Month: September 2013

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Our Daily Thread 9-9-13

Good Morning!

On this day in 1776 the second Continental Congress officially made the term  “United States”, replacing the previous term “United Colonies.”

In 1850 California became the 31st state to join the union.

In 1893 President Grover Cleveland’s wife, Frances Cleveland, gave birth to a daughter, Esther. It was the first time a  president’s child was born in the White House.

In 1919 Alexander Graham Bell and Casey Baldwin’s HD-4, a hydrofoil craft, set a world marine speed record.

In 1965 Sandy Koufax of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitched the eighth perfect game in major league baseball history.

And in 1984 Walter Payton of the Chicago Bears broke Jim Brown’s combined yardage record when he reached 15,517 yards.

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Quote of the Day

“I’ve only had two rules: Do all you can and do it the best you can. It’s the only way you ever get that feeling of accomplishing something.”

Colonel Sanders

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Today is Otis Redding’s birthday. This song was recorded 3 days before he was killed in a plane crash in 1967.

And on this day in 1956 Elvis Presley made his first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. He was only shown from the waist up. And yes, I found it. 🙂

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Anyone have a QoD for us on this fine Monday?

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Prayer Requests 9-9-13

Who has a request or praise to share today?

Psalm 28

¹ Unto thee will I cry, O Lord my rock; be not silent to me: lest, if thou be silent to me, I become like them that go down into the pit.

2 Hear the voice of my supplications, when I cry unto thee, when I lift up my hands toward thy holy oracle.

3 Draw me not away with the wicked, and with the workers of iniquity, which speak peace to their neighbours, but mischief is in their hearts.

4 Give them according to their deeds, and according to the wickedness of their endeavours: give them after the work of their hands; render to them their desert.

5 Because they regard not the works of the Lord, nor the operation of his hands, he shall destroy them, and not build them up.

6 Blessed be the Lord, because he hath heard the voice of my supplications.

7 The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.

8 The Lord is their strength, and he is the saving strength of his anointed.

9 Save thy people, and bless thine inheritance: feed them also, and lift them up for ever.

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News/Politics 9-9-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

Open thread, here’s 4 from me.

First, Syria.

From TheGuardian  “President Bashar al-Assad did not personally order last month’s chemical weapons attack near Damascus that has triggered calls for US military intervention, and blocked numerous requests from his military commanders to use chemical weapons against regime opponents in recent months, a German newspaper has reported , citing unidentified, high-level national security sources.

The intelligence findings were based on phone calls intercepted by a German surveillance ship operated by the BND, the German intelligence service, and deployed off the Syrian coast, Bild am Sonntag said. The intercepted communications suggested Assad, who is accused of war crimes by the west, including foreign secretary William Hague, was not himself involved in last month’s attack or in other instances when government forces have allegedly used chemical weapons.”

“But the intercepts tended to add weight to the claims of the Obama administration and Britain and France that elements of the Assad regime, and not renegade rebel groups, were responsible for the attack in the suburb of Ghouta, Bild said.”

President Obama plans to do what he does best today. Campaign. He has 6 network interviews planned for today, and a speech to the public tomorrow. At least he’s not giving free stuff away on the taxpayer dime to gain votes this time. That doesn’t work with Congress. They already have all the free/taxpayer-funded stuff they need.

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Next, Benghazi.

From NationalReview  “Gregory Hicks, the former deputy chief of mission in Libya who testified before Congress about the 9/11 attacks on an American diplomatic facility earlier this year, believes he has been “punished” for speaking out about the Obama administration’s response the night of the attack. He said he believes at least two of the Americans lost that night could have been saved if the United States had responded in time.”

“While Hicks still remains on staff at the State Department, he has not been reassigned to a post since being called back from Libya. In a statement to This Week, the State Department said Hicks was not removed from Libya as a result of the statements he has made about the Benghazi attacks and it is working on reassigning him.”

