Our Daily Thread 7-31-13

Good Morning!

Today is my daughter’s birthday. 🙂

So… Happy Birthday Elizabeth! 🙂

🙂 🙂 🙂

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On this day in 1790 the first U.S. patent was issued to Samuel Hopkins for his process for making potash and pearl ashes, which was used in fertilizer.

In 1792 the cornerstone of the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia, PA, was laid. It was the first building to be used only as a U.S. government building.

In 1928 MGM’s Leo the lion roared for the first time.

In 1955 Marilyn Bell of Toronto, Canada, at age 17, became the youngest person to swim the English Channel.

In 1961 the first tie in All-Star Game major league baseball history was recorded when it was stopped in the 9th inning due to rain at Boston’s Fenway Park.

In 1971 men rode in a vehicle on the moon for the first time in a lunar rover vehicle (LRV).

And in 1981 the seven-week baseball players’ strike came to an end.

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Quote of the Day

“Concentrated power is not rendered harmless by the good intentions of those who create it.”

Milton Friedman

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This one is a request from the birthday girl.

And this song was released today in 1976.

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Anyone have a QoD for us?

Prayer Requests 7-31-13

Who has a request or praise to share today?

And it’s Wednesday, so please remember Gambia and those ministering there.

Psalm 136

1 O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.

O give thanks unto the God of gods: for his mercy endureth for ever.

O give thanks to the Lord of lords: for his mercy endureth for ever.

To him who alone doeth great wonders: for his mercy endureth for ever.

To him that by wisdom made the heavens: for his mercy endureth for ever.

To him that stretched out the earth above the waters: for his mercy endureth for ever.

To him that made great lights: for his mercy endureth for ever:

The sun to rule by day: for his mercy endureth for ever:

The moon and stars to rule by night: for his mercy endureth for ever.

10 To him that smote Egypt in their firstborn: for his mercy endureth for ever:

11 And brought out Israel from among them: for his mercy endureth for ever:

12 With a strong hand, and with a stretched out arm: for his mercy endureth for ever.

13 To him which divided the Red sea into parts: for his mercy endureth for ever:

14 And made Israel to pass through the midst of it: for his mercy endureth for ever:

15 But overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red sea: for his mercy endureth for ever.

16 To him which led his people through the wilderness: for his mercy endureth for ever.

17 To him which smote great kings: for his mercy endureth for ever:

18 And slew famous kings: for his mercy endureth for ever:

19 Sihon king of the Amorites: for his mercy endureth for ever:

20 And Og the king of Bashan: for his mercy endureth for ever:

21 And gave their land for an heritage: for his mercy endureth for ever:

22 Even an heritage unto Israel his servant: for his mercy endureth for ever.

23 Who remembered us in our low estate: for his mercy endureth for ever:

24 And hath redeemed us from our enemies: for his mercy endureth for ever.

25 Who giveth food to all flesh: for his mercy endureth for ever.

26 O give thanks unto the God of heaven: for his mercy endureth for ever.

News/Politics 7-31-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

First up today, the fuzziest, wuzziest math you ever saw. 🙂

From ZeroHedge  “Don’t like how high debt-to-GDP figures are? Revise ’em. Unhappy at the post-‘recovery’ growth rates? Revise ’em. Disappointed at the pace of economic improvement in the last decade or two compared to the rest of the world? Revise ’em. This week “we are essentially rewriting economic history” as the BEA is set to revise GDP data from as far back as 1929. The ‘adjustments’ to account for intangibles (that best known of micro- accounting fudge factors) and as we noted previously in great detail, will increase GDP by around $500 billion. Of course, these changes are defended aggressively (just as the hedonic adjustments to inflation calculations ‘make perfect sense’) as GDP will now reflect spending on research, development, and copyrights as investment – and reflect pension deficits for the first time (think of all that potential future GDP from massive pension deficits now). With Q2 GDP growth estimates set for a dismal 1.1%, expectations are for the short-term economic data to be revised upwards (and with any luck the great recession never happened at all).”

