Obama Campaign - "If I Wanted America To Fail"

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Daily Devotions

WISDOM

If you support our national security issues, you may love and appreciate the United States of America, our Constitution with its’ freedoms, and our American flag.

If you support and practice our fiscal issues, you may value worldly possessions.

If you support and value our social issues, you may love Judeo-Christian values.

If you support and practice all these values, that is all good; an insignia of “Wisdom” . - Oscar Y. Harward

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

ISN'T IT STRANGE?

Isn't it strange how a 20-dollar bill seems like such a large amount when you donate it to church, but such a small amount when you go shopping?

Isn't it strange how 2 hours seem so long when you're at church, and how short they seem when you're watching a good movie?

Isn't it strange that you can't find a word to say when you're praying, but you have no trouble thinking what to talk about with a friend?

Isn't it strange how difficult and boring it is to read one chapter of the Bible, but how easy it is to read 100 pages of a popular novel?

Isn't it strange how everyone wants front-row-tickets to concerts or games, but they do whatever is possible to sit at the last row in Church?

Isn't it strange how we need to know about an event for Church 2-3 weeks before the day so we can include it in our agenda, but we can adjust it for other events in the last minute?

Isn't it strange how difficult it is to learn a fact about God to share it with others, but how easy it is to learn, understand, extend and repeat gossip?

Isn't it strange how we believe everything that magazines and newspapers say, but we question the words in the Bible?

Isn't it strange how everyone wants a place in heaven, but they don't want to believe, do, or say anything to get there?

Isn't it strange how we send jokes in e-mails and they are forwarded right away, but when we are going to send messages about God, we think about it twice before we share it with others?

IT'S STRANGE ISN'T IT?

-- Author Unknown

Think about it!

The challenge of retirement is how to spend time without spending money. ~Author Unknown

ADULT:
A person who has stopped growing at both ends and is now growing in the middle.
 

BEAUTY PARLOR:

A place where women curl up and dye.


CANNIBAL:

Someone who is fed up with people.


CHICKENS:

The only animals you eat before they are born and after they are dead.


COMMITTEE:

A body that keeps minutes and wastes hours.


DUST:

Mud with the juice squeezed out.


EGOTIST:

Someone who is usually me-deep in conversation. 


HANDKERCHIEF:

Cold Storage.
 

INFLATION:

Cutting money in half without damaging the paper.


MOSQUITO:

An insect that makes you like flies better.


RAISIN:

Grape with a sunburn.
 

SECRET:

Something you tell to one person at a time.


SKELETON:

A bunch of bones with the person scraped off.


TOOTHACHE:

The pain that drives you to extraction.


TOMORROW:

One of the greatest labor saving devices of today.


YAWN:

An honest opinion openly expressed.

 
WRINKLES:

Something other people have,
 similar to my character lines.

Monday, May 30, 2011

What has America become?

Editor,

Has America become the land of special interest and home of the double standard?

Let's see: if we lie to the Congress, it’s a felony and if the Congress lies to us it's just politics; if we dislike a black person, we’re racist and if a black person dislikes whites, it's their 1st Amendment right; the government spends millions to rehabilitate criminals and they do almost nothing for the victims; in public schools you can teach that homosexuality is OK, but you better not use the word God in the process; you can kill an unborn child, but it is wrong to execute a mass murderer; we don’t burn books in America, we now rewrite them; we got rid of communist and socialist threats by renaming them progressive; we are unable to close our border with Mexico, but have no problem protecting the 38th parallel in Korea; if you protest against President Obama’s policies you’re a terrorist, but if you burned an American flag or George Bush in effigy it was your 1st Amendment right.

You can have pornography on TV or the internet, but you better not put a nativity scene in a public park during Christmas; we have eliminated all criminals in America, they are now called sick people; we can use a human fetus for medical research, but it is wrong to use an animal.

We take money from those who work hard for it and give it to those who don’t want to work; we all support the Constitution, but only when it supports our political ideology; we still have freedom of speech, but only if we are being politically correct; parenting has been replaced with Ritalin and video games; the land of opportunity is now the land of hand outs; the similarity between Hurricane Katrina and the gulf oil spill is that neither president did anything to help.

And how do we handle a major crisis today? The government appoints a committee to determine who’s at fault, then threatens them, passes a law, raises our taxes; tells us the problem is solved so they can get back to their reelection campaign.

What has happened to the land of the free and home of the brave?

- Ken Huber
Tawas City

5 Life Lessons

http://www.libertyhigh56.net/special%20pages/lifelessons.htm

1 - First Important Lesson - Cleaning Lady.

During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions until I read the last one:

"What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?"

Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name?

I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade.

"Absolutely," said the professor. "In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say "hello."

I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.


2. - Second Important Lesson - Pickup in the Rain


One night, at 11:30 P.M., an older African American woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rainstorm. Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride.  Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car.  A young white man stopped to help her, generally unheard of in those conflict-filled 1960s. The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxicab.

She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his address and thanked him. Seven days went by and a knock came on the man's door. To his surprise, a giant console color TV was delivered to his home. A special note was attached..

It read:  "Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway
the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes, but also my spirits.  Then you came along.  Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband's bedside just before he passed away.. God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others."

Sincerely,
Mrs. Nat King Cole.


3 - Third Important Lesson - Always remember those
who serve.


In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10-year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him.

"How much is an ice cream sundae?" he asked.

"Fifty cents," replied the waitress.

The little boy pulled is hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it.

"Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?" he inquired.

By now more people were waiting for a table and the
waitress was growing impatient.

"Thirty-five cents," she brusquely replied.

The little boy again counted his coins.

