Former House Majority Leader Tom Delay, R-Texas, was sentenced on Monday to three years in prison for conspiracy to commit money laundering.
The sentence came after Delay was convicted in November of trying to illegally influence elections in the Lone Star State.
In a 10 minute speech to Senior Judge Pat Priest, Delay insisted he did nothing wrong.
“I can’t be remorseful for something I don’t think I did,” Delay said, adding that accountants and lawyers checked everything he did.
“This criminalization of politics is very dangerous. It’s dangerous to our system. Just because somebody disagrees with you they got to put you in jail, bankrupt you, destroy your family,” he told Priest.
However, the prosecutor in the case saw the matter differently.
“I think Tom Delay said it best. He said that he was arrogant,” Assistant District Attorney Gary Cobb said.
“His statement was an extremely arrogant statement where he refused to accept responsibility, refused to show any remorse for the offense of which he’s been convicted of,” Cobb added.
I happen to see this a little differently than Tom Delay. I believe there is another motivation factor here; and that factor is race. This is nothing more, than a political and racial watch hunt by a black liberal Democrat who wants to make a name for himself by going after and bringing down a White Conservative Republican. I have information in my possession from well-placed anonymous sources, e-mails from this man saying that he was going to bring down Tom Delay and some very nasty racist words were used to describe Mr. Delay.
It is a sad day in America when out of control liberal blacks can attack, smear and persecute White Americans for crimes that they did not commit.
I will admit, that I do not much care for Sarah Palin at all. However, I will give the ol’ gal credit — she knocked it out of the ballpark here and put all of her critics in their places.
Like millions of Americans I learned of the tragic events in Arizona on Saturday, and my heart broke for the innocent victims. No words can fill the hole left by the death of an innocent, but we do mourn for the victims’ families as we express our sympathy.
I agree with the sentiments shared yesterday at the beautiful Catholic mass held in honor of the victims. The mass will hopefully help begin a healing process for the families touched by this tragedy and for our country.
Our exceptional nation, so vibrant with ideas and the passionate exchange and debate of ideas, is a light to the rest of the world. Congresswoman Giffords and her constituents were exercising their right to exchange ideas that day, to celebrate our Republic’s core values and peacefully assemble to petition our government. It’s inexcusable and incomprehensible why a single evil man took the lives of peaceful citizens that day.
There is a bittersweet irony that the strength of the American spirit shines brightest in times of tragedy. We saw that in Arizona. We saw the tenacity of those clinging to life, the compassion of those who kept the victims alive, and the heroism of those who overpowered a deranged gunman.
Like many, I’ve spent the past few days reflecting on what happened and praying for guidance. After this shocking tragedy, I listened at first puzzled, then with concern, and now with sadness, to the irresponsible statements from people attempting to apportion blame for this terrible event.
President Reagan said, “We must reject the idea that every time a law’s broken, society is guilty rather than the lawbreaker. It is time to restore the American precept that each individual is accountable for his actions.” Acts of monstrous criminality stand on their own. They begin and end with the criminals who commit them, not collectively with all the citizens of a state, not with those who listen to talk radio, not with maps of swing districts used by both sides of the aisle, not with law-abiding citizens who respectfully exercise their First Amendment rights at campaign rallies, not with those who proudly voted in the last election.
The last election was all about taking responsibility for our country’s future. President Obama and I may not agree on everything, but I know he would join me in affirming the health of our democratic process. Two years ago his party was victorious. Last November, the other party won. In both elections the will of the American people was heard, and the peaceful transition of power proved yet again the enduring strength of our Republic.
Vigorous and spirited public debates during elections are among our most cherished traditions. And after the election, we shake hands and get back to work, and often both sides find common ground back in D.C. and elsewhere. If you don’t like a person’s vision for the country, you’re free to debate that vision. If you don’t like their ideas, you’re free to propose better ideas. But, especially within hours of a tragedy unfolding, journalists and pundits should not manufacture a blood libel that serves only to incite the very hatred and violence they purport to condemn. That is reprehensible.
There are those who claim political rhetoric is to blame for the despicable act of this deranged, apparently apolitical criminal. And they claim political debate has somehow gotten more heated just recently. But when was it less heated? Back in those “calm days” when political figures literally settled their differences with dueling pistols? In an ideal world all discourse would be civil and all disagreements cordial. But our Founding Fathers knew they weren’t designing a system for perfect men and women. If men and women were angels, there would be no need for government. Our Founders’ genius was to design a system that helped settle the inevitable conflicts caused by our imperfect passions in civil ways. So, we must condemn violence if our Republic is to endure.
As I said while campaigning for others last March in Arizona during a very heated primary race, “We know violence isn’t the answer. When we ‘take up our arms’, we’re talking about our vote.” Yes, our debates are full of passion, but we settle our political differences respectfully at the ballot box – as we did just two months ago, and as our Republic enables us to do again in the next election, and the next. That’s who we are as Americans and how we were meant to be. Public discourse and debate isn’t a sign of crisis, but of our enduring strength. It is part of why America is exceptional.
No one should be deterred from speaking up and speaking out in peaceful dissent, and we certainly must not be deterred by those who embrace evil and call it good. And we will not be stopped from celebrating the greatness of our country and our foundational freedoms by those who mock its greatness by being intolerant of differing opinion and seeking to muzzle dissent with shrill cries of imagined insults.
