There's only room for one flag....classic. :)
Travis
Friday, August 29, 2008
Obama's Hypocrisy
“Today, John McCain put the former mayor of a town of 9,000 with zero foreign policy experience a heartbeat away from the presidency. Governor Palin shares John McCain’s commitment to overturning Roe v. Wade, the agenda of Big Oil and continuing George Bush’s failed economic policies — that’s not the change we need, it’s just more of the same,” said spokesman Bill Burton.
Umm...Where's YOUR foreign policy experience Mr. Obama? And, if you want to talk about "change we need", why did you pick someone who voted for the war in Iraq, supports monitoring the internet for piracy, all the while YOU said you opposed the FISA rewrite, but signed it anyway?
Isn't that "just more of the same"? Or am I the only one who sees the hypocrisy?
Travis
Carter: McCain "Milking" POW Experiences
Carter spoke Thursday with USA TODAY and Gannett News Service reporters before Barack Obama's acceptance speech to cap off the Democratic National Convention. Carter spoke of Obama's challenges facing the lingering effects of racism in the United States and the ability of the Clintons to bring their supporters over to Obama. He decried Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman's decision to "abandon" the Democrats by speaking at the Republican convention next week.
"John McCain was able to weave in his experience in a Vietnam prison camp, no matter what the question was," Carter said. "It's much better than talking about how he's changed his total character between being a senator, a kind of a maverick … and his acquiescence in the last few months with every kind of lobbyist pressure that the right-wing Republicans have presented."
So, Mr. Carter, let's talk about "milking" shall we? You've been "milking" your mediocre Presidency since you left office, gladly showing that you're willing to give up on American values and principles to appease ruthless people. What I can't understand is how people seem to care what you think or say when you were such a horrible President. I guess P.T. Barnum was right. There is a sucker born every minute.
Travis
McCain's Running Mate Is.....
Two senior campaign officials disclosed Mccain's decision a few hours before the Republican presidential nominee-to-be and his newly-minted running mate appeared at a rally in swing-state Ohio.
Palin is a self-styled hockey mom and political reformer who has been governor of her state less than two years.
Palin's selection shocked numerous Republican officials.
In making his pick, Mccain passed over several more prominent prospects who had figured in speculation for months — Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge among them.
This could be a good/bad thing. First off, McCain's got to know that people are clamoring for "change", whether it's on the Republican or Democratic sides. People are tired of hearing about the same old bullshit, can't do anything government.
So, in choosing Mrs. Palin, McCain is trying to gather up fence sitting voters, especially ones who were hoping for a Hillary candidate. This should help out tremendously, as a lot of people are voting for a candidate strictly based upon how they look.
For example, many people fully admitted that they were going to vote for Hillary and Obama simply because they were a woman and a black person respectively.
While it's a sad thing to see people doing that, you can't change their minds about it.
However, McCain's going to get some flack about the whole "experience" bit in that people are going to attack her for McCain's comments. However, if they were smart, when Obama starts mentioning experience, throw it back in his face that if he's good enough to run for President with his experience, she's good enough to run for Vice President with hers.
As a side note, she's kinda cute. :)
Travis
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Democrats Lied!?!!??
The economy pulled out of a dangerous rough patch in the spring, thanks largely to strong exports, but the rebound isn't expected to last. Economic slowdowns overseas could make exports tail off just as Americans are hunkering down after the bracing impact of rebate checks wanes, plunging the country into another rut later this year.
"There will be heavy sledding for the U.S. economy during the next couple of quarters," predicted Lynn Reaser, chief economist at Bank of America's Investment Strategies Group.
Gross domestic product, or GDP, grew at a 3.3 percent annual rate in the April-June quarter, its fastest pace in nearly a year, the Commerce Department reported Thursday. The revised reading was much better than the government's initial estimate of a 1.9 percent pace and exceeded economists' expectations for a 2.7 percent growth rate
.
You see, here's the problem. For Democrats to win big in November, they have to paint a picture of "doom and gloom". If things are going well, generally speaking, the incumbent usually wins. They can't have that. So, they will bring up the price of gas, job losses, or just make up things like the fact we're in a recession.
Slowing down? You bet. Recession? I don't think so anymore. I believed that at one point, but with the growth we're seeing, it just doesn't fit the definition.
Democrats can't afford that perception to be let out of the bag.
Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com
Careful What You Wish For
Their moments came outside prime time, but the candidates Senate Democratic leaders hope will propel them to their biggest majority in decades also had their time in the spotlight at the Democratic convention.
After spending months trying to tamp down expectations, Democrats are openly discussing the possibility that they could net the nine seats that would bring them to the magic number of 60, a tally that would make it much more difficult for Republicans to filibuster their agenda in Congress next year. With that goal in sight, Democrats are working to energize activists in Denver to focus their agenda not only on Barack Obama's campaign but also on an array of races from Oregon to North Carolina, many of which were once viewed as all but out of reach for the party.
"Embrace it? Sure, it's like the beautiful girl I can't reach, but I'd love to embrace her," Sen. Charles E. Schumer (N.Y.), chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, said in an interview this week.
On the stump and in e-mail solicitations to supporters, Senate Democrats are arguing that electing Obama and running mate Joseph R. Biden Jr. to the White House won't allow their party to reach its goals unless they have a large enough majority to quickly enact the Obama agenda.
"
On the stump and in e-mail solicitations to supporters, Senate Democrats are arguing that electing Obama and running mate Joseph R. Biden Jr. to the White House won't allow their party to reach its goals unless they have a large enough majority to quickly enact the Obama agenda.
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"Unless we give them a filibuster-proof Senate majority that can finally end the obstruction, we'll never put this country back on track," Sen. Christopher J. Dodd (Conn.) wrote to DSCC donors recently. ">Unless we give them a filibuster-proof Senate majority that can finally end the obstruction, we'll never put this country back on track," Sen. Christopher J. Dodd (Conn.) wrote to DSCC donors recently.
Yes, let's "put the country back on track" as Senator Dodd suggests. That means, at least by his logic, that Senators should be open to a quid pro quo relationship with lobbyists. Let's not forget the sweetheart deal Senator Dodd got for refinancing his home by Countrywide. Oh, and it's only a mere coincidence that Countrywide was pushing for a bailout because of their failed business decisions.
But, let's focus on a few other issues. If Democrats do get a 60 seat majority, then there's really no excuse for them once they are in office.
Nancy Pelosi has already proven herself to be the biggest loser in US Senate history, why should we elect MORE Democrats?
Remember when she said she'd accomplish more in the first 100 days then previous sessions of Congress? She's failed. Remember when she said she'd end the "culture of corruption"? She failed, AND she protected one of her own (William Jefferson).
So, what happens if Democrats do get the 60 seat majority? The American public starts taking a BIG notice in what they accomplish. Fail to "put the country back on the right track" and you'll be voted out in droves, won't be re-elected for decades, and won't have anyone to blame but yourselves.
But of course, that won't prevent Nancy from trying to blame the President, regardless of who it is.
Republicans, take notice. You have failed in your core beliefs, and if you don't start with fiscal responsibility, strong national defense, and lesser government interference in people's lives, YOU will be voted out of office just as quickly.
Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com
Putin Blames Georgian Invasion On US.
That's right folks! It's ALL George W. Bush's fault! Is there anything that man can't do? I mean, he's responsible for people's inability to evacuate New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. He's responsible for the racial divide in this country. Hell, he's even responsible for the recession.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has accused the United States of orchestrating the conflict in Georgia to benefit one of its presidential election candidates.
Russian PM Vladimir Putin has accused the U.S. of orchestrating the conflict in Georgia.
Russian PM Vladimir Putin has accused the U.S. of orchestrating the conflict in Georgia.
