Sunday, March 02, 2014

History for March 2

History for March 2 - On-This-Day.com
Film premiere anniversaries: King Kong (1933) and Sound of Music (1965).
 

Birth anniversary of Theodor “Dr. Seuss” Geisel (1904-91).
 

Birth anniversary of Sam Houston (1793-1863), first president of the Republic of Texas.
 

Happy Birthday!  Daniel Craig, Mikhail Gorbachev, Tom Wolfe


1807 - The U.S. Congress passed an act to "prohibit the importation of slaves into any port or place within the jurisdiction of the United States... from any foreign kingdom, place, or country." 

















1836 - Texas declared its independence from Mexico and an ad interim government was formed. 


1866 - Excelsior Needle Company began making sewing machine needles.
 

1877 - In the U.S., Rutherford B. Hayes was declared the winner of the 1876 presidential election by the U.S. Congress. Samuel J. Tilden, however, had won the popular vote on November 7, 1876. 

1887 - The American Trotting Association was organized in Detroit, MI


1917 - The Russian Revolution began with Czar Nicholas II abdicating.
 

1969 - In Toulouse, France, the supersonic transport Concorde made its first test flight. 

Saturday, March 01, 2014

TheBlaze Questions Jay Carney on New Proposed IRS Rules Critics Say Will Restrict Political Speech | TheBlaze.com


TheBlaze Questions Jay Carney on New Proposed IRS Rules Critics Say Will Restrict Political Speech | TheBlaze.com:

"Cruz also proposed to amend the Internal Revenue Code to use the Federal Election Commission’s definition to determine whether an organization is engaging in political activity, and to keep the IRS out of such matters.
The Democratic majority on the Senate Judiciary Committee rejected both proposals on a party-line vote.
“Nearly nine months ago, President Obama declared the IRS’s illegal targeting of conservative groups ‘intolerable and inexcusable,’ yet his administration has authored a new rule to specifically limit free speech for many of those groups, which are classified as ‘social welfare’ organizations,” Cruz said."




Great Lakes Approaching 100% Ice Cover – For The First Time On Record | Real Science

Great Lakes Approaching 100% Ice Cover – For The First Time On Record | Real Science:



ScreenHunter_90 Mar. 01 09.03Lake Ontario is the only major holdout, and the forecast there is for extreme cold during the next two weeks.

The Hotline's Senate Race Rankings: Republicans in Command - NationalJournal.com

The Hotline's Senate Race Rankings: Republicans in Command - NationalJournal.com:




The 2014 Senate landscape continues to look challenging for Democrats. Republicans can take back the chamber after eight years of Democratic control with a net gain of six seats, and the seven seats most likely to flip are held by Democrats in states President Obama lost in 2012.
The most important change since we looked at the Senate map three months ago is the glut of outside spending, particularly against Democratic incumbents in the majority-making seats of North Carolina, Louisiana, and Alaska. The nonprofit, conservative group Americans for Prosperity has dumped tens of millions into those states, beating up incumbents who now have--at best--50/50 chances of retaining their seats.

World's largest aircraft unveiled and hailed 'game changer' - Telegraph

World's largest aircraft unveiled and hailed 'game changer' - Telegraph:

The HAV Hybrid Aircraft
The world’s largest aircraft which can stay airborne for up to three weeks and will be vital in delivering several tonnes of humanitarian aid as well as transporting heavy freight across the world, has been unveiled.
The 300ft (91m) ship is part plane, airship and helicopter, and there are plans to eventually use it to transport hundreds of tonnes of freight across difficult terrain throughout the world as well as deliver aid to risky areas.

Planned Parenthood President: When Life Begins Not 'Really Relevant' in Abortion Debate | National Review Online

Planned Parenthood President: When Life Begins Not 'Really Relevant' in Abortion Debate | National Review Online:

The president of the country’s largest abortion provider said she didn’t think the matter of when life begins is pertinent to the issue.
“It is not something that I feel is really part of this conversation,” Cecile Richards of Planned Parenthood told Fusion’s Jorge Ramos on Thursday. “I don’t know if it’s really relevant to the conversation.”
When pressed, Richards said that in her view life began for her three children when she delivered them.
She explained that the purpose of her organization is not to answer a question that “will be debated through the centuries,” but to provide options for pregnant women.

