What’s news today folks?

______________________________

This needs to end. If we must leave to end it, then let’s get moving.

From the LATimes

“Although insider attacks in Afghanistan are persistent — at least 80 attacks and 122 coalition deaths since 2007 — no single incident seems to have registered on the public consciousness in the United States. Few family members of those killed have spoken out.

The number of attacks and deaths has risen each year: There were two attacks and two deaths in 2007; 21 attacks and 35 deaths last year; 42 attacks and 58 deaths so far this year, including 35 Americans.

Stenton and the two widows have accused the Air Force of not providing proper security at the facility. They say procedures put in place since the attack have failed to stem the rash of killings by America’s purported allies.

“The American government is putting a Band-Aid on the issue,” said retired Air Force Capt. Suzanna Ausborn, whose husband, Air Force Maj. Jeffrey Ausborn, was killed at the airport.”

___________________________________

Here’s some Health Care related stuff.

From TheHill

“The Obama administration faces major logistical and financial challenges in creating health insurance exchanges for states that have declined to set up their own systems.

The exchanges were designed as the centerpiece of President Obama’s signature law, and are intended to make buying health insurance comparable to booking a flight or finding a compatible partner on Match.com.

Sixteen states — most of them governed by Republicans — have said they will not set up their own systems, forcing the federal government to come up with one instead.”

_______________________________

Here’s another, what do you think?

From Express.co.uk

“Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt is planning a technological revolution that could spell the end of the traditional doctor’s surgery.

A new system of “virtual clinics” is being planned in which GPs connect with patients via iPads and Skype, an idea that NHS bosses are importing from India.

The reforms would save £2.9billion “almost immediately” and improve the lives of most patients, for example by avoiding the need to find child care during appointments, Health Minister Dr Dan Poulter said last week.”

____________________________

Here’s some Senate news.

From Politico

“A partisan war is brewing that could bring the government to a screeching  halt as early as January — and no, it’s not over the fiscal cliff.

It’s all about the filibuster.

Democrats are threatening to change filibuster rules, in what will surely prompt  a furious GOP revolt that could make those rare moments of bipartisan consensus  even harder to come by during the next Congress.”

___________________________

A good question from HotAir.

“Are we really facing a regulatory onslaught in Obama’s second term? (Hint: Yes.)”

“The regulatory rollout on its way is legitimately frightening. I can’t imagine what it must be like to be a small-business owner hoping to grow my outfit — already an uphill climb — and then be looking up the mountain and face this tidal wave of hoopla head on. The WSJ explains how the Obama administration put the brakes on their rule-writing in preparation for the election, but no more:

“The government defines “economically significant” rules as those that impose annual costs of $100 million or more, and the Bush, Clinton and Bush Administrations each ended up finalizing about 45 major rules per year. The average over Mr. Obama’s first two years was 63 but then plunged to 44 for 2011 and 2012 so far. The bureaucracies didn’t slow down. They merely postponed and built up a backlog that is about to hit the Federal Register.

We’d report the costs of the major-rule pipeline if we had current data. But the White House budget office document known as the unified agenda that reveals the regulations under development hasn’t been published since fall 2011. The delay violates multiple federal laws and executive orders that require an agenda every six months…”

____________________________________

Here’s the whole piece from TheWallStJournal

“President Obama’s hyperactive regulators went on hiatus in 2011 to get through Election Day. Now with his second term secure, they’re about to make up for lost time and then some.

The government defines “economically significant” rules as those that impose annual costs of $100 million or more, and the Bush, Clinton and Bush Administrations each ended up finalizing about 45 major rules per year. The average over Mr. Obama’s first two years was 63 but then plunged to 44 for 2011 and 2012 so far. The bureaucracies didn’t slow down. They merely postponed and built up a backlog that is about to hit the Federal Register.

We’d report the costs of the major-rule pipeline if we had current data. But the White House budget office document known as the unified agenda that reveals the regulations under development hasn’t been published since fall 2011. The delay violates multiple federal laws and executive orders that require an agenda every six months, so we thought readers might like a rough guide to the regulatory flood that is about to roll through the economy.”

