A blog about Politics.
Gender: male Date of Birth: October 31, 1953 Member Since: March 14, 2006 Last Signed In: November 08, 2009 Profile Views: 3252 Blog Views: 57303 Some predicted trouble from Fort Hood's Maj. Hasan Analysis: 10 percent jobless is Obama's new world UPDATE: Suspect identified in Orlando office building shooting Orlando office building gunman on the loose..NEW 911? Owes back patting from vanitys blog Troubling portrait emerges of Fort Hood suspect Army: 12 dead, 31 hurt in attack at Fort Hood Obama launches yearly American Indian summits Fla. baby missing for 5 days found alive under bed Young voters who helped elect Obama stayed home March 08 April 08 May 08 June 08 July 08 August 08 September 08 October 08 November 08 December 08 January 09 February 09 March 09 April 09 May 09 June 09 July 09 August 09 September 09 October 09 November 09
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WASHINGTON - Rep. Bobby Rush says he doesn't think any U.S. senator would be caught turning a black man away from serving alongside them. He thought wrong. No Senate Democrats responded to his racial challenge. And they got support from President-elect Barack Obama, who will be the first African-American in the White House. Rush, D-Ill., dared Senate Democrats Tuesday to block Roland Burris from becoming the Senate's only black member, urging them not to "hang and lynch" the former state attorney general for the alleged corruption by his patron, Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Obama was having none of it, siding with Senate Democrats who vowed to turn Burris away should he show up in Washington to be sworn in. "They cannot accept an appointment made by a governor who is accused of selling this very Senate seat," Obama said in a statement. "I agree with their decision, and it is extremely disappointing that Governor Blagojevich has chosen to ignore it." Obama voiced disapproval for the spectacle unfolding in his home state. "I believe the best resolution would be for the governor to resign his office and allow a lawful and appropriate process of succession to take place," Obama said. It was unclear what that process would be and who would choose Obama's successor. On Tuesday, Blagojevich declared himself the decider, defying the leaders of his party and naming Burris, 71, the next senator from Illinois. At a news conference in Chicago, he urged the Senate not to allow the charges that he tried to sell the same Senate seat to taint a well-respected man. Then Rush stepped up to the microphone to offer his challenge. "Let me just remind you that there presently is no African-American in the U.S. Senate," he began. "I will ask you to not hang and lynch the appointee as you try to castigate the appointer," he added. "I don't think that anyone _ any U.S. senator who's sitting in the Senate right now _ wants to go on record to deny one African-American for being seated in the U.S. Senate." In an interview Wednesday, Burris didn't back away from Rush's assertion. "It is a fact, there are no African-Americans in the United States Senate," he said on NBC's "Today." "Is it racism that is taking place? That's a question that someone may raise." Democrats needed no reminder that blocking a black man from replacing another in the overwhelmingly white Senate might not go over well on the eve of Obama's ascension to the White House. Their statement earlier in the day contained a carefully crafted note of support for Burris personally, saying their refusal to seat him was a reflection of Blagojevich and no one else. Another House member said to be interested in Obama's Senate seat derided Rush's political ultimatum to seat Burris or else. "It is not about lynching Roland Burris at all," Rep. Jan Schakowsky said on CNN. "And actually, it's not about race at all." Rush said Wednesday, "All these folks opposed to Blagojevich need to take a chill pill." "The people of the state of Illinois should not be denied representation" when the new Senate convenes in January, Rush said on CBS' "Early Show." Democrats said the dispute is about the Senate's constitutionally granted power to decide who is seated as a member, and whether anyone appointed by Blagojevich would have the credibility to serve. "This is not about Mr. Burris; it is about the integrity of a governor accused of attempting to sell this United States Senate seat," Majority Leader Harry Reid and his deputy, Sen. Dick Durbin, said in a statement. "Anyone appointed by Gov. Blagojevich cannot be an effective representative of the people of Illinois and, as we have said, will not be seated by the Democratic caucus." Burris said Wednesday that Blagojevich "has the constitutional and statutory authority to make those appointments ... and I have absolutely nothing to do with those problems." "I will not be tainted because the governor has followed the constitution," Burris told NBC. "And I am confident that when all is said and done, I will be a United States senator." Senate aides of both parties said the question of whether Burris gets seated next month is moot. Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White said Tuesday that he would not sign Burris' certification, as required by Senate rules. If Burris does appear in Washington, senators could refuse to swear him in, or vote to expel him. "They most certainly are constitutionally in a position to reject him; there isn't anyone who has the authority to overrule them," said Mark Braden, former chief counsel to the Republican National Committee and now a partner at Baker Hostetler, a Washington law firm.
