AP – Hurricane Earl steamed toward the Eastern Seaboard early Thursday as communities from North Carolina to New England kept a close eye on the forecast, worried that even a slight shift in the storm’s predicted offshore track could put millions of people in the most densely populated part of the country in harm’s way.

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Island evacuations start as Earl nears East Coast
(AP)
AP – The Obama administration on Friday accused an analyst who worked at the State Department of leaking top secret information about North Korea to a reporter.

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Federal contractor charged with leaking secrets
(AP)
Continuing my coverage of the revolt against the White House ocean grab , here’s the latest on today’s fishermen’s protest flotilla gathering at Martha’s Vineyard while President Obama plays Scrabble and golf with his Chicago cronies. Takeaway quote from this local news report from one of the fishermen outraged at the administration’s junk science-based catch limits: “All these politicians scream about is jobs, jobs, jobs. Why are they putting out of business?” Related: Corruption, waste, and anti-fishing vendettas at NOAA have been rampant. Background from Richard Gaines of the Gloucester Daily Times here and here . More from Andrew Malcolm at Top of the Ticket. Get involved: More from the Fishing Rights Alliance and the Recreational Fishing Alliance. *** A local fishermen took out a full-page ad in the Martha’s Vineyard Gazette. I’m reprinting it in full here. How about a fish and chips summit, Mr. President? Northeast Seafood Coalition takes out full page ad in Vineyard Gazette EDGARTOWN, Massachusetts – Aug 24, 2010 – The Northeast Seafood Coalition has taken out a full page ad in today’s Vineyard Gazette. The ad is an open letter to President Obama from Russell Sherman, captain of the Fishing Vessel Lade Jane of Gloucester, Massachusetts. The text follows: “MR. PRESIDENT, WE NEED YOUR HELP” Dear President Obama, My name is Russell Sherman, and I am a life-long fisherman. Like New England fisherman before me have done for 387 years, I take my vessel, the 72-foot F/V Lady Jane from the port of Gloucester, Massachusetts, into North Atlantic waters to bring back cod, haddock, flounder, and other groundfish for America’s table. I hope that while you’re in New England, you and your family are enjoying a few meals of our fresh catch – there’s none better tasting or healthier in the world. Mr. President, my fellow fishermen and I need your leadership. We are small businessmen and women who want to continue the profession we love. We have worked hard over the past 16 years to rebuild groundfish stocks. Today, some stocks are fully rebuilt, and most others are expected to rebuild in three years, by 2014. According to federal forecasts, a fully rebuilt fishery will yield a sustainable catch nearly five times current landings. At a time when we should be hopeful about the future of our businesses, we are desperate instead. We are being driven from our work and the fishery we have helped to rebuild. Ironically, what’s putting us out of work are the rules to rebuild the fishery. The most recent version of these rules – effective on May 1, 2010 – impose very low annual catch limits on stocks for the next three years, and at the same time institute a “catch share” system. Take my case. Under the 2010 rules, my permit allows an annual catch of only 60,000 lbs of groundfish. At an average price of $1.50 a pound, that’s an annual gross of $90,000, or about one-quarter of my business’ gross income last year. I simply cannot run my business and support my crew of four – each with a family – on only $90,000 a year. My business is only one of hundreds facing extinction. While there will be a small handful of “winners” under these new rules, the vast majority of us will be losers. And when we “losers” are forced out, jobs will be lost, coastal communities gutted, and crucial commercial fishing infrastructure gone forever. Is this the way to rebuild our storied, centuries-old groundfish fishery? I belong to an organization called the Northeast Seafood Coalition, a New England-wide organization of 255 small, entrepreneurial fishing businesses and allied support businesses that participates in the public process. The Coalition has tried to bring this matter to the attention of your Department of Commerce. We have tried to offer constructive solutions to the challenge of rebuilding fisheries without at the same time destroying them. But our efforts have fallen on deaf ears. Mr. President, we desperately need your leadership. We ask that you please direct your Department of Commerce to listen to us and work with us. We know that we can meet this challenge by working together. Sincerely yours, Russell Sherman, Captain, F/V Lady Jane Port of Gloucester, Massachusetts

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The fishermen’s flotilla: Showdown at Martha’s Vineyard
Grim reaper photoshop credit: Manly Rash I said yesterday in my Beltway Chainsaw Massacre column that the GOP needs to track the Obama jobs death toll and tell the victims’ stories far and wide. But there’s no need to wait for the GOP. I’ll keep doing it right here. The first story of the day comes from the Fort Worth Star Telegram in Texas, where a health insurer called Health Markets has laid off 70 workers and expects up to 180 more as it braces for the costs of Obamacare and other government mandates: HealthMarkets, the North Richland Hills-based seller of health insurance, laid off 70 employees this month and expects to trim 180 more positions by the end of the first quarter of 2011, according to a recent federal filing. In the Securities and Exchange Commission filing, HealthMarkets blamed the layoffs on “dropping enrollment levels experienced by the company’s insurance subsidiaries,” along with national healthcare reform and “related legislative developments.” HealthMarkets provides insurance plans to the self-employed, individuals and small businesses. The second story of the day comes from the Worcester Telegram in Massachusetts, where a local hospital will slash about 50 full-time jobs: About 50 full-time jobs will be eliminated at the HealthAlliance Hospital — Leominster Campus, and one of two planned expansion projects may be cut back. Mary Lourdes Burke, chief communications officer for the hospital, said yesterday the job cuts do not mean 50 layoffs, because some were vacant positions that will not be filled, and some were positions that had hours reduced. Also, she said, some union contracts required moving employees into other posts. …Ms. Burke attributed the cuts to health care reform, with its reductions in Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements, along with cuts in private health insurance reimbursements and increasing co-payments for patients…David F. Duncan, hospital vice president for facilities, told the City Council earlier this year that the design may be scaled back because the new federal health reform law discourages emergency room visits. …In addition, he said, health care reform is expected to result in the loss of $24 million in Medicare reimbursements, out of $170 million total, starting in five years. The state’s health insurance reform laws, on which the national model is based, have already resulted in at least that much in losses, Mr. Muldoon said. Ho, ho, hey, hey. How many jobs did O destroy today?