In an exclusive interview with CNN's Matthew Chance in the Black Sea city of Sochi Thursday, Putin said the U.S. had encouraged Georgia to attack the autonomous region of South Ossetia.
Putin told CNN his defense officials had told him it was done to benefit a presidential candidate -- Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama are competing to succeed George W. Bush -- although he presented no evidence to back it up
.
Here's the problem. Georgia didn't start the war. A separatist group in the disputed lands attacked Georgia. Georgia retaliated, and Russia sent in troops.
Unfortunately for Russia, they tried to play it off as if they were simply defending themselves, but they STILL look like douche bags because they slaughtered Georgians by the thousands, destroyed civilian homes, and now they've got a problem with their image around the world that they didn't count on.
They figured they'd blame it on the US, and no one's buying it. Of course, there are "blame American first" idiots out there who will believe anything spewed out by anyone who thinks America is ALWAYS at fault for anything that goes wrong, including a former KGB agent who's been known to kill people who speak out against the Kremlin.
Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com
"Change We Can Believe In"
Sen. Barack Obama's campaign organized its supporters Wednesday night to confront Tribune-owned WGN-AM in Chicago for having a critic of the Illinois Democrat on its air. (Listen to the interview.)
"WGN radio is giving right-wing hatchet man Stanley Kurtz a forum to air his baseless, fear-mongering terrorist smears," Obama's campaign wrote in an e-mail to supporters. "He's currently scheduled to spend a solid two-hour block from 9:00 to 11:00 p.m. pushing lies, distortions, and manipulations about Barack and University of Illinois professor William Ayers."
Kurtz, a conservative writer, recently wrote an article for the National Review that looked at Obama's ties to Ayers, a former 1960s radical who later emerged as a school reform advocate in Chicago.
The magazine had been blocked in its initial attempts to obtain records from the University of Illinois at Chicago regarding a school reform initiative called the Chicago Annenberg Challenge, which Obama chaired and Ayers co-founded.
Where's the problem? If it's a "swift boating" that's false, let it all come out, show them as "desperate Republicans" and laugh it off.
If you try to push it down and tell them they shouldn't air it, that's the "Gestapo tactics" that you decry the Bush administration for doing.
This isn't a "do as I say, not as I do" thing you should be doing. If you pull stunts like this, in the world of instant information as well as historical records at anyones fingertips, you run the risk of looking like someone you're trying beat in an election.
Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com
Questions For Nancy
So what is Congress doing, anyway? That was a common refrain in a handful of questions posed to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in the first Digg Dialogg interview Wednesday night.
iReport contributor ReallyRick, whose real name is Rick Seno, wanted to know how Pelosi explained Congress' low approval rating. "What can you do to assure the voters that the Congress is not in gridlock?" he asked on camera from his Dallas, Texas, apartment
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I submitted some questions, but of course, mine got rejected. So, in the spirit of fairness, I will post them here. :) Watch the above video to see Nancy squirm, sidestep blame, and try to make everything look like it's not her fault. :)
Nancy,
Why did you push for an increase in minimum wage, yet oppose it for America Samoa, which has a Starkist plant who happens to be headquartered in your district? Don't you think it reeks of hypocrisy and politics?
Nancy,
Why did you proclaim to "end the culture of corruption" then turn around and put a suspected corrupt member of your own party on a committee that has access to classified intelligence? (William Jefferson and the Homeland Security Committee)
Nancy,
Why did you promise to end the war in Iraq by defunding it, then cave time and time again?
Nancy,
Why do you complain about the federal debt, but continue to spend lavishly on yourself and other Democrats. For example, you spent $16,000 on flowers for your inaugural party.
Nancy,
When are you going to start listening to the American public and start balancing the budget instead of blaming George W. Bush for your failures? You are the Speaker of the House. Don't you think that you bear some responsibility for what's going on right now?
I got 256 diggs for that post. :)
Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com
Where's Jon?
This photo was taken at the DNC this week.
Where's Jon Soltz coming out and lambasting these guys for wearing a United States military uniform in a political arena? That's against the military's rules, and I expect Jon to stand up and say something about it like he did at the Daily Ko's convention against another US soldier who proclaimed what Jon was saying was false.
Oh wait, I bet Jon says nothing because these people are supporting Democrats, unlike the previous soldier whom Jon berated because he supported Republicans.
Prove me wrong Jon.
Travis
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
California Is Filled With Fiscal Idiots
Down in California, arguably one of the most liberal states in America, they just can't seem to get their budget right. Maybe it's all of the welfare state type of programs they have. Or it could be their idiot fiscal policies, but Californian Paul McCauley is proposing a MASSIVE tax increase for the wealthy that will only drive their crumbling economy further down. Check this out:
Earlier this month, a California activist began gathering signatures to put a state wealth tax on the ballot. The measure would impose a new 35% income surtax (in addition to federal taxes and the existing 10.3% top state rate), and penalize people who leave the state by seizing 55% of assets exceeding $20 million. The money raised would be used to eliminate the state's budget deficit and for purchasing controlling shares in large corporations.
The 17.5% surtax is unusual because it would be on a taxpayer's total (not marginal) income whenever it exceeds $250,000, with another additional 17.5 percent tax on total income (for a total additional 35 percent tax) whenever it exceeds $500,000. In the case of single taxpayers or taxpayers filing as head of household, these additional taxes would be levied on incomes greater than $150,000 and $350,000 respectively.
So say someone has adjusted gross income of $1,000,000 and taxable income of $750,000. Today, their tax bill would be:
Federal Income Tax (35% top rate):
$241,574
State Income Tax (9.3% top rate):
$67,555
Payroll Taxes:
$41,648
Total Income and Payroll Taxes:
$350,777
Effective Tax Rate:
35%
With the new surtaxes, it would look like this:
Federal Income Tax (35% top rate):
$241,574
State Income Tax (9.3% top rate):
$67,555
Proposed Initiative Surtax (35%):
$262,500
Payroll Taxes:
$41,648
Total Income and Payroll Taxes:
$613,278
Effective Tax Rate:
61%
The same person faces an effective tax rate of just 28% if they lived in neighboring Nevada. Being able to cut your taxes in half by moving to the next state over is probably not an incentive California wants to offer. Staying would also mean your tax bill going up by over 74 percent. Marginal rates this high would undoubtedly curtail capital formation, productive investment, and economic activity.
The initiative's sponsors have an answer to this too: hit people leaving with a hefty exit toll. The creatively named "Hasta La Vista Tax" of 36.8 percent is imposed when an individual dies or moves out of California. This exit tax would be on both recognized income and unrealized appreciation in asset values over $5 million. Since this tax inhibits commerce and burdens the right to travel, it is probably unconstitutional.
In addition, existing California residents who stay are hit with a one-time tax of 55 percent on assets in excess of $20 million.
That's right, if you make $1 million a year, your taxes will go from $350,000 a year, to $613,000 a year. Tell me, why would ANYONE remain in California if this passes? Business owners would pack up shop and move, leaving thousands, if not millions out of work.
Would you accept the state taking 61% of your income? Of course not, but because it doesn't effect them, they'll probably get some signatures for this ballot.
That means that someone making say $50,000 a year would be taking home $19,500 a year. Of course, you've seen how well California can balance a budget, so where's the incentive to curb spending? Just tax some more, driving up prices for goods and services. Inflation would hit double digits or worse inside of a few months. A gallon of gas would jump from $4 to easily $6-$8.
Let me put it to you this way. If I'm a small business owner, and I employ 40 people, if my taxes go up this significantly, you can bet I'd look towards Arizona or Nevada, or somewhere where it's cheaper to operate. That'd put 40 people out of a job and millions in taxes would be lost. I'd take the taxes penalty to court and wrap it up in the court system for YEARS.
