Poor ole Beck wants to take the next year to work with the CATO Institute boys to figure out how to run the country. Wow. Can get that from most Republicans.

Here are a few books for you to bone up on so you can run the country by Monday.

South Park’s satire on Beck and Rush Limbaugh last evening was spot on. It perfectly characterized the ultra conservatives that draw outrageous conclusions from nothing, blame everything on Obama, believe the country is falling into Communism and have enormous influence on those who possess no rational logic. 

http://www.idsnews.com/blogs/weekendwatchers/?p=3872

 

https://store.cato.org/index.asp?fa=ProductDetails&method=cats&scid=47&pid=1441407


Offers compelling analysis of key trends that are significantly shaping the future of free trade and international commerce and explores the spread of protectionist reactions to globalization, the swiftly rising market power of China and Asia.

https://store.cato.org/index.asp?fa=ProductDetails&method=cats&scid=33&pid=1441406

Here are some of your favorite words for inspiration, honey.

Russia, Russia, Russia.  

Bolshevik.  Bolshevik.  Bolshevik.  

Marxist.  Marxist.  Marxist.


Communist.  Communist.  Communist.


Socialist.  Socialist.  Socialist.


Now, you go get em'.

You know, Beck, you might find out that a legal degree and being President of the Harvard Law Review might help, too.

Good job, Chad. I like the insight about Italy. Not bad at all.

Dissipation is related to 'CONCENTRATION.'  Kindly remember that.  The more concentrated the 'particulate matter' the less dissipated the air will be.  The concentration in the Northern Hemisphere is related to the continuation of the volcanic ash being delivered into the troposphere.  I would not take it lightly when making those calls.

The problem the Tea Party refuses to recognize is that they lack expertise on their complaints.

These folks are about PERSONAL AMBITION.  Sarah Palin is a perfect example of it.  It has nothing to do with understanding the issues facing the USA.  

They are a bunch of angry noise maker and nothing more.  Their 'grassroots' movement was spawned by people wanting to make money and a news agency that wanted to control the political theater of the USA for a variety of reasons.  The people were angry for their own reasons and it all 'came together' rather than having 'grown' out of a reason for their purpose and expertise to back it up.  It is corruption.  The Murdoch empire and the Tea Baggers have a mutalistic relationship.  It is not an ideal relationship, but, it makes them all money.  No different than their relationship with a failing RNC.  It is not a relationship made in heaven, but, if it gets them what they want, no matter the damage to the country, it is viewed as a desirable pursuit.  It is pure unadulterated corruption.  Successful political parties in the USA don't 'spring up' they 'grow.' 

The problem with the RNC is that their political platform is antiquated and simply "W"rong.  Example:  "They don't BELIEVE in the Climate Crisis."  It isn't about BELIEVING anything.  It is about reading and understanding the scientists and their reporting that lead to issues that impact the USA, its future and its economy.  The RNC has become irrelevant in protecting the USA from corrupt corporate financial institutions and its economy.  The Climate Crisis is huge in relation to the problems it reeks with the economies of the USA and allies, but, the RNC simply doesn't believe in it.  That isn't realistic.  It is a threat to the National Security of the USA to have political parties that care less about the country and more about their personal wealth.  

A country doesn't run on the rhetoric of 'hot heads.'  It has to have democratic institutions that carry brevity in their purposes.  The primary reason there have been military coups is because the democratic institutions in those countries were virtually non-existent.  The coups were bound to happen because the military was more organized and fiscally supported than any aspect of the country. Kyrgyzstan is a prime example of a country with unstable democratic institutions.  That is why, the Republicans can advocate democracy globally and get absolutely no results.  A country has to 'grow' its democracy, a better example is Brazil.  It is not yet a First World nation, but, its infrastructure supports democratic institutions within that country and eventually it will become a First World nation. 

(AP) – 1 hour ago

CINCINNATI — An Ohio tea party group says it will offer refunds after Fox News host Sean Hannity canceled an appearance at its Tax Day rally.

The Cincinnati Tea Party said in a statement Friday that it will set up a special e-mail address to handle refund requests.

The group says nearly 10,000 people turned out Thursday evening for the rally along with a planned Hannity book-signing and taping of his television show at the University of Cincinnati basketball arena.

Fox News says Hannity's appearance was canceled over admission fees. The network says the group was trying to profit from Hannity.

Organizers say the fees, which started at $5, were only to help cover costs of the event for the movement opposing big government and high taxes.

The talking heads of the Tea Party are making the rounds on cable and they don't have a clue about what the problems of the country are or how to solve them.

Yesterday on Campbell Brown these was a spokeswoman for the Tea Party and she had plenty of complaints surrounding the issues of taxes, but, when asked about specifics she stated, "Well, I'm not an accountant, that is why we elect people."

Really?

It only goes to prove the Tea Baggers are nothing more than rhetorical rich folks that don't want to pay taxes.  They aren't problem solvers.  They want to place candidates back into office that will give them all their money back without accepting their responsibility within their citizen status in the USA.  The Tea Baggers have absolutely NO SUBSTANCE to their ? party ?.

Poll: Tea Party supporters mostly wealthy and educated white males

10:29 AM Fri, Apr 16, 2010 

One of the most popular stories on The New York Times web site right now is a about a new poll that takes a look at the demographics of supporters of the Tea Party movement. They tend to be white, male, married, Republican, older than 45 and more educated than the general public.

