Tuesday, June 30, 2015
"Let’s Drop the Charade: The Supreme Court Is a Political Branch, Not a Judicial One"
As this writer points out, politics seems to be clearly at the crux of that difference...
Andrew C. McCarthy includes this in his posted article at National Review:
"We should thus drop the pretense that the Court is a tribunal worthy of the protections our system designed for a non-political entity — life-tenure, insulation from elections, and the veil of secrecy that shrouds judicial deliberations. If the justices are going to do politics, they should be in electoral politics. If John Roberts is going to write laws on the days when he isn’t posing as powerless to write laws, if Anthony Kennedy truly believes the country craves his eccentric notion of liberty (one that condemns government restraints on marriage 24 hours after it tightens government’s noose around one-sixth of the U.S. economy), then their seats should not be in an insulated third branch of government. They should be in an accountable third chamber of Congress."
"Two Americas -- The Close-Minded Left and the Tolerant Right"
For the most part, conservative views seem inclined to let sleeping dogs lie, rather than continuously kick at them to get a reaction...
At NationalReview.com, David French shares what he has discovered during his life among the right and the left:
"These two cultures create a reality that is exactly the opposite of that portrayed in Hollywood, according to which people always escape smaller towns and cities for the 'broader horizons' of New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. Yet it’s not small-town America that’s narrow-minded. Our great cities embrace a curious and constricted kind of diversity, in which people of all races, sexual orientations, and personal proclivities are celebrated and embraced — so long as their minds belong to the collective."
Monday, June 29, 2015
Amtrak Employees Claimed to Work 40 Hours Per Day | Washington Free Beacon
Elizabeth Harrington posts this 'government at work" story at FreeBeacon.com:
"Timesheets for employees of Amtrak are riddled with abuse, according to a recent audit report, with cases of workers claiming over 40 hours of work in a single day. The audit released by Amtrak’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) Thursday found examples of abuse in the overtime system, which totaled nearly $200 million in overtime pay last year."
"Terrorism Is Booming Almost Everywhere But in the United States"
Micah Zenko has statistics and story at ForeignPolicy.com, and asks:
"With global deaths from terrorism up more than 4,000 percent in a dozen years, can we really call America’s counterterrorism a 'success'?"
Sunday, June 28, 2015
2015-06-28 - Words of Wisdom
Saturday, June 27, 2015
"Articles: When Erasing Symbols of Slavery, Don't Forget the Democratic Party"
You can be sure America's heavily biased media will never let this fact see much light...
At AmericanThinker.com, Anthony J. Ciani calls attention to this:
"In the aftermath of the mass shooting at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, SC, there are increasing and ever louder calls for the removal of all symbols, objects and persons connected to slavery or the Confederate States of America. Thomas Jefferson owned slaves, and so all honors given him should be renamed, and all copies of the Declaration of Independence shredded.
Robert E. Lee fought for the South, so all his effigies should be melted down and his rebel flags shredded, even though the Confederacy had nothing to do with the shooting. The Confederacy is no more; however, there still exists an organization that gained power from instituting slavery and segregation: the Democratic Party."
How the Feds Asked Me to Rat Out Commenters - The Daily Beast
This issue highlights a pretty crappy situation, considering our 1st Amendment. Websites require registration in order to comment as to prevent anonymous garbage. Now, that registration, in effect inhibits your right to free speech...
Nick Gillispie uses the DailyBeast website to explain his frustrations:
"Reason.com, the website I edit, was recently commanded by the feds to provide information on a few commenters and not discuss it. Here’s why we’re speaking out.
Is there anything more likely to make you shit your pants out of a mix of fear and anger than getting a federal subpoena out of the blue? Well, yes, there is: getting a gag order that prohibits you from speaking publicly about that subpoena and even the gag order itself. Talk about feeling isolated and cast adrift in the home of the free. You can’t even respond honestly when someone asks, 'Are you under a court order not to speak?'"
Friday, June 26, 2015
"FBI Files Show Valerie Jarrett's Hardcore Communist Family"
This is from the Judicial Watch website:
"Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) files obtained by Judicial Watch reveal that the dad, maternal grandpa and father-in-law of President Obama’s trusted senior advisor, Valerie Jarrett, were hardcore Communists under investigation by the U.S. government. Jarrett’s dad, pathologist and geneticist Dr. James Bowman, had extensive ties to Communist associations and individuals, his lengthy FBI file shows. In 1950 Bowman was in communication with a paid Soviet agent named Alfred Stern, who fled to Prague after getting charged with espionage. Bowman was also a member of a Communist-sympathizing group called the Association of Internes and Medical Students. After his discharge from the Army Medical Corps in 1955, Bowman moved to Iran to work, the FBI records show."
