Just as the Law of the Sea Treaty became a hot topic of policy debate this spring, a new entity emerged to throw its weight behind the treaty. The American Sovereignty Campaign, a coalition launched May 9 at a forum hosted by the Pew Charitable Trust and the Atlantic Council, took out web and print ads in publications across the political spectrum and went to work publishing opinion editorials in newspapers from Sarasota to Toledo.
The campaign’s message was clear: ratify the treaty now. The rationale for assuming a name that had long been appropriated by advocates on the other side of the issue was less so.
Frank Gaffney, director of the Center for Security Policy, is fuming.
Since 2007, Gaffney has been the head of the Coalition to Preserve American Sovereignty, a group founded to help defeat passage of the treaty. Now, the group calls itself the True Sovereignty Coalition, and its message remains the same: don’t cede American authority over to an international bureaucracy; leave the treaty unsigned.
“What you have is a transparent, Orwellian appropriation of a term that has a common meaning, in the interest of obscuring the fact that this treaty is antithetical to that meaning,” Gaffney said.
“I think (proponents) recognize that the treaty is clearly inimical to our sovereignty, that it has in a number of different respects a really diametrically opposite impact than promoting sovereignty. And that’s the kiss of death for this treaty. They have to obscure that.”
Steven Groves, an international law expert at the Heritage Foundation who has also opposed the treaty, used the same word—Orwellian—without prompting.
“It’s the same group that has been in favor of the treaty for a couple of decades now,” Groves said. “In what can only be described as an Orwellian twist, they’ve co-opted that term and trying to brand themselves as champions of American sovereignty.”
Groves said the treaty would encroach on American sovereignty by collecting royalties from production taking place on our continental shelf and redistributing them to member countries through the International Seabed Authority. Language within the treaty, he said, may also expose the U.S. to international lawsuits and litigation.
If nothing else, the tactic is an effective means of confusion. I observed a reporter pick up materials distributed by TASC at a Senate committee hearing on Law of the Sea and leaf through them, expecting a “counterpoint” to the treaty argument.
But a recent member of The American Sovereignty Campaign said the name signifies a different interpretation of the treaty itself.
At the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the latest organization to join the campaign, Executive Vice President for Government Affairs Bruce Josten said the treaty promotes sovereign rights for the U.S. by establishing an international legal framework with agreement on how countries can claim surrounding seabeds and the continental shelf for proprietary use.
“It secures sovereign rights for the United States and states that have coastal areas,” Josten said. “It provides certainty and stability, both of which are crucial for countries to make investments. We believe failure to move forward and approve the Law of the Sea convention will place not only U.S. government but also U.S. industry at a disadvantage.”
Josten made clear he could not speak for the campaign, but said the name was not an attempt at Orwellian obfuscation.
“The Pew was the outfit that came up with the name and the purpose was deliberate,” he said. “We believe this treaty was to protect U.S. sovereign rights, but not weaken sovereignty rights.”
Repeated calls to Frances Cox, press contact for The American Sovereignty Campaign, were not returned.
Proposed middle ground on LOST -- Paul Wolfowitz "still thinking."
Source: www.humanevents.com
USA Muslim Matrimonial - Owen Sound Sun Times
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Source: www.owensoundsuntimes.com
London Broncos 28 Widnes Vikings 24 - runcornandwidnesweeklynews.co.uk
Jun 11 2012 by Daniel Mckenzie, Runcorn and Widnes Weekly News
A LAST-GASP Antonio Kaufusi try denied Widnes their first away win of the season against London at the Twickenham Stoop on Saturday.
The Broncos prop touched down in the final seconds of the match to lift his side above the Vikings and off the foot of the Super League table.
Widnes were on the back foot for large periods of the game – especially in the first half – but went into the break level at 12-12 and lead by two points going into the final minute.
Then, with the final play of the game, Kafusi powered his way through an exhausted Widnes defence to break the hearts of the hundreds of travelling Vikings fans.
