Wednesday, October 26, 2011

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Club for Growth president says it’s
time for Romney to be bold

Daily Caller, by WIll Rahn Original Article

Posted By: Photoonist- 10/26/2011 12:34:14 AM Post Reply

Chris Chocola, the president of the influential small government group Club for Growth, says former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney may not deliver the radical reforms he thinks are needed to fix America’s economy. Chocola told The Daily Caller he believes Romney should “be more bold” and offer an economic package similar to the tax reform plan proposed by Texas Governor Rick Perry on Tuesday. Perry’s plan calls for a spending limit, an optional flat tax rate for income taxes, and a host of other reforms Chocola says are necessary to fix the economy.

Perry, Romney spar over
releasing tax returns

USA Today, by Catalina Camia Original Article

Posted By: Photoonist- 10/26/2011 12:32:06 AM Post Reply

GOP presidential hopeful Rick Perry is ratcheting up the attacks on Mitt Romney, calling his rival a "fat cat" and urging him to make public his tax returns. Romney spokeswoman Andrea Saul said the candidate will "take a look at the question of releasing tax returns during the next tax filing season." She said Perry's campaign shouldn't "lecture anyone on disclosure," arguing that the Texan is not fully telling the public about his taxpayer-funded travel. Perry regularly makes public his income tax returns, going back to the 1980s. He and his wife, Anita, paid $51,000 in federal taxes in 2010

What a One-World
Government Looks Like

Creators Syndicate, by Ben Shapiro Original Article

Posted By: Photoonist- 10/26/2011 12:28:32 AM Post Reply

"Imagine there's no countries," John Lennon warbled in his inane song "Imagine." (Snip) With the integrated economic community, however, came a serious problem: If any of the member states spent beyond their capacities, the others would have to pick up the slack. And that's precisely what happened. Greece is bankrupt. So is Spain. So is Ireland. The bleed-over is corrupting the economies of the other Euro members. This week, the Euro members got together to attempt to solve the crisis. Many of the members are no longer interested in bailing out Greece -- they are sick of the redistributive socialism of

Joe Biden: Beltway Bubble Boy

Creators Syndicate, by Michelle Malkin Original Article

Posted By: Photoonist- 10/26/2011 12:25:58 AM Post Reply

Last fall, before the midterm shellacking, Vice President Joe Biden admonished rank-and-file Democratic voters to "stop whining." Uncle Tough Guy should practice what he screeches. The 2012 campaign has barely begun, but Biden's thin skin makes a spring roll wrapper look impenetrable. Biden's office is now calling for an official investigation of a young editor who dared to question His Highness. (Snip) Never mind that the statistics in Flint actually show no correlation between crime rates and the number of police officers in the city. It's never about the facts. It's about the shameless demonization of Biden's and Obama's political

Catholics, Finance, and the
Perils of Conventional Wisdom

National Review Online, by Samuel Gregg Original Article

Posted By: stjohnswood- 10/26/2011 12:25:20 AM Post Reply

Despite the Catholic Left’s excited hyperventilating that the document released today by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace (PCJP) would put the Church ''to the left of Nancy Pelosi'' on economic issues, more careful reading of ''Towards Reforming the International Financial and Monetary Systems in the Context of Global Public Authority'' soon indicates that it reflects rather conventional contemporary economic thinking. Unfortunately, given the uselessness of much present-day economics, that’s not likely to make it especially helpful in thinking through some of our present financial challenges. Doctrinally speaking, there’s nothing new to be found in this text.

BlackBerry a metaphor for government

Washington Times, by Charles Hurt Original Article

Posted By: Photoonist- 10/26/2011 12:23:38 AM Post Reply

Here in the land of BlackBerry, the man with two soup cans connected by a string is king. (Snip) That is because in all its vast wisdom at picking winners and losers, the federal government early on decided to bet on BlackBerry. It is what email and computer systems in Congress were designed around. It is what lawmakers and staffers all over the federal government are issued for work, and it is what President Obama keeps strapped to his side. It is what most campaigns run on. The slow, halting and un-sleek device has been the government’s handheld going all the

