10% of College Graduates think Judge Judy is on the Supreme Court

10% of College Graduates think Judge Judy is on the Supreme Court | Intellectual Takeout
The American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) released a new report entitled “A Crisis in Civic Education” at the beginning of 2016. 
Based on the numbers in the report as well as those available from other reputable sources such as the National Assessment for Educational Progress (NAEP), we truly do have a crisis on our hands.

...If one doesn’t understand the history of his country or how its government works (and why), yet he still votes, how informed is that vote? 
Furthermore, how much more open to the influences of a demagogue or a flatter is that uneducated man? 
Yes, our system of government depends upon an educated population.

That’s why the latest report from the ACTA is so horrifying. 
From NAEP, we have long known that high school seniors are woefully undereducated in American history and civics. 
The latest report from 2010 shows that only 24% of high school seniors were considered proficient in civics and only a pathetic 12% of them were considered proficient in history. 
And being “proficient” wasn’t much of a challenge when you look at the sample tests. 

...Here are some of the results:...

• We live in a dangerous world—but almost 40% of college graduates didn’t know that Congress has the power to declare war.

• College graduates were even confused about the term lengths of members of Congress. Almost half could not recognize that senators are elected to six year terms and representatives are elected to two-year terms

• And 9.6% of college graduates marked that Judith Sheindlin—“Judge Judy”—was on the Supreme Court!
Read on.....

The EPA knew about Flint’s toxic water for months and didn’t tell anyone

The EPA knew about Flint’s toxic water for months and didn’t tell anyone « Hot Air
"...In case you somehow missed it, the drinking water in and around the city has toxic levels of lead in it, with the metal showing up in residents’ blood streams in damaging levels. 
At the same time they’re wrestling with an outbreak of Legionnaire’s disease, also associated with tainted water supplies. 
As usual, there are activists working every bit as hard to assign blame for this mess as working for a solution.

Democrat presidential candidate Bernie Sanders took the obvious route which many other members of his party and assorted liberal activists have done… blame the Governor and call for his resignation. 
The reason I say “obvious” in this context is that Michigan had been run by a Democrat (Jennifer Granholm) from 2003 until a Republican (Snyder) took over the Governor’s mansion, so why not just blame him, right? 
(The Mayor of Flint is a Democrat too, so we can’t be blaming him.)

As it turns out, people knew about the horrible water situation long before the Governor ever caught wind of it. 
And when you think of a government agency in the same sentence as a disaster in a water supply, who do you think of first? 
The Environmental Protection Agency, of course. 
As The Daily Caller found out, the EPA was looking into this almost a year ago but buried the topic in an internal food fight.

EPA official Susan Hedman did not publicize the EPA’s concern over Flint’s water quality or the water’s dangerous health concerns. The federal agency instead quietly fought with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality for at least six months about what should be done.

EPA water expert, Miguel Del Toral, identified potential contamination problems with Flint’s drinking water last February and confirmed the suspicions in April. He authored an internal memo about the problem in June, according to documents obtained by Virginia Tech.

Meanwhile, Hedman became aware of the contamination issue in April. She sought legal advice, but didn’t receive the guidance until November 2014. The American Civil Liberties Union accused Hedman in October of attempting to keep Miguel Del Toral’s memo in-house, downplaying its significance.

This would be stunning if we weren’t talking about the EPA and their state level counterparts in the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. These days it’s sadly not that much of a surprise. 

So the people best equipped (allegedly) to deal with the problem knew about it in February of last year. 

By mid-summer the Governor’s office had been made aware by residents that there were “complaints” about the water being discolored and tasting bad, but he wasn’t informed of any actual toxic level problems until October, at which point the state government machinery ground into action.

Still, since everyone wants to Blame Snyder, he finally responded. (Time Magazine)

In an interview with TIME shortly before he announced the federal emergency request, Snyder says he first knew about potentially serious problems with the water supply on Oct. 1, 2015, when testing by state environmental officials confirmed elevated levels of lead. Pressed on whether that was the first time he became aware of any concern with Flint’s water, Snyder says, “Obviously, I knew there were water issues in Flint. But did I know there were unsafe blood levels? No.”..." 