Long waits frustrate callers to health exchanges - Yahoo News

Long waits frustrate callers to health exchanges - Yahoo News:

Long waits frustrate callers to health exchangesANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — For those trying to enroll through online health exchanges, help has long been advertised as just a phone call away.
Yet the challenge in some states has been trying to get a call through at all, never mind the multiple transfers once contact has been made.

Krauthammer’s Take: Obama Tells the World We Aren’t Going to Do Anything About Invasion of Ukraine | National Review Online

Krauthammer’s Take: Obama Tells the World We Aren’t Going to Do Anything About Invasion of Ukraine | National Review Online:

As reports are coming in that Russia has placed 2,000 troops in Crimea, within the borders of Ukraine, President Obama said that “the United States will stand with the international community in affirming that there will be costs for any military intervention in Ukraine.”
Charles Krauthammer responded on Special Report tonight saying, “The Ukrainians, and I think everybody, is shocked by the weakness of Obama’s statement. I find it rather staggering.”

Russia executes de facto takeover of Crimea region

My Way News - Russia executes de facto takeover of Crimea region
KIEV, Ukraine (AP) - Russia executed a de facto military takeover of a strategic region in Ukraine as the parliament in Moscow gave President Vladimir Putin a green light Saturday to proceed to protect Russian interests. 
The newly installed government in Kiev was powerless to react to the swift takeover of Crimea by Russian troops already in Ukraine and more flown in, aided by pro-Russian Ukrainian groups.
Putin's move follows President Barack Obama's warning Friday "there will be costs" if Russia intervenes militarily, sharply raising the stakes in the conflict over Ukraine's future and evoking memories of Cold War brinkmanship. 
The explicit reference to the use of troops escalated days of conflict between the two countries, which started when Ukraine's pro-Russian president was pushed out by a protest movement of people who wanted closer ties to the European Union.

» Michigan Township To Put Cameras ‘In Every Neighborhood’ Alex Jones' Infowars: There's a war on for your mind!

» Michigan Township To Put Cameras ‘In Every Neighborhood’ Alex Jones' Infowars: There's a war on for your mind!:

“We are recording images that a police officer would see if he or she were standing in the same place”
Mikael ThalenInfowars.com
February 28, 2014
Officials in Ypsilanti Township, Michigan are working with police to put surveillance cameras in every single neighborhood.

News from The Associated Press

AP PhotoNews from The Associated Press: "CHINA: TRAIN STATION ATTACK AN ACT OF TERRORISM"



BEIJING (AP) -- Knife-wielding assailants attacked people at a train station in southwestern China on Saturday in what authorities called a terrorist attack and police fatally shot five of the assailants, leaving 28 people dead and 113 injured, state media said.

Watch what Bill Maher said that made disgusted Bill Kristol shout, ‘that’s total bulls**t!’

Watch what Bill Maher said that made disgusted Bill Kristol shout, ‘that’s total bulls**t!’ - BizPac Review:
 "The Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol stepped out of his normally staid and proper character to call out HBO’s Bill Maher by calling a remark the“Real Time” host made Friday concerning the tea party movement, “total bulls**t.”
 Maher played the race card once again, and claimed that the tea party’s roots were in it’s displeasure over having a black president.
 “That’s bulls**t!” Kristol fired back. “That is total bulls**t! Even you don’t believe that. You’re just saying that.” 
 CNN contributor Margaret Hoover threw her support in for Kristol when Maher refused to back off his remarks.She indicated that the tea party got its start on purely economic issues, beginning with the Troubled Asset Recovery Program under George W. Bush.
 “It actually did start under President Bush,” she asserted.

 Watch the exchange below.

"A lie repeated often enough......"