Avowed atheist Michael Newdow, infamous for his attacks against references to God in the Pledge of Allegiance and the national motto, now wants to remove all religious references from Barack Obama's inauguration.
Newdow, who in past legal battles has tried to strip the United States currency of a reference to God and has sued to alter the pledge of allegiance in schools, now wants to alter history. Newdow wants the president-elect barred from a traditional reference to God in the oath of office -- "so help me God" -- because those words are not in the oath set out in the Constitution. He also wants two prayers by well-known Christian figures cancelled. Revs. Rick Warren and Joseph Lowery are scheduled to deliver inaugural prayers on January 20.
Eligibility case finds 'standing'? Posted: December 30, 2008 By Drew Zahn
A new case challenging Barack Obama's natural-born citizenship and, therefore, constitutional eligibility to serve as president has the potential to clear a hurdle that caused several other similar cases' dismissal: the issue of "standing." In the case brought by Pennsylvania Democrat Philip Berg, for example, a federal judge ruled against the lawsuit in deciding Berg lacked the "standing" to sue, arguing that the election of Obama wouldn't cause the plaintiff specific, personal injury. In Washington state's Broe v. Reed case, however, plaintiff's attorney Stephen Pidgeon says a unique state statute grants everyday citizens the required standing. "These lawsuits have pointed their fingers at the various secretaries of state and said, 'You handle the elections, it's your job [to verify Obama's eligibility],'" Stephen Pidgeon told WND, "and the secretaries of state have said, 'No, it's not our job. You the voter have to prove he was ineligible.' But when the voters try to do it, the courts tell them they have no standing. So it presents a catch-22. "Here, we have standing by means of statute," Pidgeon continued. "This particular statute provides for any registered voter to challenge the election of a candidate if the candidate at the time of the election was ineligible to hold office." Further, Pidgeon explained, "In Washington we also have a constitutional clause in Article 1 that says the U.S. Constitution is the supreme law of land, so it's very much a state issue that the secretary of state has a duty to enforce the U.S. Constitution. "He doesn't think he does; we think he does. That's really the issue before the court," Pidgeon said. (Story continues below) Nov. 22 2008 I wont ever think TBC is over the top again. Friday, December 26, 2008 2:17 PM The CIA has developed a novel incentive to gain cooperation and support in Taliban-plagued Afghanistan - handing out libido-enhancing Viagra pills to targeted village patriarchs, according to a report in the Washington Post.
“Whatever it takes to make friends and influence people - whether it’s building a school or handing out Viagra,” said one agency operative with multiple tours in that war torn country.
Standard incentives - such as money, jewelry and cars - are too ostentatious, noted another operative to the Post.
“If you give an asset $1,000, he’ll go out and buy the shiniest junk he can find, and it will be apparent that he has suddenly come into a lot of money from someone,” said Jamie Smith, a veteran of CIA covert operations in Afghanistan. “Even if he doesn’t get killed, he becomes ineffective as an informant because everyone knows where he got it.”
The key, Smith said, is to find a way to meet the informant’s personal needs in a way that keeps him firmly on your side but leaves little or no visible trace.
“You’re trying to bridge a gap between people living in the 18th century and people coming in from the 21st century,” Smith said, “so you look for those common things in the form of material aid that motivate people everywhere.”
Enter Viagra.
Sexual performance drugs are generally unavailable in the remote areas where the agency’s teams operate. Viagra, however, has been available in Kabul markets for a number of years and enjoys a relatively wide reputation.
