Wednesday, March 05, 2014

NEO (Near Earth Object) Asteroid 2014 DX110

20–40 meters (65 - 130 feet) in diameter that will pass less than 1 lunar distance from Earth on 5 March 2014

A high school basketball court is 91'10.4" by 49'2.6".

By the way, NASA's budget (click here) has been cut again with a 24% reduction in it's educational initiatives. 

Militias are in control in the Ukraine. There is no prediction to the outcomes. It is a very danger place thanks to their former president.

The NAACP Legal Defense Fund was founded by a former Supreme Court Justice.

When does the bigotry stop pervading this country?

Thurgood Marshall founded LDF in 1940 (click here) and served as its first Director-Counsel. He was the architect of the legal strategy that ended the country’s official policy of segregation. Marshall was the first African American to serve on the Supreme Court justice on which he served as Associate Justice from 1967-1991 after he was successfully nominated by President Johnson. He retired from the bench in 1991 and passed away on January 24, 1993 in Washington DC at the age of 84. Civil rights and social change came about through meticulous and persistent litigation efforts, at the forefront of which stood Thurgood Marshall and the Legal Defense Fund. Through the courts, he ensured that Blacks enjoyed the rights and responsibilities of full citizenship....

Statement by Sherrilyn Ifill, President and Director-Counsel of LDF
I am deeply disappointed (click here) that the United States Senate failed to confirm Debo Adegbile for the position of Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the Department of Justice. The Senate voted against cloture (closing debate) on the nomination. We call upon Senator Reid to bring the nomination of Adegbile before the U.S. Senate again.

As one of the preeminent civil rights lawyers of his generation, Adegbile has committed most of his life's work to advancing civil rights in America.  There is no question that Adegbile is immensely qualified for the position. He is a man of integrity, accomplishment, and passionate commitment to civil rights....

"Abu-Jamal death sentence as illegally imposed and unconstitutional."

Republicans are really clever to 'hush up' about Medicare when it comes to elections.

Democrats need to remind their constituents the true priorities of the GOP and it isn't the Middle Class. This graph alone proves the wayward direction of GOP spending. They are funding their crony interests on the backs of American Seniors. What kind of priority is that? Democrats have to stress the fact these priorities are still part of the GOP platform and haven't gone away. Why give the Republicans the chance to carry out any of these pending tragedies to our Seniors and economy?

WASHINGTON 
Wed Mar 5, 2014 3:40pm EST
(Reuters) - Severe weather (click here) across much of the United States took a toll on shopping and consumer spending in recent weeks, leading to slower economic growth or outright contraction in some areas of the country, the Federal Reserve said on Wednesday.
The Fed, in its anecdotal Beige Book report, said economic activity in January and February shrank slightly in two of its 12 districts, New York and Philadelphia, mostly due to "unusually severe weather."

Growth slowed in Chicago and activity was stable in Kansas City. While the other eight districts reported growth, the Fed said it was characterized as "modest to moderate" in most cases, an overall downgrade from its last report on January 15, which showed "moderate" growth in nine regions....
It might be weather related downturns, but, that doesn't mean it won't have a lasting effect on the economy. 
These priorities illustrates why there is a huge income gap between the country and the 1% and 0.1%.



What Cotton voted for (click here)

We’ve previously fact-checked the Pryor campaign on whether or not Cotton voted to turn Medicare into a "voucher system." We rated that Mostly True. Republicans typically prefer the term "premium support" to "voucher system," but the concept is the same.

Cotton voted for the budget proposal, authored by Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., in March 2013. The plan, which didn’t become law, called for issuing flat payments to seniors. Seniors would then have the choice to either purchase traditional Medicare coverage or private insurance.

The value of the payment would be either equal to the second-cheapest private plan available in a given area, or the cost of traditional Medicare -- whichever is cheaper.

The reform wouldn’t affect anyone currently 55 or older. Over years, though, under Ryan’s plan, the age for Medicare eligibility would’ve increased from 65 to 67.

Pryor’s campaign spokesman also pointed out that Cotton voted for an alternate House budget proposal from the Republican Study Committee. That proposal’s Medicare plan was similar to Ryan’s, but would affect all individuals under age 60, as opposed to 55. The change would’ve taken effect in 2019, five years sooner than Ryan’s....

51% of the voters on a statewide basis in Arkansas are women.

Mike Huckabee steps in it on birth control; fits with Tom Cotton's anti-woman politics (click here)

Posted by Max Brantley
Thu, Jan 23, 2014 at 4:50 PM

...Huck's insensitivity gave Democratic campaign organizations an opportunity to link Huckabee with Senate candidate Tom Cotton, whose extreme views include personhood of the fertilized egg, which would prohibit the morning-after pill; opposition to the violence against women act; religious opt-outs for insurance coverage of family planning, and opposition to health and welfare programs of immense importance to women. The record of Republican insensitivity to women is long.... 