U.S. border agent jailed for
improper arrest of
suspected drug smuggler

Washington Times, by Jerry Seper Original Article

Posted By: Photoonist- 10/26/2011 12:18:29 AM Post Reply

A U.S. Border Patrol agent has been sentenced to two years in prison for improperly lifting the arms of a 15-year-old drug smuggling suspect while handcuffed - in what the Justice Department called a deprivation of the teenager’s constitutional right to be free from the use of unreasonable force. (Snip) Defense attorneys argued that there were no injuries or bruises on the suspected smuggler’s lower arms where the handcuffs had been placed nor any bruising resulting from an alleged knee on his back. Photos showed the only marks on his body came from the straps of the pack he carried

Michael Moore won’t admit he is
part of "the 1 percent"

Daily Caller, by Jeff Poor Original Article

Posted By: WarAdmiral- 10/26/2011 12:15:33 AM Post Reply

Either Michael Moore movies aren’t that profitable for him, or he’s having a real identity crisis. During a live made-for-cable-television town hall event on CNN’s “Piers Morgan Tonight” Tuesday, Morgan asked Moore to admit that he's a part of the so-called “1 percent.” The enormously successful liberal filmmaker and author flatly denied it. The IRS reports that the top 1 percent of income-earners make a minimum of $343,927 in annual adjusted gross income.

In Maryland, panel seeks
60% more in gas tax

Washington Times, by David Hill Original Article

Posted By: Photoonist- 10/26/2011 12:12:01 AM Post Reply

Annapolis - A Maryland commission recommended Tuesday that the state raise its gas tax by more than 60 percent over the next three years, but members acknowledged that taxpayers facing a dire economy could find the increase hard to swallow. The proposed hike, approved by the state-appointed Blue Ribbon Commission on Maryland Transportation Funding, would raise the gas tax on wholesalers by 5 cents a year for three years, from the current rate of 23.5 cents per gallon. The move could generate nearly $500 million in annual revenue and is part of $870 million in annual tax-and-fee increases recommended by

Anarchists Collecting
Intelligence for Terrorists

Arutz Sheva, by Gavriel Queenann Original Article

Posted By: stjohnswood- 10/26/2011 12:08:00 AM Post Reply

Foreign and Israeli anarchists are helping terrorists to gather intelligence, Yehudah Hendler of Esh Kodesh said in an interview with Arutz Sheva. The anarchists, he said, help Arabs from Palestinian Authority enclaves to force their way into Jewish towns, ostensibly to harvest olives--an activity that has served as cover for terrorism on past occasions, he said. The murderers of five members of the Fogel family used the olive harvest as an excuse to gather information on the victims’ town and to plan their attack, Hendel noted. ''Experience shows that they come together with the terrorists to gather intelligence

Study: Soft drinks linked to
violent tendencies in teens

Healthday News, by Staff Original Article

Posted By: Photoonist- 10/26/2011 12:07:16 AM Post Reply

Teens who drink lots of soda seem to be prone to violence, new research suggests. But the study authors concede that sodas are probably not the direct cause of the aggression. While there's a chance that the sugar and caffeine from carbonated drinks contributes to violent behavior, the study shows an association, not a cause-and-effect. Soda consumption, for example, may be a marker of heightened violent tendencies already present in the teen, or of poor parenting, the researchers said. (Snip) Nearly 43% of teens who drank 14 or more cans of soda a week said they carried a weapon at

Bette Midler Offers To Send
Porta-Potties to Occupy
Wall Street Protests

Newsbusters, by Noel Sheppard Original Article

Posted By: Photoonist- 10/26/2011 12:01:33 AM Post Reply

Emmy Award-winning singer and actress Bette Midler offered Tuesday to send Porta-Potties to help Occupy Wall Street protests. In an interview with Joy Behar on HLN, the multimillionaire also took a cheap shot at the Texas governor saying, "I'm not sure Rick Perry knows where he was born" When Behar pointed out that the residents around the park the protesters are inhabiting are complaining about the mess partially because of the lack of toilets, Midler responded, "Well, they should chip in and buy some toilets. Toilets are cheap. Porta-Potties are cheap."