“You didn’t hand it out to younger guys, but it could be a silver bullet to make connections to the older ones,” said one retired operative familiar with the drug’s use in Afghanistan.
Not everyone in the deep Afghanistan outback, however, is intimate with the little blue pill. According to the report, this has led to some inspired educational talks with the target - taking pains not to offend their hosts’ religious sensitivities.
But once the ground is broken, the results have been surprising.
One operative told the Post of a very satisfied customer who subsequently “allowed us to do whatever we wanted in his area.” *OUCH* A jewish buddy of mine sent me this little Christmas video. I thought it might make you smile. This kids on youtube..heres one more.. http://www.youtube.com/watc... see I told ya I wasnt happy with GB... RF My boy just sent me these from fort Irwin just about 30 miles from Barstow..this is not a normal weather pattern for that area. He said they are restricted to base and the roads are considered hazardous ... The seven-year-old emaciated gelding used by its owners to pull a sedan out of a muddy ditch on Wednesday has been put down and five other horses seized. The owners, a man and a woman claiming to be veterinarians, face animal cruelty charges, confirm the SPCA. The Langley residents were arrested after SPCA investigators found out the couple had tethered the horse to the sedan, which had gone off road in front of their property in the 2000 block of 208 Street. Langley RCMP confirm the car wasn’t insured and the SPCA estimates the horse was labouring in the mud for more than 45 minutes before emergency responders came on the scene. They were trying to get him to pull the vehicle out of the ditch when the animal simply collapsed and couldn’t get up, said SPCA senior animal protection officer Eileen Drever. The SPCA determined the young horse to be in critical distress and humanely euthanized it. “It was terribly upsetting for all the investigators involved,” said Drever. “We thought he might have a chance when he tried to stand a couple of times but he just couldn’t muster the strength.” The Langley Animal Protection Society, RCMP and Township firefighters responded and called the SPCA. Langley Township fire department specializes in large animal rescues, and is often called to other municipalities to help in similar situations. Crews were able to sedate the horse and hoist it to safety, using a tow truck. The animal was moved to a patch of grass at the side of the road before being covered with a blanket and given an IV drip, food and water. A video by Times photographer John Gordon shows the horse being lifted from the ditch and attempts to get him to stand. An additional five horses located on the owners’ property were surrendered to the SPCA and are currently receiving care at the society’s Surrey branch. The horses were also in extremely poor condition — completely emaciated — and are receiving veterinary care, said Drever. “I can’t call the horse in the ditch a walking skeleton because by the time we reached him, he was too weak to walk,” said Drever, who estimates the gelding would score 1.5 out of nine on a body condition scale. A necropsy will be conducted on the gelding’s body. Drever said the prognosis for the remaining animals is hopeful but will require a lot of care. On Thursday, she said the SPCA was in the process of getting a warrant before it was called to the scene. SPCA spokesperson Lorie Chortyk said the owners were already under investigation at the time. A woman who came upon the scene is looking into a way she could possibly take in one or two of the horses and care for them on her farm. xxxxxxxxxxxxx I got this from a horse list I belong too.. YOU can make a difference - Please sign the clik the link below then clik the picture on that page to go to the petition.. Wednesday, December 17, 2008 12:48 PM By: David A. Patten Article Citing sources “with the Obama camp,” the Sun-Times report says Emanuel began to push for Jarrett to fill Obama’s seat “just days” after the Nov. 4 election. That story also cites a source close to Emanuel admitting it is “possible” Emanuel discussed the appointment with Blagojevich chief of staff John Harris, and that a specific date for the appointment was given. The Sun-Times’ revelations suggest that Emanuel was more deeply involved in discussions with Blagojevich and his staff than previously reported, and was more assertive in promoting a specific candidate. Those conversations could have contributed to Blagojevich’s apparent belief that the Senate appointment held great political value. “I’ve got this thing and it’s f**king golden,” Blagojevich told one of his advisers, according to the federal-wiretap