What’s interesting in the news today?
First up, Egypt’s Coptic Church has thrown their support to the military. Not surprising considering the Muslim Brotherhood is burning their churches and homes, and killing them.
From AlArabiya “Egypt’s Orthodox Coptic Church announced on Friday its support for the military and security forces in their fight against what it called “groups of armed violence.”
“The Egyptian Coptic Church is following the unfortunate developments on the ground of our country Egypt and emphasizes its strong stance with the Egyptian police, armed forces and other organizations of the Egyptian people in the face of groups of armed violence and black terrorism,” the church said in a statement.
“While we appreciate the sincere and friendly position that understands the nature of the developments, we strongly deplore the media fallacies that are prevalent in Western countries,” the statement added.
The Coptic Church called on the West to “read objectively the facts of events, and not give international and political cover to these terrorist and bloody groups.”
Don’t hold your breath. They can’t do that. They have an amateur President and his “Smart Diplomacy” to defend.
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This one here, file under “Message Fail.” For Obama, Dems, and the media.
From WeaselZippers “This study was completed in June, yet was virtually ignored by the media. Perhaps because it didn’t fit the talking points?
In short: 1. most gun deaths are suicides, not criminal violence. 2. there were anywhere between 500,000 to 3 million defensive uses of guns, per year. 3. both accidental deaths and mass shootings have declined, both accounting for very small fraction of gun related deaths. 4. Most criminals gain their guns from family, friends or illegal means, and so outside the “controls” envisioned by the gun control gang. 5. High gun related homicides in Illinois, California, New Jersey, Washington D.C. skew the figures; these are areas where there are some of most restrictive gun laws.
Thus, the study tends to show that most of the gun control talk, is just that, talk, without much reality in actually addressing gun crime, and tends to support most of the things that gun rights advocates have repeatedly said.”
Doh! 😯
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Next up, the Obama admin is withholding documents on ObamaCare. Shocking, I know. 🙄
From FoxNews “The House Oversight Committee slammed the Treasury Department on Thursday for withholding documents related to the committee’s investigation of the administration’s expansion of subsidies in the ObamaCare exchanges.
Committee chairman Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., and Health Care Subcommittee chairman James Lankford, R-Penn., threatened in their letter to use legal force against the department if it does not turn over the documents by Aug. 29.
The committee has been investigating for over a year the administration’s decision to expand subsidies to the federally run health insurance exchanges mandated by ObamaCare. The 2010 law creates subsidies for insurance purchased on state-created exchanges, but it is unclear if the law permits the federal government to extend these subsidies to the federally run exchanges.”
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This one? Bush’s fault I’m sure. 🙂
From CNSNews ” The Congressional Budget Office last week released updated historical budget data for the federal government, reporting a deficit of $1.087 trillion in fiscal 2012.
2012 marked the fourth straight year—and the only four years in the history of the nation–when the federal government’s deficit topped $1 trillion.
Last year’s $1.087 trillion deficit was even greater in inflation-adjusted dollars than the peak World War II deficit of fiscal 1943—which was $54.554 billion in 1943 dollars and $723.8714 billion in 2012 dollars, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics online inflation calculator. The deficit has also remained at a higher percentage of GDP over the last four years than at any time since the conclusion of World War II (which ended during fiscal 1946, which began in June 1945).”
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And we’ll finish with this one today. Don’t support ObamaCare? You’re probably a “Phony Christian.” But don’t worry, if it’s anything like a “Phony Scandal”, it means a real one, so you’re fine. I think.
From TheBlaze “MSNBC host Ed Schultz unleashed Saturday on Christians who oppose President Obama’s landmark healthcare law, branding them as “phony Christians” and saying the repeal of the law would certainly result in the death of innocent children.
Schultz, who hosts ‘The Ed Show” on weekends, said the new healthcare law “is the most moral thing this country has ever done” and hammered those who disagree.
“This is good for America and I won’t let them lie,” Schultz said. “They’re phony Christians. Phony Christians when they say that they are Christian but then they want to take away from their next door neighbor. They don’t want to be their brother’s keeper.”
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Wandering Views 
Good grief, I’ll be sure to avoid watching “The Ed Show.”
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Schultz wants to replace the role of the church and its members with the kind and benevolent government. In my humble opinion, Schultz is the phony. In his heart, he believes that Government is better than what God has ordained. In short, Schultz is an idol worshiper. Exodus 20:3 “You shall have no other gods before Me.