"I'll have the plain ice cream," he said.

The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table.  There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies..

You see, he couldn't have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip.


4 - Fourth Important Lesson - The obstacle in Our Path.


In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way.

Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the King indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The peasant learned what many of us never understand!

Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.


5 - Fifth Important Lesson - Giving When it Counts...


Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare & serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the
illness. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister.

I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, "Yes I'll do it if it will save her." As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheek. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded.

He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, "Will I start to die right away".

Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save he.

Allen West, We don't want to repeat Bush's economic record

My Photo
Conservative views from a die-hard Conservative. A graduate from Rush Limbaugh Institute of Higher Learning. Majored in Advanced Conservative Studies. 
http://conservativeviewsforthegrassroots.blogspot.com/2011/05/allen-west-we-dont-want-to-repeat-bushs.html



It happens to everybody. Many are willing to forget the prosperity during George W. Bush tenure. The media rammed down our throat about Bush's spending and it became the narrative. Unfortunately, people tend to forget Bush had to handle the recession he inherited from Bill Clinton and the economic devastation of 9/11. Unlike Obama's spending, George W. Bush invested in America's safety and America's economy.

I do like Allen West, but he is blinded not to believe Bush's economic policy was sound. To suggest that America can't afford to repeat Bush's economic record is very ignorant. I agree in cutting spending, but there is a big difference in spending wastefully, and investing wisely. If tax cuts have proven to work under JFK, Ronald Reagan, and George W. Bush, I am unable to understand there are people to think otherwise. Since cutting taxes spurred more tax revenues, people forgot that under Bush we experience 52 months of economical growth after 9/11, unemployment was in record lows, the GDP grew on average 2.2% annually, and people were spending more to grow the economy.

Here are some of the important highlights of Bush's economic record:

- Household consumption. The ICP study found that the average per-capita consumption of the U.S. population (citizens and illegal immigrants combined) was second only to Luxembourg's, out of 146 countries covered in 2005. The U.S. average was $32,045. This was well above the levels in the UK ($25,155), Canada ($23,526), France ($23,027) and Germany ($21,742). China stood at $1,751.

- Health services. The U.S. spends easily the highest amount per capita ($6,657 in 2005) on health, more than double that in Britain. But because of private funding (55% of the total) the burden on the U.S. taxpayer (9.1% of GDP) is kept to similar levels as France and Germany. The U.S. Census Bureau reports that 84.7% of the U.S. population was covered by health insurance in 2007, an increase of 3.6 million people over 2006. The uninsured can receive treatment in hospitals at the expense of private insurance holders. While life expectancy is influenced by lifestyles and not just access to health services, the World Bank nevertheless reports that average life expectancy in the U.S. rose to 78 years in 2006 (the same as Germany's), from 77in 2000.

- Income and wealth distribution. The latest World Bank estimates show that the richest 20% of U.S. households had a 45.8% share of total income in 2000, similar to the levels in the U.K. (44.0%) and Israel (44.9%). In 65 other countries the richest quintile had a larger share than in the U.S…

- Employment. The U.S. employment rate, measured by the percentage of people of working age (16-65 years) in jobs, has remained high by international standards. The latest OECD figures show a rate of 71.7% in 2006. This was more than five percentage points above the average for the euro area. The U.S. unemployment rate averaged 4.7% from 2001-2007. This compares with a 5.2% average rate during President Clinton's term of office, and is well below the euro zone average of 8.3% since 2000.


Therefore, if Allen West wants a smaller government, I agree with him. If he think ending tax breaks to American, he is wrong! If he thinks we should repeat Bush's economic record, Allen West is not ready for prime time.

(The Hill) Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.) criticized the economic record of his party’s last president on Sunday, saying George W. Bush’s administration was not committed enough to limiting government.

“He grew government. And he increased the government’s spending,” the freshman congressman, a Tea Party favorite, said on “Fox News Sunday.”

“And, so, you cannot have a cut in taxes and also have a gross enlargement of government. That’s one of the things we don’t want to see happen,” West added.

The tax cuts that Bush signed into law early in his presidency continue to be debated, with Republicans calling for them to be made permanent at all income levels and Democrats wanting to raise rates at the highest income levels.

West and Rep. Donna Edwards (D-Md.), his sparring partner on the Sunday show, both said that policymakers should look for ways to eliminate waste within the government.

But they sharply disagreed about whether new tax revenue, possibly from a reform of the tax code, would be used to find a bipartisan agreement on reducing deficits.

“The fact is that you cannot have two wars that are on the books that are unpaid for, tax breaks that are unpaid for for the wealthiest Americans and at the same time say that we’re going to balance our budget off the backs of seniors,” said Edwards, who has been sharply critical of the GOP plan to overhaul Medicare..

For his part, West said he is on record calling for the elimination of tax breaks.

But, he added: “Until we show that we’re willing to be fiscally responsible up here, why should we continue to tax Americans, why should we continue to take away their most precious resource, if we’re not going to do the right things up here?

Sunday, May 29, 2011

What Obama Did to Israel


Charles Krauthammer


The president has made negotiations all but impossible.

Every Arab-Israeli negotiation contains a fundamental asymmetry: Israel gives up land, which is tangible; the Arabs make promises, which are ephemeral. The longstanding American solution has been to nonetheless urge Israel to take risks for peace while America balances things by giving assurances of U.S. support for Israel’s security and diplomatic needs.
It’s on the basis of such solemn assurances that Israel undertook, for example, the Gaza withdrawal. In order to mitigate this risk, Pres. George W. Bush gave a written commitment that America supported Israel’s absorption of major settlement blocs in any peace agreement, opposed any return to the 1967 lines, and stood firm against the so-called Palestinian right of return to Israel.

