Friday, March 5, 2010

Article Spotlight 3.5.10

Politics:
Obama signs Bill to Boost US Tourism Promotion: Breitbart
Looking for an edge in the global war for tourism dollars, US President Barack Obama Thursday signed into law moves to attract more overseas travelers. Obama signed the act "which establishes a corporation for travel promotion to encourage international travel to the United States" the White House said in a statement. The effort is to be funded through a matching program featuring up to 100 million dollars in private sector contributions and a 10-dollar fee on foreign travelers who do not pay for a visa, with no money from US taxpayers.

Feds Weigh Expansion of Internet Monitoring:
CNET
Homeland Security and the National Security Agency may be taking a closer look at Internet communications in the future. The Department of Homeland Security's top cybersecurity official told CNET on Wednesday that the department may eventually extend its Einstein technology, which is designed to detect and prevent electronic attacks, to networks operated by the private sector. The technology was created for federal networks.


Spy Chips Hidden in 2.5 Million Dustbins: 60 pc rise in Electronic Bugs as Council Snoopers Plan Pay-As-You-Throw Tax: Daily Mail
The growing threat of a stealth tax on the rubbish we throw away was exposed by startling figures yesterday. More than 2.5million homes now have wheelie bins fitted with microchips to weigh their contents. Under such schemes - which are likely to be hugely unpopular - families who put out more waste will pay higher taxes to their local council.


Economy:
Payrolls fall by 36,000; U.S. jobless rate steady at 9.7%: Wall Street Journal
U.S. nonfarm payrolls declined for the 25th time in the past 26 months, falling by 36,000 in February to a seasonally adjusted 129.5 million, the Labor Department estimated Friday. The nation's jobless rate was steady at 9.7% as the number of people employed rose by 308,000, according to the household survey.


Federal Pay Ahead of Private Industry:
USA Today
Federal employees earn higher average salaries than private-sector workers in more than eight out of 10 occupations, a USA TODAY analysis of federal data finds. Accountants, nurses, chemists, surveyors, cooks, clerks and janitors are among the wide range of jobs that get paid more on average in the federal government than in the private sector.

Immigration:
Obama Looking to Give New Life to Immigration Reform: LA Times
Despite steep odds, the White House has discussed prospects for reviving a major overhaul of the nation's immigration laws, a commitment that President Obama has postponed once already. Obama took up the issue privately with his staff Monday in a bid to advance a bill through Congress before lawmakers become too distracted by approaching midterm elections.

Foreign Affairs:
Indonesian Students Protest Barack Obama's Visit: AP
Scores of Islamic students staged protests outside Jakarta's parliament and in at least three other major Indonesian cities on Friday against President Barack Obama's upcoming visit to this predominantly Muslim country. The students carried banners branding Obama as an enemy of Islam and an imperialist in downtown Jakarta as well as in the provincial capitals Padang, Yogyakarta and Surabaya.


Dozens Hurt in Clashes at Revered Jerusalem Mosque:
Reuters
Israeli police and Palestinians clashed outside Jerusalem's flashpoint al-Aqsa mosque on Friday and at least 35 people were injured, Israeli police and Palestinian medical workers said. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas accused Israeli forces of "provocation" and "crossing red lines" in an effort to derail a resumption of peace negotiations expected shortly under U.S. mediation. In a statement, Abbas appealed to Washington to hold Israel back to prevent a "war of religion" in the Middle East.

Other:

Body Scanners Are Headed to 11 Major Airports: USA Today
Eleven major airports will begin using body scanners to screen passengers as the Transportation Security Administration launches a plan to buy 1,000 of the machines over the next two years. The scanners can look under passengers' clothing in order to detect weapons and explosives.

Parents of Pentagon Shooter Reportedly Warned Authorities About Him: Fox News
The Pentagon shooter had been behaving erratically, and his family feared in January that he had bought a gun, a law enforcement official said Friday. San Benito County Sheriff Curtis Hill told the AP the parents of John Patrick Bedell filed a missing persons report and were worried about his mental stability.


Controversies Big and Small Dog Oscars Contenders: Yahoo News
Anti-war, anti-imperialist, anti-semitic, anti-social, racist: this year's Oscars best picture contenders have faced a barrage of criticism from groups and commentators eager to exploit the media frenzy surrounding the Academy Awards to draw attention to their causes. While science-fiction blockbuster "Avatar" and Iraq war drama "The Hurt Locker" have been battling criticism on a number of fronts, controversies have also attached themselves to best picture nominees "Precious," "District 9," "An Education," "The Blind Side" and "A Serious Man."

