File this one under What MSM Is Not Telling Us.
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wbb- the article you posted should be read far and wide. BO is using Health Care as a distraction to the Public while our economy is about to be irreparably bankrupted by China’s galvanizing an anti-American union with Russia, India, Pakistan and Iran hellbent on breaking the dollar into worthless paper.

China IS the “Pale Horse”.

June 15, 2009

In an email and fax sent late Friday, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, demanded that Alan D. Solomont, the chairman of the Corporation for National and Community Service, provide “any and all records, email, memoranda, documents, communications, or other information, whether in draft or final form” related to President Obama’s firing of CNCS Inspector General Gerald Walpin.

Walpin had investigated Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson’s community service organization, St. HOPE Academy, which confessed to misusing AmeriCORPS grants. In April of this year, St. HOPE Academy agreed to pay a $423,836.50 settlement — $72,836.50 of which would be paid personally by Mayor Johnson.

“For reasons that I do not yet understand, the OIG was excluded from this proceeding and the settlement lifting the suspension, was done in complete disregard of the OIG’s findings, as well as the previous determination of wrong doing identified in the Notice of Suspension,” Grassley wrote. “Perhaps the settlement agreement was reached without any input from the OIG, because less than half of what was misused by the Corporation grantees is being returned to the taxpayer and the OIG would not have agreed to this arrangement. In fact, an argument can be made that not even half of the misused funds is being returned, because the settlement does not require that payment in full be made. Rather the settlement places the grantees on a type of payment plan that will occur over a decade; to date less than 10% of the misused money has been recovered.”

During the course of his investigation, Walpin clashed with the US Attorney’s office; eventually Acting US Attorney Lawrence Brown, complaining that Walpin acted “as the investigator, advocate, judge, jury and town crier” in his investigation, wrote to the chair of the Integrity Committee for the Counsel of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency “to express my Office’s concerns about the conduct” of Walpin.

In his Friday email and fax, Grassley told Solomont, who backed Walpin’s termination, that he wanted to see all materials related to Walpin’s performance as Inspector General, his removal, any contacts CNCS had with the United States Attorney’s Office, St. HOPE Academy, Mayor Johnson, the White House, or the First Lady’s office.

This appears to be related to a report in Youth Today, an independent, nationally distributed newspaper for professionals in the youth service field, which reported that “Some decisions about CNCS are being made by First Lady Michelle Obama, according to service advocates (who asked not to be named). Last week, Mrs. Obama announced that her chief of staff, Jackie Norris, would move to CNCS as a senior adviser. Officials said yesterday that Norris is scheduled to arrive on June 22.”

The White House has not yet reacted to this letter; we will add their response when they do so.

blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2009/06/seeking-answers-on-ig-firing-sen-grassley-asks-about-possible-role-of-first-ladys-office.html

ABC, Obama Team Up for Prime-Time Special on Health Care

Monday, June 15, 2009

By JOYCE ENG
TV GUIDE

President Obama is back on prime time: ABC News will present an interview and a town-hall discussion with the president on health care issues next Wednesday. Obama will host the discussion at the White House with ABC’s Charles Gibson and Diane Sawyer, who will moderate the discussion with the live audience and take viewer-submitted questions.

The one-hour special will air June 24 at 10 pm/ET on a two-hour tape delay. After breaking for the news, the special will continue on Nightline at 11:35 pm/ET. Earlier that day, Sawyer will interview Obama on Good Morning America, while Gibson will anchor World News from the Blue Room of the White House in the evening.

Obama most recently appeared in a two-part sit-down with NBC’s Brian Williams.

seattlepi.com/tvguide/407236_tvgif15.html

I just heard a talk show host refer to Russert’s old tv show as:

Meet the Depressed!

hahahahahahah

Khamenei steps in

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Top Story: Iran’s post-election turmoil may be winding down as the country’s main opposition group postponed a planned rally for today after supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called for calm and promised an investigation of irregularities in last Friday’s election. Just after the initial announcement of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s victory, Khamenei had called it a “divine assessment.”

Between 150 and 200 students were reportedly arrested last night in protests at Tehran University. Authorities have also reportedly blocked access to a number of online news services, and social networking sites. President Ahmadinejad has dismissed this weekend’s arrest as similar to “passions after a soccer match”.

A number of international figures have expressed concern about events without explicitly condemning the Iranian regime’s actions. U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said that “It sure looks like the way they’re suppressing speech, the way they’re suppressing crowds, the way in which people are being treated, that there’s some real doubt.”

B Story: Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave a speech at Bar Ilan University on Sunday in which he endorsed the concept of a demilitarized Palestinian state, but only under conditions unlikely to be accepted by Palestinian leaders. He promised that no new settlements would be constructed on the West Bank, though left the door open for “natural growth” of existing communities. He also reiterated Israeli demands for an undivided Jerusalem.