Prepare For Total Economic Disaster: "We Are Going Down And Going Down Hard"

Prepare For Total Economic Disaster: "We Are Going Down And Going Down Hard"
Editor’s Note:
There’s no more hiding it.
The global economy is at a standstill – almost literally.
The Baltic Dry Index, which tracks the price of moving raw materials across the ocean has completely collapsed to all-time lows.
Last week it was reported in China that not a single container ship was transporting materials across the sea. 
Walmart, the nation’s largest retailer, announced that they are laying off thousands of people and closing hundreds of stores across the country.
Consumer spending through the holiday season was abysmal and some of the countries leading companies are confirming these results in their latest quarterly reports.
Stock markets around the world are crashing.
Governments and central banks are in panic mode.
While they will no doubt attempt to save the system as they did in 2008, it may already be too late for our immediate future.
As James Quinn of The Burning Platform notes in his latest article, “we’re going down.”
The recession is here.

Consumer Drowning Sorrows At The Bar
By James Quinn
The Burning Platform via SteveQuayle.com
Month after month I watch as the MSM mouthpieces try to spin declining consumer spending in a positive light.
They are practically out of excuses.
They are befuddled, because month after month they report “awesome” job gains and can’t understand why all these gainfully employed Americans aren’t buying shit they don’t need like they used to.
These faux journalists, spouting propaganda for their ruling class bosses, are willfully ignorant of the fact the job gains are in low paying part-time jobs and the fact that Obamacare and record high rents are sapping any discretionary income households would use to buy stuff..."

What ‘Three Middle Eastern-Looking Men’ Were Spotted Doing in a Downtown Mall Has Vancouver Police Calling Their Actions a ‘Suspicious Incident’ (UPDATED) | Video | TheBlaze.com

What ‘Three Middle Eastern-Looking Men’ Were Spotted Doing in a Downtown Mall Has Vancouver Police Calling Their Actions a ‘Suspicious Incident’ (UPDATED) | Video | TheBlaze.com:

"But CTV News spoke to an international terrorism and security expert who said the men’s actions are troubling.

“Looking at the pictures, these people are not tourists, obviously,” Andre Gerolymatos told the station. “And they’re not taking pictures for their families. They’re checking out the area, and it could be consistent with what terrorists do before an attack. I’m not saying it is a pre-attack, but it’s pretty close.”

Mall security “tried locating [the] males but were unsuccessful,” Global News reported, citing a Vancouver police internal memo. The outlet added that the trio were focusing “in particular on the Dunsmuir Street exit.”

VanCity Buzz reported that the men were taking “360 video” of the locale, which is the city’s primary shopping mall "

A disgrace!!-----The US spends $35 billion on foreign aid . . . but where does the money really go?

The US spends $35 billion on foreign aid . . . but where does the money really go? – Mondoweiss
The United States provided approximately $35 billion in economic aid to over 140 countries* in fiscal year 2014.
 In the map below the relative size of each country is proportionate to the aid received from the United States and the color of each country indicates GDP per capita.


Countries scaled to the economic aid they receive from the U.S. - Graphic: howmuch.net
Countries scaled to the economic aid they receive from the U.S. –
Graphic: howmuch.net (Click to Enlarge)
How was this aid distributed?
Read on!

History for January 17

History for January 17 - On-This-Day.com:
Benjamin Franklin 1706, Al Capone 1899 - Gangster, Nevil Shute 1899 


James Earl Jones 1931 - Actor, "Star Wars" trilogy as the voice of Darth Vader, Muhammad Ali 1942 - Boxer, Steve Harvey 1957 - Actor, comedian 


1377 - The Papal See was transferred from Avignon in France back to Rome. 


1916 - The Professional Golfers Association was formed in New York City. 



1934 - Ferdinand Porsche submitted a design for a people's car, a "Volkswagen," to the new German Reich government. 


1945 - Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg disappeared in Hungary while in Soviet custody. Wallenberg was credited with saving tens of thousands of Jews. 


1961 - In his farewell address, U.S. President Eisenhower warned against the rise of "the military-industrial complex." 


1966 - A B-52 carrying four H-bombs collided with a refuelling tanker. The bombs were released and eight crewmembers were killed. 