Start thinking responsibly California and CUT SPENDING.
Travis
Unacceptable
The Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery is at the center of combat between preservationists and cemetery officials.
The giant marble sarcophagus marking the location of four unknown U.S. service members from World War I to Vietnam has been battling the elements since it opened to the public in 1932. More than 70 years later, it is showing the scars, with cracks encircling it.
On its most famous inscription -- "Here rests in honored glory an American soldier known but to God" -- a crack cuts diagonally across the words.
Those scars are at the center of a debate: Should the memorial be fixed or replaced with a replica?
Now, I'm of the notion that if it is fixable, it should be fixed. However, the cracks in this tomb is completely unacceptable. We owe it to these men and women to make sure that monuments are properly take care of. Now, there's arguments for an against replica's. Some people would argue that we shouldn't mess with the original, and I can see that. However, we need to face realities, is marble "fixable"? If so, fix it. If not, the above cracking is unacceptable to me, and should be replaced as soon as possible.
Of course, there's also the touchy subject of how to be sensitive to the remains of the soldiers who lie in this tomb while the monument is repaired or replaced. That, I don't have an answer for.
The only thing I have respect for Bill Clinton about is when he ordered the exhumation of one of the soldiers buried there to identify Lt. Michael Blassie because we owe it to the families to identify their loved ones.
Travis
Ahmadinejad In Trouble
An Iranian cleric accused President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of betraying the people and called on reformers to unite to defeat him in next year's elections, according to an interview in a German newspaper quoted by Reuters, Wednesday.
"Ahmadinejad is not complying with the will of the people," The Financial Times Deutschland quoted Grand Ayatollah Bajat Sanjani as saying. "This is a major threat, a big danger," the cleric added in an unusually direct personal attack.
The newspaper also said Sanjani accused Ahmadinejad's government of breaking the law, seriously violating personal freedom and illegally empowering the Revolutionary Guard.
Ahmadinejad is expected to run for a second term in Iran's next presidential election, slated to take place early in 2009. His reformist rivals are expected to attack him especially on his economic policies.
You think 26% is bad? We're the #1 economic power in the world by FAR. If we squeeze, we can make that look like child's play. We can crush your economy without thinking twice about it.
Perhaps you should play nicer with us instead of provoking us? If anything, you should be made to suffer for your actions in Iraq against US soldiers whom you directly had a hand in their murder.
Now your own kind are turning against you. The pressure builds, and sooner or later, you'll see some cracks develop.
Travis
Illegal Immigrants Afraid
A day after the largest single-workplace immigration raid in U.S. history, Elizabeth Alegria was too scared to send her son to school and worried about when she'd see her husband again.
Nearly 600 immigrants suspected of being in the country illegally were detained, creating panic among dozens of families in this small southern Mississippi town.
Alegria, 26, a Mexican immigrant, was working at the Howard Industries transformer plant Monday when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents stormed in. When they found out she has two sons, ages 4 and 9, she was fitted with a bracelet and told to appear in federal court next month. But her husband, Andres, wasn't so lucky.
"I'm very traumatized because I don't know if they are going to let my husband go and when I will see him," Alegria said through a translator Tuesday as she returned to the Howard Industries parking lot to retrieve her sport utility vehicle.
The superintendent of the county school district said about half of approximately 160 Hispanic students were absent Tuesday.
Roberto Velez, pastor at Iglesia Cristiana Peniel, where an estimated 30 to 40 percent of the 200 parishioners were caught up in the raid, said parents were afraid immigration officials would take them.
"They didn't send their kids to school today," he said. "How scared is that?"
One worker caught in Monday's sweep at the plant said fellow workers applauded as immigrants were taken into custody. Federal officials said a tip from a union member prompted them to start investigating several years ago.
That's just the thing, you're SUPPOSED to be scared. You're in this country ILLEGALLY. Bringing up the fact that these illegal immigrants have small children doesn't change a thing. The writer of this article is simply trying to sway public opinion, which is largely anti-illegal immigrant.
When you come to this country illegally, you run the risk of being caught and deported. It's simply the price of admission. If you come here legally, you have nothing to worry about. You could be one of the plant workers who simply looks over at the empty spot next to you in the factory and giggle because you're going home to a nice warm home instead of a holding cell in the ICE offices.
Travis
Taking Things Too Seriously
You know, John McCain wasn't my first choice as President. I didn't really have a front runner in mind. I liked Rudy Guiliani, but a lot of his positions didn't jive with mine, so I didn't think too much about him.
But to sit and cry when your candidate is beaten shows a lack of maturity. When I vote this November, if the person I vote for doesn't win, that's just it, I've lost. No more, no less.
To get emotionally involved to the point where you're crying like someone took away your favorite toy makes you look like a nutjob.
Travis
Democrat's Heavy Hand
Police on the scene refused to tell ABC lawyers the charges against the producer, Asa Eslocker, who works with the ABC News investigative unit.
A police official later told lawyers for ABC News that Eslocker is being charged with trespass, interference, and failure to follow a lawful order. He also said the arrest followed a signed complaint from the Brown Palace Hotel.
Eslocker was put in handcuffs and loaded in the back of a police van which headed for a nearby police station.
Wow, I thought that was just Republican tactics. I guess Democrats are starting to take a page from our playbook. But Asa may have a nice little civil rights lawsuit on her hands here.
If you are on a public sidewalk, you have the right to film anything you'd like. There is no right to privacy when you are out in public. The police have used this argument in criminal cases for years, and now Asa Eslocker, if she had a good attorney, would sue for that, but she has a better lawsuit against the hotel for this little number.
Video taken at the scene shows a hotel security guard, wearing the uniform of a Boulder County sheriff, ordering Eslocker off the sidewalk in front of the hotel, to the side of the entrance.
Impersonating a police officer, with or without their consent, is a pretty nasty thing to do, especially when they are trying to ACT like a police officer.
And guess who gets to pay for the lawsuit settlement? That's right, taxpayers.
Travis
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Brilliant Ad
Using your own opponents words against them is one thing, but to use Hillary's against Obama is brilliant. :)
Travis
I can't make this up
When asked about her 14% approval ratings, Nancy Pelosi laughs it off and blames George W. Bush.
MR. BROKAW: Madame Speaker, there are so many issues in play during this election, and one of them is the Democratic Congress that you have presided over for the last two years. And the latest Gallup poll shows that, in the Y universe of American voters, 14 percent expressed their disapproval of Congress. There it is on the screen.
REP. PELOSI: Their approval.
MR. BROKAW: Fourteen, 14 percent of--expressed their approval...
REP. PELOSI: Right.
MR. BROKAW: ...and 75 percent expressed their disapproval. That's the lowest number that Gallup has ever reported.
REP. PELOSI: Yeah.
MR. BROKAW: So isn't Senator Obama carrying a very heavy load with the Democratic Congress on his back, and isn't it...
REP. PELOSI: I don't think...
MR. BROKAW: ...something for Senator McCain to run against?
REP. PELOSI: I don't think so. Here's the thing. Those numbers are about the Congress, and the Congress, I think the main issue in the last election in November '06 was to end the war. Congress has been unable to do that because the president won't sign any bills that would allow that to happen. So from my standpoint, I disapprove of the way Congress functioned in, in that respect. But we--I'm pleased with the numbers that the Democrats have. We're double digits in every area that you can name: creation of jobs, expansion of health care, protecting the environment, energy independence, homeland security, any issue you can name. So this is what the argument will be: We can only do so much unless we have a Democratic president to do all the things we want to do more, in addition to raising the minimum wage, the biggest increase in veterans' benefits in the 77-year history of the Veterans Administration, cafe standards for emission--for, for automobiles. We have a record of achievement, all eclipsed by the fact that we did not end the war. And we need a Democratic president to do that and much more.