For two and a half years, the Obama administration has refused to recognize and reaffirm these assurances. Then last week in his State Department speech, President Obama definitively trashed them. He declared that the Arab-Israeli conflict should indeed be resolved along “the 1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps.”
Nothing new here, said Obama three days later. “By definition, it means that the parties themselves — Israelis and Palestinians — will negotiate a border that is different” from 1967.

It means nothing of the sort. “Mutually” means both parties have to agree. And if one side doesn’t? Then, by definition, you’re back to the 1967 lines.

Nor is this merely a theoretical proposition. Three times the Palestinians have been offered exactly that formula, 1967 plus swaps — at Camp David 2000, Taba 2001, and the 2008 Olmert-Abbas negotiations. Every time, the Palestinians said no and walked away.

And that remains their position today: The 1967 lines. Period. Indeed, in September the Palestinians are going to the U.N. to get the world to ratify precisely that: a Palestinian state on the ’67 lines. No swaps.

Note how Obama has undermined Israel’s negotiating position. He is demanding that Israel go into peace talks having already forfeited its claim to the territory won in the ’67 war — its only bargaining chip.

Remember:

That ’67 line runs right through Jerusalem. Thus the starting point of negotiations would be that the Western Wall and even Jerusalem’s Jewish Quarter are Palestinian — alien territory for which Israel must now bargain.

The very idea that Judaism’s holiest shrine is alien or that Jerusalem’s Jewish Quarter is rightfully, historically, or demographically Arab is an absurdity. And the idea that, in order to retain them, Israel has to give up parts of itself is a travesty.

Obama also moved the goal posts on the so-called right of return. Flooding Israel with millions of Arabs would destroy the world’s only Jewish state while creating a 23rd Arab state and a second Palestinian state — not exactly what we mean when we speak of a “two-state solution.” That’s why it has been the policy of the U.S. to adamantly oppose this “right.”

Yet in his State Department speech, Obama refused to simply restate this position — and refused again in a supposedly corrective speech three days later. Instead, he told Israel it must negotiate the right of return with the Palestinians after having given every inch of territory. Bargaining with what, pray tell?

No matter. “The status quo is unsustainable,” declared Obama, “and Israel too must act boldly to advance a lasting peace.”

Israel too? Exactly what bold steps for peace have the Palestinians taken?

Israel made three radically conciliatory offers to establish a Palestinian state, withdrew from Gaza, and has been trying to renew negotiations for more than two years. Meanwhile, the Gaza Palestinians have been firing rockets at Israeli towns and villages. And on the West Bank, Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas turned down the Olmert offer, walked out of negotiations with Binyamin Netanyahu, and now defies the United States by seeking not peace talks but instant statehood — without peace, without recognizing Israel — at the U.N. And to make unmistakable this spurning of any peace process, Abbas agrees to join the openly genocidal Hamas in a unity government, which even Obama acknowledges makes negotiations impossible.

Obama’s response to this relentless Palestinian intransigence? To reward it — by abandoning the Bush assurances, legitimizing the ’67 borders, and refusing to reaffirm America’s rejection of the right of return.

The only remaining question is whether this perverse and ultimately self-defeating policy is born of genuine antipathy toward Israel or of the arrogance of a blundering amateur who refuses to see that he is undermining not just peace but the very possibility of negotiations.

Charles Krauthammer is a nationally syndicated columnist. © 2011 the Washington Post Writers Group.

Saturday, May 28, 2011

This morning I went to sign my Dogs up for welfare.


This morning I went to sign my Dogs up for welfare.
At first the lady said, “Dogs are not eligible to draw welfare”.
So I explained to her that my Dogs are mixed in color, unemployed, lazy, can’t speak English and have no frigging clue who their daddy’s are.
They expect me to feed them, provide them with housing and medical care, and feel guilty because they are dogs.
So she looked in her policy book to see what it takes to qualify.
My Dogs get their first checks Friday.
Damn this is a great country.

VA agrees not to interfere with holiday prayers

Agency backs down after losing court fight over pastor's mention of Jesus in Memorial Day invocation at Houston cemetery

By TERRI LANGFORD HOUSTON CHRONICLE

May 27, 2011, 7:41PM

photo
Terri Langford Chronicle
"I've never said a prayer in my life that didn't end with Jesus Christ," said the Rev. Scott Rainey, left, who's shown with Erin Leu, attorney for Liberty Institute.
 
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The nation's agency for military veterans has agreed to stay out of religious refereeing for now, backing down from its attempt to tell a minister how to craft a prayer for a Memorial Day invocation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Fred Hindrichs told federal District Judge Lynn Hughes that the U.S.

Department of Veterans Affairs will not demand that Memorial Day prayers at Houston National Cemetery Monday be as non-denominational as possible.

"(The agency) will let the prayer go on this Monday," Hindrichs told Hughes.

The change of heart came one day after the judge granted the Rev. Scott Rainey a temporary restraining order against the agency after officials told the pastor to edit his prayer to make it as general and non-denominational as possible. Rainey's prayer, submitted for review at the agency's request included the recitation of the Lord's Prayer and thanked Jesus Christ, the Christian savior, in closing.

"The ... prayer/message is specific to one belief," wrote Arleen Ocasio, director of the Houston National Cemetery.

"I've never said a prayer in my life that didn't end with Jesus Christ," Rainey said after Friday's hearing. "It was unrealistic expectation for me not to include the name of Jesus Christ."