Just days before she was shot, Congresswoman Giffords read the First Amendment on the floor of the House. It was a beautiful moment and more than simply “symbolic,” as some claim, to have the Constitution read by our Congress. I am confident she knew that reading our sacred charter of liberty was more than just “symbolic.” But less than a week after Congresswoman Giffords reaffirmed our protected freedoms, another member of Congress announced that he would propose a law that would criminalize speech he found offensive.
It is in the hour when our values are challenged that we must remain resolved to protect those values. Recall how the events of 9-11 challenged our values and we had to fight the tendency to trade our freedoms for perceived security. And so it is today.
Let us honor those precious lives cut short in Tucson by praying for them and their families and by cherishing their memories. Let us pray for the full recovery of the wounded. And let us pray for our country. In times like this we need God’s guidance and the peace He provides. We need strength to not let the random acts of a criminal turn us against ourselves, or weaken our solid foundation, or provide a pretext to stifle debate.
America must be stronger than the evil we saw displayed last week. We are better than the mindless finger-pointing we endured in the wake of the tragedy. We will come out of this stronger and more united in our desire to peacefully engage in the great debates of our time, to respectfully embrace our differences in a positive manner, and to unite in the knowledge that, though our ideas may be different, we must all strive for a better future for our country. May God bless America.
– Sarah Palin
Like I said; I don’t even like her, but she won this argument — hands down, and seeing that ol’ Tom Pawlenty decided to be a damn weasel, I think she might have just won a convert. 😀
I also believe that ol’ Bambi Teleprompter most likely said something to the effect of “Damn, the crazy woman beat me to the punch again!” 😉
One of the fiercest gun-control advocates in Congress, Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-N.Y.), pounced on the shooting massacre in Tucson Sunday, promising to introduce legislation as soon as Monday targeting the high-capacity ammunition the gunman used.
McCarthy ran for Congress after her husband was gunned down and her son seriously injured in a shooting in 1993 on a Long Island commuter train.
“My staff is working on looking at the different legislation fixes that we might be able to do and we might be able to introduce as early as tomorrow,” McCarthy told POLITICO in a Sunday afternoon phone interview.
Gun control activists cried it was time to reform weapons laws in the United States, almost immediately after a gunman killed six and injured 14 more, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, in Arizona on Saturday.
Many said that people with a history of mental instability, like the alleged shooter, Jared Lee Loughner, should not be able to buy a gun — and no one should be able to buy stockpiles of ammunition used by the 22-year-old assailant.
McCarthy said she plans to confer with House Speaker John Boehner and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi to see “if we can work something through” in the coming week.
McCarthy’s spokesman confirmed the legislation will target the high-capacity ammunition clips the Arizona gunman allegedly used in the shooting, but neither he or the congresswoman offered any further details.
“Again, we need to look at how this is going to work, to protect people, certainly citizens, and we have to look at what I can pass,” McCarthy said. “I don’t want to give the NRA – excuse the pun – the ammunition to come at me either.”
I understand her husband getting killed and he kids hurt in a shooting. But is it really necessary to impose her idiotic will on the American people?
Of course, unless something major changes; this bill will never, ever make it to the President’s desk. The Democrats tried this whole thing back during the Clinton era and ended up paying for it dearly during the elections. They fought this battle —- and ultimately lost. So, I expect that this bill will be treated as such.
What will be interesting to note is whether the Conservative in Congress will stick to their principles ….or will they go the Neo-Conservative route and sell out their principles to the liberals, who want to strip our freedoms in the name of safety? Remember the only difference between a big Government liberal and a Big Government Conservative Neo-Con is the type and names of their special interest groups; there are others, but I do not want this article to be too long. 😉
What really needs to happen, is some freedom loving American needs to challenge Rep. Carolyn McCarthy at the ballot box, come election time. Because we just cannot allow these far-leftist loons to use a sad situation like this, to rob peace loving, and law abiding citizens of the United States of American of the freedoms that they hold dear.
It is a often used phrase among second amendment advocates, that “Gun Control is less about guns and more about Control.” This attempt by this far leftist loon proves that beyond a shadow of a doubt.
America is watching congress, act wisely; we voted you in — we can and will, vote you out.
“Suhail is the firstborn son of the late Mahboob Khan, a founding father of the Muslim Brotherhood movement in America,” said Sperry, a Hoover Institution media fellow. “Suhail has been a consultant to CAIR [The Council on American-Islamic Relations] and served on committees at ISNA [the Islamic Society of North America], both of which the government says are fronts for Hamas and its parent the Muslim Brotherhood.”
The Muslim Brotherhood is a radical Islamist revivalist organization founded in Egypt in 1928 to establish Muslim theocracies around the world, by means both violent and non-violent. The group is banned in Egypt, where its members have a long history of political violence capped by the 1981 assassination of Anwar Sadat, the Egyptian president who signed a peace agreement with Israel.
Sperry says some members of Congress and their staffs have no idea Khan is “a Muslim activist with direct connections to Muslim Brotherhood groups implicated by the government in a conspiracy to raise millions of dollars for terrorism right here in America.”
“The Brotherhood’s stated mission,” says Gaffney, “is to destroy Western civilization from within. Their agenda for the U.S. and the world is the triumph of Shariah law worldwide under a ruler known as a caliph.”
Gaffney describes Norquist, who, ironically also serves on the board of the controversial GOProud, as the enabler for Muslim Brotherhood associates, providing them with access into the highest reaches of the conservative movement and the Republican Party through his many contacts. Norquist, the founder of Americans for Tax Reform, hosts a weekly political organizing meeting attended by many of the leading conservatives in Washington.