Thursday, June 25, 2015
"Marco Rubio Casts Deciding Vote For Obamatrade Without Even Reading It"
Even so, I have to wonder what Senator Rubio is thinking, if he's thinking at all...
Matthew Boyle writes about it at Breitbart.com:
"Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) cast the deciding vote for Obamatrade on Tuesday as it squeeked through the U.S. Senate 60-37, and his Senate office is still outright refusing to answer whether he even knew what he was voting on.
Rubio, a Republican presidential candidate, was the deciding vote necessary for the U.S. Senate to clear the final 60-vote threshold and eventually, later this week, send to President Barack Obama’s desk the Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) bill that would fast-track at least three highly secretive trade deals that Obama has been negotiating for years."
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
"Study: Electric Cars Worse For Environment Than Gas Powered Cars"
And as you get farther from urban areas, the difference widens...
At DailyCaller.com, Alex Pfeiffer reported this:
"A study published by the nonpartisan National Bureau of Economic Research found that on a per-mile basis electric cars were on average worse for the environment when compared to their gas-run counterparts.
The study concluded that on average per mile, electric cars were half a cent worse for the environment than gas-powered vehicles."
"Google eavesdropping tool installed on computers without permission"
That being said, it appears that those applications can go way beyond that...
The U.K Guardian's Samuel Gibbs fills us in on what he's learned:
"'Without consent, Google’s code had downloaded a black box of code that – according to itself – had turned on the microphone and was actively listening to your room,' said Rick Falkvinge, the Pirate party founder, in a blog post. 'Which means that your computer had been stealth configured to send what was being said in your room to somebody else, to a private company in another country, without your consent or knowledge, an audio transmission triggered by … an unknown and unverifiable set of conditions.'"
Tuesday, June 23, 2015
The Pope joins the EU in a sad world of make-believe - Telegraph
Adolf Hitler's Propaganda Minister once said, "The bigger the lie, the more it will be believed."
Just saying...
Just saying...
In the U.K. Telegraph, Christopher Booker writes about the "two great acts of make-believe":
"When future historians come to look back on our age, few things will puzzle them more than the extent to which our politics became so dominated and bedevilled by two belief-systems, each based on an obsessive attempt to force into being an immensely complicated political construct which defied economic, psychological and scientific reality.
One of these was the peculiar way in which Europe’s politicians, with full support from the US, had set out to unite their continent under a form of supra-national government unlike anything the world had seen before. The other was the way those same politicians fell for the idea not just that human activities were disastrously changing Earth’s climate, but that by taking the most drastic measures they could somehow change it back again."
Monday, June 22, 2015
"America, The Unserious Super-Power"
Considering the current results, this writer surely has a point...
At theFederalist.com, Tom Nichols writes this and more:
"The United States is no longer a serious country.
Now, by this I do not mean that America is no longer a super-power. By any gross indicator of strength, the United States is as powerful as it’s ever been, perhaps more powerful than at any time in its history. It has a massive, highly productive economy, a military second to none, and an alliance that dwarfs all possible competitors. On paper, it’s still the only super-power on this planet (or on any other that we know of, so far).
But the status of a great nation is built on more than raw power. It includes intangible qualities like respect, admiration, and, yes, fear. We don’t need all three of them; no major power does. But we need at least one of them at any given moment, and right now, we’re bottoming out in each of these measures. President Obama may insist that America is now “the most respected country on Earth”—a claim even the normally more forgiving folks at PolitiFact rate as only “half-true”—but the Russians, Iranians, and Chinese clearly disagree, and for good reason."
So what if Greece leaves the European Union? - The Washington Post
George F Will, in his usual style, begins with this:
"Now come Greeks bearing the gift of confirmation that Margaret Thatcher was right about socialist governments: 'They always run out of other people’s money.' Greece, from whose ancient playwrights Western drama descends, is in an absurdist melodrama about securing yet another cash infusion from international creditors. This would add another boulder to a mountain of debt almost twice the size of Greece’s gross domestic product. This protracted dispute will result in desirable carnage if Greece defaults, thereby becoming a constructively frightening example to all democracies doling out unsustainable, growth-suppressing entitlements."