We need to get the truth out.
Too mant Americans are hearing this meme NONSTOP on NYT/AP/WaPost/NPR/ PBS/CNN/MSNBC /LibTalkRadio/DaytimeTalkTV and to a slightly lesser extent ABC/NBC/CBS. 
Simply stated, "Obamacare had a few glitches that are now fixed. The GOPers are lying. As usual. It's a great plan that insures those in need."
Remember, this is the 2nd most powerful elected democrat in the country!
And his propagandist comrades in the media are sending out this message EVERY day.
The lie is working VERY effectively with those who get little media (mostly at work/school, from friends, from their union, etc.) or the progressive self-censor crowd that dares not listen/read/view "forbidden" media.
IE: Most of America (and the world)


Harry Reid: Liar

Harry Reid: Liar « Hot Air:
"Allahpundit described my reaction to Harry Reid’s latest broadsides against truth and decency rather accurately, writing that I was “virtually shaking with rage and disbelief that this tool could say this with a straight face.”
I eventually channeled that anger — and it was genuine anger — into a rapid fire Twitter fact-check of the US Senate’s dishonorable leader.
Reid asserted that “all of” the personal accounts from people who have been harmed by Obamacare “are untrue.”
In short, this known liar unironically and casually smeared millions of Americans, including a number of cancer patients, as liars for daring to notice that Democrats’ unpopular healthcare law was actively hurting them.
With a tip of the hat to our Twitchy cousins for compiling these tweets into a single post, here is a small slice of what the second most powerful Democrat in America sneers at as “untrue” fabrications of the Koch brothers.
Cancer patients whose plans they liked and depended on were canceled under Obamacare, violating the president’s promise and throwing their lives into turmoil:"
(click link to see posts)

Four of five FCC study authors gave to Obama | WashingtonExaminer.com



Four of five FCC study authors gave to Obama | WashingtonExaminer.com:

"A significant problem with the now-suspended Federal Communications Commission plan to have government contractors question journalists about editorial decisions and practices was that it was a partisan exercise. The plan originated among Democrats on the FCC; the commission's two Republican members didn't even learn about it until it was well under way."




Obamas set new record for vacation travel expenses; stonewalled documents finally released

Obamas set new record for vacation travel expenses; stonewalled documents finally released - BizPac Review:
"It took filing a Freedom of Information lawsuit to find out, but Judicial Watch revealed Friday that President Obama has set a new record for travel on the taxpayer dime.

 The conservative watchdog group obtained travel records from the U.S. Department of the Air Force that document the Obama’s tab of $7,396,531.20 for just three trips taken in 2013 – in flight expenses only – picked up by the taxpayers."

Putin Asks Russia’s Senate to Use Military Force in Ukraine

Putin Asks Russia’s Senate to Use Military Force in Ukraine - NYTimes.com:
"SIMFEROPOL Ukraine — As Russian-backed armed forces effectively seized control of Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula on Saturday, President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia requested that the Russian Senate authorize him to use military force in Ukraine.

Mr. Putin’s request, largely a formality, signaled publicly for the first time the Kremlin’s readiness to intervene militarily in Ukraine, and it served as a blunt response to President Obama, who just hours earlier pointedly warned Russia to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty"

They made fun of Churchill's warnings about Hitler, too-------Palin Mocked in 2008 for Warning Putin May Invade Ukraine if Obama Elected

Palin Mocked in 2008 for Warning Putin May Invade Ukraine if Obama Elected
During the 2008 presidential campaign, Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin warned that if Senator Barack Obama were elected president, his "indecision" and "moral equivalence" may encourage Russia's Vladimir Putin to invade Ukraine. 
Palin said then:
After the Russian Army invaded the nation of Georgia, Senator Obama's reaction was one of indecision and moral equivalence, the kind of response that would only encourage Russia's Putin to invade Ukraine next.
For those comments, she was mocked by the high-brow Foreign Policy magazine and its editor Blake Hounshell, who now is one of the editors of Politico magazine. 
In light of recent events in Ukraine and concerns that Russia is getting its troops ready to cross the border into the neighboring nation, nobody seems to be laughing at or dismissing those comments now.
Hounshell wrote then that Palin's comments were "strange" and "this is an extremely far-fetched scenario."
"And given how Russia has been able to unsettle Ukraine's pro-Western government without firing a shot, I don't see why violence would be necessary to bring Kiev to heel," Hounshell dismissively wrote. 
Palin made her remarks on the stump after Obama's running mate Joe Biden warned Obama supporters to "gird  your loins" if Obama is elected because international leaders may test or try to take advantage of him.