The story adds: "And while most Republicans say they are "dissatisfied" with Washington, Tea Party supporters are more likely to classify themselves as "angry."

The poll also found that the majority feel Obama's policies favor the poor and 25 percent believe the administration favors blacks over whites--compared with 11 percent of the overall public.

This telephone poll represented a national sample of 1,580 adults. So this is a national story, but I post it because there are so many Tea Party supporters locally. Next door in Grand Prairie, a rally took place Thursday night.

What do you think about these findings? To be honest, just on appearances alone I thought the crowds have looked more mixed socioeconomically, though not necessarily racially. What does this mean when these demographics are less and less reflective of American demographics overall? 

http://irvingblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/04/poll-tea-party-supporters-most.html

It is all about money with absolutely no intention of solving the country's problems. 

Posted by Adele Stan at 9:52 am
April 16, 2010 

Andrew Breitbart Melts Down at Tea Party Rally

At last night’s FreedomWorks Tax Day Tea Party event at the Washington Monument, a snearing and slightly slurry Andrew Breitbart, the right’s new media entrepreneur and sponsor of the anti-ACORN provocateur James O’Keefe, delivered a rant that was at times incoherent and laced with mild profanity.

Breitbart’s overall message seemed to be that the Tea Party crowd has been unfairly described by the mainstream media as racist and violent, when in fact, it’s the “union thugs” who are violent. As for the racism, well, he seemed to say, members of the Congressional Black Caucus sought to provoke racist behavior from Tea Party activists gathered on the Capitol grounds on the day that health-care legislation won final passage.

“I study media,” Breitbart told the crowd. “I pay attention to media, I’ve gone to the circus: I know a trick when I see it. And I see Barney Frank walkin’ around, I see the Congressional Black Caucus, I see Sheila Jackson Lee, taunting with a V-sign. I’m like, ‘What on God’s green earth is happening here? A half hour later, you see Nancy Pelosi with a shit-eating grin, holding that gavel. This was a stunt. They wanted to provoke you, my friends.”

http://blogs.alternet.org/speakeasy/2010/04/16/andrew-breitbart-melts-down-at-tea-party-rally/

The nonsense about 'having photographic proof' of racist remarks is unwarranted.  There is such a thing as an eyewitness.  Excuse, excuses.

Iceland volcano: Airlines face 'logistical nightmare'

Eruption may hurt people with breathing problems: WHO  

Jonathan Lynn

GENEVA

Fri Apr 16, 2010 11:57am EDT

(Reuters) - The Icelandic volcanic eruption that has paralyzed air traffic in much of Europe could also harm people with breathing problems, the World Health Organization said on Friday.

Health

The United Nations health agency has not yet ascertained the heath risks from this specific eruption, but once the clouds settle they could be dangerous, spokesman Daniel Epstein said.
"Any particulate matter that is deposited, breathed into the lungs is dangerous to people so we are concerned about that but we don't have details yet," he told a briefing.

The WHO drew up health guidelines in 2005 on particles emitted from eruptions, Epstein said.
"This is very dangerous to health because these particles when inhaled can reach the peripheral regions of the bronchioles and lungs and can cause problems especially for people with asthma or respiratory problems," he said.
A Scottish expert on respiratory disease said ash falling on Britain was unlikely to do much harm as a very high exposure to the low-toxicity dust was needed to have much effect on people.
"There is a massive diluting effect in the atmosphere as it gets dispersed by wind which means the amount reaching land is very small," Ken Donaldson, professor of respiratory toxicology at the University of Edinburgh, told Reuters.
Epstein said he understood the cloud from the volcano was still suspended high in the atmosphere and particles had not begun to settle on earth.
Once that happens the health risk would increase and people with asthma or other respiratory problems should stay indoors or wear protective masks if they have to go out, as in any other case of airborne pollution, he said.
Donaldson agreed that people with existing lung disease should stay indoors if there was a measurable change in particle levels. The eruption that began on Wednesday from a volcano under an Icelandic glacier has created chaos in European air travel not seen since the September 11 attacks nine years ago.

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE63F3H620100416

Air pollution, both indoors and outdoors, is a major environmental health problem affecting everyone in developed and developing countries alike. The 2005 WHO Air quality guidelines (AQGs) are designed to offer global guidance on reducing the health impacts of air pollution. The guidelines first produced in 1987¹ and updated in 1997² had a European scope. The new (2005) guidelines apply worldwide and are based on expert evaluation of current scientific evidence. They recommend revised limits for the concentration of selected air pollutants: particulate matter (PM), ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and sulfur dioxide (SO2), applicable across all WHO regions. 

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs313/en/

U.S. Joins HP Bribery Probe, Gibson Dunn to Advise. The fun just never stops on Wall Street.

Joe Warin, chairman of Gibson Dunn's Washington D.C. litigation department (photo by Christopher Matthews / Main Justice)

By Christopher M. Matthews | April 16, 2010 11:37 am

The U.S. Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission have joined a widening German and Russian probe into potential bribes paid by Hewlett Packard Co. executives to officials in the Russian government, according to a Wall Street Journal story published Thursday (subscription required).