1994 - The Northridge earthquake rocked Los Angeles, CA, registering a 6.7 on the Richter Scale. At least 61 people were killed and about $20 billion in damage was caused. 


1998 - U.S. President Clinton gave his deposition in the Paula Jones sexual harassment lawsuit against him. He was the first U.S. President to testify as a defendant in a criminal or civil lawsuit. 

Obama Blames Fox News, Talk Radio – And the New York Times – for Pushing Americans to ‘Occupy Two Different Realities’ | TheBlaze.com

Obama Blames Fox News, Talk Radio – And the New York Times – for Pushing Americans to ‘Occupy Two Different Realities’ | TheBlaze.com:

"The splintered news media is at least partially to blame for the polarization in American politics, President Barack Obama said Friday during his interviews with YouTube creators.

“The problem is that when we get our politics, a lot of it has to do with the fact that our media is now splintered, some people are just watching Fox News, some people are just reading the New York Times, so they don’t even start with a common baseline of facts,” Obama told Destin Sandlin, host of the YouTube show, “Smarter Everyday.”


AND WE KNOW YOUTUBE IS KNOWN FOR ITS HARD CORE NEWS.  THEY HAVE VERY LITTLE ENTERTAINMENT APPEAL.

IDIOT!

Must see!-----Europe's Betrayal of Women

Hillary the Benghazi Bimbo

Blog: Hillary the Benghazi Bimbo:
"Hillary Clinton and her allies furiously and famously defended her husband's sexual predations by targeting the women Bill victimized with media campaigns designed to portray Bill's victims as lying, conniving bimbos.
The best example of such targeting was the memorable television interview with James Carville, a longtime Clinton hatchet man, where he made this statement in regard to the sexual harassment from Bill reported by Paula Jones, an Arkansas state employee: "Drag a hundred dollar bill through a trailer park, you never know what you'll find."
That dismissive, condescending statement epitomized the theme of the Hillary-directed media response to the Bimbo Eruption, as it came to be known.
Quite simply, these working-class, ordinary American women had no credibility due to their station in life.  
They were nothing more than low-class hustlers, looking for their fifteen minutes of fame by making accusations against a charismatic Democrat politician.
The operative term there is "Democrat."  
Had these women come forth with their charges against a Republican presidential candidate, he would have been immediate toast in the mainstream media.
But Bill and Hillary were Democrats, so the media went along with the bimbo portrayals even though Bill ultimately paid Paula Jones $850,000 to settle her lawsuit, in the process perjuring himself and losing his law license.  
And of course there was then the spectacle of Monica Lewinsky..."

People Who Defied Clintons Reveal How They Were Punished -- Dead Pets, Slashed Tires, and WORSE

People Who Defied Clintons Reveal How They Were Punished -- Dead Pets, Slashed Tires, and WORSE:

"We all know that Bill and Hillary Clinton will sink to almost any level to intimidate the women who accuse the former president of sexual misconduct. However, we didn’t know how low that was — until recently.

In a September interview with “Breitbart News Sunday” on SiriusXM, author Roger Stone recounted what would happen to women who accused Bill of rape or other forms of sexual impropriety.

“Pets killed. Tires slashed. Windshields smashed in and bullets left in the front seat of cars. Late-night phone calls: ‘We know where your children go to school,’ all of these threats were part of the Clintons’ intimidation tactics,” Stone told interviewer Matt Boyle."

It's ALL about money and (democrat) votes-----Amarillo, TX being destroyed by refugee overload

Amarillo, TX being destroyed by refugee overload « Refugee Resettlement Watch
“Small ghettos” of competing ethnic groups have developed!
We have been writing about Amarillo, Texas (a ‘pocket of resistance’) for a couple of years (see our complete archive by clicking here).
Like so many meatpacking towns in America, federal refugee resettlement contractors got a foot hold there years ago (mostly working as ‘head hunters’ for the meatpacking industry) and have continued to pour third-worlders into Amarillo despite pleas by elected officials to STOP!
(See our post just yesterday, here, about BIG MEAT).
Under federal refugee programs, the North Texas town has become home to more than 1,000 Mideast migrants – giving Amarillo the highest refugee ratio in the country.
“Our education system is overloaded with kids who can’t speak English. We have something like 22 languages spoken in our schools,” said William Sumerford, a local taxpayer activist.
City Commissioner Randy Burkett is considering a plan to halt further refugee settlements. Burkett could not be reached, but Mayor Paul Harpole isn’t optimistic about the city’s authority to push back.
“We’ve been a giving community, and it’s a huge disservice to bring in refugees in numbers that we’re not able to handle.
We create small ghettos,” Harpole told Watchdog.org..."
Read on and see the greed of those pushing the "refugee" tsunami.