Dumbass of the day---Daughter's Facebook Brag Costs Her Family $80,000

Daughter's Facebook Brag Costs Her Family $80,000 | Parenting - Yahoo Shine

According to the Miami Herald, Patrick Snay, 69, was the headmaster at Gulliver Preparatory School in Miami for several years, but in 2010, the school didn’t renew his contract. Snay sued his former employer for age discrimination and won a settlement of $80,000 in November 2011. The agreement contained a standard confidentiality clause, prohibiting Snay or the school from talking about the case.

However, Snay’s daughter, Dana, now at Boston College and a part-time Starbucks barista, couldn’t resist bragging about the case on Facebook. “Mama and Papa Snay won the case against Gulliver,” she wrote. “Gulliver is now officially paying for my vacation to Europe this summer. SUCK IT.” 
Dana has 1,200 Facebook friends, many of whom are current and former Gulliver students, and news of the post made its way back to the school’s lawyers, who appealed the verdict. The Third District Court of Appeal tossed out the $80,000 settlement earlier this week. “Snay violated the agreement by doing exactly what he had promised not to do,” Judge Linda Ann Wells wrote. “His daughter then did precisely what the confidentiality agreement was designed to prevent.”
According to depositions obtained by the Miami Herald, Snay argued that he needed to share the news with his daughter because she suffered “psychological scars” from her time at the school and besides, she knew her parents were in mediation. 

"Detroit-style".... even the Euros dig it!-----------Rome Is On The Verge Of Detroit-Style Bankruptcy

Rome Is On The Verge Of Detroit-Style Bankruptcy | Zero Hedge
 And in keeping with the analogies, considering a major US metropolitan center, Detroit, recently went bankrupt, it is only fair that Europe sacrifice one of its own historic cities to the gods of negative cash flows. The city in question, Rome, which as the WSJ reports, is "teetering on the brink of a Detroit-style bankruptcy."
Rome, the eternal city, which survived two millennia of abuse from everyone may be preparing to lay its arms at the hands of unprecedented corruption, capital mismanagement and lies.
On the first day of his premiership, Matteo Renzi had to withdraw a decree, promulgated by his predecessor, that would have helped the city of Rome fill an €816 million ($1.17 billion) budget gap, after filibustering by opposition lawmakers in the Parliament on Wednesday signaled the bill had little likelihood of passing.

Devising a new decree that provides aid to Rome will now cost Mr. Renzi time and political capital he intended to deploy in promoting sweeping electoral and labor overhauls during his first weeks in office.

For Rome's city fathers, though, the setback has more dire consequences. They must now face unpalatable choices—such as cutting public services, raising taxes or delaying payments to suppliers—to gain time as they search for ways to close a yawning budget gap. If it fails, the city could be placed under an administrator tasked with selling off city assets, such as its utilities.

"It's time to stop the accounting tricks and declare Rome's default," said Guido Guidesi, a parliamentarian from the Northern League, which opposed the measure.
Alas, if one stops the accounting tricks, not only Rome, but all of Europe, as well as the US and China would all be swept under a global bankruptcy tsunami. So it is safe to assume that the tricks will continue. Especially when one considers that as Mirko Coratti, head of Rome's city council said on Wednesday, "A default of Italy's capital city would trigger a chain reaction that could sweep across the national economy." Well we can't have that, especially not with everyone in Europe living with their head stuck in the sand of universal denial, assisted by the soothing lies of Mario Draghi and all the other European spin masters.
So what is the catalyst that would push the city into default? Trash.