I personally do find this disturbing. How is it, that one of the oldest Conservative political action committees is now allowing Muslims; the very people that attacked us on 9/11 to a part of its annual get-together? I think I can answer that. It is all about money. It seems that CPAC has had some money troubles and these Muslims most likely have loose cash to burn. They also are able to answer the right questions and give the right speeches to assure us, that they are on our side. But this Conservative is not fooled, I know the real agenda of these fools and that of GOProud. The agenda of GOPproud and of this Muslim group is to subvert the Christian roots of our Nation in favor of a secular libertarian stance. In other words, they want to remove the two legs of the stool of the Conservative movement. The Muslim group is very disturbing; to do what this group is doing, is to remove all memory of what happened on 9/11. MUSLIMS attacked us, not just Arabs — but MUSLIMS — for us to forget that would be essentially pissing on the graves of those who died on September 11, 2001.
I find it morbidly sickening that the Conservative movement is cozying up to those who want to destroy the very principles that this country was founded upon.
It is that time again. Time to take a look at what were the top postings of 2010.
It is important to remember that this was a down year for this blog. I just have not had the drive to post like I was back in 2009 and 2008. The mid-terms were a bit interesting, as was the passage of the health care bill. However, I just did not have that drive that I did back when I first started this blog. I think it just has to do with the fact that my main reason for beginning to blog, that would be the Presidency of George W. Bush. Not to mention the Bush Administration’s handling of the invasion and occupation of Iraq. Now that the Bush era is over, I really do not have a good reason to continue this; Yes, Obama’s White House is just as bad, if not worse. However, I just cannot muster the outrage towards the man, that many on my far right feel towards the man. Most of it, when one is really being honest is racially based. I mean, I do not remember the right being this hot and heavy against Bill Clinton. It was there, do not get me wrong — but I do not remember that this level.
Anyhow, I will still be around, I do not plan on going anywhere. I will not allow my political foes to win. I will stick around and continue to give you my feelings on things.
Having said all of that, here are the top postings and pages for 2010:
PAGE OR POST ——————————— Hits:
Home page 19,038
Considering the fact that I do no advertising on this blog at all. That is not a bad number. I really do not get linked here at all. I even had one so-called Conservative Blogger dump on me big time and basically toss me under the bus, because some of Michelle Malkin’s fanboys put the pressure on him. He knows who he is, and “You reap what you sow” I always say…
There are many who link here and there are places that I submit my postings to, I thank everyone who has came, read and clicked an ad or two, it does help. 🙂
So there you have it, my referrers. Not all of them are friendly. But hey, that is politics, not everyone is going to agree with me. Even I know that. 🙂
Again, to those who still read here. Thank You so very much for your readership. Perhaps 2011 will be a more prosperous year for me. I will admit, this year, money-wise was not that great. I am still unemployed and prospects are not that great. I did survive, but, if it were not for my Christian parents, I would be so very screwed. 🙁 I do not say that for pity or anything — I say it, because it is true. This is my reality folks and I know some would rather mock than help —- They have their reward, as Jesus did say.
There is a common misconception that ALL Conservatives are filthy rich or something to that effect. If only it were true. I am most likely the poorest Conservative Christian Blogger on the planet. Not by choice, but by circumstance — sometimes stuff just happens. I do not wallow in pity though, as I could much, much worse off. I have a roof over my head and three square meals a day. I also have a warm bed to sleep in at night. I also know Jesus Christ as my personal Saviour and I like to think that he is Lord over my life —- and that my friends, is ALL that matters! Everything else, is secondary. As long as you have Jesus in your heart, you are set for life. God never fails, and his word is settled in Heaven!
Some people ask why I even bother to continue this blog, even though 90% of the Conservative Blogging world has written me off. I will tell you why. Because as long as there are progressives out there that want to destroy our Conservative Christian values and want to impose on us a big centralized Government; liberty is threatened. As long as this is the case. I will be fighting this fight. Is it my “calling?” Eh, I do not know that to be a fact. But I do know that my blog does get read and that my opinion is being heard. Now, whether people like what I write and have to say, is another story. I do not claim to be the perfect “Conservative” and I am certainly not your average big Government liberal! I am just someone who saw wrong and decided to write against it. My politics have evolved much — but my commitment has remained the same — that is to be a uncompromising voice of reason in a world of political, religious and moral confusion. Which is what liberalism, whether political or religious, actually is. It is a Babylonian mentality. As Patriotic Americans, as Christians, we must stand up for what we know to be right. For that document called the Constitution. This is not a call to radicalism or violence, it is simply a call to be aware and watch.
Having said all that… Thank you and continue to read here in 2011. It will be a interesting year to watch!
“I’m … I’m not exactly for the use of drugs, don’t get me wrong, but I just believe that criminalizing marijuana, criminalizing the possession of a few ounces of pot, that kinda thing it’s just, it’s costing us a fortune and it’s ruining young people. Young people go into prisons, they go in as youths and come out as hardened criminals. That’s not a good thing.
Of course, CBN had to walk back the comments, because, well, because they’re CBN! 😆 Anyhow, here’s the walk back…:
In this instance, even though he clearly expressed support for the reform of US marijuana laws, a spokesman for religious television station CBN walked back Robertson’s comments, telling Raw Story on Thursday morning the Christian Coalition founder “did not call for the decriminalization of marijuana.”