______________________________________ 

This last one is from Canada.

From the Ludwig von Mises Institute.

“Hating the Rich”

“Democracy isn’t just mob rule; it is a social system which the most craven tendencies of man are appealed to for political success. Instead of standing true for a justice that is based on a set of moral principles, the elected official will sink to whatever cesspool of indecency is necessary to garner just a few more votes. Democracy may start off as a means for self-determination but it quickly devolves into a race to the bottom fueled by endless promises to fill the public trough for the swine to feed at.

The bourgeoisie values of prudence and temperance are no longer respected in the Western world. They are seen as anachronistic and not in tune with the needs of society. This is a self-defeating attitude that will only lead to further impoverishment. For as long as success is punished and high time preferences are rewarded, the capacity for productive efforts deteriorates.

Coercive egalitarianism based on ill feelings of Schadenfreud is a cancer. There is no conceivable benefit in everyone being equal. There is only one moral social system and that is free, unadulterated capitalism which gives everyone the chance to improve their own standing. Anything less represents the triumph of the idiotic masses over good sense.”

What’s news today?

Can we just call “Black Friday” what it is?

I was thinking maybe “Adults Acting Badly Day”.

I could link to numerous examples, but anyone who’s seen the news has already had more than enough of that nonsense.

Since I like you folks, I’ll spare you any more of it.

🙂

===================================

Let’s see what else is going on….

This one I like.

From CNSNews

“A bipartisan bill in the House would expand the religious exemption to the insurance mandate in Obamacare, allowing those with a religious objection to absolve themselves of the mandate’s health insurance requirement with an affidavit.

Introduced by Rep. Judy Biggert (R-Ill.), the bill has drawn co-sponsors from both sides of the political aisle, including Reps. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) and Todd Akin (R-Mo.) Ron Paul (R-Texas), and Barbara Lee (D-Calif.).

The bill would allow anyone to be exempt from the individual mandate so long as they filed an affidavit along with their tax returns that “sincerely held religious beliefs” would cause them “to object to the medical health care that would be covered under such coverage.””

Maybe common sense prevails? We’ll see.

————————————————————–

This one I don’t like, and since he’s only off by a month, he gets a

GRINCH ALERT!

Also from CNSNews

“Forget all that turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie, today should be a  day of fasting and atonement for American “sin.” That’s according to Robert Jensen,  a journalism professor at the University of Texas at Austin. Jensen,  known for his hard-left politics, also calls Thanksgiving a  “white-supremacist holiday.”

Jensen’s opinion piece “No Thanks for Thanksgiving,” appeared on the far-left, Soros-connected website Alternet on  Thanksgiving eve. In it, he wrote how Native Americans suffered because  of the “European invasion of the Americas.” He went on to compare the  Founding Fathers to Nazi Germany. “How does a country deal with the fact  that some of its most revered historical figures had certain moral  values and political views virtually identical to Nazis?” he asked.

According to Jensen, Thanksgiving is “at the heart of U.S.  myth-building. “But in the United States, this reluctance to acknowledge  our original sin — the genocide of indigenous people — is of special  importance today,” he explained.”

I hope you all are happy with yourselves.

🙄

_______________________

This one I’m unsure. If done right, and this review seems to think it was, then I’d go see it.

No. Not The Hobbit, but yeah, I’d go see that one too!

From ShowBiz411

“Cheers and a standing ovation this afternoon at the first screening of the film version of “Les Miserables.” Tom Hooper, Oscar winner for The King’s Speech, has made a thrilling, sensational epic of the legendary Broadway show. This now becomes the “Titanic” of this year’s awards season, the epic film to beat. Hugh Jackman is a triumph as Jean Valjean, Anne Hathaway sings the heck out of the film’s big numbers, and Samantha Barks just about steals the film. Russell Crowe makes for a solid Javert. And the many supporting players, especially Aaron Tveit, Eddie Redmayne and Amanda Seyfried, are top notch.