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Back to the US, and the anti-war left.

From TheHollywoodReporter  “Ed Asner Explains Hollywood Silence on Obama, Syria: They ‘Don’t Want to Feel Anti-Black'”

“In 2003, ahead of a U.S. attack on Iraq, a robust anti-war movement in Hollywood included a TV commercial starring Martin Sheen and Sean Penn visiting Baghdad. There were online petitions signed by Ed Asner; letters to President George W. Bush pleading for peace were signed by Matt Damon, Tim Robbins, Barbra Streisand and Alec Baldwin; former M*A*S*H star Mike Farrell fronted multiple press conferences where celebrities denounced war. In interviews, Janeane Garofalo stopped identifying herself as an actor — she preferred to be called a member of the U.S. anti-war movement.”

“The good news for President Barack Obama as he considers a military response against Syria for using chemical weapons against rebels is that he probably won’t have to deal with a similar anti-war movement from Hollywood. But that’s not because there isn’t opposition. It’s just not organized, and, as Asner and Farrell – two of the industry’s most vocal progressive activists — told The Hollywood Reporter Friday, perhaps it never will be.”

And then they go on to try to justify their hypocrisy. Even though it might be a war crime, there’s just not time to mobilize their opposition. 🙄

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And last, an interesting read. I can’t say I disagree with much of what she says.

From McClatchy  “Two-thirds of Americans cannot name a single Supreme Court justice, former Justice Sandra Day O’Connor told the crowd that packed into a Boise State ballroom to hear her Thursday.           

About one-third can name the three branches of government. Fewer than one-fifth of high school seniors can explain how citizen participation benefits democracy.”

““The more I read and the more I listen, the more apparent it is that our society suffers from an alarming degree of public ignorance,” O’Connor said.

That ignorance starts in the earliest years of a child’s schooling, she said, but often continues all the way through college and graduate school.”

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Our Daily Thread 9-7-13

Good Morning!

And Happy Saturday! 🙂

On this day in 1813 the nickname “Uncle Sam” was first used as a symbolic reference to the United States. The reference appeared in an editorial in the New York’s Troy Post.

In 1888 Edith Eleanor McLean became the first baby to be placed in an incubator.

In 1901 the Boxer Rebellion began in China ending the Peace of Beijing.

In 1921 Margaret Gorman of Washington, DC, was crowned the first Miss America in Atlantic City, NJ.

In 1930 the cartoon “Blondie” made its first appearance in the comic strips.

In 1966 the final episode of the original “The Dick Van Dyke Show” was aired on CBS-TV.

 And in 1971 “The Beverly Hillbillies” was seen for the final time on CBS-TV.

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Quote of the Day

“Experience hath shewn, that even under the best forms of government those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations, perverted it into tyranny.”

Thomas Jefferson

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Charles Hardin Holley was born today. They spelled his last name wrong on his first record contract, so he decided to leave it that way.

Today is Benmont Tench’s birthday, one of the original Heartbreakers.

And it’s also Sonny Rollins’ birthday.

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Anyone have a QoD?

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Prayer Requests 9-7-13

Who has a request or praise to share?

Psalm 27

¹ The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?

2 When the wicked came against me To eat up my flesh, My enemies and foes, They stumbled and fell.

3 Though an army may encamp against me, My heart shall not fear; Though war may rise against me, In this I will be confident.

4 One thing I have desired of the Lord, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord, And to inquire in His temple.

5 For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock.

6 And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me; Therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.

7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice! Have mercy also upon me, and answer me.

8 When You said, “Seek My face,” My heart said to You, “Your face, Lord, I will seek.”

9 Do not hide Your face from me; Do not turn Your servant away in anger; You have been my help; Do not leave me nor forsake me, O God of my salvation.

10 When my father and my mother forsake me, Then the Lord will take care of me.

11 Teach me Your way, O Lord, And lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies.

12 Do not deliver me to the will of my adversaries; For false witnesses have risen against me, And such as breathe out violence.