Sunday, June 21, 2015
2015-06-21 - Words of Wisdom
Saturday, June 20, 2015
SCOTUS Rules In Favor Of Arizona Church | The Daily Caller
At Dailyaller.com, Casey Harper has the story on this:
"The Supreme Court took issue with the town valuing one type of speech over another and ruled unanimously in favor of the church.
Cortman told TheDCNF the ruling means cities across the country will have to modify their sign ordinances so they don’t favor certain types of speech. He said they don’t have to censor anything, just treat all speech equally."
"Court documents: Ohio Democratic Party is caught up in major bribery scandal"
More of the same from elected officials...
Babriel Malor writes about this one at HotAir.com:
"In a plea agreement that was unsealed today (PDF), a former chief executive officer of red-light camera company Redflex has pleaded guilty to bribing Columbus and Cincinnati elected officials. Karen Finley, the former CEO, was pressed by Democratic officials in both cities to make campaign contributions in exchange for giving Redflex the contract to install and maintain red-light cameras in the cities.
According to the plea agreement, the company, at Finley’s urging, would pay the contributions to a “consultant” for services never rendered and the consultant would then pass the money on to the campaigns either by direct donation or by using additional straw donors."
Friday, June 19, 2015
"D.C. Officials Stole $110K From Children's Program to Fund Obama Inaugural Ball"
At WeeklyStandard.com, Jeryl Bier posted about this:
"Neil S. Rodgers, a former D.C. government official, was sentenced Tuesday for his role in the misappropriation of $110,000 earmarked for D.C.'s Children at Risk and Drug Prevention Fund to cover a deficit for the 51st State Inaugural Ball for President Obama's inauguration in 2009. Rodgers, found guilty of fraud in March, was sentenced to 36 days (served on weekends) plus two years of probation. Rodgers must also repay the entire $110,000 as restitution for his crime."
90 Days: Treasury Says Debt Has Been Frozen at $18,112,975,000,000
I seem to remember this happening before.
That doesn't lessen the issue that government seems to be selectively ignoring rules and laws much more frequently than in the past.
Government is supposed to be accountable to "We, the People"...
That doesn't lessen the issue that government seems to be selectively ignoring rules and laws much more frequently than in the past.
Government is supposed to be accountable to "We, the People"...
Terence P Jeffrey has the info at CNSnews.com:
"$18,112,975,000,000, according to the latest Daily Treasury Statement, which was published at 4:00 p.m. on Friday.
That, according to the Treasury's statements, makes 90 straight days the debt subject to the limit has been frozen at $18,112,975,000,000.
$18,112,975,000,000 is about $25 million below the current legal debt limit of $18,113,000,080,959.35.
The Daily Treasury Statement for March 13 was the first to show the federal debt subject to the limit closing the day at $18,112,975,000,000. Every Daily Treasury Statement since then has reported the same thing: the debt closing the day at $18,112,975,000,000.
Every Daily Treasury Statement since Monday, March 16, has reported the debt beginning and ending each day at $18,112,975,000,000."
Thursday, June 18, 2015
"How a Grad Student Uncovered a Huge Fraud"
We clearly cannot know or keep abreast of everything, so are forced to rely on those who are trained to investigate and report.
That system failed us here, and skeptical me thinks it happens more often than we'll ever find out...
In a really long article from NY Magazine, Jesse Singal thoroughly explains the anatomy of of this fraud:
"The exposure of one of the biggest scientific frauds in recent memory didn’t start with concerns about normally distributed data, or the test-retest reliability of feelings thermometers, or anonymous Stata output on shady message boards, or any of the other statistically complex details that would make it such a bizarre and explosive scandal. Rather, it started in the most unremarkable way possible: with a graduate student trying to figure out a money issue."
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
"Inside the Ring: Muslim Brotherhood has Obama's secret support"
Everything in our government seems to be secret these days...
Bill Gertz reported this in the Washington Times:
"The policy of backing the Muslim Brotherhood is outlined in a secret directive called Presidential Study Directive-11, or PSD-11. The directive was produced in 2011 and outlines administration support for political reform in the Middle East and North Africa, according to officials familiar with the classified study.