Universal Pictures with help from Peggy Siegal put on two blockbuster screenings this afternoon and this evening at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall. Anne Hathaway, husband Adam Schulman, and Anne’s parents Gerry and Kate sat right in front of me. It was the second time this week that Anne, who plays Fantine, sat down and watched the film all the way through. Hooper gives her the first of his many signature closeups as she sings “I Dreamed a Dream” and brings down the house. As Fantine, Hathaway breathes life into the tortured waif whose saga spurs Jean Valjean through the French Revolution. She will be a Best Supporting Actress nominee. And with any luck she’ll sing on the Oscars.”

_____________________________

This one we file under the “Well, elections have consequences” category.

From Breitbart

“Pennsylvania’s Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC) is slashing the hours of 400 adjunct instructors, support staff, and part-time instructors to dodge paying for Obamacare.”

“On Tuesday, CCAC employees were notified that Obamacare defines full-time employees as those working 30 hours or more per week and that on Dec. 31 temporary part-time employees will be cut back to 25 hours. The move will save an estimated $6 million.

“While it is of course the college’s preference to provide coverage to these positions, there simply are not funds available to do so,” said CCAC spokesperson David Hoovler. “Several years of cuts or largely flat funding from our government supporters have led to significant cost reductions by CCAC, leaving little room to trim the college’s budget further.” The solution, says United Steelworkers representative Jeff Cech, is that adjunct professors should unionize in an attempt to thwart schools seeking similar cost-savings efforts from avoiding Obamacare.”

So the only way out is to unionize? Oh, that’s right, the union got a waiver. Funny that, huh? 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Say, how’d that union protest of WalMart go?

Is underwhelmingly a word? I think it is…. Let’s just say it didn’t go as the union had hoped.

From WalMart.com

“Today, Walmart U.S. reported its best ever Black Friday events. The retailer saw larger crowds than last year and a huge response to its first ever one-hour guarantee on key electronic items.

“I’m so proud of what our more than 1.3 million associates have done to prepare and execute our Black Friday plans, giving our customers a great start to their Christmas shopping season,” said Bill Simon, Walmart U.S. president and chief executive officer. “The work of our associates is even more impressive when you consider they served approximately 22 million customers on Thursday.”

++++++++++++++++++++

And for the last one, a video, from ReasonTV.

3 Reasons to Kill the Dept. of Homeland Security

What’s news today?

Let’s go to Egypt first.

From Naharnat.com

“Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi assumed sweeping powers on Thursday, putting him on a collision course with the judiciary and raising questions about the country’s democratic future.

The move, just a day after Morsi took diplomatic centerstage in brokering a ceasefire between Israel and Gaza’s Islamist Hamas rulers, earned him the same derisive monicker of “new pharaoh” leveled at veteran strongman Hosni Mubarak before his ouster in a popular uprising last year.”

“The constitutional declarations, decisions and laws issued by the president are final and not subject to appeal.”

The move is a blow to the pro-democracy movement that toppled Mubarak last year, and raises concerns that Islamists will be further ensconced in power.”

More here from Yahoo

“Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi triggered controversy on Thursday by issuing a decree likely to lead to retrials of Hosni Mubarak and his aides but which was compared to the ousted leader’s autocratic ways.

As well as ordering retrials for Mubarak-era officials responsible for violence during the uprising against his rule, the decree shielded from legal challenge an Islamist-dominated assembly writing Egypt’s new constitution.

It gave the same protection to the upper house of parliament, dominated by Islamists allied to Mursi, and assigned the president new powers that allowed him to sack the Mubarak-era prosecutor general and appoint a new one.”

Well, when you back radicals, don’t be surprised when you get some radical moves like this.

From Al-Monitor.com

“Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood’s official website said yesterday [Nov. 19] that the  Egyptian presidency is considering replacing Prime Minister Hisham Kandil with  Khairat al-Shater, the deputy leader of the group.”