Citing “people familiar with the matter,” the Journal said that the DOJ and SEC were investigating whether the California-based computer manufacturer had violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act

According to the article, a company spokeswoman said that HP had discussions talked to the SEC Thursday about the German investigation “and is fully cooperating with U.S. and German authorities on this matter.”...

U.S. Accuses Goldman Sachs of Fraud

The graphs above are from Goldman Sachs.  One year ago and the events of today.

No, the Bush Administration didn't do anything "W"rong.  Sure they didn't !

Henry M. Paulson, Jr.

July 10, 2006 - January 20, 2009
Under President George W. Bush
Official Portrait in process

President George W. Bush nominated Henry M. Paulson, Jr. to be the 74th Secretary of the Treasury on June 19, 2006. The United States Senate unanimously confirmed Paulson to the position on June 28, 2006 and he was sworn into office on July 10, 2006 by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts. As Treasury Secretary, Paulson is the President's leading policy advisor on a broad range of domestic and international economic issues.

Before coming to Treasury, Paulson was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Goldman Sachs since the firm’s initial public offering in 1999. He joined Goldman Sachs Chicago Office in 1974 and rose through the ranks holding several positions including, Managing Partner of the firm’s Chicago office, Co-head of the firm's investment Banking Division, President and Chief Operating Officer, and Co-Senior partner.

Prior to joining Goldman Sachs, Paulson was a member of the White House Domestic Council, serving as Staff Assistant to the President from 1972 to 1973, and as Staff Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Defense at the Pentagon from 1970 to 1972.

Paulson graduated from Dartmouth in 1968, where he majored in English, was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and an All Ivy, All East football player. He received an M.B.A. from Harvard in 1970. He and his wife, Wendy, have two children, Amanda and Merritt.

...The move marks the first time that regulators (click title to entry - thank you) have taken action against a Wall Street deal that helped investors capitalize on the collapse of the housing market. Goldman itself profited by betting against the very mortgage investments that it sold to its customers.

The suit also named Fabrice Tourre, a vice president at Goldman who helped create and sell the investment.

The instrument in the S.E.C. case, called Abacus 2007-AC1, was one of 25 deals that Goldman created so the bank and select clients could bet against the housing market. Those deals, which were the subject of an article in The New York Times in December, initially protected Goldman from losses when the mortgage market disintegrated and later yielded profits for the bank.

As the Abacus deals plunged in value, Goldman and certain hedge funds made money on their negative bets, while the Goldman clients who bought the $10.9 billion in investments lost billions of dollars.

According to the complaint, Goldman created Abacus 2007-AC1 in February 2007, at the request of John A. Paulson, a prominent hedge fund manager who earned an estimated $3.7 billion in 2007 by correctly wagering that the housing bubble would burst...

Expert: Iceland's Ash Cloud Only Going to Get Worse

All those high tropospheric vortexes that are running out of control because of the Climate Crisis resulting from Human Induced Global Warming are spreading the ash of a 'chronically' spewing volcano all over the northern hemisphere.  Congratulations, the wizards of Conservative Party have AGAIN caused impacts to the USA economy due to corruption and denial of 'the truth.' 

Ash Plume across the North Atlantic

...Eyjafjallajökull (or Eyjafjöll) is a stratovolcano composed of alternating layers of ash, lava, and rocks ejected by earlier eruptions. This volcano rises to a height of 1,666 meters (5,466 feet) above sea level. It began erupting for the first time in 190 years on March 20, 2010. The eruption opened a 500-meter (2,000-foot) fissure, and also produced lava fountains that built several hills of bubble-filled lava rocks (scoria) along the vent.

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=43670

With the eruption of the volcano in Iceland, the globe can be looking at high levels of soot with the vortexes to send it around the planet.

A Chinese high speed train ready to depart the Beijing South Railway station

ANALYSIS - China banks on rail boom to fire inland growth 

Mon Apr 12, 2010 8:28pm IST

By Alan Wheatley, China Economics Editor

BEIJING (Reuters) - In southwestern Yunnan province, giant concrete pillars bestride the fields, tracing the route of one of scores of new rail lines that China is building.

In western Xinjiang, construction crews toil on a lonely line crossing the desert wastes to the Silk Road city of Kashgar.

From one end of the country to the other, China is in the midst of a railway boom that promises to transform the world's third-largest economy.

By making it easier to move people and goods, the railway mania will gradually shift the centre of economic gravity inland, accelerating the development of central and western China in an echo of America's experience in the 19th century.

Jing Ulrich, chairman of China equities and commodities at J.P. Morgan, also sees comparisons with the construction of the U.S. interstate highway system and Japan's Shinkansen high-speed rail network. Both wrought far-reaching socio-economic changes....

http://in.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idINIndia-47628220100412

 

The difference between the USA Constitution and the Bible is like a spinkler in a chapel.

NOT EVERYTHING is left up to god.

This is a sincere tragedy for Poland and NATO is rattled. It happens sometimes.

...As Poland's national unity fractured over plans to bury president Lech Kaczynski in a castle alongside kings and heroes, officials in Warsaw and Moscow released the first results from analysis of the plane's black box flight recorders.

"The crew was aware of the inevitability of the coming catastrophe, if only due to the plane shaking after the wings hit the trees -- which we are certain happened," Poland's chief prosecutor Andrzej Seremet told commercial radio.