Veterans Affairs officials informed Rainey that if he wanted to give the invocation, he would have to keep the language in his prayer "general" and "non-denominational."

Rainey filed a lawsuit against the agency Thursday, claiming the government was censoring his speech and asked the judge to stop the agency from doing so.

Judge warns agency

Hughes granted a temporary restraining order which will stay in place through Monday's Memorial Day. The judge said that while he was not doubting the government's word, he was "an experienced optimist" who didn't want to leave room for the government to change its mind before Monday.

Yesterday, the judge warned the agency it had stepped too far, saying officials were essentially "decreeing how citizens honor their veterans."

"The government cannot gag citizens when it says it is in the interest of national security, and it cannot do it in some bureaucrat's notion of cultural homogeneity," Hughes wrote.

For the past two years, Rainey has given the Memorial Day invocation at the cemetery to honor U.S. soldiers who have fought and died. The invocation is sponsored by a private group, the National Cemetery Council for Greater Houston, but held at the Houston National Cemetery, which is public property.

This year, however, the cemetery director asked to see the prayer beforehand. She then asked Rainey to edit it.

"... While it is very well written, I must ask you to edit it," Ocasio wrote on May 19. "The tone of all messages must be inclusive of all beliefs, need to be general and its fundamental purpose should be specific to those we are honoring, and non-denominational in nature."

Rabbi comments

Rabbi Roy Walter, senior rabbi at Congregation Emanu El, said he agrees with Rainey's free speech position.

"I do believe the government doesn't have the right to tell him what he can and cannot do," Walter said.

But the rabbi said Rainey's prayer doesn't reflect that all veterans are not Christians.

"I don't think it's sensitive to the fact that a great many people who are veterans, who gave their lives or lived through service, are not Christian."

terri.langford@chron.com

Judge: Corporate donations ban unconstitutional

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/judicial/2011-05-27-corporate-contributions-campaigns_n.htm



ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — A U.S. judge has ruled that the campaign finance law banning corporations from making contributions to federal candidates is unconstitutional, citing the Supreme Court's landmark Citizens United decision last year in his analysis.

In a ruling issued late Thursday, U.S. District Judge James Cacheris tossed out part of an indictment against two men charged with illegally reimbursing donors to Hillary Clinton's 2006 Senate and 2008 presidential campaigns.

Cacheris says that under the Citizens United decision, corporations enjoy the same rights as individuals to contribute to campaigns.

The ruling from the federal judge in Virginia is the first of its kind. The Citizens United case had applied only to corporate spending on campaign activities by independent groups, such as ads run by third parties to favor one side, not to direct contributions to the candidates themselves.

Cacheris noted in his ruling that only one other court has addressed the issue in the wake of Citizens United ruling. A federal judge in Minnesota ruled the other way, allowing a state ban on corporate contributions to stand.

"(F)or better or worse, Citizens United held that there is no distinction between an individual and a corporation with respect to political speech," Cacheris wrote in his 52-page opinion. "Thus, if an individual can make direct contributions within (the law's) limits, a corporation cannot be banned from doing the same thing."

In court papers, federal prosecutors defending the law said overturning the ban on corporate contributions would ignore a century of legal precedent.

"Defendants would have the court throw out a century of jurisprudence upholding the ban on corporate political contributions, by equating expenditures — which the Court struck down in Citizens United — with contributions. This is, however, equating apples and oranges," prosecutor Mark Lytle wrote in his argument to keep the indictment intact.

In the count that was tossed out, defendants William P. Danielczyk Jr. and Eugene R. Biagi were charged with helping funnel a corporate contribution to Clinton's presidential campaign.

Peter Carr, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney in Alexandria, which is prosecuting the case, said Friday that the office is reviewing the ruling. Prosecutors have the option to appeal the ruling to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond.

Defense lawyers, though, said the implications of the Citizens United case are clear.

"Corporate political speech can now be regulated, only to the same extent as the speech of individuals or other speakers," Biagi's lawyer, public defender Todd Richman, wrote in court papers. "That is because Citizens United establishes that there can be no distinction between corporate and other speakers in the regulation of political speech."

Fred Wertheimer, president of Democracy 21, a Washington-based group that supports campaign finance reform, said Friday that Cacheris overstepped his bounds and ignored Supreme Court rulings issued before Citizens United that explicitly upheld the ban on corporate contributions. If the Supreme Court had wanted to overturn the ban, it could have done so directly in Citizens United.

"This decision ought to be appealed, and it ought to be overturned," Wertheimer said.

University of Virginia law professor Daniel Ortiz said the ruling "pushes the outer limits of the Citizens United logic." He said he does not expect it to stand.

The Citizens United case makes a distinction, Ortiz said, between independent expenditures by corporations that are not coordinating with a candidate's campaign, and direct campaign contributions.

As a practical matter, Ortiz said that even if Cacheris' ruling stands, its practical effect may be negligible because corporations would be subject to the same contribution limits imposed on individuals — $2,500 per candidate per election. Cacheris himself makes a similar point in his ruling, saying in a footnote that "this finding hardly gives corporations a blank check."

On the other hand, individuals can form an unlimited number of corporations, which could create a significant loophole in the law if unchecked.

Under existing law, corporations that want to contribute directly to candidates must form a political action committee — 1,683 corporate PACs existed at the start of the year, according to the most recent count from the Federal Election Commission. PACs are allowed to contribute to a candidate at twice the amount of an individual — $5,000 per election instead of $2,500 — but those PACS must use segregated funds, and face strict limitations on how much they can raise and from whom.