Yep, her failures are George W. Bush's fault. All of it. Her support for the minimum wage increase except for America Samoa where Starkist has a major factory and just happens to be headquartered in Nancy's district, her putting a suspected corrupt official in her own party into a position on a committee that has access to classified information (William Jefferson and the Homeland Security Committee), her lavish spending on herself and other Democrats while decrying the federal debt, her dodging responsibilities, ALL of which are George W. Bush's fault.
Remind you of anyone? That's right, it's a 3 year old who's caught doing something wrong. Blame others first.
Travis
God Damn It
He was alone guarding about 100 inmates at the time of the attack and had a radio to call for backup in case of trouble. He didn't have what many guards in California's state prisons routinely count on: pepper spray, a protective vest and a collapsible baton.
Federal officers are not allowed to have those items.
Anyone care to explain to me why this young man lost his life because he was an UNARMED prison guard??
Take a good look at him. He's dead because of an idiotic idea like this one:
"However," the bureau added, "we also know through 75 years of experience that federal correctional facilities are managed most effectively through frequent and direct communication with inmates."
Yes, frequent and direct communication is a key weapon to have, but you have to BACK IT UP WITH FORCE IF NECESSARY. They are inmates for a reason. They have been deemed to be needed to be removed from society because of the crimes they have committed.
I'm sorry Mr. Rivera you paid for your life because of the idiocy of others.
Direct communication with an inmate will not do anything if they are hell bent on stabbing you.
Travis
Smell That?
Denver's U.S. attorney is expected to speak on Tuesday afternoon about the arrests of four people suspected in a possible plot to shoot Barack Obama at his Thursday night acceptance speech in Denver. All are being held on either drug or weapons charges.
One of those suspects spoke exclusively to CBS4 investigative reporter Brian Maass from inside the Denver City Jail late Monday night and said his friends had discussed killing Obama.
"So your friends were saying threatening things about Obama?" Maass asked.
"Yeah," Nathan Johnson replied.
"It sounded like they didn't want him to be president?"
"Well, no," Johnson said.
Maass reported earlier Monday that one of the suspects told authorities they were "going to shoot Obama from a high vantage point using a ... rifle ... sighted at 750 yards."
Law enforcement sources told Maass that one of the suspects "was directly asked if they had come to Denver to kill Obama. He responded in the affirmative."
The story began emerging Sunday morning when Aurora police arrested Tharin Gartrell, 28. He was driving a rented pickup truck in an erratic manner, according to sources.
Sounds very serious to me. But let's hear what the authorities have to say.
A federal law enforcement official in Denver said the three men and woman arrested on Sunday are not expected to be charged with making threatening statements, conspiracy or other national security-related crimes.
Ok, let me ask you this. If someone was saying they were going to kill you, and were found with these items in their car, you'd take it as a deadly serious threat right?
Am I missing something here? Why are the authorities seemingly dismissing this threat?
Even though I disagree with Obama on a LOT of issues, I certainly take any threat against him or any other candidate seriously.
Travis
Idiots
For a second straight year, SAT scores for the most recent high school graduating class remained at the lowest level in nearly a decade, a trend attributed to a record number of students now taking the test.
The 1.52 million students who took the test is a slight increase from last year but a jump of nearly 30 percent over the past decade. Minority students accounted for 40 percent of test-takers, and 36 percent were the first in their families to attend college. Nearly one in seven had a low enough family income to take the test for free.
"More than ever, the SAT reflects the face of education in this country," said Gaston Caperton, president of the College Board, which owns the test and released the results Tuesday.
Scores in the critical reading component among last spring's high school seniors also held steady at 502, but the decline over time has been more dramatic: the past two years represent the lowest reading average since 1994, when graduating seniors scored 499.
515 out of 800. That's 64.37%. That's a D grade. That is UNACCEPTABLE. We, and when I say we, I mean everyone, Democrats and Republicans, pay an extraordinary amount of money towards schools. Property taxes, federal taxes, sales taxes, gasoline taxes are all taken and a good chunk of them are diverted to schools.
And what do we get for our money? A graduating class of retards. What's worse, is that I'm not trying to disparage retarded people. They at least have something wrong with them. That's completely understandable.
But we get a graduating class who seem to think that they'll be driving Bentley's and living in mansions once they graduate from high school. If this isn't a wake up call for a year round school year schedule, I don't know what is. Does anyone care to justify this abysmal score? Put away the video games, push your child to do better, punish failure and praise success.
Stop with the "trophy for everyone" mentality. Not everyone is special and unique and needs to be hand held for their entire lives. If you've ever defended your child against a teacher for something your child did wrong in school, you're a part of the problem. If you've ever said "it's ok" when your child fails at a subject in school, but can wipe the floor with someone in Halo 3, you're part of the problem.
Your job as a parent is to bring your child up to be a responsible member of society, and if you fail to give them a good education and guidance, they will have a life of mediocrity, and when you're lying on your deathbed, you'll be thinking "I could have done better".
For example, when my friends come over, they bring their children. I have a house FILLED with entertainment goodies. However, they don't get to play with any of them unless they are behaving and are doing well in school. Got homework? You can sit at my kitchen table and do homework while the rest of us socialize. We don't do it to punish you, we do it because we believe you can achieve better.
When they come to my home, I explain things to them. When I playfully wrestle with them, I show them why a particular move I do will hurt if I put pressure on it, or why they will lose consciousness if I squeeze hard when I playfully put them in headlocks.
I explain how parts of my racecar work. When they play in my garage with the speed and heavy bags, I explain how to hit harder, how to build muscle mass in their shoulders and arms, how diet and exercise makes them healthier and stronger.
THESE AREN'T EVEN MY CHILDREN.
They are my friend's children. But I love them like my own and I generally practice what I preach. I'm honest with them. When they have questions about sex, I give them honest answers. It's my job to make sure that they have the correct information so they can make informed decisions themselves, instead of dictating what they should and shouldn't do.
So, if I am doing that, I don't see why you can't do the same for your children or the children of friends and family. Do that, and test scores will rise accordingly.
Travis
Tit For Tat
Just two months ago, North Korea blew up the cooling tower at its main nuclear reactor, a dramatic act meant to show the world it was committed to abandoning its atomic weapons ambitions.
That, coupled with a long-delayed account of its nuclear activities, fostered optimism and led last month to the first meeting between the foreign ministers of North Korea and the United States in four years.
But on Tuesday the communist nation said it had stopped disabling its Yongbyon nuclear complex on Aug. 14 and will consider restoring the plutonium-producing facility.
"The U.S. postponed the process of delisting the (North) as a 'state sponsor of terrorism,'" the Foreign Ministry said in a statement carried by the state news agency. "Now that the U.S. breached the agreed points, the (North) is compelled to take" countermeasures, it said.
Huh, how does it feel North Korea? I'm going to go on the assumption that we're at fault here because I want to make a point. North Korea wouldn't even HAVE these problems with starvation and other things if they hadn't reneged on a 1994 deal that provided them with aid in exchange for halting their nuclear weapon's program.
So, if we reneged on the deal, go fuck yourself. Now you know what it feels like. From what I've read so far, most, if not all of it's nuclear weapons equipment has been shipped out of the country and/or destroyed.
Americans get tired of being nice and getting it slapped back into our faces. A little retaliation from time to time let's people know who's in the position of power.
Travis
How Quaint
But a U.S. military official, who declined to be named, said the strike left 30 dead, including five civilians -- two women and three children who were caught in the crossfire.
The Afghan government, which also investigated Friday's incident, said Sunday that it had concluded that more than 90 civilians, most of them children, were killed.