“It should be noted that Shater, among others, was excluded by the  Presidential Elections Committee in Egypt from participating in the elections.  The first round of voting took place between 13 candidates last May, whereas the  second round took place between current President Mohammed Morsi and the former prime minister,  Ahmed Shafiq, last June.

A security source confirmed that Mounir Thabet, the brother-in-law of  Egypt’s former president Hosni Mubarak was arrested yesterday morning.”

See what I mean?

UPDATE——————-

From France24

“Protesters torched Muslim Brotherhood offices on Friday, state media said, as supporters and opponents of President Mohamed Morsi staged rival rallies across Egypt a day after he assumed sweeping powers.

The offices of the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), the Muslim Brotherhood’s political arm, were set ablaze in the canal cities of Ismailiya and Port Said, state television said.

An FJP official told AFP the party’s office was also stormed in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, where clashes broke out between rival demonstrators.”

And also the JPost

“Morsi’s decree exempting all his decisions from legal challenge until a new parliament was elected caused fury amongst his opponents on Friday who accused him of being the new Hosni Mubarak and hijacking the revolution.

Morsi’s aides said the decree was to speed up a protracted transition that has been hindered by legal obstacles but Morsi’s rivals were quick to condemn him as a new autocratic pharaoh who wanted to impose his Islamist vision on Egypt.

“Morsi a ‘temporary’ dictator,” was the headline in the independent daily Al-Masry Al-Youm and hundreds of protesters in Tahrir Square, the heart of the 2011 anti-Mubarak uprising, demanded Morsi quit, accusing him of launching a “coup”.”

——————————————————————-

This, also from the MidEast, is just sad.

From France24

“Denied the right to travel without consent from their male guardians and banned from driving, women in Saudi Arabia are now monitored by an electronic system that tracks any cross-border movements.

Since last week, Saudi women’s male guardians began receiving text messages on their phones informing them when women under their custody leave the country, even if they are travelling together.”

“”The authorities are using technology to monitor women,” said columnist Badriya al-Bishr, who criticised the “state of slavery under which women are held” in the ultra-conservative kingdom.”

GRINCH ALERT!

From ConnecticutCBSLocal

“For some, the idea of Christmas coming early is anything but welcome.

Local shop owner Sarah Hamilton-Parker, tired after years tolling bells sounded by Salvation Army workers for hours on end during the holiday season, took matters into her own hands by reaching out to local authorities to complain about the noise.”

“After asking the Salvation Army directly for peace and quiet – and attempting to drown out the noise with everything from ear plugs and bell-like music in her shop – Hamilton-Parker finally reached out to the local authorities to see if the bell-ringing falls under the jurisdiction of the city’s noise ordinance.”

Thankfully police shot her idea down.

Here’s another via Breibart

“Arkansas Atheists are upset that a local elementary school plans to send second graders on a field trip to see a stage production of “A Charlie Brown Christmas” at a church.

Anne Orsi, Vice President of the Arkansas Society of Freethinkers, an atheist organization, told KARK said a parent complained to the group about the event because the play had “religious content” and was being performed at a church.

“We’re not saying anything bad about Charlie Brown,” Orsi said. “The problem is that it’s got religious content and it’s being performed in a religious venue and that doesn’t just blur the line between church and state, it over steps it entirely.””

Grinch’s are bad enough. The (not as rare as they used to be) Whining Grinch is even worse.

Small businesses are unhappy with ObamaCare? This is the first they’ve heard about it.

More from HotAir

And here’s yet another reason to dislike ObamaCare, as if you needed another.

From Breitbart

“Taxpayers — through Obamacare — are funding Planned Parenthood to allow the organization to expand its sexual education and “risk reduction” program for ninth graders in places like southeastern Virginia.

Critics say the program does more to glorify and encourage sex than educate about its risks, even though Planned Parenthood has insisted the program teaches that “abstinence is the best and safest choice.”

Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Virginia has received money from a $75 million pool set aside as part of Obamacare to teach the “Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP).”

And that’s just Virginia PP’s cut. I’m sure plenty of other state PP’s are getting some too.  Looks like another one of those “gifts” that helped buy the election that Romney mentioned.