Efforts to force the administration to release the directive or portions of it under the Freedom of Information Act have been unsuccessful."
"Meteorologists Dismantle Bill Nye’s Alarmist Global Warming Claims"
On the DailyCaller website, Michael Bastasch reports this:
"Nye’s extreme weather claims and hype over Tropical Storm Bill come on the heels of news reports that the U.S. has been in the midst of a 10-year 'hurricane drought.' For nearly a decade, no Category 3 or higher hurricanes have made landfall in the U.S., and there’s been no upward trend in other natural disasters like tornadoes, droughts or wildfires. Even a meteorology student at Pennsylvania State University and independent weather forecasters out of New Jersey criticized Nye for harming the scientific debate on global warming."
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
"When I Was a Kid, We Were All 'Free Range'"
Is it any wonder that we are becoming more of a "nanny state"...
At AmericanThinker.com, Claire Hawks writes about how times have changed:
"I'm not sure who came up with the name 'free range children.' The only thing I ever knew that was 'free range' until recently was chicken, not children. Now it's the term used for children who are allowed to have a degree of independence by their parents. When I was a child, we were all 'free range.'
Our parents allowed us more and more independence the older we got based on how well we handled the responsibility."
"Feminist Enemy Number One"
At WeeklyStandard.com, Mark Hemingway discuss Christina Hoff Sommers:
"For years now, Christina Hoff Sommers, author of Who Stole Feminism? and The War Against Boys, has been promoting what she calls, in the title of her latest book, Freedom Feminism. This view, she writes, 'stands for the moral, social, and legal equality of the sexes,' but also for women’s freedom—including the freedom to embrace traditional femininity. 'Efforts to obliterate gender roles can be just as intolerant as the efforts to maintain them,' she writes, and 'theories of universal patriarchal oppression or the inherent evils of capitalism are not in [freedom feminism’s] founding tablets.' Above all, Sommers’s approach is moored in reality, not utopian notions of social justice.
Sommers’s efforts to spread her gospel have annoyed many academic feminists for years, but recently the response to her has gone from confrontational to hostile. 'I have never stopped going to campuses, and I’ve been going to law schools. But I have rarely faced protests,' she tells The Weekly Standard. 'I used to face vigorous debate, and the young women would come ready to argue—and that was fine, that’s what I was there for. But this is different, and it only started happening this year.' "
Monday, June 15, 2015
"Democrats see skimpy insurance as the next health care issue"
I contend this issue (high deductibles) was obvious from the get-go.
Now, our questionably intelligent elected officials, have found out, and wait for it, will be working diligently to solve the problem they created...
Now, our questionably intelligent elected officials, have found out, and wait for it, will be working diligently to solve the problem they created...
On the APnews.myway website, Ricardo Alonzo-Zaldivar recently reported on this:
"After paying premiums, many low- and middle-income patients still face high costs when trying to use their coverage. There's growing concern that the value of a health insurance card is being eaten away by rising deductibles, the amount of actual medical costs that patients pay each year before coverage kicks in.
'I think it's going to be the next big problem,' said Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Wash., a congressional leader on health care.
'We've got some 17 million more people covered ... but they can't access the care they seem to be entitled to,' McDermott said. 'It costs too much to use the care. That's the deceptive part about it.'"
Sunday, June 14, 2015
2015-06-14 - Flag Day
This is from the USFlag.org website:
"The Fourth of July was traditionally celebrated as America's birthday, but the idea of an annual day specifically celebrating the Flag is believed to have first originated in 1885. BJ Cigrand, a schoolteacher, arranged for the pupils in the Fredonia, Wisconsin Public School, District 6, to observe June 14 (the 108th anniversary of the official adoption of The Stars and Stripes) as 'Flag Birthday'. In numerous magazines and newspaper articles and public addresses over the following years, Cigrand continued to enthusiastically advocate the observance of June 14 as 'Flag Birthday', or 'Flag Day'.
On June 14, 1889, George Balch, a kindergarten teacher in New York City, planned appropriate ceremonies for the children of his school, and his idea of observing Flag Day was later adopted by the State Board of Education of New York. On June 14, 1891, the Betsy Ross House in Philadelphia held a Flag Day celebration, and on June 14 of the following year, the New York Society of the Sons of the Revolution, celebrated Flag Day.