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The election of 2016 has begun. So right off the bat, the press picks their candidate, and the like-minded will heap praise and awards on the new chosen one. Same script as last time.

From NationalReview  “I wasn’t surprised to learn that sometime before the 2016 election, NBC will be releasing a four-hour miniseries about Hillary Clinton starring Academy Award nominee Diane Lane. What did surprise me was that the series will cover none of her life before the Monica Lewinsky scandal, which took place five years into her husband’s second term as president and when Hillary was already 51 years old. It’s as if her first half-century will be airbrushed away, along with the many scandals that dogged her in those decades.”

Reports have 4 other networks planning their own pro-Clinton story lines. Meanwhile the praise from other areas is just as questionable.

From RedAlertPolitics  “Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is once again being honored with an award for her public service.

Clinton will receive the American Patriot Award from the National Defense University Foundation at a gala dinner on Nov. 14. The award is given to “leaders who have strengthened America’s strategic interests and advanced global security,” according to a press release.

Benghazi, Libya, and Egypt disprove their assertions about her foreign policy genius. How exactly did she do anything there that strengthened America’s strategic interests, or advanced global security? In Egypt the side they picked has already been overthrown. How is that a success story?

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And speaking of Benghazi…… The witnesses who have been hidden from Congress and the public will now tell their stories.

From CBSNews  “In recent weeks, members of the House and Senate and their staffers have held two classified hearings on the Sept. 11, 2012 terrorist attacks on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya; conducted more than 25 hours of formal, transcribed interviews with witnesses; and spoken informally with several dozen additional witnesses, including some who are being called “whistleblowers.”

Among those who have recently spoken to Congress is Marine Corps Col. George Bristol who was in the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) chain of command on Sept. 11. Earlier this month, CBS News reported that the Pentagon declined Republican congressional requests to produce Bristol for interviews. At the time, the Pentagon said Bristol had retired and that they “cannot compel retired members to testify before Congress.”

But that’s not all. Remember the claims from the President and Mrs. Clinton that those responsible would be held accountable? Yeah, about that….

From TheWeeklyStandard  “More than ten months after the September 11, 2012, terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya, Ansar al Sharia is even more entrenched in Libyan society. Members of Ansar al Sharia in Benghazi were reportedly part of the al Qaeda-linked jihadist coalition that killed four Americans, including a U.S. ambassador. But today, Ansar al Sharia is far from being on the run. The organization is expanding and is even tasked with providing security inside Benghazi. “

A success story worthy of praise and awards? No, it’s not.

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GUILTY! and not.

From FoxNews  “The U.S. Army soldier charged with providing troves of government documents to WikiLeaks was found  not guilty Tuesday of aiding the enemy, the top charge in his 21-count  indictment that could have carried a life sentence, however, he was convicted of  several lesser charges that can carry a 128-year prison sentence.”

“Prosecutors had to prove Army Pfc. Bradley Manning had “a general evil intent” and knew  the classified material would be seen by the terrorist group Al Qaeda. Legal  experts said an aiding-the- enemy conviction could set a precedent because  Manning did not directly give the classified material to Al Qaeda.”

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Sharpton, Obama, Holder, and other like-minded people have decided to go after states with, and those trying to enact, Voter ID. Gee, I wonder if Sharpton’s pals at NBC will play along too? 🙄

From Mediaite  “This week, MSNBC host Rev. Al Sharpton joined a number of civil rights leaders in the White House to discuss the future enforcement of the Voting Rights Act with President Barack Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder. Sharpton revealed that the Department of Justice and the White House intend to vigorously enforce the VRA, particularly against states instituting questionable voter ID laws. He added that Texas and North Carolina were two specific states in the DOJ’s crosshairs.

“It was one meeting – it was unprecedented – the attorney general and the president in the Roosevelt Room of the White House,” Sharpton began. “I talked to the attorney general for an hour and the president for 40 minutes.”

Unprecedented alright. Just not for the reasons he thinks.

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Still no White House tours, but the partying continues anyway.