Colonel Zbigniew Rzepa, a Polish military prosecutor, said the pilots were aware of the imminent crash as the last seconds of the voice recordings "were dramatic", but did not elaborate.

The Polish presidential Tupolev Tu-154 crashed in thick fog Saturday near the western Russian city of Smolensk while taking a delegation to a memorial service for a World War II massacre.

All 96 people on board were killed....

The Holder Justice Department needs to clear out the obstructionists and close Gitmo. Just that simple, otherwise, this will go on forever.

...It began in the first hours of the administration, when Obama pledged to close Gitmo without a plan for doing so. It got infinitely worse in November, when Holder announced that 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed would be tried in New York City.

So when Holder came before the Senate Judiciary Committee for questioning Wednesday morning, Democrats and Republicans confronted the attorney general with the same question: What's the plan? And Holder had no answer.

Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) asked Holder about the administration's interminable deliberations over what to do with the detainees. "How far along are we?"

"Well, that is something that we're still working on," Holder said, turning on his verbal fuzz machine. "Needs to be a process . . . initial determination . . . task force . . . principals' committee . . . ongoing review . . . still working through in the interagency."

Cardin reminded the attorney general that "we're looking forward to some broader recommendations."... 

The Moussaoui Trials is the best model the USA Justice Department has.   Attorney General Holder needs to do his job and get these men behind bars permanently or on death row.  Either way it needs to be handled.  Whatever information the Gitmo detainees have is old and invaluable.  We don't need them sent back to their homelands after we settle issues in Afghanistan.

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT  (click here)

FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF VIRGINIA

ALEXANDRIA DIVISION

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

-v-

ZACARIAS MOUSSAOUI,
a/k/a "Shaqil,"
a/k/a "Abu Khalid al Sahrawi,"

Defendant.

Leahy Opening Statement on DOJ Oversight Hearing 

By Leah Nylen | April 14, 2010 10:18 am

Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.),
Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee,
Hearing On Oversight Of The Department Of Justice

April 14, 2010

Attorney General Holder appears before the Committee today for the fifth time in this Congress.  I want to thank him for his continued responsiveness to oversight requests from the Committee; it has been a marked improvement from the previous administration.  I also congratulate the Attorney General on his successful trip last week to Spain, an ally that has also suffered devastating terrorist attacks, where he finalized an extensive security agreement of cooperation against terrorists and organized crime
Because we need a strong and effective national security policy, I hope that Attorney General Holder will honor my request to implement the increased oversight and accountability provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act Sunset Extension Act, which was reported by this Committee with bipartisan support.  I am enthusiastic about working with the Attorney General to improve the implementation of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to make our Government more transparent and accountable to the American people.  I look forward to hearing from him this morning about the Department’s efforts to increase antitrust enforcement, combat financial fraud and health care fraud, and renew our enforcement of core civil rights laws.
I commend his resolve to use every tool in our arsenal to combat terrorism around the world and keep America safe.  Our system of justice is part of that arsenal.  It reflects our strength, our values, and it helps keep us safe. The Obama administration’s counterterrorism approach has led to many national security victories on the battlefield and in the courtroom.  The professionals in our military, our intelligence agencies, and in law enforcement are doing their jobs and are essential partners in this effort....

http://www.mainjustice.com/2010/04/14/leahy-opening-statement-on-doj-oversight-hearing/

We knew this was coming. Hell fire and brimestone. The devil is about to erupt right out from hell. Ooh, lugga. lugga, ooh, lugga, lugga.

The Holy Vaginas

The political Right Wing are a bunch of wakos. It wasn't just Cheney. "W" was the same way.

Perhaps I need to make this really clear.  The USA, under Republicans, is a Plutocratic experiment to prove once and for all that market stresses can rule people without laws.  It is treason.  Their political purpose is based in treason and idiots like Palin are highly marketable and they buy into it.  They defend it to the end because to realize how much of a puppet they are only reduces their victory at the polls.

Al Gerhart, co-founder of the Sooner Tea Party and founder of Oklahoma Constitutional Alliance, is shown in the showroom of his business, The Carpenter Shop, holding a "Sooner Tea Party" poster from their 2009 convention, Monday, April 12, 2010, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Bill Waugh) 

They won't listen when they are told they inspire people like McVeigh and the Holocaust Museum Killer.

The Virginia Governor wants to rewrite the Civil War surrender by Lee, the Oklahoma Governor wants to set up a State Militia to oppose the federal government, Jeb Bush believes if the wall between church and state is knocked down there will be the second religious coming, Bachmann will do and say anything for a vote, but, they sincerely believe this mess.

Palin rants on and on for her paycheck that the only thing they need in life is their GUNS, Constitution and Bible and there is no real discernible difference between the Bible and the USA Constitution.  Somehow the Founding Fathers knew this moment would come and they preserved it for them to carry out their mission with god.

They are genuine religious wackos that believe in violence and they believe the powers of the USA military are theirs to conquer the world in the name of the evangelical god.

They are all coming out of their closets now.  Why?  Because Murdoch and Limbaugh stated it is time to play the 'anything goes' card to win elections.  Realistic or not, they were hired to stir up trouble and it was reported yesterday in Politico.  I want to know when the FCC is finally going to put the final nail in the Murdoch coffin over this.  He aims to drive every other news agency out of business, he doesn't care how he does it, even if it means the USA is in shambles while 'reasonable' people try to live their lives while disregarding these jerks.