Following the suggestion of Colonel J Granville Leach (at the time historian of the Pennsylvania Society of the Sons of the Revolution), the Pennsylvania Society of Colonial Dames of America on April 25, 1893 adopted a resolution requesting the mayor of Philadelphia and all others in authority and all private citizens to display the Flag on June 14th. Leach went on to recommend that thereafter the day be known as 'Flag Day', and on that day, school children be assembled for appropriate exercises, with each child being given a small Flag.
Two weeks later on May 8th, the Board of Managers of the Pennsylvania Society of Sons of the Revolution unanimously endorsed the action of the Pennsylvania Society of Colonial Dames. As a result of the resolution, Dr. Edward Brooks, then Superintendent of Public Schools of Philadelphia, directed that Flag Day exercises be held on June 14, 1893 in Independence Square. School children were assembled, each carrying a small Flag, and patriotic songs were sung and addresses delivered.
In 1894, the governor of New York directed that on June 14 the Flag be displayed on all public buildings. With BJ Cigrand and Leroy Van Horn as the moving spirits, the Illinois organization, known as the American Flag Day Association, was organized for the purpose of promoting the holding of Flag Day exercises. On June 14th, 1894, under the auspices of this association, the first general public school children's celebration of Flag Day in Chicago was held in Douglas, Garfield, Humboldt, Lincoln, and Washington Parks, with more than 300,000 children participating.
Adults, too, participated in patriotic programs. Franklin K. Lane, Secretary of the Interior, delivered a 1914 Flag Day address in which he repeated words he said the flag had spoken to him that morning: 'I am what you make me; nothing more. I swing before your eyes as a bright gleam of color, a symbol of yourself.'
Inspired by these three decades of state and local celebrations, Flag Day - the anniversary of the Flag Resolution of 1777 - was officially established by the Proclamation of President Woodrow Wilson on May 30th, 1916. While Flag Day was celebrated in various communities for years after Wilson's proclamation, it was not until August 3rd, 1949, that President Truman signed an Act of Congress designating June 14th of each year as National Flag Day."
Saturday, June 13, 2015
"FLASHBACK: ABC's ’08 Prediction: NYC Under Water From Climate Change By June 2015"
Just a reminder to NOT believe everything you read.
A second reminder is the media will hype anything to gain viewers/readers...
A second reminder is the media will hype anything to gain viewers/readers...
This NewsBusters.org post by Scott Whitlock calls attention to this failed story:
"New York City underwater? Gas over $9 a gallon? A carton of milk costs almost $13? Welcome to June 12, 2015. Or at least that was the wildly-inaccurate version of 2015 predicted by ABC News exactly seven years ago. Appearing on Good Morning America in 2008, Bob Woodruff hyped Earth 2100, a special that pushed apocalyptic predictions of the then-futuristic 2015."
Friday, June 12, 2015
1987-06-12 - at the Brandenburg Gate
He never deviated from his policy of "Peace through Strength"...
This is a YouTube video of American President Ronald Reagan telling the Russians to "tear down" the Berlin Wall:
""
Thursday, June 11, 2015
"Harvard, Syracuse Researchers Caught Lying to Boost Obama Climate Rules"
How are we supposed to believe anything when it comes to global warming?
Every measurement seems manipulated and many have been caught telling less than the truth.
There sure must be a lot of easy money flowing about...
Every measurement seems manipulated and many have been caught telling less than the truth.
There sure must be a lot of easy money flowing about...
At Breitbart.com, Steve Milloy has posted this story:
"E-mails obtained from the Environmental Protection Agency show that Harvard University, Syracuse University and two of their researchers appear to have falsely claimed a study supporting EPA’s upcoming global warming rules was conducted 'independent(ly)' of the agency.
In early May, a study published in the journal Nature Climate Change purported to support a key EPA claim about its forthcoming global warming rules aimed at coal-fired power plants. The New York Times’ headline, 'EPA Emissions Plan Will Save Thousands of Lives, Study Finds,' typified the media coverage."
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
The Age Of Disinformation — Medium
The media's need for viewers, ratings, and advertising dollars has corrupted them.
Every weather event reported borders on cataclysmic, possibly the worst ever.
In spite of reality, the concept of global warming is treated no differently...
Every weather event reported borders on cataclysmic, possibly the worst ever.
In spite of reality, the concept of global warming is treated no differently...