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Egypt — I’m quite sure the Coptic message was for Europeans who called the military coup a coup and cut off aid to Egypt. Canada and the US meanwhile have refused to acknowledge the coup as a coup and thus kept the aid flowing. I don’t quite understand the criticism Obama is receiving from the right ….. this is the exact policy the right would follow.
Guns 1) tougher access to guns would probably lower the suicide rate …. or at least the success rate.2) “anywhere between 500,000 and 3 million” is a huge difference in numbers so huge it becomes relatively meaningless and indicates guesswork. And how do we define “defensive use” and how do we collect stats on that — self reporting would not be accurate. Every time someone yells “get off my lawn” with a gun in hand is not defensive use. 3) All violence has decreased — accidentally and purposely. Some of its demographic, an aging population is less violent and some of it is societal …. read Steven Pinker’s latest book. 4) Most but not all. Making it more difficult for family, friends etc to obtain guns will make it more difficult for criminals to obtain guns 5) I wonder if the stats are based on per capita. Most guns used in criminal violence in major urban centers are obtained in lesser regulated jurisdictions. Even in Toronto, most guns used by criminals are originally purchased in Virginia. And I’m sure the majority of guns in DC also come from Virginia. Tighten controls in Virginia and criminal gun ownership in DC and Toronto will go down.
Here’s some interesting graphs from Business Insider
http://www.businessinsider.com/shooting-gun-laws-2012-12
CBO, Labour Statistics — I seem to remember you question stats from the CBO in the past but now you seem to accept them. Meanwhile the left is trumpeting an other stat — the deficit is going down. People will always find the stat they like no matter the source.
Ed Schultz is a bombastic fool on the level with Beck and O’Reilly. However, the left always has a field day when the Christian Right doesn’t support health care for the poor or food stamps.
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On the food stamp matter – With unemployment being what it is (or was), & with knowing that most of the jobs being acquired today are part-time, it makes sense that more people need food stamps to help feed their families. What angers me is the abuse of the system. The abusers reflect badly on those who really need the help, & that is a shame.
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Found this article that World linked to intriguing. Apparently, prospective Republican presidential candidate Senator Cruz, was born in Canada. But that doesn’t necessarily disqualify him:
“The U.S. Constitution allows only a “natural born” American citizen to serve as president. Most legal scholars who have studied the question agree that includes an American born overseas to an American parent, such as Cruz.”
http://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/headlines/20130818-canada-born-ted-cruz-became-a-citizen-of-that-country-as-well-as-u.s..ece
If that is the case, then I don’t see what the fuss over whether Obama was born in Hawaii or Kenya was all about, as his mother was an American citizen.
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The birther thing was just strange. Especially when there are so many more substantial criticisms that can be made.
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Food stamps — The minimal abuse of food stamps is not worthy of any attention. Since any money garnished through an abuse of the system is spent in the local economy there’s very little to complain about. The real abuse of the gov’t and its money is elsewhere.
Cruz — Ironically, those who are likely to support Cruz are probably the some of the same people referred to as “birthers”
Ricky posted a link comparing European abortion policy to the USA (and Canada). The pro-life movement in the US may want to take a second look at abortion policy in the EU before endorsing it. For one, I don’t think you want the state to pay for all abortions.
http://www.thenation.com/article/175527/when-it-comes-womans-right-choose-texas-really-better-europe#axzz2cQwCQg2m
Ricky’s link also equated the US policy to Canada’s. There’s a substantial difference between the absolute lack of any regulations in Canada where abortions are also paid for by the province and the patchwork of regulations in US states.
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HRW, The point of the story I posted is that there are only four countries in the world that allow abortion after 20 weeks: North Korea, China, Canada and the US.,
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Governor Christie’s theology is as bad as his exercise program:
http://www.worldmag.com/2013/08/midday_roundup_christie_to_claim_homosexuality_not_a_sin
I understand he has undergone surgery to help him lose weight.. Maybe he can undergo surgery to help him lose liberal ideas. Otherwise, he probably should switch parties.
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The thing is Ricky that its not true. Many EU countries allow for abortions after 20 weeks for the mother’s physical and mental health, fetal defects, etc. It varies from country and region but its possible
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When the going gets tough … It’s time to trot out a new dog. 😀
Squirrel!
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Donna,
Is the new dog named Dug by any chance? 🙂
🙂
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Sunny. But same idea. 🙂
I still remember how Bill Clinton showed up with Buddy at his side in the Lewinsky aftermath. Hadn’t seen old Buddy in some time. But he was back in the spotlight during those days (I believe the family was walking to the helicopter, Hillary walking at a slight distance. But Bill had Buddy on a leash so the family chill wasn’t quite as noticeable. 🙂 )
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