13 I would have lost heart, unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the Lord In the land of the living.

14 Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!

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News/Politics 9-7-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

We’ll start out today with a good news story.

From WCHSTV  “A just-released 911 call reveals the dramatic moment when two Dallas-area teens were able to help save a woman who had allegedly been kidnapped after they saw her mouth the words “help me” from the back of a moving vehicle.

ABC News reported that Charles Atkins Lewis, 37, was arrested Aug. 22 after allegedly kidnapping the woman, 25, who has not been identified, at gunpoint and forcing her into his car in downtown Dallas. The two teenagers noticed the woman from their car as Lewis allegedly drove her through Kaufman County, according to the recording.”

“Police arrested Lewis and he has been charged him with aggravated kidnapping. He remains in jail on $50,000 bond and it’s unclear whether he has a lawyer.”

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Then some bad news outta Texas too. The next 2 are related stories.

From TheBlaze  “San Antonio’s leaders on Thursday approved anti-bias protections for gay and transgender residents, over the disapproval of top Texas Republicans and religious conservatives who packed a City Council hearing and occasionally shamed supporters for comparing the issue to the civil rights movement.

The 8-3 City Council vote in favor of the ordinance was a victory for gay rights advocates and for Democratic Mayor Julian Castro, a top surrogate of President Barack Obama. Castro has called the ordinance overdue in the nation’s seventh-largest city, where there is a stronger current of traditionalism and conservatism than other major Texas cities that already have similar gay rights protections.”

““The problem I have is that you criminalize us if we speak our faith,” said Marc Longoria, 42, a pastor at My Father’s House Church. “We are Christians all the time. We don’t have an on and off switch.””

Here’s the original story again that I linked to a couple of weeks back.

From OneNewsNow 

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Some Democrat Senators are proposing an alternative plan for Syria. Or it’s just a “Peace in our Time” type moment.

From TheHill  “Two Senate Democrats are circulating an alternative resolution on military  intervention in Syria that would give President Bashar Assad’s regime a 45-day  window to avoid a strike if it signs a chemical weapons ban.”

“In addition to the ultimatum presented to Assad, the resolution would also  require the president to present a “long term strategy” on Syria to prevent the  use of chemical weapons.”

““The failure by the government of Bashar al-Assad to sign and comply with the  [Chemical Weapons] Convention clearly demonstrates a disregard of international  norms on the use of chemical weapons. If the Government of Syria does not sign  the Convention within 45 after the date of the enactment of this resolution, all  elements of national power will be considered by the United States government,”  read a draft obtained by The Washington Post.”

And it looks like maybe the President just found his out. Let’s hope he takes it.

From TheDailyCaller  “President Barack Obama hinted Friday that he might not strike Syria if Congress rejects his authorization request.

“I’m not itching for military action… and if there are good ideas that are worth pursuing, then I’m going to be open to them,” he told one reporter who asked if he was seeking alternatives to a missile strike.”

“Some in Congress have suggested giving the Syrian regime 45 days to sign the  Chemical Weapons Convention, get rid of its chemical stockpiles, do something  that would enhance the international sense of accountability for Syria, but  delay military action,” the reporter asked.

“I am listening to all these ideas, and some of them are constructive,” he said.”

Face, saved.

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Attention is being drawn to just who it is the Obama admin is taking advice on Syria from. That undue influence from radical Muslim groups thing the admin is known for. Again.

From HuffPo  “A Wall Street Journal op-ed cited this week by both Secretary of State John Kerry and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) has drawn scrutiny for not disclosing writer Elizabeth O’Bagy’s ties to a Syrian rebel advocacy group.

On Thursday, The Daily Caller examined O’Bagy’s role as political director for the Syria Emergency Task Force, a group that has lobbied the White House and Congress to support the rebels. O’Bagy told The Daily Caller that she is not a salaried employee, but serves as a paid contractor.