Attempting to over throw the USA government is no joke and it needs to be contended with and it should begin by shutting Murdoch down.  There are never facts reported by their COMMENTATORS, there are only half truths and lies and it is produced with a 'result' in mind, not just a 'reporting' of the facts.

They have no equity in their programs.  None and this is the result.

...Just days after the first widespread tea party demonstrators (click here) hit the streets a year ago Thursday, Joe Wierzbicki, a Republican political consultant with the Sacramento firm Russo Marsh + Rogers, made a proposal to his colleagues that he said could “give a boost to our PAC and position us as a growing force/leading force as the 2010 elections come into focus."... 

One of the first stops of the Tea Party Express was in Wilmington, North Carolina.  They proclaimed at their rally that they were not making 'one thin dime' off their efforts.  We knew what they were about, but, proving it was a different story.  Curtis Wright and his political activism stated the entire mess on "The Big Talker" radio along with Boortz and Hannity and the Murdoch war machine. 

It is corruption to the core of the media industry and they need to have their licenses pulled.  They are irresponsible and they don't care.  We have violence, bigotry and prejudice within our political system and within our society to prove it now.

More from the Anti-Constitutionalists

Religious Bigotry -  Favoritism of Christian Dogma 

 

It just doesn't 'register' in the cognition of these people that freedom is for all, not just Evangelical Christians of the Religious Right, especially, when their thick headed leader is stilling looking for a crack at the Presidency and wants to shore up his base.

Did his daughter ever come out of rehab better than she went in?

 

Senate moves to end separation of church and state

by Dara Kam | April 13th, 2010

The separation of church and state has been in Florida’s constitution for more than a century.

But that might this fall under a proposal approved by a Senate committee this morning that could go before voters on the November ballot.

The “Religious Freedom” amendment would delete the 125-year-old provision in the constitution prohibiting state money from being spent directly or indirectly to aid any church, sect or religious denomination. And it would open the door to former Gov. Jeb Bush’s school voucher program allowing public school students to use state money to pay for religious school tuition that the Florida Supreme Court struck down.

Also known as the “Blaine Amendment,” the separation of church and state restriction was an anti-Catholic, anti-immigration measure aimed at keeping Catholics from obtaining government funding for their schools.

The proposal not only strikes the Blaine amendment from the constitution, it adds a single sentence that could radically change public education funding in Florida: “An individual may not be barred from participating in any public program because that individual has freely chosen to use his or her program benefits at a religious provider.”

The Senate Judiciary Committee approved the measure (SJR 2550) along partisan lines this morning, with Democrats objecting....

Voucher amendment revived in Fla. Legislature

By BILL KACZOR

Associated Press Writer

Posted on Tuesday, 04.13.10

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- A constitutional proposal designed to protect religious school vouchers and other state-funded faith-based programs from legal attack is being revived by the Florida Legislature two years after the state Supreme Court took a similar measure off the ballot.
House and Senate committees Tuesday approved identical versions of the proposed state constitutional amendment (HJR 1399, SJR 2550) on straight party-line votes - Republicans in favor and Democrats against. One more committee hearing is set in each chamber before floor votes can be taken.
The proposal would repeal a ban on taxpayer financial aid to churches, sects and other religious institutions similar to provisions in most state constitutions across the nation.
It would go a step farther, though, by adding a new provision prohibiting any other kind of ban on individuals, organizations or other entities "participating in any public program because of religion."
Supporters include former Gov. Jeb Bush's Foundation for Florida's Future, the Florida Catholic Conference and Florida Chamber of Commerce. They argue it would strike a blow for "Religious Freedom," the title of the proposed amendment....

http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/04/13/1576771/voucher-amendment-revived-in-fla.html

Crist: Thrasher hearing things on tenure bill

Sen. John Thrasher, sponsor of the so-called teacher-tenure bill, was clear last week about where Gov. Charlie Crist stood on SB6: “He told me he’s going to sign it. I take him at his word.”
There’s one thing odd about Thrasher’s statement: Crist seldom says anything so clearly. One notable exception was this morning, when we asked if Crist promised Thrasher he’d sign the bill.
“No,” Crist said.
Q: Thrasher said you promised him.
Crist: “I just said no.”
Q: Is Thrasher lying?
Crist: “I said no. Sometimes people hear what they want to hear.”
UPDATE: "I have no response," Thrasher said when asked to respond to Crist's comments. "He said he liked the bill and he couldn't wait to get it."
-- Marc Caputo, Steve Bousquet

Crist also said this morning that he got a voicemail from former Gov. Jeb Bush, asking him to sign the bill. Crist hasn't returned the call to his predecessor, who bashed Crist on Fox a few weeks back by saying that Crist's support of the stimulus was "unforgivable."
It's the same Bush who a few weeks back was saying how he didn't feel the need to opine on the state of affairs in Florida (when we asked about the U.S. Senate race), and the same Jeb Bush who, last year, wouldn't comment about Crist and the stimulus. Apparently, it's an "unforgivable" act to back the stimulus 1) if Neil Cavuto is doing the interview and 2) your protege, Marco Rubio, is leading Crist in the Republican Senate-race polls. By Bush's side at the time he spoke to us last year, John Thrasher.
Thrasher's bill has unleashed a broad-based, teacher-union led lobbying effort that, Crist said, is the most intense he has ever experienced. He said it's more than lobbying, though, because lobbying sounds "pejorative." Wonder what all the lobbyists who helped pony up big cash for his Senate race think about that?

http://blogs.tampabay.com/buzz/2010/04/crist-thrasher-hearing-things-on-tenure-bill.html

Is that Crist's problem, he has been governing in the shadows of a former Governor that refuses to go away?