Cotton is willing to lie to achieve his political ambitions.

Dec 11 2013

Cotton Desperate (click here) To Hide His Record Opposing Pay Equity, Access To Cancer Screenings, Protections From Sexual Harassment & Domestic Violence

After countless Republican Senate candidates have alienated women by making offensive comments and supporting policy positions that are harmful to women, Republican operatives in Washington are now holding special “training sessions” to teach Tom Cotton and others how to hide their blatantly anti-woman record....

Add to that Representative Cotton has admitted he was in a cloakroom that is unethical why are people in Arkansas voting for him for any office?

Tom needs to come out of his closet.

Posted:  
Updated:

...Asking for campaign contributions (click here) would be a violation of ethics rules if the congressman had indeed been in the cloakroom. Cotton's campaign later said that the interview started in the cloakroom, but that he had walked outside the building by the time he pitched his campaign website. It then amended that explanation to say Cotton only called into the show from the cloakroom and was outside before the interview began. Hewitt and his producer changed the story further, telling HuffPost that Cotton never said he was in the cloakroom...

 
While Arkansas's 4th District is rural there are metropolitan areas in the states and within the district.

The graph below shows a profound increase in unemployment in the metropolitan 4th District since Congressman Cotton took office in January 2013.

These are facts, not rhetoric.






Rural Arkansas can't afford an extremist.

Tom Cotton votes against farm bill, but bipartisan measure passes House easily (click here)

Posted by David Ramsey
Wed, Jan 29, 2014 at 11:15 AM

The U.S. House of Representatives this morning finally passed a nearly $1 trillion farm bill. The bill is expected to gain approval in the Senate next week and be signed into law by President Obama.

The bill cuts $8 billion over 10 years from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (food stamps). Not enough for Rep. Tom Cotton, whose appetite for slashing programs for poor people is not so easily sated (House Tea Partiers wanted at least $40 billion cut). Cotton voted no on the bipartisan deal, which passed easily 251-166. He was the only member of the Arkansas delegation to vote against it....


Cook: Tom Cotton Out Of Touch With Arkansas Farmers - See more at: http://talkbusiness.net/2014/01/cook-tom-cotton-touch-arkansas-farmers/#sthash.QeJSNH57.dpuf
Cook: Tom Cotton Out Of Touch With Arkansas Farmers (click here)

Tom Cotton is not only out of step with Arkansas, but he’s even out of step with Arkansas Republicans.  Cotton recklessly puts his own ambitions ahead of the needs of everyday Arkansans.
The reference above is a line of attack Senator Mark Pryor uses against his opponent, and today Cotton made that particular argument against him even easier to make.
On Wednesday, Congressman Tom Cotton was the only member of Arkansas’ federal delegation to vote against the bi-partisan Farm Bill.
Not only did the other Republican members of the federal delegation vote for the Farm Bill, but some of them publicly praised the bill, thus putting Cotton further out of the mainstream.
Republican Congressman Rick Crawford took to Twitter to express his support for the Farm Bill and how it helps Arkansas farmers:...

It is corruption. He aligns with Republican extremists in corruption. His votes are meaningless for the people of Arkansas. "I scratch your back, you scratch mine." Corruption.

...But Tom Cotton couldn’t vote yes on the Farm Bill because his political benefactors, like the Club for Growth, opposed it and Cotton needs their financial support in order to win....

The 4th Congressional District (click here) of Arkansas places 3rd out of four in per capita income. It edges out the 1st district by $575 annually and Cotton doesn't see the need for food assistance? That is a bit short sighted.

Arkansas is providing a model for other states in Medicaid Expansion.