A recession worse than 2008 is coming

A recession worse than 2008 is coming—commentary
The S&P 500 has begun 2016 with its worst performance ever.
This has prompted Wall Street apologists to come out in full force and try to explain why the chaos in global currencies and equities will not be a repeat of 2008.
Nor do they want investors to believe this environment is commensurate with the dot-com bubble bursting.
They claim the current turmoil in China is not even comparable to the 1997 Asian debt crisis.
Indeed, the unscrupulous individuals that dominate financial institutions and governments seldom predict a down-tick on Wall Street, so don't expect them to warn of the impending global recession and market mayhem.
But a recession has occurred in the U.S. about every five years, on average, since the end of WWII; and it has been seven years since the last one — we are overdue.
Most importantly, the average market drop during the peak to trough of the last 6 recessions has been 37 percent.
That would take the S&P 500 down to 1,300; if this next recession were to be just of the average variety.
But this one will be worse.
A major contributor for this imminent recession is the fallout from a faltering Chinese economy. 
The megalomaniac communist government has increased debt 28 times since the year 2000.
Taking that total north of 300 percent of GDP in a very short period of time for the primary purpose of building a massive unproductive fixed asset bubble that adds little to GDP.
Now that this debt bubble is unwinding, growth in China is going offline. 
The renminbi's falling value, cascading Shanghai equity prices (down 40 percent since June 2014) and plummeting rail freight volumes (down 10.5 percent year over year), all clearly illustrate that China is not growing at the promulgated 7 percent, but rather isn't growing at all.
The problem is that China accounted for 34 percent of global growth, and the nation's multiplier effect on emerging markets takes that number to over 50 percent..."
Read on and prepare!

Lunch video-----Lubbock Cowboys Give Hilarious Interview in Wrangling Incident

Lubbock Cowboys Give Hilarious Interview in Wrangling Incident:


This on-air interview is almost too good to be true. 
A few years ago, a couple cows got loose in Lubbock, Texas.
They were running all around the highway and into the downtown area, causing traffic problems and pandemonium.
One cow even stuck its head straight through a glass window into a law office.
Enter: the five-time national championship-winning Texas Tech Ranch Horse team.
As Sherrod Greeson explains, “Well, I was in class — a very important class, mind you, at that — yes. Oh, I’m sorry. In a very important class, and I get this phone call that says, ‘There’s two cows out on the highway,’ so I jump in the Toyota and run down there.”
...“So how exciting was this for you?” asks the reporter. “On a scale of 1 to 10? 11,” says Greeson. “And how long have you been doing this?” she adds. “Well, I woke up today, so probably about 7 hours,” says Greeson. The reporter cracks up, adding, “I want to be all of your friends.”
Watch the whole hilarious interview above for more classic moments as the team recounts its adventures in roping cows in the middle of downtown Lubbock..."

Noon-toon

Gun-Control Activist Apparently Posts ‘F*** Police Officers,’ ‘F*** the NRA’ Rant. One Week Later, the Seemingly Same Person Gets Invited to Meet Obama. | Video | TheBlaze.com

Gun-Control Activist Apparently Posts ‘F*** Police Officers,’ ‘F*** the NRA’ Rant. One Week Later, the Seemingly Same Person Gets Invited to Meet Obama. | Video | TheBlaze.com:

"In late December, a gun-control activist apparently posted an F-word-laden rant directed at the NRA, lawmakers and police — and about a week later seemingly the same person was invited by the White House to meet President Barack Obama."

