the tsunami was still dangerous, so Sullivan, 47, had no idea what to do next.

"We don't really know what to do with ourselves," he said. "I've been up since yesterday morning and we don't know if we will be allowed to go back to our hotel." 

Related and Background:
Chile 8.8 Quake Devastation Tsunami Alert: 131' Wave Hits Chile: Hawaii Tsunami Warning 

Chile 8.8 Quake Devastation Tsunami Alert: Chile 131 foot Wave Hits: Hawaii Tsunami Warning

A massive earthquake hit Chile this morning. Tsunami warnings are out, and there are reports of a 131-foot wave the Juan Fernandez Islands. Continuing updates as available. NBC reportes  a tsunami wave is expected to reach Hawaii's coastline at 11:19 AM local time and  4:19 PM EST. Continuing updates as available. See updates below. If you are concerned about loved ones in Chile, call the U.S. State Department at 1-888-407-4747. See video below. See the latest update here.

Chile 8.8 Earthquake

Two million people in Chile have been affected.

The quake hit at 3:30 AM local time, and less than 100 miles north of the city of Concepcion, the second largest city in Chili. Power and phone lines are out-of-service. In Santiago, hospitals have been evacuated and the airport is closed. Santiago is located 200 miles from Concepcion.

 

Santiago, Chile Earthquake Devastation

Concepcion is the country's second-largest country. More than 200,000 people live along the Bio Bio river. It is reported that the Nuestra Senora de la Providencia church was heavily damaged and the bell tower collapsed.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS):

Magnitude 8.8

Depth 35 km (21.7 miles)

Region: Offshore Maule, Chile

Distances:

100 km (60 miles) NNW of Chillan, Chile

105 km (65 miles) WSW of Talca, Chile

115 km (70 miles) NNE of Concepcion, Chile

325 km (200 miles) SW of SANTIAGO, Chile

Reports from Santiago, Chile, said 85 122 147  214 300 are known dead in the southern Maule region. President Michelle Bachelet declared a "state of catastrophe."

Chile Earthquake 

The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake struck 56 miles northeast of the city of Concepcion at a depth of 22 miles at 3:34 a.m. (1:34 a.m. ET).

Jessica Sigala, a geophysicist with the USGS told NBC News that the quake released 500 times more energy than the than the one that hit Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on January 12. The quake was felt in Buenos Aires, Argentina, which is located more than 800 miles away.

Tsunami warnings were issued for Hawaii, South America, Australia and New Zealand, Japan, the Philippines, Russia and many other Pacific islands.

Chile is the home to the world's biggest earthquake, measuring 9.5 magnitude, in 1960. At least 1,655 people died and 2 million were left homeless.

Today's earthquake is 64 times stronger than the one that Haiti in January 2010. It is deeper than the Haiti quake and due to the depth, it is hoped there will be fewer casualties.

Continuing updates as available for the Chile 8.8. earthquake.

Updates on Americans in Chile:

P.J. Crowley, a U.S. State Department spokesman says there are 100 Embassy personnel in Chile and "all are okay and accounted for."

Update 2-27-10:

As of 10:20 AM EST, no American deaths have been reported.

Aftershock Updates:

6.9 reported the largest as of 11:20 AM EST.
USGS reported 11 aftershocks, of which five measured 6.0 or above.
On FOXNews at 10:40 EST: the largest aftershock at this time is 6.9

Tsunami Updates:

A USGS spokesman speaking on FOXNews at 10:40 AM EST just said a tsunami wave is expected to hit the coastline somewhere in Hawaii at 4:19 PM EST.

11:00 AM Ecuador time: 11:0 AM EST - Ecuador's president, Rafael Correa said a tsunami has passed the Galapagos Islands, causing a swell but no damage.

A "huge" wave hit the Robinson Crusoe Islands 410 miles off the Chilean coast. There are no reports of injuries or major damage at this time.

From The:SunUK:

 British experts said a giant wave was now spreading from the epicentre in Chile towards the famous Easter Islands and then outwards in to the Pacific.

The extent of the tsunami's strength is not yet known, but it has already reached the southern Juan Fernandez Islands, about 400 miles off the coast of Chile, where it was reported to have caused "serious damage".

"Tsunami waves in the deep ocean travel about the same speed as a jet plane and would take about 15 hours to reach Hawaii and about 20 hours to reach the other side of the Pacific," he added.

Tsunami warnings were issued for Guam, American Samoa and other Pacific islands.

All Hawaiian coastlines are under Tsunami warning, including Waikiki.

Update 2-27-10 12:20 EST: Four people died in a tsunami on Juan Fernandez islands.

In the City of Concepcion, a city of 670,000, a 15-story apartment building collapsed, along with many of the adobe houses. There is darkness tonight, light coming from bonfires.


Related and Background:
Hawaii Chile Earthquake: Tsunami Wave to Hit Hawaii at 4 PM EST (11:19 AM local time)










Chile Earthquake 8.8 (video)