The Vikings got off to a flying start and Cameron Phelps opened the scoring after two minutes.
Phelps, again playing at full-back in Shaun Briscoe's absence, burst onto John Clarke's well-timed pass to touch down to the right of the sticks. Ah Van added the extras.
But straight from the restart a Widnes mistake gifted London possession and the Vikings were made to work hard in defence to shut out three repeat sets.
The home side continued on the front foot and eventually turned pressure into points when Craig Gower touched down after 13 minutes. Jason Golden levelled the scores with the conversion.
After 20 minutes of stalemate, in which Widnes struggled to get out of their own half, London took the lead when Omari Caro finished off a well-worked last tackle move.
But the Vikings sparked into life in the closing stages of the half and Frank Winterstein popped up with a collector's item of a try seconds before the hooter.
Winterstein used all of his 18-stone frame to power his way to the line after Ah Van had gone close. The successful conversion meant the side's went in level at the break 12-12.
The Vikings started the second half in similar vein to the first, with Phelps again crossing in the early stages after good work by Jon Clarke.
The scores were level once again five minutes later when substitute forward Tony Clubb powered over a break by London's pacey winger Kieran Dixon.
Paddy Flynn then denied Dixon what looked to be a certain try with an outstanding last ditch tackle.
Widnes then had several chances to reestablish their lead in a long period of possession but first Paul McShane and then Ah Van had tries chalked off by referee Robert Hicks.
They did eventually get their noses in front however when Winterstein completed his brace with an hour played, latching onto Rhys Hanbury's precision pass.
Ah Van then had a chance to put a bit of daylight between the two sides but was off target with a penalty from 45m out.
Moments later Paddy Flynn came up with yet another try-saving tackle moments later, again denying Dixon and forcing the error.
And when Daniel Sarginson crossed for London with just seven minutes left to played, it looked as though the Vikings had been denied securing back-to-back victories for the first time this year.
But from the conversion Golden missed the chance to tie things up, leaving Widnes two points ahead with minutes to play.
However, with the final play of the match Antonio Kaufusi powered his way through the tiring Widnes defence to win the match for his team in the most dramatic fashion.
Vikings coach Dennis Betts said: “We have to stay philosophical about it. Last week we won a game in the last minute and this week we lose in the last minute.
“I thought we did enough to deserve something from the game, although we did have to spend a lot of our time defending and that took a lot of energy out of us.
“I'm really disappointed as this was a great opportunity to push ourselves away from the foot of the table and we have not taken it.”
Source: www.runcornandwidnesweeklynews.co.uk
Key Dynamics In Play In Long-Awaited Health Law Decision - Kaiser Health News
NPR: Health Care Decision Hinges On A Crucial Clause
All of Washington is breathlessly awaiting the Supreme Court's imminent decision on the Obama health care overhaul. Rumors circulate almost daily that the decision is ready for release. As usual, those rumors are perpetrated by people who know nothing, but the decision is expected by the end of this month. The near hysteria is partially about politics: Congressional Republicans hate the bill, and some see President Obama's chance at a second term hinged to the fate of the law. But constitutional scholars know there is much more at stake here than an individual election. Just how much is illustrated by the legal history of the Commerce Clause of the Constitution (Totenberg, 6/11).
NewsHour: Primer: Supreme Court's Health Reform Ruling Expected Soon
The "best-kept secret in Washington" is about to go public. Two months after the Supreme Court's hearings on the health care reform law, the justices are expected to announce their decision any day now -- possibly as early as June 11 but no later than June 28. The pre-ruling radio silence from the Court has only fueled speculation about whether the justices will strike down the Affordable Care Act or leave part -- or all -- of it standing. But regardless of the outcome, most agree on one thing: This decision is likely to shape the course of American health care for years to come (Kane, 6/8).
Kaiser Health News: Stake High For Consumers And Industry As Court Weighs Health Law
Since the health care law passed two years ago, government, states, insurers, doctors and hospitals have been building a complex scaffolding to extend insurance to 30 million more Americans (Rau, 6/10).