From WhiteHouseDossier  “The White House continues to bar average Americans from touring “The People House” but nevertheless lavishes spending on all sorts of special invitees – from diners at last week’s Iftar dinner breaking the Muslim fast to sports teams and foreign diplomats.”

“Soon after the outcry over the cancellation of tours due to the sequester, the White House promised to see what could be done to allow some visits to resume. But nothing was done and no one can visit – unless President Obama finds you useful or amusing.”

“June’s events included a raucous celebration of LGBT Pride Month, a special movie screening in the White House theater, and visits by the WNBA Champion Indiana Fever and Super Bowl winning Baltimore Ravens and Division III Women’s Basketball Champion DePauw University Tigers.”

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And the President would like you to know that the best way to help the economy is…….

From CNSNews  “President Barack Obama – citing the job losses since he took office — said “the economy would be much better off,” unemployment would be 6.5 percent and the national deficit would be in decline if there were more federal, state and local government workers.

“If those layoffs had not happened, if public sector employees grew like they did in the past two recessions, the unemployment rate would be 6.5 instead of 7.5,” Obama said. “Our economy would be much better off, and the deficit would still be going down because we would be getting more tax revenue.”

Sure. That’ll do it. Right Detroit?

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Our Daily Thread 7-30-13

Good Morning!

On this day in 1619 the first representative assembly in America convened in Jamestown, VA.

In 1729 the city of Baltimore was founded in Maryland.

In 1932 Walt Disney’s “Flowers and Trees” premiered. It was the first Academy Award winning cartoon.

In 1942 the WAVES were created by legislation signed by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

In 1945 the USS Indianapolis was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine. The ship had just delivered key components of the Hiroshima atomic bomb to the Pacific island of Tinian. Only 316 out of 1,196 men aboard survived the attack.

In 1956 the phrase “In God We Trust” was adopted as the U.S. national motto.

In 1965 President Johnson signed into law the Social Security Act that established Medicare and Medicaid.

And in 1974 the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee voted to impeach President Nixon for blocking the Watergate investigation and for abuse of power.

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Quotes of the Day

“Socialism in general has a record of failure so blatant that only an intellectual could ignore or evade it.”

“If you have always believed that everyone should play by the same rules and be judged by the same standards, that would have gotten you labeled a radical 60 years ago, a liberal 30 years ago, and a racist today.

Thomas Sowell

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Here’s “Flowers and Trees” to start off.

This singer made his professional debut today in 1954, in Memphis. I couldn’t find that, but I did find a live performance from 1954.

This song was recorded by Brenda Lee today in 1956.

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Anyone have a QoD?

Prayer Requests 7-30-13

Who can we pray for today?

Psalm 135:13-21

13 Thy name, O Lord, endureth for ever; and thy memorial, O Lord, throughout all generations.

14 For the Lord will judge his people, and he will repent himself concerning his servants.

15 The idols of the heathen are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands.

16 They have mouths, but they speak not; eyes have they, but they see not;

17 They have ears, but they hear not; neither is there any breath in their mouths.

18 They that make them are like unto them: so is every one that trusteth in them.

19 Bless the Lord, O house of Israel: bless the Lord, O house of Aaron:

20 Bless the Lord, O house of Levi: ye that fear the Lord, bless the Lord.

21 Blessed be the Lord out of Zion, which dwelleth at Jerusalem. Praise ye the Lord.

News/Politics 7-30-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

An interesting read on ObamaCare, from, and I can’t believe I’m saying this, Howard “the Scream” Dean. 😯

No, seriously. 🙂 He’s still a fan overall, but he points out some of the obvious flaws.

From TheWallStJournal  “That said, the law still has its flaws, and American lawmakers and citizens have both an opportunity and responsibility to fix them.

One major problem is the so-called Independent Payment Advisory Board. The IPAB is essentially a health-care rationing body. By setting doctor reimbursement rates for Medicare and determining which procedures and drugs will be covered and at what price, the IPAB will be able to stop certain treatments its members do not favor by simply setting rates to levels where no doctor or hospital will perform them.