“He was advocating that our government revisit the severity of the existing laws because mandatory drug sentences do harm to many young people who go to prison and come out as hardened criminals,” CBN spokesman Chris Roslan wrote. “He was also pointing out that these mandatory sentences needlessly cost our government millions of dollars when there are better approaches available. Dr. Robertson’s comments followed a CBN News story about a group of conservatives who have proven that faith-based rehabilitation for criminals has resulted in lower repeat offenders and saved the government millions of dollars. Dr. Robertson unequivocally stated that he is against the use of illegal drugs.”
While it might sense for Rev. Robertson to say this on a political level; on a Religious level, it would be suicide; that is because the 700 club and CBN in general; run on donations and if they dry up, Pat Robertson would be out of business.
Gov. Haley Barbour (R-MS), a potential Republican presidential candidate, has an interesting perspective on the tumults of the civil rights era that swept through his Deep South state.
As Barbour recalls it in a new profile in The Weekly Standard, things weren’t so bad in his hometown of Yazoo City, which took until 1970 to integrate its schools (though the final event itself is said to have gone on peacefully). For example, Barbour says that there was no problem of Ku Klux Klan activity in the town — thanks to the Citizens Council movement, an organization that was founded on the basis of resistance to integration and the promotion of white supremacy.
“You heard of the Citizens Councils? Up north they think it was like the KKK,” said Barbour. “Where I come from it was an organization of town leaders. In Yazoo City they passed a resolution that said anybody who started a chapter of the Klan would get their ass run out of town. If you had a job, you’d lose it. If you had a store, they’d see nobody shopped there. We didn’t have a problem with the Klan in Yazoo City.”
The White Citizens Council movement was founded in Mississippi in 1954, shortly after the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision that outlawed segregated public schools, and was dedicated to political activities opposing civil rights — notably boycotts of pro-civil rights individuals, as opposed to Barbour’s recollection of actions against the Klan. It was distinguished from the Klan by the public self-identification of its members, and its image of suits and ties as opposed to white robes and nooses
I do believe that Gov. Haley Barbour just killed any notion of him ever running for President. I knew he was from the south; but I really did not think he was this bad. 😯
I do believe that Gov. Haley Barbour just wandered off into Ron Paul territory.
The Senate on Saturday blocked a bill that would have created a path to citizenship for certain young illegal immigrants who came to the United States as children, completed two years of college or military service and met other requirements, including passing a criminal background check.
The vote by 55-41 in favor of the bill, which is known as the Dream Act, effectively kills it for this year, and its fate is uncertain. The measure needed the support of 60 senators to cut off a filibuster and bring it to the floor.
Supporters said they were heartened that the measure won the backing of a majority of the Senate. They said they would continue to press for it, either on its own or as part of a wide immigration overhaul that some Democrats hope to undertake next year and believe could be an area of cooperation with Republicans, who will control a majority in the House.
Most immediately, the measure would have helped grant legal status to hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrant students and recent graduates whose lives are severely restricted, though many have lived in the United States for nearly their entire lives.
Young Hispanic men and women filled the spectator galleries of the Senate, many of them wearing graduation caps and tassels in a symbol of their support for the bill. They held hands in a prayerful gesture as the clerk called the roll and many looked stricken as its defeat was announced.
President Obama had personally lobbied lawmakers in support the bill. But Democrats were not able to hold ranks.
Five Democrats joined Republicans in opposing the bill. They were Senators Max Baucus of Montana, Kay Hagan of North Carolina, Ben Nelson of Nebraska, Mark Pryor of Arkansas and Jon Tester of Montana.
And three Republicans joined the balance of Democrats in favor of it: Robert Bennett of Utah, Richard Lugar of Indiana, and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.
Mr. Obama, in a statement, called the outcome “incredibly disappointing” and said that he would continue fighting to win approval of the bill.
Which should prove that America is a center-right Country and that most Americans oppose any sort of disruption of what is commonly known as “RULE OF LAW.”
Powerline is one of the original Conservative Blogs around, they started way back in 2002.
In a personal note: I have been accused by fools of being an antisemitic person; which is, of course, idiotic at best. Seeing that being the case, I will say this. Powerline is a stalwart defender of Israel. I have read there quite a bit. Admittedly, I do not always agree with the positions there; however, I will give those men credit; their consistency in defense of Israel’s Liberty and of the Jewish State is something to be greatly admired. Not to mention, they are truly a stalwart defender of American Liberty.
US Treasuries last week suffered their biggest two-day sell-off since the collapse of Lehman Brothers in September 2008. The borrowing costs of the government of the world’s largest economy have now risen by a quarter over the past four weeks.
Such a sharp rise in US benchmark market interest rates matters a lot – and it matters way beyond America. The US government is now servicing $13.8 trillion (£8.7 trilion) in declared liabilities – making it, by a long way, the world’s largest debtor. Around $414bn of US taxpayers’ money went on sovereign interest payments last year – around 4.5 times the budget of America’s Department of Education.
Debt service costs have reached such astronomical levels even though, over the past year and more, yields have been kept historically and artificially low by “quantitative easing (QE)” – in other words, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke’s virtual printing press. Now borrowing costs are 28pc higher than a month ago, with the 10-year Treasury yield reaching 3.33pc last week, an already eye-watering debt service burden can only go up.