Romney Declines to Offer
Opinion on Controversial
Ohio State Ballot Issues

ABC News, by Emily Friedman Original Article

Posted By: Photoonist- 10/25/2011 11:56:51 PM Post Reply

Terrace Park, Ohio - At a GOP phone bank in suburban Cincinnati today, Mitt Romney said he was not there to advocate for either of the state ballot initiatives that supporters at the event were working to promote during the presidential candidate’s visit. “I’m not speaking about the particular ballot issues, those are up to the people of Ohio, but I certainly support the effort of the governor to rein in the scale of government,” Romney said. (Snip) After the event, where Romney made brief remarks and insisted that a victory in Ohio was crucial in winning the White House,

President Obama Holds Secret
Meet-and-Greet With Hollywood
Execs and Influencers (Exclusive)

Hollywood Reporter, by Tina Daunt & Matthew Belloni Original Article

Posted By: Photoonist- 10/25/2011 11:54:34 PM Post Reply

Before he left Los Angeles for San Francisco on Tuesday, President Barack Obama stopped for an undisclosed meeting with some of the entertainment industry's high-level executives, as well as talent representatives with access to the industry's top stars and musical acts, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. Among the small group of industry insiders who were invited to attended the early-morning meeting with the president at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel were: Weinstein Co. studio head Harvey Weinstein, CAA managing partner and music head Rob Light, ICM president Chris Silbermann, Modern Family creator Steve Levitan, Atlantic Records chairman Craig Kallman, producer/songwriter Bruce

Obama says it's "not as trendy to
be an Obama supporter" today
compared to '08

Daily Caller, by Nicholas Ballasy Original Article

Posted By: WarAdmiral- 10/25/2011 11:52:39 PM Post Reply

President Barack Obama told an audience in San Francisco Tuesday that the famous “hope” poster, popular during his 2008 campaign for president, is “kind of faded” and that it’s “not as trendy to be an Obama supporter” today as it was during his first run for the White House. “We’ve made a lot of change, but we’ve got a lot more work to do,” he told an audience during a campaign event at the W Hotel in San Francisco, California. “And I know that I’m now a little grayer.”

Cain takes the lead
in GOP race – poll

Reuters, by Staff Original Article

Posted By: IdahoSky- 10/25/2011 11:51:19 PM Post Reply

Businessman Herman Cain has pulled ahead of Mitt Romney and now leads the field of 2012 Republican candidates, according to a new New York Times/ CBS News poll. Cain has 25 percent support among Republican primary voters, compared with 21 percent support for the former Massachusetts governor. The two candidates were tied at 17 percent in the previous NYT/CBS poll released on Oct. 3. The new poll shows Cain’s support among Tea Party conservatives climbed to 32 percent in mid-October — up from 18 percent just a few weeks earlier.

Democrats focus on tea
party in primaries

Politico, by Alex Isenstadt Original Article

Posted By: JoniTx- 10/25/2011 11:36:08 PM Post Reply

Democrats locked in competitive primaries have a new way to distinguish themselves: run against the tea party. Candidates are looking past their Democratic rivals, going directly after the grass-roots conservatives whose single-minded goal of slashing federal spending has incensed liberals.Oregon Democrat Brad Avakian, who’s running in an upcoming special House election, released a TV ad last week in which he declares he is “ticked off” at “these tea party Republicans.” “People are excited to see someone stand up to these thugs in Congress,”

From Arab Spring to Islamist Winter

Washington Times, by Editorial Staff Original Article

Posted By: stjohnswood- 10/25/2011 11:36:02 PM Post Reply

When the Arab Spring uprisings broke out earlier this year, many foreign-policy experts were alarmed that the revolts took the White House by surprise and concerned by the Obama administration’s lackadaisical response.(snip) The rise of the Islamists constitutes a major step backward for modernization and progress. Arab women are seeing their rights reduced, reversed or destroyed. Middle-class businessmen will find it more difficult to interact with the global economy. Religious minorities, primarily Christians, are being subjected to increasing violence and intimidation. When Foggy Bottom simply natters about ''cultural contexts,'' the signal to the extremists is ''full steam ahead.''

Tea-party congressman: Medical
records database ‘Achilles
heel’ of Obamacare

Daily Caller, by Caroline May Original Article

Posted By: Photoonist- 10/25/2011 11:18:31 PM Post Reply

Rep. Tim Huelskamp, a Kansas Republican and a Tea Party Caucus member, is sounding the alarm over a proposed rule from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that would aggregate confidential patient information into a single government database. (Snip) According to the proposed rule the government will collect Americans’ personal medical data to determine risk scores and state averages. This, the rule-makers suggest, will ensure “a robust risk adjustment process” which will help compare different programs’ performance and outcomes.

Perry: Unfit and unserious?