There does have to be control of costs in our health-care system. However, rate setting—the essential mechanism of the IPAB—has a 40-year track record of failure. What ends up happening in these schemes (which many states including my home state of Vermont have implemented with virtually no long-term effect on costs) is that patients and physicians get aggravated because bureaucrats in either the private or public sector are making medical decisions without knowing the patients. Most important, once again, these kinds of schemes do not control costs. The medical system simply becomes more bureaucratic.”

Almost sounds like a “Death Panel” or something. But that’s just Sarah Palin crazy talk right? 🙂

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Next, one that stinks for those affected, yet bittersweet justice at the same time. Maybe the members should pay closer attention to where their leaders are sending their dollars, political clout, and endorsements. They supported the politicians responsible for these laws, as well as their elections. Did they really think they’d be totally exempt like Congress and the White House?

From TheNYTimes  “As Detroit enters the federal bankruptcy process, the city is proposing a controversial plan for paring some of the $5.7 billion it owes in retiree health costs: pushing many of those too young to qualify for Medicare out of city-run coverage and into the new insurance markets that will soon be operating under the Obama health care law.

Officials say the plan would be part of a broader effort to save Detroit tens of millions of dollars in health costs each year, a major element in a restructuring package that must be approved by a bankruptcy judge. It is being watched closely by municipal leaders around the nation, many of whom complain of mounting, unsustainable prices for the health care promised to retired city workers.”

“There’s fear and panic about what this means,” said Michael Underwood, 62, who retired from the Chicago Police Department after 30 years and has diabetes and Parkinson’s disease. Mr. Underwood, who says he began working for the city when employees did not pay into future Medicare coverage, is part of a group suing Chicago over its plan to phase many retirees out of city coverage during the next three and a half years. “I was promised health care for myself and my wife for life,” he said.”

Look for ObamaCare’s popularity to continue to tank with the public.

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Meanwhile the President says the retirees are lucky to have ObamaCare. Silly peasants.

From TheWashingtonExaminer  “Detroit’s reported plan to drop health care coverage for retirees and force them into Obamacare exchanges highlights “the benefits of the Affordable Care Act,” according to President Obama’s spokesman.”

😯 Wow. Talk about tone-deaf. 🙄

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Who’s up for some fuzzy math? This is even fuzzier than last time.

From CNSNews  “According to the Daily Treasury Statement for July 26, which the Treasury released this afternoon, the federal debt has been stuck at exactly $16,699,396,000,000.00 for 70 straight days.”

“Even though the government’s official accounting of the debt has not budged for 70 days, the Treasury has continued to sell bills, notes and bonds at a value that exceeds the value of the bills, notes and bonds it was redeeming.”

“How  could the value of extant U.S. Treasury securities increase by  $53.267  billion during a 70-day period when the federal government’s debt subject to the legal limit has remained constant at $16,699,396,000,000.00—just $25 million below the legal limit?”

That would require the fuzziest of maths. Probably the same guys who do the CBO estimates, and BLS employment numbers.

Math, like Art, can now be interpreted.

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CAIR makes demands on the Brotherhood’s behalf…..

From TheDailyCaller  “The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), America’s largest and most  powerful Muslim advocacy group, called Saturday for the Obama administration to  condemn military attacks against the Freedom and Justice Party, the  controversial religious party removed from power in a recent coup that the Obama  administration is insisting “was not a coup.”

The administration reportedly fears that declaring a coup d’etat in Egypt  would force the U.S. to suspend all of its assistance programs in the country,  which also help block weapons smuggling to Hamas  terrorists in the Gaza Strip.

Despite the Obama administration’s inaction, Egyptian military forces have  instituted a shoot-to-kill policy to suppress protesters urging the return of  Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohammed Morsi to power. Morsi, who fled Cairo during  the military non-coup earlier this month, has been defiant in exile — and Egypt  hangs in the balance. 65 or 66 pro-Morsi protesters were killed Saturday by military forces near  a sit-in at a Cairo mosque.”

The Obama White House obliges.