Few on this side of the Atlantic should feel smug. The eurozone’s ongoing sovereign debt debacle has pushed up Germany’s borrowing costs by 27pc over the last month – to 3.03pc. The market has judged that if Europe’s Teutonic powerhouse wants the single currency to survive, it will ultimately need to raise wads of cash to absorb the mess caused by other member states’ fiscal incontinence…
…Some say that growing signs of a US economic recovery are positive for stocks, which means money is being diverted out of Treasuries, so lowering their price, which pushes up yields.That’s wishful thinking. Sovereign borrowing costs have just surged in the US – and therefore elsewhere – because a politically-wounded President Obama caved-in and extended the Bush-era tax cuts, combining them with a $120bn payroll tax holiday…
…The market is increasingly alarmed at the rate of increase of the US government’s already massive liabilities. America’s government debt is set to expand by a jaw-dropping 42pc over the next few years, reaching $19.6 trillion by 2015 according to Treasury Department estimates presented (amid very little fanfare) to Congress back in June. Since then, government spending has risen even more. So US debt service costs, like those of many other Western nations, are expanding rapidly in terms of both the volumes of sovereign instruments outstanding, and the yields on each bond.
You know what that means? It means that if you are a small time investor; that you need to get out of the Market NOW! This could have a huge impact on the market, and you could lose very big. I do virtual trading and so far, I have done well on my trades. But I am not about to lose my shirt, so, I ordered a sell off of everything. Now the big time guys will be able to afford to ride this out, because they have the wealth to spare. But the small time people will get burned. The best thing I can tell you small times investors, is to dump your shares and put it all into Gold. That would either be into EFT‘s or real actual Gold.
Disclaimer: I do not claim to be a expert on the subject of stocks, trading or even Gold. However, it does stand to reason that when such news as this is report, that it will affect the U.S. markets and the United States financial system. I do however, promote a great investment advice service called Elliotwave. You might want to check it out.
Lovers necessarily keep or share secrets. Being in a healthy relationship means achieving a certain level of intimacy, where shared knowledge of each others’ weaknesses and insecurities is protected by a bond of mutual trust. Sometimes lovers might do devilish things that outsiders wouldn’t understand, or shouldn’t be privy to, and this is fine. But by and large, what they do is simply no one else’s business.
But imagine that the man in the relationship kept it a secret that he had other women on the side, kids, a criminal record, venereal disease, and basically betrayed his lover in every way imaginable, unbeknownst to her?
Now imagine a third party felt it was their moral duty to reveal it?
No one questions that governments must maintain a certain level of secrecy, including WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who told Time that “Secrecy is important for many things … [but it] shouldn’t be used to cover up abuses.” The entire premise of Assange’s whistleblower organization is this: To what degree is government secrecy justified? And when particular secrets could be damaging to the other partner in the United States government’s relationship — the American people — should these secrets be revealed in the name of protecting the public?
How often does our government use “national security” simply as an excuse to cover up questionable dealings? Reports Time: “in the past few years, governments have designated so much information secret that you wonder whether they intend the time of day to be classified. The number of new secrets designated as such by the U.S. government has risen 75% … . At the same time, the number of documents and other communications created using those secrets has skyrocketed nearly 10 times…”
To say that government must keep secrets is not to say that all government secrets must be kept.
As admitted even by Pentagon officials and Defense Secretary Robert Gates, none of WikiLeaks’ revelations do anything to compromise national security or endanger American lives — but they have wreaked havoc on political life in Washington, D.C. Americans are not supposed to know, for example, that their government bullied and threatened individuals and other governments that might have undermined the Copenhagen climate change summit in 2009. The federal government attempting to squelch anyone who might undermine global-warming dogma? Do WikiLeaks’ conservative critics believe revealing this is a “national security” risk?
Americans are not supposed to know, apparently, that behind the scenes Saudi Arabia has been encouraging the U.S. to take military action against Iran. But if we end up going to war with Iran shouldn’t it be in America’s national interest, and not simply as a subcontractor for another country? Asks Fox News’ Judith Miller: “Why should Americans not know that Arab states, often at the top level, have been urging Washington to take military or other drastic action against Iran, while they publicly oppose such action?”
And when did conservatives become so protective of Hillary Clinton? What happened to the days of the “Stop Hillary Express,” when right-wing talk radio portrayed the former first lady as Satan and theorized about all the devious ways in which, if in power, she might conspire to bring down the country? When WikiLeaks revealed that Secretary of State Clinton tried to obtain DNA, fingerprints, credit-card numbers, and other private information belonging to United Nations officials, we learned that Clinton’s style was every bit as mafia-esque as her conservative critics once warned. Yet conservatives now attack WikiLeaks for revealing what they once feared. It should also be remembered that the same conservatives now calling for Assange’s head either ignored or were sympathetic to Lewis “Scooter” Libby’s outing of CIA operative Valerie Plame allegedly at the Bush administration’s behest — a revelation arguably far riskier to our national security than anything ever released by WikiLeaks.
But the worst hypocrisy throughout this controversy has been in conservatives reflexively defending the government and attacking WikiLeaks. Since when have conservatives believed that Washington should be able to shroud any action it likes in secrecy and that revealing government’s nefarious deeds is tantamount to treason? Isn’t it government officials who might secretly work for corporate, ideological or transnational interests — and against the national interest — who are betraying their country?