In the pending case, Danielczyk, 49, and Biagi, 76, who live in the Washington suburb of Oakton, Va., allegedly reimbursed $30,200 to eight contributors to Clinton's 2006 New York Senate campaign, and reimbursed $156,400 to 35 contributors to her 2008 presidential campaign.

Cacheris, in his ruling, allowed most of the indictment against Danielczyk and Biagi to stand. If the government does not appeal Cacheris' ruling on the constitutionality of corporate contributions, the case is scheduled to go to trial in July.

No recess appointments for Obama over Memorial Day break

TAGS: memorial day
Obama Recess Appointments

By:Philip Klein05/26/11 7:51 PM - Senior editorial writer Follow Him @Philipaklein.

http://washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/2011/05/no-recess-appointments-obama-during-upcoming-break

President Obama will not be able to make recess appointments over the week-long break to commemorate Memorial Day, after Republicans forced Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., to keep the chamber open for pro forma sessions every three days.

“President Obama has been packing federal agencies with left-wing ideologues, but thankfully he won’t be able to for at least the next week," Sen. Jim DeMint, R-SC, said in a statement emailed to the Examiner. "The House will not be sending an adjournment resolution to the Senate, we will remain in pro forma session, and no controversial nominees will be allowed to circumvent the confirmation process during the break.”

On Wednesday, Sens. DeMint and David Vitter, R-La., along with 18 other Republican Senators, sent a letter to House Majority Leader John Boehner, R-Oh., calling on the House to block President Obama from making any recess appointments.

Under the U.S. Constitution, neither chamber can adjourn unless a majority in both chambers agrees to it.

Also adding to the pressure was Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., who has been saying all week that he would not agree to a unanimous consent request to allow the Senate to adjourn. He turned up the heat on Thursday with a letter, signed by all 47 Republican Senators including Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., backing him up. This would have forced Democrats to vote to adjourn at a time when they hadn't yet passed a budget.

GOP concerns became elevated as the week-long Memorial Day recess approached with Democrats and liberal activists agitating for Obama to use the break as a pretext to plant Elizabeth Warren on the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which was created by last year's financial regulatory legislation.

Conversations with Republican staff on the Senate side indicated that the House forced Reid's hand by making it clear that they would not agree to an adjournment resolution, although the House leadership itself was cagey when asked to confirm if that was the case.

"The Senate did not pass an adjournment resolution," Michael Steel, spokesman for Speaker John Boehner, R-Oh., said in an email. He would not elaborate further.

Whatever the case, the result is that the Senate will hold pro forma sessions on May 27th, May 31st, and June 3rd, thus blocking recess appointments.

When Democrats took over Congress in 2007, Reid blocked Bush from making any recess appointments by holding such sessions, which could last as little as a few seconds, with the clerk opening the chamber and a Senator striking a gavel to close it.

While the Constitution specifies no minimum number of days required for a recess appointment, a March 2010 Congressional Research Service report referenced a Clinton-era Justice Department brief suggesting it was more than three days.

The CRS report also noted that "(a)lthough President Theodore Roosevelt once made recess appointments during an intra-session recess of less than one day, the shortest recess during which appointments have been made over the past 20 years was 10 days."

Friday, May 27, 2011

Special Events for Memorial Day Weekend

Memorial Day 2011 in Washington, DC

http://dc.about.com/od/hoildaysseasonalevents/a/MemorialDay.htm
       
By , About.com Guide

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Memorial Day 2011 in Washington, DC
Bugler at Arlington Cemetry
Photo © Capital Concerts
Memorial Day is a day of remembrance for those who have died serving our country. This is a great time to honor our veterans and famous Americans by visiting the monuments in Washington, DC. The Memorial Day weekend also marks the beginning of the busy summer season and the Washington, DC region celebrates with family friendly events and special services. Here is the 2011 Memorial Day event schedule:

Sunday, May 29, 2011, 8 p.m. Gates open at 5 p.m.
PBS sponsors a FREE concert on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol. The concert features actors Joe Mantegna and Gary Sinise, and other guest artists along with the National Symphony Orchestra. See Photos of the performers in the 2011 concert.


Monday, May 30, 2011, beginning at 2 p.m.
The parade of Marching Bands and Veterans units from all 50 states steps off at the corner of Constitution Avenue and 7th Streets, NW and proceeds along Constitution Avenue, past the White House, ending at 17th Street. The National Memorial Day Parade is sponsored by the World War II Veterans Committee and includes patriotic floats and helium-filled balloons. See Photos of the National Memorial Day Parade in Washington, DC.


Rolling Thunder Motorcycle Rally


Sunday, May 29, 2011. Departure from the Pentagon at 12 p.m. Speaker Program and Musical Tribute 1:30 p.m. at the Reflecting Pool across from The Lincoln Memorial. Thousands of motorcycles ride through Washington in an annual demonstration seeking to improve veteran benefits and resolve POW/MIA issues. See Photos of Rolling Thunder


May 27-30, 2011. RFK Stadium. New this year! A four-day festival will honor America’s Armed Forces and bring together thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts with live music, military vehicle and equipment displays, food and more. Admission is free.


May 9-15, 2011. The festival is held annually just before Memorial Day weekend. See classic and premier films celebrating the heroic stories of the American Armed Forces including a variety of films presented by award-winning Hollywood actors and directors. Participate in panel discussions with soldiers, journalists, authors, and filmmakers



  • Flags-In. Soldiers from the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) will be joined by service members from the U.S. Marine Corps Ceremonial and Guard Company, U.S. Navy Ceremonial Guard, U.S. Air Force Honor Guard and the U.S. Coast Guard Ceremonial Honor Guard in placing more than 250,000 grave decorating flags at Arlington National Cemetery. The flags will remain through Memorial Day.