transcripts. “I’m not just giving it up for f**king nothing.” On Monday, Obama said that an internal review showed that his aides “did nothing inappropriate” concerning the search for his Senate replacement, but added that at the request of U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald details of the review will not be released until next week. Blagojevich and Harris were arrested Dec. 9 after Fitzgerald released a 76-page criminal complaint alleging they conspired to sell Obama’s vacant Senate seat, and pressured the Chicago Tribune to fire editorial writers who had been critical of Blagojevich. Shortly after the complaint was released, speculation began regarding the possible involvement of Emanuel, who filled the Fifth District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives that Blagojevich vacated in 2002 when he decided to run for governor. Although Obama has generally avoided commenting on the investigation, sources close to Emanuel appear to be preparing the media for further revelations. The Chicago Tribune has cited sources who say Emanuel called Harris’ cell phone on Nov. 1, and presented a list of Senate replacements acceptable to Obama. Jarrett’s name was reportedly on that list. Jarrett initially expressed an interest in serving in the Senate, but withdrew her name after accepting a position as a White House senior adviser. According to the Tribune, Emanuel subsequently spoke with Harris and added another name to the Obama-approved list: Lisa Madigan, the Democratic state attorney general who has taken the lead in trying to push Blagojevich from office since his arrest. Fitzgerald’s criminal complaint states that many conversations recorded by the listening devices have not yet been made public. There have been many reports that conversations involving Emanuel were recorded. MyFoxChicago.com reporter Craig Wall, for example, has cited “a reliable source familiar with the investigation” that Emanuel and Blagojevich had direct discussions about the Senate seat, and that those conversations may have been caught on federal wiretaps. At one point, according to the wiretap transcripts, Blagojevich issues a profanity-laced tirade because he states the Obama administration is refusing to give him anything other than its “appreciation” in return for the Senate appointment. On Wednesday, Obama senior adviser David Axelrod offered a staunch defense of Emanuel on MSNBC. “I’ve known Rahm ... for a very long time. I've worked with him closely. He is someone who I think has enormous integrity and unparalleled skill. And I think we're lucky to have him. "I have no concerns about Rahm. He is an enormous asset to us and will be an enormous asset to the country, as he has been in the Congress," Axelrod said. ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's home church was badly damaged by arson, leading the governor to apologize Saturday if the fire was connected to "undeserved negative attention" from her campaign as the Republican vice presidential nominee. Damage to the Wasilla Bible Church was estimated at $1 million, authorities said. No one was injured in the fire, which was set Friday night while a handful of people, including two children, were inside, according to James Steele, the Central Mat-Su fire chief. He said the blaze was being investigated as an arson. Steele said he didn't know of any recent threats to the church, and authorities did not know whether Palin's connection to the church was relevant to the fire. "It's hard to say at this point. Everything is just speculation," he said. Pastor Larry Kroon declined to say whether the church had received any recent threats. Palin was not at the church at the time of the fire. She stopped by Saturday, and her spokesman Bill McAllister said in a statement that the governor told an assistant pastor she was sorry if the fire was connected to the "undeserved negative attention" the church has received since she became the vice presidential candidate Aug. 29. "Whatever the motives of the arsonist, the governor has faith in the scriptural passage that what was intended for evil will in some way be used for good," McAllister said. The 1,000-member evangelical church was the subject of intense scrutiny after Palin was named Sen. John McCain's running mate. Early in Palin's campaign, the church was criticized for promoting in a Sunday bulletin a Love Won Out conference in Anchorage sponsored by Focus on the Family. The conference promised to "help men and women dissatisfied with living homosexually understand that same-sex attractions can be overcome." The fire was set at the entrance of the church and moved inward as a small group of women worked on crafts, Steele said. The group was alerted to the blaze by a fire alarm.