Kaiser Health News: Vladeck: Death Will Increase If SCOTUS Strikes Health Law Down (Video)
Bruce Vladeck, who ran Medicare and Medicaid for four years under President Clinton, forecasts "chaos" in the health care delivery system and increased deaths if the Supreme Court strikes down the health law. Killing the law would "save a fortune" for the government, but at the expense of "gutting Medicaid," says Vladeck, who is now a senior advisor for Nexera, a New York hospital consulting firm. This interview is part of KHN's video series "Supreme Uncertainty: What's Next After The Court Rules," which solicits views from public officials and policy experts about the upcoming Supreme Court ruling on the health law and its implications for the future of health care (6/10).
The Associated Press: Undoing Health Law Could Have Messy Ripple Effects
It sounds like a silver lining. Even if the Supreme Court overturns President Barack Obama's health care law, employers can keep offering popular coverage for the young adult children of their workers. But here's the catch: The parents' taxes would go up. That's only one of the messy potential ripple effects when the Supreme Court delivers its verdict on the Affordable Care Act this month (Alonso-Zaldivar, 6/11).
The New York Times: Hospitals Aren't Waiting For Verdict On Health Care Law
It was the first Monday in June, counting down to a United States Supreme Court decision that could transform the landscape of American health care. But like hospitals across the country, Maimonides is not waiting around for the verdict. Win, lose or draw in court, administrators said, the policies driving the federal health care law are already embedded in big cuts and new payment formulas that hospitals ignore at their peril. And even if the law is repealed after the next election, the economic pressure to care differently for more people at lower cost is irreversible (Bernstein, 6/10).
Health News Florida: Hospitals Hope Health Law Will Be Upheld
Hospital executives have their fingers crossed that the Supreme Court will uphold the Affordable Care Act, because so many of their patients lack insurance. If it is struck down, they said at a health summit in Fort Lauderdale today, hospitals will be in a real bind. They'll still be required to take all comers, insured or not, while staggered by budget cuts (Gentry, 6/10).
Arizona Republic: Ruling On Health Care Won't Stop Change
Even if the U.S. Supreme Court strikes down some or all of the nation's health-care law, economic forces will continue to transform the way most people get care. … Arizona health-care leaders say major changes are already coming that, with or without the Affordable Care Act, will alter the way most people access and pay for care (Alltucker, 6/11).
Roll Call: Democrats Wary On Court Health Care Ruling
Republicans are quick to highlight their preparations for the court's decision. They have promised immediate action to repeal what is left of the law if it's not completely struck down, and they have said they will hold individual votes on the law's more popular elements. But in facing the public, many Democrats downplay the possibility that the court could strike down President Barack Obama's signature legislative achievement (Newhauser and Sanchez, 6/11).
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: GOP Readies Reply To Health Care Ruling
House Republicans are preparing to respond to the Supreme Court’s ruling on Democrats' landmark health care law, a decision that could arrive anytime between now and the end of the month. But in a gridlocked, election-minded Congress, the plans have less to do with legislating than communicating. Rep. Phil Gingrey of Marietta, an obstetrician/gynecologist and chairman of the GOP Doctors Caucus, met with the House Republican "whip team" last week to discuss how to coordinate a message to the public. Republicans' primary focus is to present a united front from presidential nominee Mitt Romney on down in any of the possible scenarios: the law is upheld, struck down in part or fully invalidated (Malloy, 6/11).
Kaiser Health News: Capsules: 'Health Reform Bracketology' Offers Roadmap to ACA's Future
When is the Supreme Court like the NCAA? When health care consultant Mike Leavitt works up an interactive PDF bracket to lay out many of the possible scenarios that could result from the upcoming Supreme Court decision on the health law, combined with the outcome of November elections (Werber Serafini, 6/8).
Source: www.kaiserhealthnews.org
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