Now, no one can dispute that the United States takes the greatest care in making sure that we harm as few civilians as possible. Sure, we could take the Russians way and slaughter everyone in our path like their doing in Georgia right now, but that's not who we are.
Also, I'm not minimizing civilian causalities here. A civilian killed is one too many.
But for Afghan ministers to "demand a review of international troops within their borders" is laughable. Let's not forget guys, you were the ones who were harboring Al-Qaeda members and refused to hand over Bin Laden and his henchmen. You don't get a choice about whether or not we're in your country like Iraq does. We're there until the Taliban and Al-Qaeda are all captured or killed, and not a moment before.
So, until you get that through your thick skulls, I suggest you keep your mouth shut.
Travis
I don't like the truth
Barack Obama is striking back fiercely and swiftly to stamp out an ad that links him to a 1960s radical, eager to demonstrate a far more aggressive response to attacks than John Kerry did when faced with the 2004 "Swift Boat" campaign.
Obama not only aired a response ad to the spot linking him to William Ayers, but he sought to block stations the commercial by warning station managers and asking the Justice Department to intervene. The campaign also planned to compel advertisers to pressure stations that continue to air the anti-Obama commercial.
It's the type of going-for-the-jugular approach to politics many Democrats complain that Kerry lacked and that Republicans exploit.
Obama's target is an ad by the conservative American Issues Project, a nonprofit group that questions Obama's ties to Ayers, a founder of the Weather Underground organization that took credit for a series of bombings, including nonfatal explosions at the Pentagon and U.S. Capitol four decades ago.
"Barack Obama is friends with Ayers, defending him as, quote, 'Respectable' and 'Mainstream,'" the group's ad states. "Obama's political career was launched in Ayers' home. And the two served together on a left-wing board. Why would Barack Obama be friends with someone who bombed the Capitol and is proud of it? Do you know enough to elect Barack Obama?"
In a letter to station managers, Obama campaign lawyer Robert Bauer wrote: "Your station is committed to operating in the public interest, an objective that cannot be satisfied by accepting for compensation material of such malicious falsity."
There's been talk lately about Obama's judgement, and lately, he's been showing very poor judgement. His 20+ year ties to the hateful prick Reverend Wright, to exposing his children to this guy's sermons, to having parties at a terrorist leader's home, to his wife's saying that she's only proud of her country now.
As an Illinois state senator in 2001, Mr. Obama accepted a $200 contribution from William Ayers, a founding member of the group that bombed the U.S. Capitol and the Pentagon during the 1970s.
Mr. Ayers wrote a memoir, "Fugitive Days," published in 2001, and on the day of the September 11 terrorist attacks, he was quoted by the New York Times as saying: "I don't regret setting bombs. I feel we didn't do enough."
Don't like things like this being exposed? Don't let it happen. Make better judgement calls. Act like a responsible man, instead of a pussy. You're claiming that these accusations are false, but where's your proof? There's already been proof that these accusations are at least partially true, so where do you go from here? American's don't like tyrants, but we especially hate liars.
Travis
Monday, August 25, 2008
AT&T Is Thankful
Last night in Denver, at the Mile High Station -- next to Invesco Stadium, where Barack Obama will address a crowd of 30,000 people on Thursday night -- AT&T threw a lavish, private party for Blue Dog House Democrats, virtually all of whom blindly support whatever legislation the telecom industry demands and who also, specifically, led the way this July in immunizing AT&T and other telecoms from the consequences for their illegal participation in the Bush administration's warrantless spying program. Matt Stoller has one of the listings for the party here.
It was really the perfect symbol for how the Beltway political system functions -- those who dictate the nation's laws (the largest corporations and their lobbyists) cavorting in total secrecy with those who are elected to write those laws (members of Congress), while completely prohibiting the public from having any access to and knowledge of -- let alone involvement in -- what they are doing. And all of this was arranged by the corporation -- AT&T -- that is paying for a substantial part of the Democratic National Convention with millions upon millions of dollars, which just received an extraordinary gift of retroactive amnesty from the Congress controlled by that party.
How's that "change" working out for you? Anyone care to explain this?
Travis
Two Americas
John Edwards is burning up the phone lines, begging former aides and backers to forgive him for lying about his affair - but hearing their rage instead.
As Democrats kick off their convention Monday, the onetime presidential contender is a man without a party - or a political future - trying to rebuild bridges through dozens of remorseful phone calls.
It's proving a hard sell with onetime true believers.
Many are bitter and disillusioned after swallowing his lies about his affair with a campaign staffer and vouching for his credibility with friends and journalists.
Some ignore his plaintive phone entreaties and don't call back - even when Edwards leaves follow-up messages. A few return his calls - and give him a piece of their angry minds.
One source who compared notes with other former colleagues said Edwards makes no attempt to justify or rationalize his behavior in these desperate phone conversations. He simply expresses his regret for deceiving them and asks for their understanding and forgiveness.
Many think he's still not telling the truth.
"As painful as it will be for him, he needs to come clean," one of them said. "There's an overwhelming view that he's still lying."
Couldn't happen to a nicer guy. I don't preach morality on my blog for a number of reasons. The main one is, your morality and mine might differ. What I do in my home with my wife, you might not do in your home with yours. But what I do in my home is my business. What you do in your home is yours.
When I see politicians, from both the Democratic and Republican sides, preach about morality and "family values" it makes me want to puke.
I enjoy pornography, strip clubs, heavy metal music, and fast cars and motorcycles. I am FAR from what you would expect as a "Republican". I don't go to church, I don't oppose abortion, I don't push my beliefs onto you. If you want to believe something, go for it. You might be wrong in my eyes, but that's your business.
When a politician talks about "morality" either they have been married for 100 years, or they are getting something on the side.
Remember, the Islamic terrorists preach about "morality" too.
Travis
Let Me Explain The Real World
During the years that Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr. was helping the credit card industry win passage of a law making it harder for consumers to file for bankruptcy protection, his son had a consulting agreement that lasted five years with one of the largest companies pushing for the changes, aides to Senator Barack Obama’s presidential campaign acknowledged Sunday.
Mr. Biden’s son, Hunter, received consulting fees from the MBNA Corporation from 2001 to 2005 for work on online banking issues. Aides to Mr. Obama, who chose Mr. Biden as his vice-presidential running mate on Saturday, would not say how much the younger Mr. Biden, who works as both a lawyer and lobbyist in Washington, had received, though a company official had once described him as having a $100,000 a year retainer. But Obama aides said he had never lobbied for MBNA and that there was nothing improper about the payments.
Let me explain something to you all. In my line of work, we constantly look for potential conflicts of interest. Even the ILLUSION of a conflict of interest will steer a project in a different direct in the interest of fairness.
Now, here we have a Senator's son pushing for a change that his employer wants, and the Senator supports it, screwing ordinary Americans who may be facing bankruptcy? Does anyone else see the conflict of interest here?
What's worse, is that Obama opposed this legislation that Biden supported. There seems to be a lot of issues that Obama and Biden seem to disagree on. If that's the case, what happens if Obama is out of the picture? Illness, resignation, or assassination are all legitimate concerns, and I can't see how Obama came to the conclusion that Biden was a good choice other than he get's lippy when it comes to people who attack him.
Looks like we're in for a fireworks show.
Travis
Nothing To See Here
Iranian Commerce Minister Masoud Mirkazemi has rejected recent reports that the country has imported wheat from the United States.
Western media reported Wednesday that Iran ordered over one million tons of wheat with an estimated value of $350 million over a several-week period. “We purchase wheat from Canada and some European countries, but Iran has not had any direct wheat imports from the U.S.,” Mehr news agency quoted Mirkazemi as saying.