Movie Milestone 'Avatar' Eyes Oscars Gold: Yahoo News
Win or lose at the Oscars this weekend, "Avatar" is already assured of its place in Hollywood history, a 3-D milestone to rank alongside the arrival of sound in the 1920s or color in the 1930s. Director James Cameron's science-fiction blockbuster has already redefined the art of special effects on its way to becoming the highest-grossing film of all time, raking in more than two billion dollars worldwide since its release.

Harry Reid: Only 36,000 Lost Their Jobs Today

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Learned how to shoot a hand gun today...I feel like a responsible Republican!

Today my boyfriend took me to the indoor shooting range and let me fire his .40 caliber Glock hand gun. Today I became a gun-totting redneck Republican...finally!

Of course, I am not saying that you need to have fired a gun to be a Republican but man was that cool...fun...powerful! There is a certain amount of security that come along with something like that. I like to know that, even with my limited 100 rounds of experience, I can now use a gun if I needed too. Probably not quite that effectively but still...I could do it to defend myself. That is a right we all have!

There is no doubt that there are those out there that think what I did today was awful but I have one thing to say to them...its my right and I'm looking forward to being able to do something like that again.

I don't know much about gun control cases or laws so if anyone has any info to share, please feel free. In the next few days I'm going to familiarize myself a little bit with it.

Articles:
The Liberal Case For Gun Control Doesn't Get Far in The Supreme Court: Newsweek
The McDonald v. Chicago Supreme Court case, argued on Tuesday morning, was a good opportunity for liberal advocates of gun rights to present their case in briefs. But they probably won't win the decision. In fact, there is not a single justice that will necessarily side with them.


Starbuck in Crosshairs on Gun-Control Debate: CNN Money
The debate over gun control is heating up at Starbucks. Gun owners bearing arms have been gathering at various Starbucks locations in states where it's legal to do so in public. That's sparked protests from gun-control advocates and kudos from pro-gun groups. The coffee chain says that its stores simply abide by state laws, and it is legal to carry weapons in 43 states. But businesses have the right to prohibit customers from carrying guns in their establishments despite state laws, and that's the crux of this particular dust-up.

Gun-Rights Groups Score Win in National Parks Issue:
Poughkeepsie Journal
The National Rifle Association and other Second Amendment advocacy groups can put a check mark in the win column if they are so inclined. As of Feb. 22, gun owners may possess firearms in all but 20 of the nation's 392 national parks. However, this does not relax the ban on carrying them into visitor's centers and ranger's offices. Firearms are banned in federal buildings.

Woolner: How many guns are too many?: NorthJersey.com
Second Amendment fans were at the Supreme Court Tuesday arguing that the constitutionally protected right to bear arms should kill Chicago’s gun law. The court will probably do just that. But Chicago’s ban on handguns, along with one in suburban neighbor Oak Park, are the only laws that are so restrictive. They don’t reflect what is going on across much of the country. The real problem is that state legislators want to give more people the right to buy more guns and carry them into more places.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Video: TERRORIST, WHERE?! by Steve Crowder

Article Spotlight 3.2.10

Gun Control:
Supreme Court Weighs Chicago's Strict Gun Ban: ABC News
Otis McDonald, 76, is afraid for his life in his crime-saturated Chicago neighborhood and he is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn his city's strict ban on handguns in the home.


Economy:
Winter Storms to Distort US Jobless Figures-Summers
: Reuters
White House economic adviser Larry Summers said on Monday winter blizzards were likely to distort U.S. February jobless figures, which are due to be released on Friday. "The blizzards that affected much of the country during the last month are likely to distort the statistics. So it's going to be very important ... to look past whatever the next figures are to gauge the underlying trends," Summers said in an interview with CNBC, according to a transcript.


Politics:
Brooklyn ACORN Cleared Over Giving Illegal Advice on How to Hide Money From Prostitution
: NY Daily News Brooklyn prosecutors on Monday cleared ACORN of criminal wrongdoing after a four-month probe that began when undercover conservative activists filmed workers giving what appeared to be illegal advice on how to hide money.
Health Care:
Obama said poised to Offfer more Healthcare Changes: Reuters
President Barack Obama will offer changes to his healthcare overhaul this week, the White House said on Monday, and a leading Democrat said the president was preparing a smaller version of his broad bid to revamp the $2.5 trillion industry.

Monday, March 1, 2010

Video: WAR Helps...a LOT! by Steve Crowder

Article Spotlight 3.1.10

Politics:
Doctors tell Barack Obama to Quit Smoking: Guardian
Barack Obama is still struggling to kick smoking, according to his first medical examination since becoming president. Obama is sensitive about his cigarette habit and tetchy with reporters who raise it. But after his 90-minute medical at the Navy hospital outside Washington yesterday morning, his doctors confirmed he had not yet managed to conquer the habit and suggested he "continue smoking cessation efforts".