Many of you have heard this from last year but never met the young lad responsible for this phone call. Maybe its like the hindus believe..cows are sacred animals..maybe they can save us from ourselves FIVE RULES FOR MEN TO FOLLOW TO A HAPPY LIFE: 1. It's important to have a woman, who helps at home, 2. It's important to have a woman, who can make you 3. It's important to have a woman, who you can trust 4. It's important to have a woman, who is good in bed 5. It's very, very important that these four women In an effort to CHANGE (if just for a moment) the current trend our blogs have been on as of late with all the doom and gloom...I was googling weird stories this AM and came across a youtube post of an English woman going through a divorce from a man 25 years her senior and how shes handling her prenup...If this gets your curiosity up you can go here for the rest of the story. Interesting conspiracy theory Many items were taken that were not listed on the search warrant. The family was not permitted a phone call, and they were not told what crime they were being charged with. They were not read their rights. Over ten thousand dollars worth of food was taken, including the family’s personal stock of food for the coming year. All of their computers, and all of their cell phones were taken, as well as phone and contact records. The food cooperative was virtually shut down. There was no rational explanation, nor justification, for this extreme violation of Constitutional rights If things got out of hand this is an interesting read from Arizona
Here's another tool DARPA developed to aid our soldiers. Its a drone used to fly over dangerous areas complete with a camera to allow a visual of whats going on. its light weight and easily deployed.
This was developed to assist our service men so they can swim faster and farther in an emergency situation, and still have enough energy to accompish the task once they reach their destination. I thought it was worth sharing. Humans are terrible swimmers, converting roughly 3 percent of their kicks, strokes and general underwater exertions into forward motion. We can boost our efficiency to 10 percent by adding fins, but dolphins, by comparison, can turn 80 percent of their energy into thrust. Not to be outdone, the Pentagon’s research wing, DARPA, is developing a contraption that lets Navy SEALs and other combat divers swim faster, and with less effort. ATLANTA - Georgia Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss handed the GOP a firewall against Democrats eager to flex their newfound political muscle in Washington, winning a bruising runoff battle Tuesday night that had captured the national limelight. Fresh off his runoff victory Tuesday night, Georgia Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss credited Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin with firing up his base. “We had John McCain and Mike Huckabee and Gov. Romney and Rudy Giuliani, but Sarah Palin came in on the last day, did a fly-around and, man, she was dynamite,” he said. “We packed the houses everywhere we went. And it really did allow us to peak and get our base fired up.” Today, the U.S. Capitol unveiled what one congressman has called a "$600 million godless pit," a palatial underground visitors' center which is at the heart of an ongoing debate over the place of America's religious heritage in the nation's capital. Not only does the basement of the House and Senate's home have new galleries, theaters, and gift shops, but, as 108 congressmen rightly argue, it should also include an honest and complete portrayal of America's religious roots. About a year ago I setup a freebie profile on classmates.com. As of this weekend The "Guestbook Signatures" reached almost 60 people. Well this afternoon they ran a "Special" for $19.95 for a years subscription down from their regular $39.95 a year. I figured what the hay ..I'll bite and signed up. I thought the "GUEST BOOK SIGNATURE" meant atleast one or two long lost classmates had left a note and I was excited to regreet some old school chums from yesteryear.. Once they had my funds... I eagerly cliked the links on my profile to rekindle my old friendships. Instead those "GUESTBOOK SIGNATURES" turned out to be one or two famliar names (no notes) and the rest were just curious people serfing through my profile. About 57 of those 60 "GUESTS" turned out to be just looky loo's.. The way it works is it saves a list of people who visit your page with a link back to theirs.If you notice when you serf a page (and your signed up for a freebie) it has a sentence with a box to check or uncheck saying whether or not you want them to know you visited their page..(THATS THE CLIKER where they log the Guest book connection) Its already check marked so if you dont uncheck it your registered as a 'GUEST BOOK SIGNATURE' Those freebie profile pages usually only consists of a name.. what school they went too ..year graduated and 'no other information'...no message saying where have you been all these years?? Or do you remember so and so as I had expected.....If you have the 'GOLD MEMBERSHIP' sure you can send an email greeting but if they dont have that membership SO WHAT... Talk about feeling ripped off. So when you see those classmates.com emails piling up in your inbox leading you to believe that others are looking for you wanting to chat after 30 + years 'FO GET IT'... Theres my $20 present to all of you. 'MERRY CHRISTMAS' |
Randy Thomasson of 
Thomasson says the atheist Newdow has no business trying to dictate what a president-elect does or does not say in the oath of office. Brad Dacus of 