Jeb Bush's Ideas Are Flourishing In Legislature  (see link below)

The Senate is more conservative than it was during Bush's tenure as governor.

By JOHN KENNEDY
THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

Published: Monday, April 12, 2010 at 11:44 p.m.
Last Modified: Monday, April 12, 2010 at 11:44 p.m.

( page of 3 )

TALLAHASSEE | At the Capitol, some days this session it seems like Elvis has re-entered the building.

Almost four years after he left the state Capitol, former Gov. Jeb Bush is hovering over this spring's legislative session, with measures sweeping through the Republican-ruled Legislature that appear ripped straight from his political playbook.

"I don't know if he's back, but a lot of his ideas sure are flourishing," said Sen. John Thrasher, R-St. Augustine, who as House Speaker from 1999-2000 was one of Bush's closest allies, likening their relationship to that of Col. Tom Parker, Elvis Presley's longtime manager, and the King.

But whether the King is really back may depend on the fate of the teacher merit-pay plan sponsored by Thrasher. Bush's successor, Gov. Charlie Crist, has signaled he may veto the measure.

If Crist strikes down the legislation (SB 6) he's likely to draw the wrath of Republican leaders looking to impose a stricter standard on teacher reviews, expand standardized testing, and dilute the political strength of the Democratic-leaning Florida Education Association, the state's largest teachers union.

House Speaker-designate Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park, declined to speculate Monday on how lawmakers wouldreact to a Crist merit-pay veto....

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2010/apr/13/jeb-bush-leads-move-marginalize-teachers-union/news-metro/

Jeb Bush leads move to reduce teachers union's influence  (click title to entry - thank you)

By WILLIAM MARCH | The Tampa Tribune

Published: April 13, 2010

The battle over the teacher tenure bill is the latest in a long-running war between the Florida teachers union and conservative Republicans.
Led by former Gov. Jeb Bush, the conservative side of the GOP has long sought to marginalize teachers' unions in Florida, which merged in 2000 to form the Florida Education Association.
Non-partisan but Democratic-leaning, it is Florida's largest and most politically powerful union, with about 140,000 members, including 100,000 of the state's 175,000 public schoolteachers.
Bush wanted to be known as Florida's "education governor," but his reform proposals, including private school tuition vouchers, more standardized testing and state-mandated merit pay plans, have put him at odds with the FEA. He has openly expressed his desire in the past to undercut its clout.
Key allies including state Sen. John Thrasher, sponsor of SB 6, the teacher tenure bill, and Marco Rubio, former House speaker now running for the U.S. Senate, helped push his initiatives through the Legislature – some seemingly aimed as much at the union as at reform.
SB 6 would abolish multiyear contracts for future teachers, base raises largely on student performance on standardized tests, and eliminate experience as a qualification for raises.
It passed on near-party line votes by the Republican legislative majorities.
But Gov. Charlie Crist, a fellow Republican who has clashed with Bush and is now battling Rubio in the Senate primary, is wavering in his support. He must sign or veto it by Friday....

Why is it that Democrats are better for the economy, be it Main Street or Wall Street than Republicans?

Putting aside today’s market slide of 5%, the important question is what does Wall Street prefer? a Democrat or Republican in the White House? Republicans’ reputation is of being more capitalist and business friendly, and the Democrats of being “tax and spend” as well as more prone to regulation. But just like the myth of gold as a safe haven, the facts do not support this assumption.  (click here)

Because when Democrats build economies they have their focus where it counts, on the citizen and on the small business of that citizen.  THAT is why, by the way, the small banks need to be under the authority of the Small Business Administration in regulation and NOT the Fed.  What is good for the citizen is good for Wall Street.  A strong tax base equates directly into a strong economy with disposable income that facilitates spending that supports Wall Street.  Wall Street is NEVER the hub of the American economy with Democrats, it is a by-product and the 'wealth merchants' that buy and pay for Republicans can never get that right.  All the wealth merchants of Wall Street want is plenty of money to satisfy their stockholders to earn their bonuses.  They NEVER, and I do mean never, have their eye on the ball, so much as their own creature comforts.

When Americans have their way in building a strong and vibrant economy, including strong unions, the economy always has an uptick.  GM could never understand that the unions represented a greater number of consumers than any number of stockholders that was being pandered to by any downsizing.  Exporting jobs that rob the American tax base, only serves to undermine the economy in a way that is then translated into a national security issue.  Wall Street nearly broke the USA this time, it isn't going to happen again.  

Consumer protection, strong unions, good labor markets, employment that is sustainable and not generational or momentary, all the national bases covered including good schools and teachers and plenty of opportunity with higher education.   There are FUNDAMENTALS that are the pride of the USA, they should never be toyed with and it is all related to supporting and restoring the 'ethics' of a strong Middle Class.