  • Monday, May 30, 2011, 11 a.m. A wreath-laying ceremony and concert will be held at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in honor of Memorial Day. See Photos of Arlington National Cemetery.







  • Saturday, May 28, 2011, 11 a.m. Rolling Thunder visits the Navy Memorial and holds a wreath-laying ceremony featuring special guests and live performances.





  • Monday, May 30, 2011, 10 a.m. Fleet Reserve Association Wreath laying, 12 p.m. U.S. Navy Band Concert, 1 p.m. Naval District Washington Wreath laying.






  • Vietnam Veterans Memorial

    Monday, May 30, 2011, 1 p.m.
    This year's annual Memorial Day ceremony includes Presentation of the Colors, remarks by a special guest and wreath-laying service.



    World War II Memorial


     Monday, May 30, 2011, 9 a.m. The National Park Service and the Friends of the National World War II Memorial will sponsor a wreath-laying ceremony in honor of our veterans. Guest speakers will give remarks. The theme for the commemoration is "Honoring our Fallen Warriors." Many surviving WWII veterans will be in attendance.



    Air Force Memorial

    Monday, May 30, 2011, 9 a.m. wreath laying ceremony is open to the public.

    Major Events in Maryland and Virginia


    Hometown Holidays

    May 28-30, 2011. The city of Rockville's Memorial Day event is a three-day street festival with live music, children's entertainment, a parade and more.


    Viva Vienna

    May 28-30, 2011. Vienna, Virginia celebrates with a community festival including food, crafts, music, carnival rides and a Memorial Day tribute.



    Wolf Trap Farm Park

    Sunday, May 29, 2011, 8:00 p.m. Summer Blast Off! "The President's Own". The park for performing arts kicks off the summer season with a free performance by the U.S. Marine Band followed by fireworks. The Filene Center gates open at 6:30 p.m. Arrive early because the park closes once capacity is reached.



    Sunset Celebration at Mount Vernon

    May 27-29, 2011, 6-9 p.m. New family-friendly event! Enjoy evening tours of the Mansion, 18th-century music, dancing, games, and wagon rides. Stroll the lantern-lit grounds and visit with Lady Washington and her granddaughter Nelly. Admission: Adults, $18; children 6-11, $12; and children under 5 are admitted free.



    Fort Ward Park, Alexandria, Virginia

    Monday, May 30, 2011, 1-7 p.m. The annual Memorial Day Jazz Festival features big band, swing, and contemporary jazz music. Picnics are allowed and food and beverages will also be for sale. In case of inclement weather, the festival will be relocated to the Lee Center's Kauffman Auditorium, 1108 Jefferson St. Admission is free.


    Falls Church Memorial Day Parade

    Monday May 30, 2011, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The City of Falls Church, Virginia celebrates Memorial Day with a festival featuring pony rides, arts and crafts booths, live entertainment, food and a community parade.


    Delaplane Strawberry Festival

    May 28-29, 2011, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sky Meadows State Park, Delaplane, VA. The annual festival includes live entertainment, children's games, pony rides, hayrides, a petting zoo, a 5K fun run, a raptor exhibit, antique cars, food, crafts and strawberries.


    Chestertown Tea Party Festival

    May 27-29, 2011. The historic river-front town on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay (about an hour and half from DC) kicks off each summer with a weekend of fun for the whole family including a tea toss reenactment, colonial parade, cocktail party, raft race, street performances, colonial crafts, strolling musicians, local fare, 5k & 10 mile run and more.

    Judge Rules Pastor Can Say 'Jesus Christ' at Memorial Day Ceremony at National Cemetery


    Published May 26, 2011
    |
     FoxNews.com


    A federal judge in Texas ruled Thursday that the government cannot prohibit a Houston preacher from saying “Jesus Christ” while delivering an invocation at an upcoming Memorial Day ceremony to be held at the national cemetery in the city.

    The Rev. Scott Rainey, the pastor at Living Word Church of the Nazerene, has given the invocation at the Houston National Cemetery for the last two years, each time ended the prayer with a reference to Jesus.
     
     
    But a month ago, Arleen Ocasio, the director of the cemetery, asked to review Rainey's prayer before the ceremony this Monday, according to court papers. The pastor agreed, but four hours later, she responded with an email saying that “while it was very well written” she asked that it commemorate “veterans from all cultures and religious beliefs” -- in other words, not just those who believe in Jesus.

    Rainey called Ocasio, and she told him that if he didn't change the prayer, he would not be allowed to deliver the Memorial Day remarks, Rainey said in his lawsuit against Ocasio. But it was a private event, and court papers pointed out that the department only objected to the parts of the speech deemed too religious.

    Rainey then pleaded his case to the office of the secretary of Veteran Affairs, but the department told Rainey that the cemetery's policy was “viewpoint-neutral” and “appropriate,” according to court papers.
    The pastor also named the U.S. Veterans Affairs Department in the lawsuit to be allowed to refer to Jesus Christ at the invocation.

    In a statement, Ocasio said the VA "cannot be exclusive at a ceremony meant to be inclusive for all our nation's veterans," the Associated Press reported. A phone message and email from FoxNews.com to Ocasio were not returned before this story was published.

    But Judge Lynn N. Hughes sided with Rainey, ruling that censorship and religious discrimination violate the First Amendment.
     
     
    "The government does not have the right to write its peoples' prayers," Kelly Shackelford, the CEO of the Liberty Institute, said. Liberty Institute defends First Amendment rights and defended the pastor in this case. "This is a great Memorial Day victory."

    A True Tribute! God Bless our troops and God Bless America!