Pelosi's Brutal Reality Check: Politco
Asked this weekend to grade her performance as speaker, Nancy Pelosi gave herself an “A for effort.” But Pelosi knows that the real test is still to come. Pelosi is inarguably one of the strongest speakers in modern history — an authoritarian figure in an era of centralized power in the House. But the coming months are a make-or-break period for her, a brutal reality check of her ability to manage all aspects of her job — consensus-building, agenda-setting, vote-counting, fundraising and campaigning.

Pelosi: GOP has had its day; confident Dems can pull together on Health Bill: The Hill
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Sunday that Republicans have left their mark on the healthcare bill and should accept that the bill will go forward. "They've had plenty of opportunity to make their voices heard," she said on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday morning. "Bipartisanship is a two-way street. A bill can be bipartisan without bipartisan votes. Republicans have left their imprint."

Democrats' Obama bounce in California disappearing: AP
Hancock's frustration is evident throughout the nation's most populous state. Just a year ago, the Democratic Party looked at California as a base for adding to its majorities in Congress. Now, it could be a the place where it loses them.


Late Night GOP Wars: Letterman Pits Romney Against Leno's Palin: Deadline.com
Jay Leno made news when he announced that Sarah Palin will be among his high-profile guests when he returns to The Tonight Show next week. Now David Letterman's lineup for next week pits Mitt Romney against Sarah Palin on Tuesday night -- and the ratings may well provide clues on which probable GOP presidential contender may be most popular.


Supreme Court scrutinizes state, local gun control: MyWay
Gun control advocates think, if not pray, they can win by losing when the Supreme Court decides whether the constitutional right to possess guns serves as a check on state and local regulation of firearms. The justices will be deciding whether the Second Amendment - like much of the rest of the Bill of Rights - applies to states as well as the federal government. It's widely believed they will say it does.


Debra Medina, New Star of America's Right, Firing up TX Gov Race:
Guardian
...Until Debra Medina, that is. When Medina breezed into Lytle's community hall the locals found themselves confronted with a Texan version of Sarah Palin. She wore a sharp scarlet skirt suit, librarian-style glasses and a puffed-up hairdo. More than 60 Lytle residents had gathered to meet her, a hefty turnout on a weekday at 11am for a Republican primary election in the race to be Texas governor.


Farrakhan predicts 'white right' trouble for Obama: AP
Nation of Islam Minister Louis Farrakhan, boasting his divine stature, on Sunday predicted trouble ahead for President Barack Obama and urged him to do more to improve the lives of blacks and the downtrodden. The 76-year-old leader said the "white right" was conspiring to make Obama a one-term president, and pointed to his stalled efforts to introduce health care legislation as proof. He said those opponents and lobbyists were trapping him into a future war with Iran that could lead to mass destruction.


Economy:
American Reliance on Government at All Time High: Washington Times
The so-called "Great Recession" has left Americans depending on the government dole like never before. Without record levels of welfare, unemployment and other government benefits as well as tax cuts last year, the income of U.S. households would have plunged by an astonishing $723 billion — more than four times the record $167 billion drop reported last month by the Commerce Department.

California is a greater risk than Greece, warns JP Morgan chief: Telegraph
Mr Dimon told investors at the Wall Street bank's annual meeting that "there could be contagion" if a state the size of California, the biggest of the United States, had problems making debt repayments. "Greece itself would not be an issue for this company, nor would any other country," said Mr Dimon. "We don't really foresee the European Union coming apart." The senior banker said that JP Morgan Chase and other US rivals are largely immune from the European debt crisis, as the risks have largely been hedged.


Foreign Affairs:
Putin: Russia to build new strategic bomber: Breitbart
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Monday that Russia will build a new strategic bomber, a move that comes as the nation tries to upgrade its aging military arsenal. Putin said in televised remarks that work on the bomber must follow the development of a prospective stealth fighter, which made its maiden flight in January and was hailed by the government as a big step in military modernization efforts.


Other:
Some Iraq, Afgan War Vets Criticize movie 'Hurt Locker' as Inaccurate: Washington Post
Time magazine called "The Hurt Locker" "a near-perfect war film," but Ryan Gallucci, an Iraq war veteran, had to turn the movie off three times, he says, "or else I would have thrown my remote through the television."

Survey: 26% of Americans get news via phones: Breitbart
Long Island Bar Fires Pregnant Bartender: ABC

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