Regulation is all a part of it.  Regulation and OPEN MARKETS without protections give strong parameters for Wall Street to operate under.  Giving permission for 'playing' with financial tools that are extreme will never support an economy that will support the National Security of the USA and guarantee its people economic viability.

Is this a turning point for the Secretary of Defense and the USA military?

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates speaks to midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. on Wednesday, April 7, 2010. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

This incident occurred in 2007 when the USA was still considerably involved in Iraq.  We are currently transitioning out with concerted efforts to remove as much of our munitions and equipment as we can to leave Iraq with 'less fire power' and a 'safer military profile.'

No one can deny the USA military has been making huge strides in Nuclear Non-Proliferation under this Commander and Chief.  It is a posture the people of the USA have longer for and they are achieving front line victories on other sensitive issues such as 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell.'  I am confident the Joint Chiefs and the Secretary of DEFENSE receive considerable 'heat' from other officers and soldiers regarding all these changes, but, the changes are coming anyway and I could not be more proud of them.

Secretary Gates has stated on a couple of occasions he has found renewed appreciation of his Cabinet Post and the freedom and focus that has come with it under the Obama presidency.  This 'verbiage' by Secretary Gates is not 'mind speak.'  For a very long time, the American people have received 'scripted' conduct and language that presented a barrier to a sincere dialogue with their military.  It would seem with this new confrontational language of 'depth' of commitment to explanation we could be seeing a new relationship between the USA military and the American people.

It is welcome.  Very, very welcome.  We want to be active partners with our military.  I personally appreciate the respect for hierarchy of the military by President Obama.  We hear from more from the Joint Chiefs than Commanders and I believe that is the best venue for a sincere relationship based in honest exchange and forthright facts.  The expertise of the Joint Chiefs can have the latitude to bring forth an understanding based on a larger picture rather than focused on a play by play soldier 'screen play' as has been the custom of the past administrations.

The battlefield that our soldiers find themselves on is not a 'Monday Night' arm chair quarter back issue.  It is high tech, extremely protective (as much as it can be) of the soldier, is armed with body armor as well as uniforms, BUT, that high tech approach also removes some of the ability to accurately 'diagnosis' the battlefield as it presents itself.  A question that has to be answered by the American people is how much do our soldiers mean to us in their survival while confronting national security?  Are we willing to allow deaths to satisfy other leaders such as Mr. Karzai that do not care about the dignity of his country's role in the International Theater?

I believe some of these issues need to be part of the USA dialogue with its military to bring about a clear resolve and protection for our country as well as our allies.  Why should war gobble up massive amounts of monies if we can't have clear outcomes and safe and realistic margins for our soldiers?  If Afghanistan is resistant to provide a solid alliance with the USA to defeat corruption, including its poppy culture, why are we there and why are our Commanders being so careful?

It is time to 'get over' the Anti-War and Neocon postures and find resolve to our nation's problems.  This may be the beginning of that dialogue.

Gates criticizes leak of Iraq killings  (click here)

By ANNE FLAHERTY (AP) – 22 hours ago

ABOARD A MILITARY AIRCRAFT — Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Tuesday criticized the anonymous online posting of a video showing two journalists in Iraq getting gunned down by U.S. troops in 2007 as irresponsible and presenting a "soda straw" view of war.
Gates also defended U.S. rules of engagement in Afghanistan, saying that that the military takes extreme caution in avoiding civilian casualties but some deaths are unavoidable.
"Let's also face the reality that we are in a war and our adversaries ... use civilians. They purposely put civilians in harm's way," Gates said.
Gates spoke to reporters en route to South America, where he planned to meet with leaders from Peru and Colombia — countries whose militaries have been accused of human rights abuses in the past, but whose cooperation on matters like counternarcotics have been crucial to U.S. interests.

Chad Miers of CNN says everything is NORMAL with Earth. He is a chronic liar and should be fired.

I am tired of weatherpersons that try to be geophysicists and state so called facts by extrapolating 'numbers' out of statistics without knowing what they are saying.  They are endangering people's lives while promulgating lies to facilitate the status of Earth due to the Climate Crisis.  They are nothing more than incompetents and liars.  They need to stay within their range of expertise and stop trying to diagnosis Earth.

Chad Myers, or however he spells his pathetic name, stated yesterday that the statistics regarding Earthquakes of Earth means nothing and it is static to any real understanding.  "Everything is normal."  He did this by extracting NUMBERS from the USGS site over a DECADE of time which means absolutely NOTHING to understanding the 'shift' in the plant's PLATE dynamics.

There was a clear warning to the mine collapse in China and it was ignored because of idiots such as Myers.

Magnitude 4.8 - SOUTHERN QINGHAI, CHINA 

2010 April 14 03:15:46 UTC 

 http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/us2010vbas.php

  
Experts need to pay attention to these potentials and attempt to create confidence in potential to death and injury when TRENDS dictate that potential.

Chinese earthquakes kill at least 400  (click here)

Number of people injured estimated at over 10,000

Last Updated: Wednesday, April 14, 2010 | 8:37 AM ET

Emergency crews are struggling to reach a remote area of China's western Qinghai province after a series of earthquakes Wednesday morning killed at least 400 people and injured thousands.