EPA moves against major Alaska gold mine, could sideline project over salmon

EPA moves against major Alaska gold mine, could sideline project over salmon | Fox News:

"The EPA has rarely used this specific authority, which it can exercise before a permit is applied for.
The agency says it has only done so 29 times in the past, and in 13 of those cases the EPA decided to take steps to limit or prohibit activity. "




Rise of the Obamacare Denialists

Rise of the Obamacare Denialists | Heartlander Magazine:
 "Over the past few weeks, we’ve witnessed the rise of a new creature in media: the Obamacare denialists. 
Convinced there is nothing wrong with Obamacare, these individuals argue that any objections to the law have to be creations of the partisan right.

Jonathan Bernstein writes here: “Is it possible that the reason all the Republican horror stories about the Affordable Care Act haven’t panned out is because there aren’t any (real) horror stories?”

I realize the stories I’ve shared here might not suit Mr. Bernstein’s partisan framework of the issue, but perhaps he could comment on this, shared by a subscriber whose spouse has MS.

A consultation with the private drug coverage website told me I was covered for the cost of the drug minus my co-pay. I contacted my drug insurance companies eight hundred number to verify and I was told that my coverage had changed because of Obamacare. My private insurance, a benefit gained as compensation during my working years, would now only cover this drug so minimally as to be useless. In order to be treated, I must come up with approximately 50 grand a year, cash, out of pocket."

History for March 1

History for March 1 - On-This-Day.com
100th birth anniversaries of sports broadcaster Harry Caray (1914-98) and author Ralph Ellison (1914-94).
 

Today’s birth anniversaries also include Frédéric Chopin (1810-49), Glen Miller (1904-44), and Deke Slayton (1924-93).
 

Happy Birthday! Catherine Bach, Roger Daltrey, Ron Howard

1692 - In Salem Village, in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the Salem witch trials began. Four women were the first to be charged. 


1781 - In America, the Continental Congress adopted the Articles of Confederation. 


1872 - The U.S. Congress authorized the creation of Yellowstone National Park. It was the world's first national park. 


1873 - E. Remington and Sons of Ilion, NY, began the manufacturing the first practical typewriter. 



1912 - Captain Albert Berry made the first parachute jump from a moving airplane. 


1932 - The 22-month-old son of Charles and Anne Lindbergh was kidnapped. The child was found dead in May. 


1941 - FM Radio began in Nashville, TN, when station W47NV began operations. 


1947 - The International Monetary Fund began operations. 


1950 - Klaus Fuchs was convicted of giving U.S. atomic secrets to the Soviet Union. 


1954 - The United States announced that it had conducted a hydrogen bomb test on the Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean. 



1954 - Five U.S. congressmen were wounded when four Puerto Rican nationalists opened fire from the gallery of the U.S. House of Representatives. 




2003 - In the U.S., approximately 180,000 personnel from 22 different organizations around the government became part of the Department of Homeland Security. This completed the largest government reorganization since the beginning of the Cold War. 


2003 - Khalid Shaikh Mohammed was captured by CIA and Pakistani agents near Islamabad. He was the suspected mastermind behind the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001.

Friday, February 28, 2014

Michigan House moves to legalize ticket scalping over objections from Kid Rock, venues

Michigan House moves to legalize ticket scalping over objections from Kid Rock, venues | MLive.com: "LANSING, MI -- The Michigan House of Representatives on Thursday voted to repeal the state's longstanding ban on ticket scalping, approving legislation that would decriminalize reselling a ticket for more than face value without the written permission of a venue.

House Bill 5108, now headed to the Senate, is opposed by high-profile entertainment venues and Detroit-area musician Kid Rock, who has argued that it would take away "one measly law that venues have to protect artists and fans from scalpers who want to get rich off the backs of the working man."

But sponsoring state Rep. Tim Kelly (R-Saginaw) sang a different tune on Thursday, positing that individuals should have the right to sell a piece of property they own for whatever price the free market allows."