Iran has announced plans to import one million tons of wheat per month in September, October and November in order to compensate for a drop in the country’s grain production.
US traders say that much of the wheat Iran imports from the Black Sea region lack high “feed” quality. They have also raised concerns about the quality of European wheat.
Mirkazemi rejected the reports, saying the imported wheat was of high quality.
Yes of course. Since we've had news reports of us trading with Iran such as tobacco, I'm quite sure that they've NEVER gotten anything from us, especially when they've had a dramatic drop in wheat output.
Remember Iran, just because we need your oil doesn't mean you don't need stuff from us. Perhaps you should be a bit nicer to us eh?
Or, you could starve to death and we could deal with higher gas prices. Doesn't sound like a win-win situation to me for you guys.
Travis
I Solve Problems
A woman is accused of killing her two-year-old nephew but prosecutors in Texas do not yet know how to get her to jail and court - because she weighs nearly half a ton.
Mayra Lizbeth Rosales, from La Jola, Texas, is bedridden and weighs nearly 1,000lbs.
But she cannot get through her front door to be taken to jail and, later, court.
A grand jury has already agreed she should face charges of murder and injury in connection with the death of Eliseo Gonzalez Jr.
She explained away the injuries by saying she had slipped, landing with her right hand on Eliseo's head while trying to pick him off the floor, and that he fell off a chair.
But a post-mortem found that Eliseo's injuries were "consistent with blunt force trauma" and that Mayra Rosales' explanations were inconsistent with the injuries.
The morbidly obese woman has since been photographed and finger-printed at home but released on a "personal recognizance bond" because of the logistics problem.
The local sheriff at Hidalgo County, Lupe Trevino, says it would be impossible to keep her in jail pending her trial because she needs extensive medical care.
So, currently, the lady remains at large.
So, we have a woman who murdered a two year old child, and you don't have a jail facility that will hold her? Well, you've come to the right place. I solve problems, and I can solve this one for you. Build a small building within the prison yard. Helicopter that murdering cow in, and shove her in it and don't let her out until her sentence is up.
You can't tell me that a helicopter ride and a small steel structure WITHOUT ANY EMMENITIES, would cost that much. Maybe 50k? I'm sure that's a small price to pay for a child killer to remain at home with all the comforts like TV, food, and a comfy bed.
Travis
Russian Chicks Are Ugly
NO wonder the Russians have been slow to leave Georgia.
The formidable fans were on the quay as the missile-carrying vessel Mirage moored in the port of Sevastopol, Ukraine.
Large numbers of Russian armored vehicles also withdrew from Georgia.
But top brass said some troops would remain inside “zones of responsibility”.
Holy Jesus, no wonder Russians are pissed all the time. I guess you don't have to take a look to see why Russia has a population problem. Not even with the lights out, blindfolded, and drunker then I've ever been would I go for any of these "girls".
Speaking of which, these are "girls" right? Has anyone done a plumbing check??
Now, I love me a fat girl. They generally are a lot of fun to be around, and will treat you like a king. But my God, I'm not sure that there's more than 30 teeth amongst them all.
Travis
Optimus Prime??
Canadian Forces have destroyed a Taliban compound and crippled militants' ability to make and plant roadside bombs, military officials said Monday.
The operation was conducted in the Zhari district of Kandahar province last Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Corbould said the operation's objective was to strike at the Taliban's command and control infrastructure and take away their ability to conduct operations against Afghan and coalition forces.
The mission's key goal was to reduce the Taliban's ability to build improvised explosive devices (IEDs), which they routinely plant along Highway Number One -- the main national highway that crosses Kandahar province.
Corbould said the operation has served "a huge blow to the enemy's ability to plant major IEDs."
WHAT?!?! Optimus Prime is kicking ass in Afghanistan? Awesome! For those of you who don't know who Optimus Prime is, here's a picture:
Travis
Lies
The woman ridicules the Iraqi police who question her about ties to suicide bombers.
"Someone telling me to explode?" Umm Omar says. "I have to be both mother and father to my children. Why would I blow myself up?"
Strangely, she even laughs at some points of the interrogation. Umm Omar was detained along with her two daughters in a recent raid in Baquba.
All of them are suspected of wanting to blow themselves up in suicide attacks. She was brought to one of the police offices here for questioning.
Covered in an abaya -- black Islamic dress -- she has a broad face and large eyes. She sits on a thin mattress smoking the cigarette an Iraqi police officer offered her.
Her interrogator confronts her about a letter the Iraqi police say they uncovered on the raid on her home. The letter is addressed to "Umm Omar" from the local al Qaeda emir Abu Dawood.
"Good news for you my sister, Umm Omar," it says. "Your sister Fatima became a martyr after an operation in Mafraq district, and God enabled her to carry out this blessed operation.
"Know that she did not hesitate in confronting the infidels and tyranny. We pray to God that you follow her in God's course. We inform you, Umm Omar, that this letter is very confidential."
Umm Omar shrugs it off. "I cannot read, so why would he send this to me?"
She goes by the name of Umm Omar. In the Middle East, Umm -- means mother -- followed by the eldest son's name, in her case Omar. She says the Umm Omar reference could be just about any woman in Iraq. She also denies having a sister named Fatima.
Her profile fits that of other women who have carried out suicide attacks.
Let's not forget that it is permissible to lie to anyone standing in your way of a suicide mission according to the Koran. I'm quite certain that this is how the 9/11 hijackers would have behaved if they had been caught before the attacks.
"Why are you arresting me? I am but a humble peasant who's here in the great land of America!"
Sound familiar?
Travis
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Democrats Break Their Own Rules
The convention credentials committee voted unanimously to restore the voting privileges at the behest of Barack Obama, the party's presumptive nominee for president. The states were initially stripped of delegates for holding primaries before Feb. 5. The party's rules committee restored the delegates in May, but gave them only half votes.
Democrats hope the gesture will strengthen their standing in two important battleground states while ending a contentious chapter of the nominating process.
Hmm...Playing politics instead of adhering to the rules. Isn't that something Democrats would chide Republicans for? Rules are rules, and if Democrats are willing to break this one for obvious political reasons, what other rules are they breaking without your knowledge?
Let's not forget that when Republicans are accused of wrongdoing, members of our political side ask that that person step aside or step down.
Corruption, a "do nothing" Congress with single digit approval ratings, breaking their own rules, hypocritical stances on issues such as the Federal debt. Good going Democrats, keep it up, you're showing your true colors.
Travis
I Have A Question
Automakers plan to urge Congress to support funding up to $50 billion in low-interest loans over three years to help them modernize their assembly plants and develop next-generation fuel-efficient vehicles.
Industry officials said the loans, which are twice the amount authorized in last year's energy bill, are a top priority when Congress returns next month because of the declining fortunes of Detroit's automakers and tightening credit markets.
"The amount of concern and urgency from the Detroit companies has increased in the last month and significantly ratcheted up what they're communicating what their funding needs are," said Alan Reuther, legislative director for the United Auto Workers union.
Congress authorized $25 billion in low-interest loans in last year's energy bill, but the auto industry's allies in Congress have been unable to get funding for the plan.The loans would provide low-interest credit for up to 30 percent of the cost of retooling facilities to build hybrids, plug-in hybrids, electric cars and other alternatives.
Ok, we all know that automakers in America, especially Ford and GM, have been struggling for years. However, what the hell happened to all the money they were making in the 90's??? To give you an example, when Ford brought out the Explorer in it's current SUV configuration, they were making upwards of $8-$10 thousand dollars PROFIT PER VEHICLE.
That's what drove other automakers to make SUV's. They were popular, and they were extremely profitable.