Interestingly, Wikileaks’ founder espouses the traditionally conservative, Jeffersonian view that America’s constitutional structure limits and lessens government corruption. Reported Time: “Assange appears to believe that the U.S. has not become ‘a much-worse-behaved superpower’ because its federalism, ‘this strength of the states,’ has been a drag on the combination of the burgeoning power of the central government and a presidency that can expand its influence only by way of foreign affairs.”
Decentralizing government power, limiting it, and challenging it was the Founders’ intent and these have always been core conservative principles. Conservatives should prefer an explosion of whistleblower groups like WikiLeaks to a federal government powerful enough to take them down. Government officials who now attack WikLleaks don’t fear national endangerment, they fear personal embarrassment. And while scores of conservatives have long promised to undermine or challenge the current monstrosity in Washington, D.C., it is now an organization not recognizably conservative that best undermines the political establishment and challenges its very foundations.
(CNN) – Defying President Obama, House Democrats voted Thursday not to bring up the tax package that he negotiated with Republicans in its current form.
“This message today is very simple: That in the form that it was negotiated, it is not acceptable to the House Democratic caucus. It’s as simple as that,” said Democratic Congressman Chris Van Hollen.
“We will continue to try and work with the White House and our Republican colleagues to try and make sure we do something right for the economy and right for jobs, and a balanced package as we go forward,” he said.
The vote comes a day after Vice President Biden made clear to House Democrats behind closed doors that the deal would unravel if any changes were made.
“Wow did the [White House] mishandle this,” a senior House Democratic Source told CNN. “Breathtaking. Members have major substantive concerns and they should have gently guided people to the finish line.”
Rep. Peter DeFazio of Oregon said: “They said take it or leave it. We left it.”
Naturally, it is the Democrats of the far left stripe who want to play politics with a bill that will actually help the middle class:
Pelosi spokesman Brendan Daly said that “this means we will not bring this [agreement] to the floor as is. It has to be changed.”
Daly would not outline what revisions House Democrats specifically are seeking, but he did say that Pelosi would stand by today’s caucus resolution…
Asked whether Pelosi would bring up the package over the objections of her Democratic colleagues, Miller suggested that wouldn’t happen without further consultions with rank-and-file lawmakers.
“I still think it’s going to go through—why do you think it isn’t?” Frank said in a Thursday interview outside the caucus meeting. “I always knew a majority of Democrats would be against it. I still think they have the votes for it, yeah.” He added that House Democrats simply lacked the ability to have a major impact on the legislation: “I think the notion that the caucus controls legislation is not a good one.”
Frank emphasized that he still opposed the tax-cut bargain but nevertheless thought a vote should be held on the tax package as it currently stands. Speaker Nancy Pelosi will have to decide herself whether to bring the legislation to a vote on the House floor—a decision that many House Dems at the caucus meeting suggested was up in the air. But Frank was convinced that Pelosi would bring the president’s tax deal forward: “I think she will have to, yeah.”
So, at this point, I do not know what is going to happen, nor do I believe the Democrats know either. One thing I will say is this; if the Democrats decide to play partisan politics with this bill and let it and DREAM act bill die — over stupid stuff like ideological purity, the American people, especially the middle class —- like my parents, are going to be very highly ticked at Congress and basically the Democrats will be sealing their own fates come 2012.
Americans, not matter what their political leanings, understand one thing very well. Paying taxes, means losing their own money to the Government. Which in turn means less money of their own to spend, and that makes for a very unhappy constituency. Doing this sort of a bill, over something as idiotic as political ideology or purity is a suicide pact.
Honestly, I am ashamed of the Democrats at his point. They are doing the same damned thing that the Republicans did with George W. Bush back in 2006. They are following him to the edge of the cliff and jumping off with him, without regard for the Country or the well being of the American people. Not to mention for the well-being of their Party. At this point it is all about egos and ambition. It is insanity and will cost the Democrats for a very long time to come. The President of the United States gave them the best damned compromise that he could get and they are acting like spoiled brats. I am not trying to defending anyone or anybody, least of all the President. However, when I see that polls show that people actually like this Bill, right and left, I just have to wonder, who are these idiots on the hill looking out for?
Now to listen to the Democratstalk, now is a time of doom and gloom for them.
However, I have to make a startling confession; I was actually impressed with part of this presser. No, I am not talking about the part where he called the GOP hostage takers and so forth. :roll:I expected that stuff, heck, he is a Liberal Democrat. What else was he supposed to say?!?
I am referring to the part where President Obama basically told the Democratic Party and the Democratic Party folk in Congress, “Hey guys? If you had done your jobs before the primary election, we could not be in this position; so, put a sock in it and be glad that we got what we got from the other side!” That impressed me greatly. Any leader who is willing to stand up to his own party and tell them to “get bent” has my respect.
I tend to believe that this will be the end of the “nice” Barack Obama and might just be the beginning of the savvy stern leader President Barack Obama. One of the biggest complaints about him, is that he was too soft. The President might just be trying to reverse that image. It can’t hurt. I mean, maybe if he actually showed some leadership. It might just help his poll numbers.
I do not expect much praise from the Neo-Con side of the fence, as they’ve made a cottage industry out of being his biggest critics. However, I do offer it, as I am not nearly as into the smear machine as some.
An alternative headline would be “What I hate about White Christian Conservatives.” I saw this, and first thing I thought was, “does this old man ever get out of his house and into the real world?”