From Reuters  “The White House condemned the Egyptian military’s bloody weekend crackdown on demonstrators on Monday but took no immediate steps to suspend U.S. military assistance to Egypt.”

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And for the last one, Reason #63,459 to not send your kids to public schools.

From EAGNews  “The group’s latest effort to indoctrinate the nation’s youth is a 286-page book aimed at teachers, titled “Rethinking Mathematics: Teaching Social Justice by the Numbers.” The book is a mix of math lesson plans and essays from activist educators who explain how they’ve used their classrooms to advance a progressive political philosophy.”

“The first is that the U.S. is a hopelessly racist country that routinely oppresses “people of color.”

This message is conveyed through lessons and essays about racial profiling, environmental racism, unfair mortgage lending practices of Big Banks, the “overabundance of liquor stores” in minority communities, and slave-owning U.S. presidents.

The book’s other major theme is that capitalism’s unequal distribution of wealth is the root cause of the world’s suffering. Students learn to despise free market economics in lessons about third-world sweatshops, “living wage” laws, the earnings of fast food workers and restaurant CEOs, and the “hidden” costs of meat production.”

As the link shows, the radicals rule.

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Our Daily Thread 7-29-13

Good Morning!

It’s Monday……  So get back to work. 🙂

On this day in 1773 the first schoolhouse to be located west of the Allegheny Mountains was built in Schoenbrunn, OH.

In 1914 the first transcontinental telephone service was inaugurated when two people held a conversation between New York, NY and San Francisco, CA.

In 1940 John Sigmund of St. Louis, MO, completed a 292-mile swim down the Mississippi River. The swim from St. Louis to Caruthersville, MO took him 89 hours and 48 minutes.  😯

In 1958 the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was authorized by the U.S. Congress.

And in 1981 England’s Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer were married.

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Quote of the Day

“Americans are so enamored of equality that they would rather be equal in slavery than unequal in freedom.”

Alexis de Tocqueville

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It’s Martina McBride’s birthday. And I know it’s not a national holiday or anything, I just like the way she sings it. 🙂  And with a flyover at the end.

It’s Neal Doughty’s birthday too, so you know I’m playin’ him and his band. 😉

Next up, we’ll go to the 80’s since it’s Geddy Lee’s birthday too.

And we’re not done, another from the 80’s, it’s Simon Kirk’s birthday too.

It’s like high school again, without the angst and acne. 🙂

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Anyone have a QoD?

Prayer Requests 7-29-13

Who has a request or praise to share today?

Psalm 135:1-7

1 Praise ye the Lord. Praise ye the name of the Lord; praise him, O ye servants of the Lord.

Ye that stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God.

Praise the Lord; for the Lord is good: sing praises unto his name; for it is pleasant.

For the Lord hath chosen Jacob unto himself, and Israel for his peculiar treasure.

For I know that the Lord is great, and that our Lord is above all gods.

Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places.

He causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings for the rain; he bringeth the wind out of his treasuries.

News/Politics 7-29-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

First up, Al-Qaeda is on the run and in disarray or something, according to the President.

From TheDailyBeast  “Two spectacular al Qaeda prison breaks in Iraq, freeing over 500 of its members in two separate prisons simultaneously this week, demonstrate the group is back with a vengeance. Al Qaeda’s Iraq branch is also the moving force behind the jihadist success in Syria. The resurgence of al Qaeda in Iraq has sobering implications for what is likely to follow the drawdown of NATO forces in Afghanistan for the al Qaeda mother ship in Pakistan.

The double jailbreaks at Abu Ghraib and Taji prisons were massive attacks. Suicide bombers, teams of attackers using mortars and small arms, and two dozen car bombs were used. The firefight killed over a hundred Iraqi guards. The attackers also had inside help within the Iraqi security forces. The attacks were the culmination of what al Qaeda in Iraq’s leadership had promised a year ago when it launched the “Breaking the Walls” offensive to free its prisoners from Iraqi jails.”

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The Obama admins policy of using the military as a social experiment continues. Welcome to affirmative action in combat. Told you they would have to lower standards.