But, they didn't have a plan B when it came to rising fuel costs, so when gas went up significantly, they got slammed. The basically put all their eggs into one basket.
What's worse, is I remember an article on MSNBC's website, which I can't find of course, where they interviewed an engineer from Honda. He was telling about how from the CEO on down, they were pushing for better and better mileage out of their vehicles back in the 90's when he joined. The engineer spoke with the CEO and said "Why are we pushing for better mileage? Gas is inexpensive. No one cares what the cars get", to which the CEO replied "I know." and left it at that.
Now, GM is coming out with the VOLT simply because they have their back's to the wall. They are also pushing the idea that they "may" come out with a car that gets 40mpg.
40mpg? Big deal. They HAD a car that got 55mpg back in the early 90's. It was called a Metro. It was cheap, got great gas mileage, and didn't require any fancy hybrid technology.
You want to impress me with mileage figures? How about you build one of the most aerodynamic cars you can make, put in a small engine, or make it fully electric, and you'll get much higher numbers then 40mpg. Honda did it with the Insight, to which I bought one when gas was $1.25. I loved that little car. I got 55mpg when I really drove it hard and 125mpg when I drove it like it was running on fumes.
THAT'S how you make a car folks. And if GM was smart, which judging by their past and present behavior, they aren't, they'd push the bar as high as they could. Offer a car that got 75mpg AT LEAST, get it down to around $15,000, and it shouldn't need a hybrid drivetrain. Do that, and you'll sell them like hotcakes, and it'll bring the GM brand back to it's former glory.
Fail to do so, and you'll be filing for bankruptcy.
Travis
Saturday, August 23, 2008
My Kind Of Girl
Every now and then, I come across a picture/video/article that just puts a smile on my face. This is one of them. Blatantly stolen from here.
Travis
Thanks Obama
So, Obama has picked Joe Biden to be his VP.
Well, let's take a peek at what Joe's about.
He voted for the war in Iraq.
Voted repeatedly to fund the war, even though he's "opposed" to it now.
He has been a senator for 35+ years now.
He's said on an ABC News interview that "Obama is not ready to be President"
Voted AGAINST a moratorium on earmarks when we're up to our eyeballs in debt.
So, is this the "hope" and "change" that you can believe in? I thought Obama was going to bring about new blood into the arena? Now, with Obama showing his poor judgement again and again, you have to wonder what the hell he was thinking when he picked Biden?
Obama's lack of backbone when it comes to tough decisions can be bolstered by Biden, but that's just a lesser of two evils.
Look for people to rip this choice apart.
Travis
Friday, August 22, 2008
Change Vs. Washington Insider
Two years ago, the office of Michelle Obama, the vice president for community relations at the University of Chicago Medical Center, published a glossy report detailing the improvements her office had made in the lives of local residents, in part by increasing ties to minority contractors.
Center administrators declined to disclose which businesses benefited; the report lists one -- Blackwell Consulting Services.
In 2005, the center expanded its bidding process and invited African American businessman Robert Blackwell Sr. to join a competition to upgrade the center's intranet, the in-house equivalent of a Web site. His company, Blackwell Consulting, won contracts totaling nearly $650,000.
"I love Barack. I'm telling you, he's a wonderful guy," Blackwell said in an interview.
So, here we have someone who donates money to Obama's campaign, and bids on a contract for his wife's employer, and NO ONE sees a potential conflict of interest here? Anyone? Or am I the only one paying attention??
A spokeswoman for the medical center, Kelly Sullivan, said Michelle Obama "was not involved in the selection process."
Of course she wasn't. They were upgrading an intranet, and the Vice President of Community Relations wouldn't have a PEEP to do with saying what she was needing for her department? That's bullshit. Every, single, time I upgrade the machines at my office, the head of that department wants to know, who, what, where, why, how, and how much. They wouldn't be doing their job if they weren't.
There's some shadiness going on here. Michelle gets a job at a Chicago hospital, her husband asks for and RECIEVES earmarks for the hospital, and Michelle's salary almost doubles? Then, one of Obama's donors gets a $650,000 contract at the same hospital?
Blackwell Sr. described the genesis of his contract as "really fuzzy." Sometime in 2004, he said, an employee of the center's diversity office -- he cannot remember who -- mentioned an opportunity to bid on contracts there and offered to "talk us up."
If his company was on the level, they wouldn't need to be "talked up". They could come in like any other contractor and bid accordingly.
And now there's even MORE ties coming out of the woodwork about Obama and his wife's employer:
A few years ago, executives at the prestigious University of Chicago Medical Center were concerned that an increasing number of patients were arriving at their emergency room with what the executives considered to be non-urgent complaints. The visits were costly to the hospital, and many of the patients, coming from the surrounding South Side neighborhood, were poor and uninsured.
Michelle Obama, an executive at the medical center, launched an innovative program to steer the patients to existing neighborhood clinics to deal with their health needs.
That effort, in time, inspired a broader program the hospital now calls its Urban Health Initiative. To ensure community support, Michelle Obama and others in late 2006 recommended that the hospital hire the firm of David Axelrod, who a few months later became the chief strategist for Barack Obama's presidential campaign. \
Anyone else think Obama's an awfully shady motherfucker here?
"An ER visit for something that's not an emergency costs the medical center $1,200," said Kelly Sullivan, a hospital spokeswoman. "That's sucking up dollars in health care that we don't all have to just blow through carelessly.
"Michelle inspired us . . . to step back and take a holistic approach to this problem."
Her "holistic approach" wasn't to help take care of the poor, her approach was to send the poor people to local clinics instead of taking care of them themselves.
And this is the woman who's married to the guy who talks about Universal Health Care. You think you're going to get better care when they don't take care of the problem and instead just push it to somewhere else? Especially when it's on YOUR dime??
Obama hasn't been able to turn Republican bumbling into a real lead in the polls simply because he's got these shady, back door deals, and when anyone even takes a minor whiff of him, they are smelling a Washington insider, not the new guy on the block that'll help lead us to greatness. Or at least that's what the media will have you believe.
Tony Rezko, Racist Reverend Wright, His wife's employer's backroom deals, several "quid pro quo" deals, lack of any real experience, and that includes his time as a Senator, hundreds of millions in earmarks while complaining about the national debt, touting Universal Health Care like it's a right, instead of a privilege, which will cost this country BILLIONS of dollars, flash instead of substance, do I need to go on?
The media has portrayed Obama as the Second Coming of Jesus, and they've let him slide on a LOT of issues that any other candidate would have been nailed on, including Hillary. Now that the race is down to two people, they HAVE to do their jobs, otherwise people will start to notice.
He's the "Anti-Bush" and the media loves him for it. Even Hillary has a hint of conservatism in her, and that pissed a lot of people off. Now, you'll notice that Obama is trying to paint McCain as "George W. Bush's third term". Some people are dumb enough to believe it. The problem is, that people will soon start asking tough questions, and Obama's only answer seems to be "I was against Iraq from the beginning." and "Change". We all remember what happened to the last guy who said "I'm not Bush", but then got into trouble when people starting asking tough questions. He got stomped. Sorry Mr. Kerry, better luck next time.
Travis
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Some People Are Stupid
Senators Barack Obama and John McCain are heading into their conventions neck and neck in the presidential race, with voters focused overwhelmingly on economic issues but convinced that the candidates are not paying enough attention to their priorities, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.
Slim majorities said neither candidate had made clear what he would do as president, suggesting that both need to use their conventions to provide voters with a better sense of their plans for addressing the deteriorating economy, high energy prices, access to health care and national security.
Mr. McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, is still closely associated with the deeply unpopular President Bush. Nearly half of those surveyed said that they expected him to continue the Bush administration’s policies if he were elected president. But voters, by a wide margin, view Mr. McCain as better prepared to be president than Mr. Obama, and as more likely to be an effective commander in chief.
