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‘Going Rogue’ November 14, 2009

Posted by Joey in Media, Politics.
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Stand by for the wetting of the collective panties by the mainstream media and so-called progressives when Sarah Palin’s book Going Rogue: An American Life comes out.

‘Going Rogue’ is Sarah Palin’s shot at redemption and revenge — latimes.com.

For Sarah Palin, whose electrifying debut on the national stage at last year's Republican National Convention was followed by perceived missteps and critical media coverage that left her feeling unappreciated and under attack, “Going Rogue: An American Life” is a shot at redemption as well as revenge.

Like just about everything she has done publicly since she was thrust into the national spotlight as Republican presidential candidate John McCain's running mate, Palin's entry into the literary world has been splashy and contentious.

Her three-week, 14-state tour, to be kicked off Monday by an appearance on “Oprah,” is an opportunity to recapture the narrative of her own career, keep her political options open and make heaps of money in the process.

After suddenly resigning the governorship of Alaska this summer and lying low for a few months to write her memoir, she crashed back into the limelight this week with a book that topped bestseller lists well before its release on Tuesday.

1,000 Dominoes November 10, 2009

Posted by Joey in Politics.
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How fitting that the collapse of the Berlin Wall 20 years ago was recreated with large dominos.

Collapse Of Berlin Wall Recreated With 1,000 Giant Dominoes – 20Th anniversary of berlin wall – Gizmodo.

On November 9, 1989, thousands rushed through the ruins of the Berlin Wall, celebrating the unity of East and West. 20 years later, millions across the world watched as one thousand seven-and-a-half foot tall dominoes fell marking the occasion.

House Passes Bill To Socialize Medicine November 8, 2009

Posted by Joey in Medicine, Politics.
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Freedom took a knife in the back when Democrats passed Obamacare last night. The looting of your wallet to follow.

Sweeping Health Care Plan Passes House – NYTimes.com.

Handing President Obama a hard-fought victory, the House narrowly approved a sweeping overhaul of the nation’s health care system on Saturday night, advancing legislation that Democrats said could stand as their defining social policy achievement.

After a daylong clash with Republicans over what has been a Democratic goal for decades, lawmakers voted 220 to 215 to approve a plan that would cost $1.1 trillion over 10 years. Democrats said the legislation would provide overdue relief to Americans struggling to buy or hold on to health insurance.

“This is our moment to revolutionize health care in this country,” said Representative George Miller, Democrat of California and one of the chief architects of the bill.

Democrats were forced to make major concessions on insurance coverage for abortions to attract the final votes to secure passage, a wrenching compromise for the numerous abortion-rights advocates in their ranks.

Many of them hope to make changes to the amendment during negotiations with the Senate, which will now become the main battleground in the health care fight as Democrats there ready their own bill for what is likely to be extensive floor debate.

House Debates Socialized Medicine November 7, 2009

Posted by Joey in Medicine, Politics.
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The debate to turn medical doctors into slaves has begun in the US House of Representatives.

Obama Weighs In as House Debates Health Overhaul – NYTimes.com.

President Obama exhorted Democrats on Saturday to approve a sweeping overhaul of health care and to “answer the call of history” as the House began debating legislation that would transform the nation’s health insurance system.

Democrats quickly took a significant step toward passage of the plan by surmounting a key procedural hurdle in approving the rules for debate.

Despite a sharp party divide over how strictly to limit spending for abortions, leading Democrats were increasingly confident they had locked up the necessary support for the measure. A handful of undecided lawmakers announced they were ready to back it.

“We are on the cusp of making a historical decision on behalf of the American people,” said Representative James E. Clyburn of South Carolina, the No. 3 Democrat in the House.

Unemployment Stands at 17.5% November 7, 2009

Posted by Joey in Bailout, Economics, Politics.
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Thanks to Barack Obama and George W. Bush, the rich get bailed out, but the poor suffer. But that’s the nature of our government, it takes from the poor and gives to the rich.

Broader Measure of Unemployment Stands at 17.5% – NYTimes.com.

For all the pain caused by the Great Recession, the job market still was not in as bad shape as it had been during the depths of the early 1980s recession — until now.

With the release of the jobs report on Friday, the broadest measure of unemployment and underemployment tracked by the Labor Department has reached its highest level in decades. If statistics went back so far, the measure would almost certainly be at its highest level since the Great Depression.

In all, more than one out of every six workers — 17.5 percent — were unemployed or underemployed in October. The previous recorded high was 17.1 percent, in December 1982.

Not-So-Safe-Deposit Boxes November 7, 2009

Posted by Joey in Politics, Stupid Bureaucrats.
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If you had any doubt that the government of California (and probably a few other states as well) is just a bunch of thieves, then here’s definitive proof. Californication, in other words.

Also note the incompetent collusion of the Bank of America in this scheme. Since the bailouts, you can’t really consider banks as being independent of the government; instead, they’re becoming just another means for the government to take your property and snoop on your private business.

Those of you living in California might want to consider living somewhere else, given the culture of thievery in the name of government.