Now, at first, I wanted to just say this guy was being a straight up racist. However, I do not know that to be a fact. I think it is more of that stuffy old white Conservative Christian stupidity that the Republican right is known for.
The nominees to receive the most prestigious awards in the music industry, the Grammy Awards, were just announced. Among the five nominees for Record of the Year is a song titled “F— You,” with the F-word, of course, spelled out and pronounced.
Here are the song’s opening lyrics:
“I see you driving ’round town
With the girl I love and I’m like,
F— you!
Oo, oo, ooo
I guess the change in my pocket
Wasn’t enough, I’m like,
F— you!
And f— her, too!”
The next lyrics add the S-word:
“I said, if I was richer, I’d still be with ya
Ha, now ain’t that some s–t? (ain’t that some s–t?)
And although there’s pain in my chest
I still wish you the best with a
F— you!
Oo, oo, ooo.”
And shortly thereafter, the N-word:
“I pity the fool that falls in love with you
(oh, s–t, she’s a gold digger)
Well
(just thought you should know, n—-)
Ooooooh.”
Dennis Prager is, of course, referring to this video here:
This video and song, of course, is about a young man, who has a crush on a young girl; who, of course, could care less about him. As someone who knows a little about that whole thing. I believe Dennis Prager needs to relax a little and maybe lighten up.
But wait! It gets better!
Quote:
It is also worth noting that the video of this song includes children who appear to be under 12 years of age and all the performers are black — a point I will address later.
I have long believed that MTV has done more damage to America’s young people than any other single institution. I am referring to the music videos, in which most images or scenes are shown for less than two seconds and thereby numb kids’ minds, and to the sexual imagery and sex talk that permeate the music videos and much of the rest of MTV programming.
But while MTV should be singled out for the damage it has done to America, the music industry in general has been equally guilty.
How does a song replete with expletives, whose very title is “F— You,” get nominated for a Grammy Award as Record of the Year?
The answer is that the music industry, from producers to artists, is largely populated by people who regard social and cultural norms as stifling. Their professional lives are dedicated to lowering that which is elevated, destroying that which uplifts, and to profaning that which is held sacred.
There is no better explanation for “F— You” being nominated as Record of the Year. It has little, if any, redeeming moral, social or artistic (to the extent that this word retains its original meaning) value. The lyrics are as vapid as they are obscene; the video further degrades that part of black life that is already too lacking in elevation; and there is the participation of children in a profanity-filled video.
For most of American history, a child who used such words was punished by his parents, and society instinctively knew how important it was not to expose children to obscenities. Today, adults in the music industry reward children for participating in videos laced with obscenities.
Nor is the nomination of “F— You” as Song of the Year an aberration. Two of the other four nominees are rap “songs” whose lyrics are also vile.
12 year old children!
Black kids saying “F— You!”
What’s next?
Your little 12 year old white daughter being gang raped by a group of wild black man? Horrors! 😯
Please. 🙄
I think Dennis Prager needs to relax and loosen up a little and realize that not everyone in American, including most black people are not out to get every Conservative White girl in America knocked up. Prager might also want to put away the Klan uniform, that decade ended long ago.
You say, “Hey! I thought you were a Conservative!?!?!”
Well, I am; albeit more of a fiscal Conservative, a libertarian-minded person. I find the good majority of social Conservatism to be downright hypocritical. Bristol Palin being a perfect example, not to mention her screwball Mother. (UGH!)
In closing, I believe if Dennis Prager spent more time fighting to define what the Republican Party is supposed to stand for; like trying to move it away from the George W. Bush warmonger Neo-Conservatism that it has been ensconced in since 2000 and back to the traditional Conservative, which is represented by sites like this one here. Then Prager might be doing something. Until then, he his just blowing Hot Air around and acting a bit like a Religious Holier than thou as well. Which, in all honesty, is doing nothing for the Republican Party. Well, except for making them look like total idiots to Independent thinkers, like myself and the rest of the Country.
Oh.My.God! The desperation of the Palin-Bots is becoming almost laughable.
You might think Hollywood liberals would embrace it as a feminist Cinderella success story: The teen mom, seduced and abandoned by a two-faced cheater, gets a once-in-a-lifetime chance at a nationally televised dance competition
I got news for you Mr. Robert Stacy McCain, you Neo-Naziturncoatfuck. Bristol Palin MORE THAN WILLINGLY spread those legs and those twat lips for Levi Johnson. Anyone, and I mean ANYONE who believes anything other than that, has got their head planted square in their ASS! …or at the very LEAST is some sort of Sarah Palin Fan boy or possibly….or more than likely both! 🙄
Jesus freaking H. Christ on a freaking Crack rock! The stupid on the right is becoming SO very hard to bear anymore! 🙄
Julian Assange poses a clear and present danger to American national security. The WikiLeaks founder is more than a reckless provocateur. He is aiding and abetting terrorists in their war against America. The administration must take care of the problem – effectively and permanently.
The recent WikiLeaks document dump is the latest example of Mr. Assange’s dangerous behavior. His release of more than 250,000 U.S. diplomatic cables, many of them containing classified information, is a major blow to our foreign policy. The essence of diplomacy – especially that of a great power – is the ability to conduct negotiations and hold talks in secret. Foreign leaders will not be willing to engage in sensitive discussions with American emissaries if their words are going to be splashed across the front pages of the world’s newspapers. Officials in autocratic and Islamist states often risk their lives to cooperate with Washington, usually by providing vital information or advice. They now face a further disincentive to help us: The U.S. government can no longer guarantee the privacy and secrecy of their discussions.