From TheDailyCaller  “Senior military personnel are considering giving women different military  training than men, The Washington Times reports.

The effort was proposed by Massachusetts Democrat Rep. Niki Tsongas at a  recent House Armed Services Committee hearing because so far, she says training  systems do not “maximize the success of women.”

Though the armed services have promised that combat standards will be the  same regardless of gender, senior officers are considering initially separate  training systems.”

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Next, states working against Obama and his agenda.

From Politico Infuriated by what they see as the long arm of Washington reaching into their  business, states are increasingly telling the feds: Keep out!

Bills that would negate a variety of federal laws have popped up this year in  the vast majority of states — with the amount of anti-federal legislation  sharply on the rise during the Obama administration, according to experts.”

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This one? Huh, coulda fooled me.

From CNSNews  “In an e-mail to supporters, First Lady Michelle Obama says she grew up in a family that didn’t need help from the government, and that her husband is working to make Americans free from dependence on government once again.”

“”When I was growing up, a family like mine — living on my hard-working father’s salary at the city water plant — could build a solid life without much debt and without relying on any form of public assistance. Today, for too many families, that American promise is no longer within reach. “Barack is working to fix that and he needs solid Democrats in Congress to help him.” “

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Everything would be fine if we’d all just get on board with this “redistribution” stuff.  He also issues a warning that race relations will continue to deteriorate in this country if we don’t. 🙄  Isn’t it great having a post-racial President?

From WhiteHouseDossier  “President Obama said that if economic prescriptions of the type he supports to increase economic growth and reduce “income inequality” are not adopted, then race relations in the United State may deteriorate further.

“If we don’t do anything, then growth will be slower than it should be. Unemployment will not go down as fast as it should. Income inequality will continue to rise,” Obama said in an interview published Sunday by the New York Times. “Racial tensions won’t get better; they may get worse, because people will feel as if they’ve got to compete with some other group to get scraps from a shrinking pot. If the economy is growing, everybody feels invested, ” he said.”

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Remember, this is a “Phony Scandal” according to the President.

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Before reading this last one, the Obama admin would like to remind you that this was just workplace violence, and that any ties to Islam and the ongoing war are purely coincidental.  🙄 

From CNSNews  “”My complicity was on behalf of a government that openly acknowledges that it would hate for the law of Almighty Allah to be the supreme law of the land,” Hasan said in the lengthy statement released to Fox News (http://fxn.ws/1cafkA2 ) on Saturday. He then says in reference to a war on Islam, “I participated in it.”

Hasan, 42, is charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder in the November 2009 attack at the Texas Army post. His trial is scheduled to start Aug. 6. He faces the death penalty if convicted.”

“”I would like to begin by repenting to Almighty Allah and apologize to the Mujahideen, the believers, and the innocent. … I ask for their forgiveness for participating in the illegal and immoral aggression against Muslims, their religion and their lands,” he told Fox News in the statement.”

Nothin’ to see kids…..   Move along now……

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Our Daily Thread 7-27-13

Good Morning!

Happy Saturday! 🙂

On this day in 1789 the first U.S. federal government agency, the Department of Foreign Affairs, is established. It would later become the Dept. of State.

In 1919 the Chicago Race Riot erupts after a racial incident occurred on a South Side beach, leading to 38 fatalities and 537 injuries over a five-day period.

In 1921 researchers at the University of Toronto led by biochemist Frederick Banting prove that the hormone insulin regulates blood sugar.

In 1940 the animated short A Wild Hare is released, introducing the character of Bugs Bunny.

In 1974  the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee votes 27 to 11 to recommend the first article of impeachment (for obstruction of justice) against President Richard Nixon.

And in 1987 RMS Titanic Inc. begins the first expedited salvage of wreckage of the RMS Titanic.

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Quote of the Day

“The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it.”

George Bernard Shaw

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We’ll start with one of my favorite Bugs Bunny bits. 🙂

This song was released today in 1974.

And on this day in 1981 Stevie Nicks released her first solo album.

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Who has a QoD for us today?