Not-So-Safe-Deposit Boxes: States Seize Citizens’ Property to Balance Their Budgets – ABC News.

San Francisco resident Carla Ruff’s safe-deposit box was drilled, seized, and turned over to the state of California, marked “owner unknown.”

“I was appalled,” Ruff said. “I felt violated.”

Unknown? Carla’s name was right on documents in the box at the Noe Valley Bank of America location. So was her address — a house about six blocks from the bank. Carla had a checking account at the bank, too — still does — and receives regular statements. Plus, she has receipts showing she’s the kind of person who paid her box rental fee. And yet, she says nobody ever notified her.

“They are zealously uncovering accounts that are not unclaimed,” Ruff said.

To make matters worse, Ruff discovered the loss when she went to her box to retrieve important paperwork she needed because her husband was dying. Those papers had been shredded.

And that’s not all. Her great-grandmother’s precious natural pearls and other jewelry had been auctioned off. They were sold for just $1,800, even though they were appraised for $82,500.

Red Light Cameras Coming Down In College Station November 5, 2009

Posted by Joey in Automobiles, Culture, Government, Politics.
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A voter initiative does something useful for a change. No more red light cameras in College Station, TX.

Traffic cameras voted down | Bryan/College Station, Texas – The Eagle.

College Station’s red light cameras will be coming down.

Voters on Tuesday opted to remove the city’s nine cameras at seven intersections by a margin of 4,081 to 3,809.

For the first time since College Station resident Jim Ash began his crusade against he cameras, he had a hard time Tuesday night finding words to express his feelings.

“I’m ecstatic,” he said. “People told me that to challenge the status quo, it’s very difficult, and I could do nothing but agree with them after this.”

The College Station City Council approved the use of red light cameras in 2007. Four were activated in February 2008, and five were added in May 2009.

Al Gore Getting Rich Sucking the Government Tit November 3, 2009

Posted by Joey in Environmentalists, Politics.
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Al Gore shows how money can be made off the global warming scam: Suck on the Government Tit.

Gore’s Dual Role in Spotlight – Advocate and Investor – NYTimes.com.

Former Vice President Al Gore thought he had spotted a winner last year when a small California firm sought financing for an energy-saving technology from the venture capital firm where Mr. Gore is a partner.

The company, Silver Spring Networks, produces hardware and software to make the electricity grid more efficient. It came to Mr. Gore’s firm, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, one of Silicon Valley’s top venture capital providers, looking for $75 million to expand its partnerships with utilities seeking to install millions of so-called smart meters in homes and businesses.

Mr. Gore and his partners decided to back the company, and in gratitude Silver Spring retained him and John Doerr, another Kleiner Perkins partner, as unpaid corporate advisers.

The deal appeared to pay off in a big way last week, when the Energy Department announced $3.4 billion in smart grid grants. Of the total, more than $560 million went to utilities with which Silver Spring has contracts. Kleiner Perkins and its partners, including Mr. Gore, could recoup their investment many times over in coming years.

Obama Warns Karzai To Fight Corruption November 3, 2009

Posted by Joey in Politics, War, War on Terror.
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Pot calling kettle black.

Obama Warns Karzai to Focus on Tackling Corruption – NYTimes.com.

President Obama on Monday admonished President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan that he must take on what American officials have said he avoided during his first term: the rampant corruption and drug trade that have fueled the resurgence of the Taliban.

As Mr. Karzai was officially declared the winner of the much-disputed presidential election, Mr. Obama placed a congratulatory call in which he asked for a “new chapter” in the legitimacy of the Afghan government.

What he is seeking, Mr. Obama told reporters afterward, is “a sense on the part of President Karzai that, after some difficult years in which there has been some drift, that in fact he’s going to move boldly and forcefully forward and take advantage of the international community’s interest in his country to initiate reforms internally. That has to be one of our highest priorities.”

The Afghan Election Is Fixed, So Why Hold A Runoff? November 1, 2009

Posted by Joey in Politics, War, War on Terror.
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So says Abdullah Abdullah.

Transparent Election Is Not Possible, Says Rival to Karzai – NYTimes.com.

Abdullah Abdullah, the chief rival to President Hamid Karzai, announced on Sunday that he would withdraw from the Nov. 7 Afghan runoff election, effectively handing a new term to Mr. Karzai but potentially damaging the government’s credibility.

Speaking at a news conference, Mr. Abdullah said that the Afghan people should not accept the results of an election run by the country’s Independent Electoral Commission, which has been accused of favoring Mr. Karzai.

“I will not participate in the Nov. 7 election,” Mr. Abdullah said, because a “transparent election is not possible.”

Mr. Abdullah said that Mr. Karzai’s government had not been legitimate since May, when the initial round of balloting was originally to have taken place.

Before Mr. Abdullah’s announcement, American and other Western diplomats said they were worried that a defiant statement by Mr. Abdullah could lead to violence and undermine Mr. Karzai’s legitimacy, and they were urging him to bow out gracefully. Obama administration officials have scrambled for weeks to end the deadlock, trying to ensure a smooth government transition as President Obama weighs whether to increase the American military presence in Afghanistan.