American diplomacy has been crippled. So has our ability to conduct the war on terrorism. For example, the cables cache reveals that the United States is working closely with Yemen’s dictator, Ali Abdullah Saleh, in launching drone strikes against local al Qaeda bases. Al Qaeda has spread to Yemen. Its insurgency is growing. Yemen risks becoming what Afghanistan was before Sept. 11, 2001: a vast sanctuary for jihadists. Mr. Saleh insists that Yemeni public opinion – insular, xenophobic and increasingly Islamic – will not support the U.S. military presence on domestic soil. Hence, he says the pretense must be maintained that Yemen is firing the missiles, not America. This pretense has been shattered – and with it, perhaps, a key ally in the struggle against al Qaeda. Mr. Assange is helping chase the American infidel out of Yemen’s desolate deserts.
[………]
The United States is paying a severe price for Mr. Obama’s negligence. This is the greatest diplomatic crisis since the late 1940s, when communist agents in the U.S. government provided atomic secrets to the Soviet Union. The world is witnessing the absurd, almost surreal spectacle of the American superpower standing helpless in the face of a lone hacker. Her diplomatic secrets are no longer safe; her allies and friends are being betrayed; and her cyber-enemies are free to roam with impunity. America is no longer feared or respected.
Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. vows that he is looking into possible criminal charges against Mr. Assange. It is too late for tough talk. At this point, we are beyond indictments and courts. The damage has been done; people have died – and will die because of the actions of this puerile, self-absorbed narcissist. News reports say the WikiLeaks founder is hiding out in England. If that’s true, we should treat Mr. Assange the same way as other high-value terrorist targets: Kill him
Okay, here is the question that I feel the need to ask. Are we going to kill someone every time some whistle blower decides to speak out and expose some corruption in Government? Because if that is where we are headed, that is a slippery slope we can never recover from. Like anyone else, I am for open Government, I am also for seeing elected officials held accountable. However, if the United States Government and more importantly the United States Military is being put at risk, then by all means, arrest this guy and put him away.
I have no idea what Julian Assange‘s motivation is; whether it is conspiracy theory, politics or if he is just a pompous ass. But the idea of KILLING someone, just because decide to release some confidential information is not something, as a Conservative; who believes in rule of law and not Governmental treachery, that I can support. Because once you unleash that monster onto the American and World Wide Community, it cannot be stopped.
I would think that Jeff Kuhner would be a bit smarter than that. However, when you are working for a paper that basically was a cheerleader for the Bush Administration during the lead up to and during the Iraqi Invasion, one can expect only so much.
Last week we had typical pre-holiday light volume trading going into US Thanksgiving. The previous week I warned every one to trade with extreme caution because of the light volume and the fact that the market is on the verge of a sizable drop for both stocks and commodities. Any price action could not be taken seriously because of the light volume. We will not know until later this coming week what the big money wants to do… Buy or Sell, also what the manipulators will do… Seems like there are a lot of wild cards out there with Europe issues and both unemployment and payroll numbers out on Friday morning.
Below are a few charts showing my intermediate term outlook for gold and silver.
Gold & Silver Futures – Daily Chart
You can see both metal are showing a possible reversal head and shoulders pattern. While they have yet to confirm and close below the neck line we must be aware of this pattern and the risk/potential it provides us with. Both metals are still in an uptrend but showing signs of weakness.
US Dollar Index – Weekly Chart
This chart is not really that helpful for trading stocks, commodities or options right now but I wanted to post it because it allows me to show you how I analyze the market and my trades.
As you can see, the past 3 weeks have been in a strong uptrend reaching the first resistance level. The point of this chart is to show you that if you step out to the next longer time frame you can get a solid feeling of where an investment will find major support and resistance levels. Any investment not matter if it’s a stock, commodity or currency, if the price is trading in the middle of a large range like this chart you should not be taking large positions because it almost becomes a 50/50 bet on the market which is not a good winning strategy unless you are very experienced at managing your trades and money.
If you are going to trade then you want to focus on the underlying trend and you do that by looking at the next larger time frame. For example: if you focus on trading the daily chart, then you must step back each week and review the weekly chart to be sure you are trading with the underlying trend which is up for the dollar right now.
Weekend Trading Ideas:
Tuesday morning we saw the SP500 gap lower and continue to sell off. Traders started panicking out of their long positions and we could see it using the intraday market internals charts, which I cover each morning in the pre-market trading videos. Me being a contrarian (buying into market fear, selling into market strength) I used that high level of fear in the market along with the expected light volume holiday week ahead as an excuse to book profits near the lows on SP500 using the SDS bear fund allowing us to profit from the falling market. I feel we are going to have some crazy moves on the markets going into year end and it should be a lot of fun if done correctly.
Trading in general is a very difficult task especially if you are doing it for a living and planning on using your monthly income to pay bills, salaries etc… We all know the stress which comes with trading and if do not have a solid trading strategy, rules and cannot properly manage yourself (emotions) then you are most likely running into problems like over-trading, getting shaken out of trades easily, and taking bigger risks than your account can handle. Each of these cause more traders to blow up their accounts and big up on trading.
I am giving away my book on how you can control your trades, money and emotions. This short and to the point guide is full of my trading techniques, tips and thoughts which will help you get a handle of your emotions turning the market noise into music.
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