Guilty for Obeying the Feds

Guilty for Obeying the Feds - WSJ:
"Can a drug company be held liable for following the directions of federal regulators on warning labels? 
Johnson & Johnson did exactly that, only to be slapped with a $63 million jury verdict in Massachusetts for inadequate warnings.
The Supreme Court is being asked to hear J&J’s appeal in a case with major implications for uniform national business regulation.
In 2003 Richard Reckis treated his seven-year-old daughter Samantha with over-the-counter Children’s Motrin for a fever.
Samantha developed a rare and advanced case of Stevens-Johnson syndrome called toxic epidermal necrolysis which caused skin blistering, as well as lung, liver and vision damage.
Her parents sued Johnson & Johnson in state court for failing to alert buyers to the potential side effects, and the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the jury verdict.
The legal problem is that the federal Food and Drug Administration had rejected the specific labeling enhancement that lawyers for the Reckis family say should have been applied. 
In 2005 what’s known as a Citizen Petition to the FDA suggested that Motrin should include language on “serious skin reactions” and “potentially life-threatening diseases” and specify the names of some of the conditions.
The FDA agreed on the need for improved warnings about skin reactions, but it said it would not be helpful to include a mention of “life-threatening” conditions or the names of the conditions, which most people were unfamiliar with.
Instead, the agency said, “a description of symptoms” was more appropriate for the over-the-counter medication.
J&J would have been defying federal regulatory guidelines if it had included the warning that the Reckis lawsuit claims should have been on the bottle..."

Same guy in charge of Flint water now in charge of Detroit kids?!!!----- DPS emergency manager needs to step aside

Jacques: DPS emergency manager needs to step aside:
"Darnell Earley has to go.
The emergency manager of Detroit Public Schools is now irrevocably tainted by his time in that same role for the city of Flint. 
Whether he deserves blame is still in question, but Earley was the state-appointed manager who oversaw Flint’s transition from the Detroit water system to Flint River water.
The switch in the spring of 2014 has led to disastrous consequences, including children now suffering from lead poisoning from the drinking water.
Gov. Rick Snyder’s reputation has suffered for not acting quickly enough to ameliorate the situation in Flint and to demand accountability after.
The governor has a major perception problem having Earley at the helm of the financially failing DPS.
And reports this week of school buildings that are unsafe and unclean for children only make it more obvious that this emergency manager is no longer a good fit.
You can’t have the same man associated with the poisoning of Flint’s children now responsible for the safety of nearly 50,000 Detroit kids.
...Snyder envisions splitting DPS into two entities to separate more than $500 million in debt from a new district that could direct its funds to educating students rather than covering past borrowing.
...Earley has also defended his record in Flint.
In a guest column for this paper in October, he wrote: “Contrary to reports in the media and rhetoric being espoused by individuals, the decision was made at the local level, by local civic leaders.” Earley says the decision to move to Flint River water was approved by the mayor and City Council months before he was appointed emergency manager in the fall of 2013.
That may be accurate. But Earley was in charge when the actual implementation took place.
And the buck stops with him and Snyder..."

More Than 100 Already Shot in Chicago Since Beginning of Year

More Than 100 Already Shot in Chicago Since Beginning of Year | MRCTV:
"It's been just over a week into the the new year, and more than 100 people have been shot in the city of Chicago.
As of Monday morning, 19 people have been killed in gun-related crimes and 101 have been wounded. 
This includes seven individuals who were shot to death last weekend.
In a city known for its strict anti-gun laws, Chicago Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi has released a statement saying that most of the shootings have been gang-related..."

Christian Farm Owners Fought Back Against $13,000 Fine for Refusing to Host a Gay Wedding — but Here’s What Just Happened in Court | TheBlaze.com

Christian Farm Owners Fought Back Against $13,000 Fine for Refusing to Host a Gay Wedding — but Here’s What Just Happened in Court | TheBlaze.com:

 "Attorneys with the organization had argued that the First Amendment protects the Christian couple, comparing forcing the family to host the wedding on the farm property to forcing someone to salute the American flag inside of a school, but that argument clearly didn’t resonate.