    If you meet a Vet today, shake their hand and say "THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE!"

    http://www.colonialmotel.us/thankyou/veterans_tribute.html
     
    Please check the bottom of this page and click on the "PATRIOTIC MUSIC" link...A lot of it is quite moving.......
    This page was put together by me, the owner and webmaster of the Colonial Motel in Weiser, ID. from an email we received here a few days ago. It was quite moving, so I felt the need to tweak it a bit, add my own touch, and send it back out. The basic message is that we need to really take the time to show our respect and appreciation to all the brave men and women that, over the years, have given of themselves unselfishly so that we can all enjoy the freedoms that we do today. I hope that after reading and listening to this - you experience either tears, chills, maybe sadness - but most of all RESPECT and HONOR for all the UNITED STATES of AMERICA VETERANS......


    ONE SPLIT SECOND...

    That's all it took...

    How many
    lives were changed FOREVER in the blink of an eye??
    Imagine (if you dare..) the sheer TERROR those innocent people must have felt!!
    WE MUST NEVER FORGET!!

    A TRIBUTE...
    ...ONE OF THE BEST EMAILS YOU'LL EVER RECEIVE...
    Keep this page moving, even if you've seen it before. PLEASE!!
    God be with us all! With God in our country - and our hearts - it will excel!
    World War II vets are dying at the rate of 2,000 a day.....

    It is the VETERAN, not the preacher -
    who has given us freedom of religion....

    It is the VETERAN, not the reporter -
    who has given us freedom of the press....

    It is the VETERAN, not the poet -
    who has given us freedom of speech....

    It is the VETERAN, not the campus organizer -
    who has given us freedom to assemble....

    It is the VETERAN, not the lawyer -
    who has given us the right to a fair trial....

    It is the VETERAN, not the politician -
    who has given us the right to vote....




    It is the VETERAN who salutes the Flag......



    It is the VETERAN who serves under the Flag...









    Read the story about this photo. Click Here

    ETERNAL REST GRANT THEM O LORD,
    AND LET YOUR PERPETUAL LIGHT SHINE UPON THEM....


    Amen

    If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways;
    then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.


    2 Chronicles 7:14

    I would be EXTREMELY proud if this email reached as many as possible.
    We can be very proud of our young men and women in the service no matter when or where they serve.

    God Bless them all!!!



    Click on this flag!! Buy a sticker in support of all of our veterans and the sacrifices they have made so that WE as a Nation can remain FREE!

    Red Skelton's VIDEO commentary on the Pledge of Allegiance
    Click on the Image Below

    REALLY LISTEN to the Pledge of Allegiance HERE...
    The words were meaningful many years ago when they were spoken by Mr. Skelton...

    They are just as meaningful, and even more powerful today.
    Now, more than ever, listen to what the words mean as you WATCH Red recite the Pledge to our flag.......




    Patriotic Music (wav's) to honor the dedicated on Veterans Day. CLICK HERE

    Benzene
    Benzene Counter
    Thank you,
    Mary Wengert
    Payment Center Specialist III

    Looking for Medicare solutions, not politics as usual

    BY MARCO RUBIO


    http://rubio.senate.gov/public/

    For me, Medicare is not a political talking point. My parents immigrated to the United States in the late 1950s. They worked hard for over 40 years to provide their children the chance to do all the things they themselves could not. But they never made much money.

    As a result, they retired with precious little in savings. Medicare was and is the only way they could access healthcare.

    When my father got sick, Medicare paid for his numerous hospital stays. And as he reached the end of life, Medicare allowed him to die with dignity by paying for his hospice care.

    Like most 80-year-olds, my mother has several age-related ailments. Without the access to quality healthcare that Medicare pays for, I cannot imagine what life would be like for her.

    America needs Medicare. We need it to continue without any benefit reductions for those like my mother currently in the system. And we need it to survive for my generation and my children’s generation.

    But Medicare is going bankrupt. Anyone who says it is not is simply lying. And anyone who is in favor of doing nothing to deal with this fact is in favor of bankrupting it. Medicare will go broke in as little as nine years. No one likes this news, but it is the undeniable truth. And the sooner we begin to deal with it, the better off we are all going to be.

    My goals are simple. First, I will not support any plan that changes Medicare for people like my mother who are currently on the plan. We cannot ask seniors to go out and get a job to pay for their healthcare.

    Second, any solution must solve the problem. We need to save Medicare, not simply delay its bankruptcy.

    And third, any solution cannot hurt economic growth. At a time of high unemployment, Americans cannot afford to pay more taxes.

    I will support any serious plan that accomplishes these three things. It does not matter to me if it comes from a Democrat or a Republican. Saving Medicare is more important than partisan politics.
    Rep. Paul Ryan has offered a plan that would make no changes whatsoever for anyone age 55 and older. I support it because, right now, it is the only plan out there that helps save Medicare. Democrats oppose it. Fine. But, if they have a better way to save Medicare, what are they waiting for to show us?

    What is their plan to save Medicare?

    Either show us how Medicare survives without any changes or show us what changes you propose we make. Anyone who supports doing nothing is a supporter of bankrupting Medicare.

    Where is the House Democrat plan to save Medicare?

    Where is the Senate Democrat plan to save Medicare?

    Where is President Obama’s plan to save Medicare?

    They have no plan to save it, and they do not plan to offer one. They have decided that winning their next election is more important than saving Medicare for my mother and retirees like her.

    I have been in the Senate just long enough to be disgusted by the reality that Washington has too many people who think their personal political careers are more important than our country’s future.