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Obama jobs death toll watch: More health care layoffs
This week, Sarah Palin endorsed a quartet of Republican women running for the U.S. House: Martha Roby served on the Montgomery City Council where she fought tax increases and worked hard to reduce government spending. She’s now running to represent Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District with a strong message of reform to get our country back on the right track. Please join me in supporting this hardworking, proud mother of two by visiting her website at www.martharoby.com and following her on Facebook and Twitter . Renee Ellmers is a true citizen-politician running in North Carolina’s 2nd Congressional District. Having worked in the health care industry all her life, she joined countless other concerned Americans at the town hall meetings last summer to protest the disastrous Obamacare legislation. And she didn’t stop there! Renee decided to join the ranks of patriotic mothers across the country who have the courage to run for office this year and fight to make sure our children have as bright a future as we were given. Renee has an uphill battle against a truly out of touch incumbent who made news not too long ago when he was caught on video assaulting a student who asked him if he supported the Obama agenda. Simple enough question, but this Democrat Congressman who’s been in Washington for 14 years turned violent rather than answer it. My point with this is that Renee is willing to answer that question . She supports a commonsense conservative agenda which will put our country back on sound fiscal footing. Please visit Renee’s website at www.reneeforcongress.com and follow her on Facebook and Twitter . Jackie Walorski will make an excellent representative of Indiana’s 2nd Congressional District, having been born and raised there and serving as a state representative for the past five years. She knows the people, she knows the issues that matter to them, and most importantly, she knows what she stands for – limited government, fiscal restraint, and a proper respect for our Constitution. The incumbent Democrat she’s running against has already launched his first attack ad against her, so I hope you’ll join me in standing with Jackie. She truly knows what public service means. Please visit her website at www.standwithjackie.com and follow her on Facebook and Twitter . Vicky Hartzler is determined to shake things up in Missouri’s 4th Congressional District. She ran an underdog campaign to win her primary and is now determined to challenge a 17-term Democrat incumbent who has long lost touch with the good people of Missouri. Vicky grew up on her family farm and is still a farmer with her husband. Her diverse background includes being a teacher, a state legislator, a grassroots organizer, a successful small business owner, and a proud mom of a wonderful daughter. She’s a dynamic commonsense conservative who is running to get our economy and long-term fiscal security back on track for her daughter and all of our children. Please visit this farmer’s daughter’s website and learn more about Vicky at www.vickyhartzler.com and follow her on Facebook and Twitter . Jim Geraghty
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Another Four Women Get Nods From Sarah Palin
Because North Dakota's House district encompasses the entire state, and because Rasmussen polls the state fairly regularly, the race between incumbent Democrat Earl Pomeroy and GOP challenger Rick Berg is becoming one of the most frequently polled House races in the country. The results are pretty consistent. Here's the latest : Republican challenger Rick Berg remains slightly ahead of incumbent Democratic Congressman Earl Pomeroy in the race for North Dakota’s only U.S. House seat. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely North Dakota voters shows Berg with 53% support, his best showing in the contest to date, while Pomeroy picks up 44% of the vote. One percent (1%) favor some other candidate in the race, and three percent (3%) are undecided.
As I said this morning: It’s not about the children. It’s about political self-preservation. Chris Moody at The Daily Caller follows the “EduJobs”/BigGovJobs money and discovers that, lo and behold, the $26 billion bailout will help states that don’t need the dough: The federal government estimates that the bill will save 161,000 teaching jobs, but North Dakota, Tennessee, Arkansas, Alaska and a handful of other states have kept their educational pay rolls full despite the recession, which has drastically lowered government revenues around the country. Since the new bill provides funds based on state population and the number of children in school, these states will receive funds even if their budgets are in the black. This has some employees at state education departments wondering exactly how they will spend all the fresh cash. Arkansas, for example, has a fully funded teaching staff for the coming year, but the state will still receive up to $91 million for teaching jobs… …children in each class based upon those numbers. Although the teaching jobs are filled, the state will still receive $24 million under the bill, and a state official asserted that it probably would not go to adding new teachers. According to an Education Department official, unneeded teacher funding may go to help pay for “on-campus therapists.” No word on whether they’ll be spending the extra cash on Viagra , too.
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“Edujobs” money going to states that don’t need it
This weekend and this morning, Scott Rasmussen releases a whole bunch of polls, mostly reassuring to Republicans. Nationwide , 55 percent want to repeal Obamacare; 38 percent oppose repeal. That's down from last week but within the usual range on this question. The South Dakota House seat race continues to look good for Republicans: “The latest Rasmussen Reports statewide telephone survey of Likely Voters shows [GOP challenger Kristi] Noem picking up 51 percent support against [Democrat incumbent Stephanie] Herseth-Sandlin, who receives 42 percent of the vote. Three percent (3%) prefer some other candidate in the race, and five percent (5%) are undecided.