Washington Post, by Jennifer Rubin Original Article

Posted By: stjohnswood- 10/25/2011 11:17:52 PM Post Reply

Yesterday, I took Texas Gov. Rick Perry to task for his bizarre and unseemly comments that re-raised birtherism and the secession issue. (''Canard'' would be a better term than issue.(snip) This is not a problem, by the way, that his staff can fix. This goes to the candidate’s character and judgment. If such a person would stoop to birtherism and secession, and let anti-religious bigotry go without condemnation, where does it stop? In essence Perry is throwing down the gauntlet to social conservatives: See, you can get away with this and posit yourself as a ''values'' candidate. Wink, wink.

First the book deal,
then the recording contract...
now politics: Joe the Plumber
announces his run for Congress

Daily Mail (UK), by Hannah Roberts Original Article

Posted By: JoniTx- 10/25/2011 11:16:46 PM Post Reply

He was the everyman who spoke up for right-wing America during Barack Obama 2008 presidential campaign. But after his five minutes of fame, Joe the Plumber refused to just fade away. He travelled the country speaking at Tea Party gatherings, becoming an icon for anti-establishment Republicans. Having scored a book deal and recorded a country music record there was only one way forward- now Samuel 'Joe' Wurzelbacher has launched his bid for Congress.

US and Danish aid workers
kidnapped in Somalia

Telegraph [UK], by Mike Pflanz Original Article

Posted By: Photoonist- 10/25/2011 11:14:31 PM Post Reply

Nairobi - Two Western aid workers, from the US and Denmark, were kidnapped on Tuesday from a town in central Somalia where they were contracted to a landmine clearance programme. The pair, a man and a woman, were abducted close to the airport in Galkayo, a town split between two different local authorities but north of territory controlled by al-Shabaab, Somalia’s Islamist insurgents. A Somali colleague was taken hostage with them. The three were working for the Danish Demining Group, an offshoot of the Danish Refugee Council, and had spent the day visiting projects in Galkayo’s south, local officials said.

Patience tested over waste,
crime at protest sites

Associated Press, by Meghan Barr Original Article

Posted By: JoniTx- 10/25/2011 11:07:33 PM Post Reply

NEW YORK— Fed up with petty crime, the all-night racket of beating drums, the smell of human waste and the sight of trampled flowers and grass, police and neighbors are losing patience with some of the anti-Wall Street protests around the U.S. In Oakland, Calif., police in riot gear fired tear gas and bean bags before daybreak Tuesday to disperse about 170 protesters who had been camping in front of City Hall for the past two weeks, and 85 people were arrested. The mayor of Providence, R.I., is threatening to go to court within days to evict demonstrators from a park.

Diplomats: Turkey disaster
won't boost relations

Ynet News [Israel], by Ronen Medzini Original Article

Posted By: Photoonist- 10/25/2011 11:05:31 PM Post Reply

Former ambassadors to Turkey reacted Tuesday to Ankara's request for aid from Israel following the devestating earthquake that hit Turkey's eastern region, saying: "Like the Carmel fire disaster, we must not develop diplomatic expectations". As Israel prepares to send aid to the disaster-stricken area, Israeli diplomats who have previously served in Ankara are suggesting that the public distinguish between humanitarian gestures and the diplomatic crisis. "Today's situation between the two countries is much worse than what it was during the Carmel disaster," they noted.

No dog license? You could
finally face a ticket in Chicago

Chicago Sun-Times, by Fran Spielman Original Article

Posted By: JoniTx- 10/25/2011 11:01:58 PM Post Reply

Chicago dog owners have been thumbing their noses at the city’s mandatory dog license for decades without consequence — but those days may be coming to an end. A dog-loving city that sold just 27,918 licenses last year, less than 5 percent of an estimated 560,000-strong dog population, is preparing to show its bite by ticketing negligent dog owners. The crackdown will follow a 90-day education campaign spearheaded by City Clerk Susana Mendoza and the city’s Commission on Animal Care and Control. It will feature low-cost rabies vaccines

Poll shows big rise in number of
Britons who want to abandon EU

Guardian [UK], by Tom Clark Original Article

Posted By: Photoonist- 10/25/2011 10:59:36 PM Post Reply

London - Conservative rebels pushing Britain's Conservative/Liberal Democrat coalition government for an in-or-out referendum on Europe are riding the tide of public opinion, according to a Guardian/ICM poll. Some 70 per cent of voters want a vote on Britain's European Union membership and, by a substantial nine-point margin, respondents say they would use it to vote for Britain's withdrawal. Forty-nine per cent of voters would vote to get Britain out of Europe, as against just 40 per cent who prefer to stay in. (Snip) The 40 per cent who would vote to stay in were split relatively equally between 23

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