A magnitude-6.9 quake struck the area, the U.S. Geological Survey said. It was centred in Qinghai's Yushu county, which has a population of about 100,000, mostly herders and farmers.

Witnesses in the remote region where the quake hit said houses quickly crumbled and the roofs of religious temples collapsed. Many hospitals were damaged and local media reports said some students may have been buried inside collapsed schools....

There have been significant increases in ENERGY LEVELS of  'seven +' and 'four +' earthquakes in the decades since the Climate Crisis began .  It is verifiable and where these FREQUENCY (as in 'wave frequency') can be discerned as potential dangers to people's lives, either within or without the possibility of aftershocks to higher frequency earthquakes all protections should be afforded workers in highly dangerous professions.

Magnitude 5.1 - SOUTHWEST INDIAN RIDGE

2010 April 14 01:16:58 UTC 

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/us2010vbal.php

Magnitude 5.0 - ALAMAGAN REG., NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS

2010 April 14 00:18:29 UTC

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/us2010vbah.php

Magnitude 5.3 - NICOBAR ISLANDS, INDIA REGION

2010 April 13 20:14:59 UTC 

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/us2010vabs.php

If you don't know what the hell you are doing, stay out of it !  Playing god with human life is a crime in case no one thought about it ! 

The President that can, "Oh, yes, he can !"

President Barack Obama leads the participants of the Nuclear Security Summit in a moment of silence for Polish President Lech Kaczynski during the first plenary session in Washington, Tuesday, April 13, 2010. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) 

Nuclear Security Summit Comes to Its Close with Commitments, Pledges  (click here)

April 13, 2010 4:10 PM

The Nuclear Security Summit is coming to a close, with representatives from all 47 nations present signing off on a communiqué pledging to – within four years -- secure and dispose of all vulnerable fissile materials such as highly enriched uranium and separated plutonium that could be used to make nuclear weapons.

A communiqué is a political document that isn’t legally binding, but this one includes commitments to join legally binding treaties and initiatives, such as the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism and the G-8’s Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction.

“Some countries are signing that today, some have to go back home and work in through their systems,” a national security official told ABC News....

Haley "Great Job Brownie" Barbour is an Anti-Constitutionalist. So is the stupid Virginia Governor for that matter.

The Civil War was about abolishment of slavery.  Just that simple.  There is no glamour to it.  The South wanted to enslave men/women/children and they did it to provide free labor to their plantations.  

In the eyes of the bigoted and the 'Sons of the Confederacy" Virginia does not have a proud Civil War history.  As a matter of fact it was the place where the war turned in favor of the Union, even though there were many Union Soldiers lost.  See, the battle in Virginia came with orders from a President sitting practically in the State of Virginia.  The Union troops in that battle forced the Pro-Slavery Soldiers back from the northern border and ultimately would cause their failure. 

Robert E. Lee surrendered his Army of Northern Virginia to Ulysses S. Grant on April 9, 1865.

What followed was not just the Reconstruction of the South, but, Amendments to the USA Constitution, including the right of African Americans to vote.  Amendments take a considerable number of Americans voting FOR them to add to the USA Constitution.  So, the war of Southern Landowners was defeated NOT just in battle over an economy laced with human suffering, but, across the USA in voting booths as well.

Amendment 13 - Slavery Abolished. Ratified 12/6/1865. History

1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.

2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

Amendment 14 - Citizenship Rights. Ratified 7/9/1868. Note History

1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

2. Representatives shall be apportioned among the several States according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each State, excluding Indians not taxed. But when the right to vote at any election for the choice of electors for President and Vice-President of the United States, Representatives in Congress, the Executive and Judicial officers of a State, or the members of the Legislature thereof, is denied to any of the male inhabitants of such State, being twenty-one years of age, and citizens of the United States, or in any way abridged, except for participation in rebellion, or other crime, the basis of representation therein shall be reduced in the proportion which the number of such male citizens shall bear to the whole number of male citizens twenty-one years of age in such State.

3. No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.

4. The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned. But neither the United States nor any State shall assume or pay any debt or obligation incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or any claim for the loss or emancipation of any slave; but all such debts, obligations and claims shall be held illegal and void.

5. The Congress shall have power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.


Amendment 15 - Race No Bar to Vote. Ratified 2/3/1870. History
1. The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
2. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

Following a stunning defeat by the Union Army in early 1965, there was overwhelming support for the changes to the USA Constitution through THREE, not just one, not just legislation, but, THREE Amendments to the USA Constitution with in a period of five years.

Those, such as Barbour and what's his name Governor, that stand in defiance to the outcome of that war and seek to honor the dead Confederate soldiers are standing in disregard and hatred of our USA Constitution.  The South never finished belly-aching about the defeat and they refused to recognize their surrender.  This is a pathetic attempt to rewrite history and dishonor our Constitution.  It is a serious violation of the Public Trust as far as I am concerned.  The two men should immediately apologize to the nation in regard to their immoral electioneering.

For those that have been to Arlington National Cemetery, they will recall there are two mounds (mass graves) to the soldiers of that war.  They are already honored to the extent the nation has seen fit.  There was not a Pro-Slavery soldier denied burial in Arlington.  The point the Governor and Barbour are making is to stir hate and has nothing to do about the men that fought that war.