Meteorologist James Spann discusses the media's disservice:
"Back to my point… many professional meteorologists feel like we are fighting a losing battle when it comes to national media and social media hype and disinformation. They will be sure to let you know that weather events they are reporting on are 'unprecedented', there are 'millions and millions in the path', it is caused by a 'monster storm', and “the worst is yet to come” since these events are becoming more “frequent”.
You will never hear about the low tornado count in recent years, the lack of major hurricane landfalls on U.S. coasts over the past 10 years, or the low number of wildfires this year. It doesn’t fit their story. But, never let facts get in the way of a good story…. there will ALWAYS be a heat wave, flood, wildfire, tornado, tyhpoon, cold wave, and snow storm somewhere. And, trust me, they will find them, and it will probably lead their newscasts. But, users beware…"
Tuesday, June 09, 2015
My Way News - Congress' familiar path: short-term solutions
It creates crisis after crises, and each one presents an opportunity to exercise leverage, call in a favor, get attention, and so many other things...
On the apnews.myway.com website Alan Fram tells us about this:
"The two-month rescue of the highway trust fund is Congress' 33rd short-term patch of that program since 2008, the Transportation Department says. Lawmakers have approved another 101 measures temporarily keeping federal agencies open since it last completed all its spending bills on time in 1997, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service.
Lawmakers have also used short extensions to address expiring tax breaks, avoid federal defaults and keep agriculture and other programs from grinding to a halt, frustrating government agencies craving stability."
"A massive, silent cultural revolution has changed America"
Tolerance is not bad; but, if we tolerate everything, isn't it chaos?...
Kyle Smith wrote this and more in his New York Post column:
"Increasingly, we don’t want to judge others for anything, even if what they’re doing is destructive. But is being non-judgmental the same as granting tacit approval, even support?
Consider the amazing turnaround in people’s views of single parenthood. As of 2002, only 45 percent of Americans thought it was 'morally acceptable' to have a child outside of wedlock. Today it’s 61 percent.
And yet, concurrent with that shift in opinion, it’s become obvious that whether or not it’s 'morally' wrong to have a kid without being married, it’s undoubtedly bad for that kid."
Monday, June 08, 2015
It Is Time to Dump the Duggars - Breitbart
At Breitbart.com, John Nolte calls it like it is, and there's more:
"Josh Duggar molested 5 underage girls. Josh Duggar molested his own sisters. Josh Duggar molested a sister who was five-years-old. This is an abominable crime, and the fact that Josh Duggar escaped paying for this crime through our criminal justice system is more than just a little troubling. The idea that, even as a juvenile, you can molest five underage girls and face no legal consequence is inexcusable."
1984-06-06 - D-Day Anniversary
History credits America with saving the world from tyranny at least three times.
Current and recent generations enjoy the results; however, few appreciate, or are even aware, of those accomplishments...
This is a YouTube video of American President Ronald Reagan commemorating the event on location in 1984:
""
Sunday, June 07, 2015
2015-06-07 - Words of Wisdom
Saturday, June 06, 2015
"Mindy Lahiri And The Dumb Loves of Real, Smart Women"
There are thoughts here for all of us to ponder...
Mary Katherine Ham includes a quote from Karol Markowitz in her posting at theFederalist.com:
"'[It] draw[s] me in and I’m not ashamed of that. It’s a way of turning off my brain. My husband watches anybody anywhere in the world playing with a ball and then the follow-up of hours of discussion on how the ball was thrown/kicked/shot and no one wonders why he’s so into something that has no intellectual value.'
Sounds like something Mindy would say. If there were one thing I’d wish for myself and my fellow professional friends, it’d be a little bit more of Mindy’s certainty that her embrace of the campy, the romantic, even the traditional, are not a betrayal of her liberation but a complement to it."
Friday, June 05, 2015
Sen. Rand Paul: Don't Trust a Lying Government
The news media tells us what elected officials say, and even what they mean.
Unfortunately, that reporting is always through a biased filter, not to mention the influence of the reporters personal opinions...
Unfortunately, that reporting is always through a biased filter, not to mention the influence of the reporters personal opinions...
Here's Senator Rand Paul in his own words. This paragraph, as well as some history on the subject, seems worthwhile reading:
"General Hayden tells us he is 'willing to give the USA Freedom Act a try.' But that is only after the intelligence community is forced to admit that they lied about the very existence of bulk collection. My guess is that their easy acquiescence to transferring the bulk collection from the government to the phone companies is somewhat disingenuous since no reform would have ever been possible but for Edward Snowden revealing that the intelligence community was lying to Congress."