“We had hoped that the court would recognize that the government has clearly gone too far,” James Trainor, an attorney working with the Alliance Defending Freedom, said of the case. “The Constitution prohibits the government from forcing anyone to help communicate messages that conflict with their core beliefs about marriage. The Giffords welcome all people to the farm, but not all messages or events.”

This is how toxic Flint’s water really is

This is how toxic Flint’s water really is - The Washington Post:
"...The professor who conducted the sampling, Dr. Marc Edwards, was in "disbelief."
"We had never seen such sustained high levels of lead in 25 years of work," he said.
According to Edwards, the team retested the water with extra quality controls and assurance checks, and obtained the exact same results.
...It appears that the city of Flint and state of Michigan have finally started to take the water problem seriously.
Again, they reconnected the city to Detroit's supply back in October, but the water remains unsafe to drink.
In recent days the National Guard was activated to help distribute drinking water to the city's residents.
And in yet another unsettling wrinkle in Flint's saga, 87 cases of Legionnaire's Disease, 10 fatal, have been diagnosed in the city since June.
It's not yet clear whether that outbreak is linked to the water."

History for January 16

History for January 16 - On-This-Day.com:
Andre Michelin 1853, Ethel Merman 1909, Norman Podhoretz 1930 


A.J. Foyt 1935, Ronnie Milsap 1943, John Carpenter 1948 


1919 - The 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which prohibited the sale or transportation of alcoholic beverages, was ratified. It was later repealed by the 21st Amendment. 


1920 - Prohibition went into effect in the U.S. 


1944 - General Dwight D. Eisenhower took command of the Allied invasion force in London. 


1970 - Colonel Muammar el-Quaddafi became virtual president of Libya. 


1979 - The Shah of Iran and his family fled Iran for Egypt. 


1985 - "Playboy" magazine announced its 30-year tradition of stapling centerfold models in the bellybutton and elsewhere would come to an immediate end. 


1988 - Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder was fired as a CBS sports commentator one day after telling a TV station in Washington, DC, that, during the era of slavery, blacks had been bred to produce stronger offspring. 


1991 - The White House announced the start of Operation Desert Storm. The operation was designed to drive Iraqi forces out of Kuwait. 

‘The Timing Couldn’t Be Worse for Secretary Clinton’: Anti-Hillary Super PACs Tout ’13 Hours’ Movie | TheBlaze.com

‘The Timing Couldn’t Be Worse for Secretary Clinton’: Anti-Hillary Super PACs Tout ’13 Hours’ Movie | TheBlaze.com:

"For two political action committees trying to make sure Hillary Clinton isn’t elected president, the release of “13 Hours” is a gift from Hollywood.

The feature film, directed by Michael Bay, goes inside the Sept. 11, 2012 attack on the Benghazi consulate in Libya — a key moment in Clinton’s tenure as secretary of state.

The movie hits theaters today — just over two weeks ahead of the Iowa caucuses."

Open-Carry Gun Owner Videotapes Police Requesting His Permit Inside Connecticut Store. Just Wait Until You Get a Load of His Answer. | Video | TheBlaze.com

Open-Carry Gun Owner Videotapes Police Requesting His Permit Inside Connecticut Store. Just Wait Until You Get a Load of His Answer. | Video | TheBlaze.com:

“Is that illegal?” the man asked.

“It’s not,” the officer replied, repeating his request to see the man’s permit. The man continued to refuse to show a permit."

How (and Why) Palestinian Leaders Scare the World

How (and Why) Palestinian Leaders Scare the World:

• Abbas has perfected the art of financial extortion. Every Monday and Thursday, as it were, the Palestinian Authority (PA) president has threatened to resign and/or dissolve the PA. This tactic has a twofold aim: cold hard European and American cash, and a gaze directed away from the PA's turmoil.
• The PA wants the following response from the international community: "Oh my God, we must do something to salvage the peace process. We need to put even more pressure on these Israelis before matters get out of hand."
• Abbas wants the world's eyes on Israel -- and Israel alone. That way, the fierce behind-the-scenes battle for succession that has been raging among the top brass of the Palestinian leadership in the West Bank will stay far from the limelight.
• The PA seeks a solution imposed upon Israel by the international community. Why negotiate when Western powers are prepared to do everything to see Israel brought to its knees?