    Maybe the Democrats’ strategy to use Medicare as a political weapon will work. Maybe not offering their own plan to save Medicare will help them win seats in Congress and re-elect President Barack Obama. Maybe it is great for the Democratic Party. But it is terrible for people like my mother, and it is terrible for America.

    Medicare is going bankrupt. If something does not happen soon, in just a few years whoever is in charge in Washington will have to go to people like my mother and tell them we can no longer afford to continue providing her with the same Medicare she is used to.

    We have always had intense partisan politics in America. But throughout our history, on issues of generational importance, our leaders have agreed to put aside politics for the sake of our country.

    Shouldn’t saving Medicare be that kind of issue?

    I am ready to work with anyone in Washington who is serious about saving Medicare. I am open to any serious solutions they have.

    We are running out of time to save Medicare for our parents and secure it for our children. If we fail, history will never forgive us.

    Thursday, May 26, 2011

    Union County, NC Board of Education must understand our recession is real

    By Oscar Y. Harward
     
    Union County, NC and Americans are in a deep recession.  Many citizens have lost their jobs and have lost or are in the process of losing their homes.  Republicans on Capitol Hill and elsewhere are attempting to stop-the-spending.  The fight continues as President Obama and the majority Democrat Party controlled US Senate continues with their usual “tax and spend” policies. Taxpayers are suffering financially as they are struggling with excessive “tax and spend” policies.  NC unemployment remains at approximately 9.7%.
    Our Republican Party majority controlled NC General Assembly are attempting to stop the excessive spending in our state as many other state General Assemblies across America are achieving, and just as many local county commissions and municipal councils are making efforts to control “out-of-control” spending.  Their efforts are to spend less during a recession to assist the overburdened taxpayers.

    It appears that our Union County Board of Education doesn’t get the message, or just fail to understand, and/or just do not even care.  Many Boards of Education across North Carolina are attempting to assist their taxpayers with massive layoffs of teachers.  Mecklenburg County is laying off some 500 to 600 teachers.  Gaston County is laying off nearly 700 school employees, mainly teachers.  Wake County may be laying off 500 teachers.  Duplin County is cutting some 200 teachers and maybe some 800 more.  Even Ashe County is cutting 10 teachers.
    Secretary of Education Arne Duncan estimates up to 300,000 educators across the nation could lose their jobs http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4PCTC_enUS376US377&q=teachers+in++NC+laid+off .  If Union County, NC is average, that may represent a 60 teacher layoff.

    This cut back from “out-of-control” spending did not start with the new GOP majority after the 2010 General Election wins in the NC General Assembly.  Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education laid off hundreds of teachers in June, 2009 http://www.witn.com/home/headlines/48601482.html.
    From the Carolina Journal, “The problem with North Carolina’s education system is not a lack of funding. It is a lack of productivity. With 16 percent more funding than public schools spent in the mid-1990s, do today’s public schools perform 16 percent better? Not even close. While the state’s math scores have slightly exceeded the national average since the late 1990s, our reading scores and graduation rates remain substandard.”  Furthermore, “If North Carolina voters knew that their public schools spent about $9,000 per student, it is highly unlikely that most would pay hundreds of millions of dollars in sales taxes to keep the figure from falling to $8,700.” http://www.carolinajournal.com/jhdailyjournal/display_jhdailyjournal.html?id=7802

    First, education is very important to our children.  Teaching “honor” to our children by our leaders is, too, most important.
    It now appears the Union County Board of Education may not be “openly straightforward” with the citizens of Union County and/or (y)our UC Board of Commissioners on “all school funding” from the Federal Government and the State of NC.  Our UC Board of Education “must” be openly principled as elected or appointed public servants, “honesty” is critical.  UC Board of Education Superintendent, and Members of the Board should either resign or “come clean” with “all funding” to the citizens of Union County and the UC Board of Commissioners.

    Currently, the UC Board of Education seem to be willing to cut their new proposed budget with little more than “smoking mirrors” with no teacher layoffs as most other Boards of Education are doing.  This Board continues to squeeze taxpayers for more and more.  
    Again, Union County, NC and Americans are in a deep recession and unfortunately, it may get worse.  Many Union County taxpayers are having certain difficulty finding jobs, maintaining a home, paying $3.80/gallon for gasoline, increasing costs of food for their families, healthcare and medicine, and other increasing expenditures.

    Instead of being worried about citizens plummeting shortages, it appears our Union County Board of Education may be governing very much as President Obama and Capitol Hill Democrats choose to govern by more “tax and spend”.

    Wednesday, May 25, 2011

    A plane crashed in the middle of rural Arkansas...

    A plane crashed in the middle of rural Iowa… Panic stricken, the local sheriff mobilized and descended on the farm in force. When they got there, the disaster was clear. The aircraft was totally destroyed with only a burned hulk left smoldering in a tree line that bordered a farm. The sheriff and his men entered the smoking mess but could find no remains of anyone.

    They spotted a lone farmer plowing a field not too far away as if nothing had happened. They hurried over to the man’s tractor.

    “Hank,” the sheriff yelled, panting and out of breath. “Did you see this terrible accident happen?”.

    “Yep. Sure did.” the farmer mumbled unconcernedly, cutting off the tractor’s engine.

    “Do you realize that is the airplane of the President of the United States?”

    “Yep.”

    “Were there any survivors?”

    “Nope. They’s all kilt straight out,” the farmer answered. “I done buried them all myself. Took me most of the morning..”

    “President Obama is dead?” the sheriff shouted.

    “Well,” the farmer grumbled, restarting his tractor. “He kept a-saying he wasn’t … But you know how bad that sum-bitch lies.”