Thursday, June 04, 2015
"President Obama’s popularity numbers are running well behind historic norms"
So, I'm not the only one who thinks like this...
In the Washington Post, Scott Clement has reported on this:
"With 18 months left in office, the poll depicts an unappealing legacy taking shape for Obama. His job ratings are significantly below average for presidents in the past 70 years, he receives sharply negative marks for dealing with the Islamic State, and Republicans are far more passionate in dislike of Obama than Democrats are in supporting him. Each factor poses challenges for Democrats seeking to secure a third consecutive term for the party."
Chart: America's Most Trusted News Channels | Statista
At Statista.com, Niall McCarthy has the statistics showing this:
"According to a poll conducted by Quinnipiac University, Fox News is the most trusted network and cable news channel in the United States."
Wednesday, June 03, 2015
Will new focus on rape kit tests put thousands behind bars? - StarTribune.com
Associated Press writer, Sharon Cohen authored this article that appears in the Minnesota StarTribune. She begins:
"The evidence piled up for years, abandoned in police property rooms, warehouses and crime labs. Now, tens of thousands of sexual assault kits are giving up their secrets — and rapists who've long remained free may finally face justice. A dramatic shift is taking hold across the country as police and prosecutors scramble to process these kits and use DNA matches to track down sexual predators, many of whom attacked more women while evidence of their crimes languished in storage."
"French minister: 2015 climate deal must avoid US Congress"
Associated Press writers, Sylvie Corbet and Karl Ritter, recently reported on this:
"If negotiators follow his plan, that would exclude an international treaty that has legally-binding limits on greenhouse gas emissions - something some countries still insist on but which would have no chance of being ratified by the Republican-controlled Congress. 'We must find a formula which is valuable for everybody and valuable for the U.S. without going to the Congress,' said Fabius, who will host the U.N. climate summit in Paris in December where the new agreement is supposed to be adopted."
Tuesday, June 02, 2015
Democrats' Vanishing Future - NationalJournal.com
Josh Kraushaar presents his thoughts at NationalReview.com. He begins:
"One of the most underappreciated stories in recent years is the deterioration of the Democratic bench under President Obama's tenure in office. The party has become much more ideologically homogenous, losing most of its moderate wing as a result of the last two disastrous midterm elections. By one new catch-all measure, a party-strength index introduced by RealClearPolitics analysts Sean Trende and David Byler, Democrats are in their worst position since 1928. That dynamic has manifested itself in the Democratic presidential contest, where the bench is so barren that a flawed Hillary Clinton is barreling to an uncontested nomination."
The Tolerant Jeweler Who Harbored an Impure Opinion of Same-Sex Marriage | National Review Online
This seems like it might be the perfect handling of this type of situation...
At NationalReview.com, Charles C.W. Cooke writes about this:
"When the couple 'found out what he really believed about same-sex marriage,' Dreher writes, they 'balked, and demanded their money back — and the mob threatened the business if they didn’t yield.' Which is ultimately to say that White and Renouf sought to break their contract — not, you will note, because he was rude or because he failed to deliver on his promises, but because they made a window into his soul and they did not like what they saw — and then, when he objected, to subject him to bullying and to threats until he caved. Is that 'tolerance'?"
Monday, June 01, 2015
Meanwhile - "Who is killing Pakistan’s educated elite?"
Here's a story that most Americans are surely unaware of...
At GlobalPost.com, Lawrence Pintak writes:
"A wave of targeted assassinations in Karachi in recent weeks has shaken Pakistan’s intelligentsia. Among those killed were a university professor, the owner of a bookshop that hosted frequent free speech events, and the marketing manager of one of the largest media groups. An American medical school administrator was also shot and wounded.
Among the educated elite, conversations inevitably include speculation about who was behind the killings."
Europe's 'Plan' Is Dead in the Water | RealClearWorld
Unfortunately, the issue of being elected or re-elected is a huge factor...
Kaj Leers writes about this one on the RealClearWorld website:
"The fear of voter anger is pushing European leaders to step back from saving people. Indeed, Europe's heads of state shot big holes in the European Commission's immigration plan concerning refugees in the Mediterranean. Yet however much they may wish it, there is no way to solve the refugee crisis without accepting some electoral risk."