In its fifth crack at the issue, (click here) Arkansas' state House of Representatives has passed funding to continue Arkansas's private option Medicaid expansion, Arkansas Online reports.
The plan is a model for a critical element of a Virginia state Senate proposal for an alternative to Medicaid expansion by using Obamacare funds to purchase private coverage for low income state residents.
The House voted 76-24 Tuesday in favor of the Senate version, which passed on its first try last month. It will next go to Gov. Mike Beebe.
The four previous votes netted majorities, but Arkansas requires a three-quarters supermajority for such funding bills.
But Tom Cotton couldn’t vote yes on the Farm Bill because his political benefactors, like the Club for Growth, opposed it and Cotton needs their financial support in order to win. - See more at: http://talkbusiness.net/2014/01/cook-tom-cotton-touch-arkansas-farmers/#sthash.QeJSNH57.dpuf
Tom Cotton is not only out of step with Arkansas, but he’s even out of step with Arkansas Republicans.  Cotton recklessly puts his own ambitions ahead of the needs of everyday Arkansans.
The reference above is a line of attack Senator Mark Pryor uses against his opponent, and today Cotton made that particular argument against him even easier to make.
On Wednesday, Congressman Tom Cotton was the only member of Arkansas’ federal delegation to vote against the bi-partisan Farm Bill.
Not only did the other Republican members of the federal delegation vote for the Farm Bill, but some of them publicly praised the bill, thus putting Cotton further out of the mainstream.
Republican Congressman Rick Crawford took to Twitter to express his support for the Farm Bill and how it helps Arkansas farmers:
- See more at: http://talkbusiness.net/2014/01/cook-tom-cotton-touch-arkansas-farmers/#sthash.QeJSNH57.dpuf

Read by lips, "No new tax cuts."

Democratic members of Congress and President Obama have permanently set tax rates—in the sense that the rates don’t expire, not that future Congresses can’t change them—at extraordinarily low levels by historical standards.

Close the loopholes.

Historical Individual Income Tax Parameters (click here) 

 
The US Economy is stalling. A tax cut is not possible and the tax loopholes have to end. Does the GOP want the economy to fall into disrepair again for political purposes in November?
With this new agreement, Democratic members of Congress and President Obama have permanently set tax rates—in the sense that the rates don’t expire, not that future Congresses can’t change them—at extraordinarily low levels by historical standards. - See more at: http://www.epi.org/blog/bush-tax-cuts-stay/#sthash.wtJIVKmh.dpuf
President Obama wanted to invest in public school infrastructure while putting construction workers back to work. It never passed the dysfunctional US House because it doesn't serve their political wedge issue of charter schools.

Charter schools are a planned assault against a public education and the reason so many public schools are in decline and decay.

Charter schools promise enforcement of the disadvantaged student. 

USA Charter Schools oppose Common Core. Charter school lotteries are actually job lotteries. It follows students all their life. It disadvantages public students.

Charter Schools in the USA are siphoning off monies from the public education system and oppose large educational programs. Politicians are running and not walking to the side of charter schools for political gains rather than fixing the system that educates ALL our children and simply those that win a damn lottery.

Charter school enrollment might include all students as a potential learner, but, there is no chance every child has an option to actually achieve under their limited enrollment. It is not the fact charter schools are successful, of course they are. They are successful because they take public monies and apply it to far smaller numbers of students. The charter school system falls apart, no different than the public system does when they are required to teach all comers. Charter schools can't do it. They set themselves apart as a political power base by opposing Common Core.

Hello? 

Charter Schools undermine democracy. They remove opportunity for all students. Charter schools are welcome to exist but not at the expense of public school students. End of discussion.

March 5, 2014

By JACKIE RUNION
The Marietta Times

MARIETTA - With the opening (click here) of the The Veritas Academy in Marietta slated for the upcoming school year, parents will be given another private school option.
Parents and educators will be leaving home school programs, public schools and even other private schools to come together to form and to enroll students in Veritas out of a desire for a different option that will operate free from the state and standards such as Common Core.
Several parents involved with Veritas say the decision had to do with St. Mary School in Marietta adopting Common Core standards. St. Mary's administrators said the school would have lost funding if they had not made that decision, and that the standards are a positive change.

I don't think Russia gets it. These are militias. They have to disarm.

I have no doubt Russia cannot order these groups around, but, it has a lot of clout with them. Russia can start to be effective in defusing this entire mess if they start to define what 'sincere' Pro-Russia means. Right now these rouge militias believe war is Pro-Russia. Is it or not?

The national military has to be returned to the Ukraine. Right now the militias are autonomous authorities focusing on enforcing a particular political structure. Their presence in the country has absolutely nothing to do with stability or defense. They have no capacity to produce a national defense, they defend oligarchs. 

The only thing preventing these militias from attacking each other for power was Viktor Yanukovych. Amazingly he had control. Through pure stupidity Yanukovych held control while any of these oligarchs could order their militias to attack the presidential compound. There was nothing preventing that except the cash flow Yanukovych provided to them.

It is safe to say that right now, today, the Ukraine lacks a cohesive national defense and has a very shaky sovereignty. I doubt Russia wants any of that, does it?

Wed Mar 5, 2014 5:42am EST
 
(Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister SergeiLavrov (click here) said on Wednesday that Moscow cannot order pro-Russian armed groups in Ukraine's Crimea region to return to their bases because they are "self-defence" forces, not Russian soldiers.