Mr. Obama, the presumptive Democratic nominee, was trusted more by voters to handle their top concern, the economy. Sixty-five percent of those surveyed said they were confident that Mr. Obama would make the right decisions on the economy, compared with 54 percent who expressed confidence that Mr. McCain would. When it came to foreign policy, the image was inverted: 66 percent expressed confidence in Mr. McCain to make the right decisions, and 55 percent in Mr. Obama.
Yep, 65% of voters thought Obama would make the right decisions on the economy. That includes the 28% vs. 15% tax increase on capital gains, thus, discouraging investors on Wall Street. The $300 million in earmarks that Obama has asked for for THIS FISCAL YEAR ALONE, threats of raising taxes across the board, and more.
This is in contrast to McCain's 2008 earmark total of $0.
This is in contrast to McCain's TOTAL 24 year's in Congress earmark total of $29 million.
That above mentioned total is 1/10th of the money asked for from Obama. What's even better, is that total was come up with by thinkprogress.org, one of the most liberal sites on the internet today.
It's hard to argue with that point.
So, tell me, now that you have the FACTS, do 65% of you think maybe you're wrong about your assumptions?
Are We Stupid?
A Justice Department plan would loosen restrictions on the Federal Bureau of Investigation to allow agents to open a national security or criminal investigation against someone without any clear basis for suspicion, Democratic lawmakers briefed on the details said Wednesday.
The plan, which could be made public next month, has already generated intense interest and speculation. Little is known about its precise language, but civil liberties advocates say they fear it could give the government even broader license to open terrorism investigations.
Congressional staff members got a glimpse of some of the details in closed briefings this month, and four Democratic senators told Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey in a letter on Wednesday that they were troubled by what they heard.
The senators said the new guidelines would allow the F.B.I. to open an investigation of an American, conduct surveillance, pry into private records and take other investigative steps “without any basis for suspicion.” The plan “might permit an innocent American to be subjected to such intrusive surveillance based in part on race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, or on protected First Amendment activities,” the letter said. It was signed by Russ Feingold of Wisconsin, Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island.
As the end of the Bush administration nears, the White House has been seeking to formalize in law and regulation some of the aggressive counterterrorism steps it has already taken in practice since the Sept. 11 attacks.
Congress overhauled the federal wiretapping law in July, for instance, and President Bush issued an executive order this month ratifying new roles for intelligence agencies. Other pending changes would also authorize greater sharing of intelligence information with the local police, a major push in the last seven years.
The Justice Department is already expecting criticism over the F.B.I. guidelines. In an effort to pre-empt critics, Mr. Mukasey gave a speech last week in Portland, Ore., describing the unfinished plan as an effort to “integrate more completely and harmonize the standards that apply to the F.B.I.’s activities.” Differing standards, he said, have caused confusion for field agents.
Mr. Mukasey emphasized that the F.B.I. would still need a “valid purpose” for an investigation, and that it could not be “simply based on somebody’s race, religion, or exercise of First Amendment rights.”
Ok, let me get this straight. I seem to be confused here. So, after 9/11, Congress passed the knee-jerk reaction PATRIOT act, because law enforcement and intelligence agencies said they need these powers to combat terrorism.
Now, just a short while ago, there were hearings where FBI leaders admitted to abusing the PATRIOT act over 2,000 times, including using it for things that weren't even related to terrorism (mob investigations, drug dealers, etc). They've even admitted that they've used it against people who turned out to be innocent.
NOW, they want even more power? Are they out of their minds?? Are we out of our minds for electing people who actually are CONSIDERING this idiocy? The FBI has proven that it cannot be trusted with it's new toy, and it should have it revoked.
Care to guess who pays for the lawsuits for those who were innocently spied upon? Yep, you and I. Our tax dollars go towards lawsuit settlements because the FBI and members of their teams can't seem to understand the Constitution. Hell, a FOURTH GRADER is taught the Constitution and is required to remember what all the amendments are.
If a fourth grader can get it right, you certainly don't want to have a grown adult with a GUN policing the nation if they can't.
Travis
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Trouble For Democrats
California's attorney general is reviewing a request by former employees of IndyMac Bancorp Inc to investigate whether a New York senator triggered the bank's collapse by releasing confidential information.
The FDIC took control of IndyMac on July 11 after depositors withdrew more than $1.3 billion over 11 days. It was the third-largest bank failure in U.S. history. At the time, OTS Director John Reich blamed Schumer's letter for causing the run on the bank.
In a letter to Attorney General Jerry Brown last week, 51 former IndyMac workers wrote: "From the day (Schumer's) letter was made public on June 26 until the closure of the bank, a run on the bank took place and the failure became inevitable."
Releasing confidential information can lead to jail time if the crime is serious enough. What's with New York Democrats anyway? You have Charles Rangel, who's obviously abusing his power by doing unethical things to get apartments all over the NY area dirt cheap, and leasing expensive cars at YOUR expense.
You have Chuck Schumer releasing confidential information about a bank that lead to it's demise, or at least sped it up a bit.
Then you have Hillary....I don't think I need to explain that "woman".
Travis
US Refuses To Sell Israel Warplanes
The United States has refused to sell Israel planes out of concern that it might be seen as encouraging an Israeli attack on Iran, Channel 10 reported on Wednesday evening.
During his most recent visit to the US earlier this month, Defense Minister Ehud Barak requested that America sell the IAF several Boeing 767 refueling planes. However, the White House refused, as it was not prepared to seem as though it was aiding a potential attack on Iran's nuclear facilities, the report, which could not be confirmed by The Jerusalem Post, stated.
The IAF has a great need of the planes, as the ones currently used by the air force are extremely old.
Plausible deniability at it's finest. If Israel attacks Iran, we can logically say: "Look, we told them not to, they went ahead anyway."
It's not like we wouldn't enjoy a successful attack on Iran's nuclear facilities anyway. :)
Travis
Russia's Full Of Government Idiots
Russia says its response to the further development of a U.S. missile shield in Poland will go beyond diplomacy.
The U.S. says the missile defense system is aimed at protecting the U.S. and Europe from future attacks from states like Iran.
The United States and Poland signed a deal Wednesday to place a U.S. missile defense base just 115 miles from Russia's westernmost fringe.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her Polish counterpart signed a deal Wednesday to build a U.S. missile defense base in Poland, an agreement that prompted an infuriated Russia to warn of a possible attack against the former Soviet satellite.
Rice dismissed blustery comments from Russian leaders who say Warsaw's hosting of 10 U.S. interceptor missiles just 115 miles from Russia's westernmost frontier opens the country up to attack.
Such comments "border on the bizarre frankly," Rice said, speaking to reporters traveling with her in Warsaw.
"When you threaten Poland, you perhaps forget that it is not 1988," Rice said. "It's 2008 and the United States has a ... firm treaty guarantee to defend Poland's territory as if it was the territory of the United States. So it's probably not wise to throw these threats around."
First off, Russia had NO problem at selling a nuclear reactor to Iran in it's attempts to weaken the US. It had NO problem when we showed them clear evidence that they were going after a nuclear weapon. In fact, we INVITED the Russians to be a part of the missile shield, and they flatly refused.
Now they're pissed that countries that they once bullied are now standing up to them. Russia wants to get back onto the world stage in a bad way, and this forces them to behave like respectable members of the world community.
Plus, when you threaten Poland, or any nation for that matter, they are going to think that they need the missile defense shield EVEN MORE. Take a look at the Ukraine. They are showing signs of interest in this technology. Why do you suppose that is Russia?
Perhaps if you thought before you spoke, you'd appear to be more intelligent then you really are.
Travis