Supreme Court Rules Police May Search YOUR Home Without Obtaining A Warrant

Supreme Court Rules Police May Search YOUR Home Without Obtaining A Warrant | Zero Hedge:
"If the most disturbing, if underreported, news from yesterday, was Obama's "modification" of NSA capabilities, which contrary to his earlier promises, was just granted even greater powers as phone recording will now be stored for even longer than previously, then this latest development from the Supreme Court - one which some could argue just voided the Fourth amendment - is even more shocking.
RT reports that the US Supreme Court has ruled that police may search a home without obtaining a warrant despite the objection of one occupant if that occupant has been removed from the premises. 
With its 6 to 3 decision in Fernandez v. California on Tuesday, the Court sided with law enforcement’s ability to conduct warrantless searches after restricting police powers with its 2006 decision on a similar case."

Who are the "de-growthers" payin' for this Mediterranian junket?----------Environmentalists champion economic 'de-growth'

Environmentalists champion economic 'de-growth' | The Daily Caller:

"Environmentalists are pushing a new way to deal with global warming and overpopulation: the U.S. needs to “de-grow” its economy.


What is “de-growth”?

It means forcing people to work less to make them more equal, consume fewer goods and use less electricity.

Think of it like camping, but for the rest of your life.

Environmentalists at the New Economics Foundation in London and the Worldwatch Institute in Washington, D.C. argue that cutting the 40-hour work week and using less electricity is necessary.

This includes a living wage requirement and a more progressive tax code."

Dude, I thought decriminalization was gonna stop all this prison stuff. Dude........Home alarm worked, so marijuana-growing, gun-owning homeowner headed to prison

Home alarm worked, so marijuana-growing, gun-owning homeowner headed to prison | MLive.com: "MUSKEGON, MI – A home security system led to a more secure home for a Muskegon homeowner, at least for the next three to 12 years.

Marlon Gene Kelley, 53, of Muskegon last week was sentenced to state prison for marijuana-growing and gun crimes uncovered after his home alarm system sent Muskegon police to his house.

Muskegon County 14th Circuit Judge Timothy G. Hicks on Feb. 18 ordered Kelley to the Michigan Department of Corrections for one to 10 years for marijuana manufacture, one year for being a felon in possession of a firearm, and a consecutive two years for possessing a firearm while committing a felony. Kelley was sentenced as a fourth-time habitual offender based on prior felony drug convictions."

What could possibly go wrong......Muskegon County's Michigan Works office paying consulting firm $400K to solve job skills gap

"Economists say....."
They also say don't spend what you don't got.
I guess our "betters" at the county can pick their favorite economist sayings.
Muskegon County's Michigan Works office paying consulting firm $400K to solve job skills gap | MLive.com:
"MUSKEGON, MI – Michigan Works! Muskegon-Oceana will pay a consulting design firm $400,000 to find a solution for the skills gap economists say exists between its job-seekers and available jobs.

The Michigan Works chapter’s local financial agent -- the Muskegon County Board of Commissioners – on Tuesday, Feb. 25 approved a contract with design firm IDEO.

Michigan Works! Muskegon-Oceana Director Deborah Groeneveld said the effort would be aimed at a redesign of the way the local organization works.

Economists say there is a skills gap between the job-seekers’ abilities and the requirements of jobs that employers are trying to fill."

Air Obama: $5.1M for two vacation flights, $2.1M to fly to 'Tonight Show'

Air Obama: $5.1M for two vacation flights, $2.1M to fly to 'Tonight Show' | WashingtonExaminer.com:
"The president spent over $7.3 million on just three trips in 2013, including $2.1 million to appear on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” in August, according to new flight documents provided by the Air Force to a public watchdog group."

Ukraine accuses Russia of 'armed invasion' after Crimea airports blockaded

Ukraine accuses Russia of 'armed invasion' after Crimea airports blockaded - Telegraph:

"Ukraine accuses Russia of 'armed invasion' after Crimea airports blockaded
Ukranian minister accuses Russia of an armed takeover of Crimea amid reports that airports have been seized"