Western states are discussing a potential resolution to the crisis ignited by Russian intervention in Crimea under which Russia would pull its forces back to their bases on the Black Sea peninsula and allow in international monitors....

The GOP is always stating they want to end unfair tax loopholes, where exactly is that going to happen?

President Obama happens to be correct. There has to be a better cash flow to the Middle Class from the 1%. It will increase the growth of the USA. I think Speaker Boehner, whom recently rediscovered his name, has a lot of work to do. It is time for the GOP to stop dragging their feet regarding this favoritism of the wealthy. It is nonsense. 

The President’s FY2015 budget (click here) released today will show how to achieve real, lasting economic security and expand opportunity for all so that every American who is willing to work hard can get ahead.   The President’s budget will show in real terms the choices we can make to expand economic opportunity and strengthen the middle class, like closing unfair tax loopholes so we can invest in the things we need to help the middle class and those striving to get into it, grow our economy, and provide economic opportunity for every American. It invests in infrastructure, job training, and preschool; cuts taxes for working Americans while closing tax loopholes enjoyed by the wealthy and well-connected; and reduces the deficit....

The political speech of the GOP has to change, it is currently too polarizing. The House has indulged the Tea Party long enough to realize their ideas are limited in any ability to effect the economy. Time to move on.

It is corruption, Harry.

March 4 (Bloomberg) -- Bloomberg's Megan Hughes (click here) reports on Sen. Harry Reid's criticisms of the Koch brothers. She speaks on Bloomberg Television's "Bottom Line." (Source: Bloomberg)

It is a symbiotic relationship. The more money the Koch's throw into the political coffers of the GOP the more the GOP returns the favor. If that isn't corruption, don't ask me what is.

Senator Reid has an obligation to bring corruption to the notice of the US Senate. Thank you, Harry. 

China can increase global growth by privatizing their industries, BUT, they also have to increase their citizen's ability to be consumers to imports as well.

Joe McDonald
Associated Press 4 a.m. EST March 5, 2014

BEIJING (AP) — China's government (click here) pledged Wednesday to promote sustainable growth by opening state-dominated industries to private investment and making banks more market-oriented while keeping this year's economic expansion at a relatively robust 7.5%.

In his first annual policy speech as China's top economic official, Premier Li Keqiang said Beijing will promote consumer spending, ease exchange rate controls and improve access to credit for productive businesses....

The quality of Chinese merchandise will improve if it has competition in the market place. That means global imports will provide better benchmarks for Chinese industry. 

The Chinese people need to be able to purchase merchandise as well, which demands better wages. The Chinese manufacturers will worry more about quality when their products are not preferred by the people. Chinese parents already spend incredible amounts of money on baby formula. That is a shame. The providers within China should be ashamed of themselves. The money that goes to imported baby formula could be growing a broader economy if the Chinese produced safe and quality products.
People watch a Russian Navy ship enter the Crimean port city of Sevastopol March 2, 2014 (Reuters / Baz Ratner)

Find any mines, Vladimir?

Last night (click here) there were already fewer emergency situations and fewer conflicts in Crimea. I hope that in the coming days a way will be found to solve everything through negotiations.

It was a good idea to clear the Lebanon border. The Syrian borders are a problem. It is where the region destabilizes. Hezbollah is a problem. Assad needs to have his religious leaders spread the word as to how to stabilize things.

The Mideast is primarily organized around it's religious leaders at this point and it the strength in the region in order to stop the violence. 

And don't tell me the religious leaders can't stop the violence. I witnessed it in Iraq. A town in complete chaos was mobilized at the singular words of their holy men. Muslims, especially the Shi'ites, are used to being obedient to their religious leaders. The Shi'ites have experienced diffuse authority for a long time. They know when their authorities speak they need to listen and adhere to their words. 

The Iraq Shi'ites still exist because of their religious leaders. Saddam targeted them in order to end the well established Shi'ite community in Iraq. There is lots and lots of evidence to prove the power of pray in the Mideast.

BEIRUT  
Wed Mar 5, 2014 2:02pm IST

...Syrian journalists (click here) who were taken on a state-organised tour of government-held areas around Yabroud on Tuesday heard gunfire and saw jets flying overhead as troops fought on the edges of the town.
The offensive is part of a military campaign by President Bashar al-Assad's forces, backed by Lebanese Shi'ite Hezbollah militants, to drive rebels from the border region and secure territory linking Assad's coastal bastions with Damascus.
The fighting has frequently spilled across the ill-defined frontier between the two countries. The mainly Sunni Muslim rebels have targeted Shi'ite Muslim towns inside Lebanon in response to Hezbollah's support for Assad, while Sunni areas sympathetic to the rebels have also come under fire.