Journalist Laura Rozen questioned Friday why the Journal op-ed — which was published a week ago online and in Saturday’s print edition — did not identify O’Bagy’s affiliation with the group.”

It also explains why McCain is so far out there on the matter, and is adamant about aiding the rebels.

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Others in the Democrat ranks are happy for the distraction Syria is providing.

From TheWashingtonExaminer  “White House plans for a health care messaging blitz ahead of Obamacare’s rollout have been overshadowed by the president’s call to strike Syria, distracting the administration from its plan to focus attention on a litany of domestic issues.

Obamacare was supposed to get its time in the limelight over these next few weeks, ahead of October’s open enrollment launch for the healthcare law’s insurance exchanges.”

“Some Democrats, however, downplayed the lack of attention on the health law.

“Politically speaking, it’s not the worst thing,” a veteran Democratic strategist, given anonymity to speak candidly about Obamacare, said. “Recently, the focus on health care has done more harm than good. I’m highly skeptical that a new PR blitz, even from the likes of President Clinton, will do much.”

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We have a new record number of Americans no longer in the work force, so the unemployment rate is down again.

From CNSNews  “The number of Americans who are 16 years or older and who have decided not to participate in the nation’s labor force has pushed past 90,000,000 for the first time, according to data released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The BLS counts a person as participating in the labor force if they are 16 years or older and either have a job or have actively sought a job in the last four weeks. A person is not participating in the labor force if they are 16 or older and have not sought a job in the last four weeks.

In July, according to BLS, 89,957,000 Americans did not participate in the labor force. In August, that climbed to 90,473,000–a one month increase of 516,000.”

The number was 80 million when Obama took office. 10 million more now, and that’s how you drop the UC rate. But is it a recovery? No.

From MSNMoney  “Payrolls in the U.S. climbed less than projected in August after smaller gains the prior two months, indicating companies are being deliberate in their hiring as they wait for a pickup in demand. The unemployment rate unexpectedly fell as more people left the labor force.

 The gain of 169,000 workers last month followed a revised 104,000 rise in July that was smaller than initially estimated, Labor Department figures showed today in Washington. The median forecast of 96 economists surveyed by Bloomberg called for an August increase of 180,000. Unemployment dropped to 7.3 percent, the lowest since December 2008.

 The weaker data come as Federal Reserve officials, who meet Sept. 17-18, are debating whether the expansion and job market have improved enough to warrant trimming monthly bond purchases. While some companies are awaiting a pickup in sales before adding to staff, Ford Motor Co. (F) is among those putting more workers on assembly lines as the auto industry surges.”

And the actual job gains are always lowered on revision, and this will be too.

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Our Daily Thread 9-6-13

Good Morning!

It’s Friday! 🙂

On this day in 1620 the Pilgrims left on the Mayflower from Plymouth, England to settle in the New World.

In 1819 Thomas Blanchard patented a machine called the lathe. 

In 1899 Carnation processed its first can of evaporated milk.

In 1941 Jews in German-occupied areas were ordered to wear the Star of David with the word “Jew” inscribed.

In 1943 the youngest player to appear in an American League baseball game was pitcher Carl Scheib of the Philadelphia Athletics. Scheib was 16 years, eight months and five days old.

And in 1959 the first Barbie Doll was sold by Mattel Toy Corporation. My mother owns one.

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Quote of the Day

“Did you know babies are nauseated by the smell of a clean shirt?”

Jeff Foxworthy

That would explain the mess. 🙂

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Today is Matt Stanfield’s birthday. So here’s Plumb, who he’s played with.

And also here’s a piece written by Matt, and performed by Norm Hastings.

On this day in 1968 Eric Clapton joined the Beatles in the recording studio to record “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.” The Beatles rarely had anyone else play on any of their albums.

So I found a mash up version with just about all of them.

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Anyone have a QoD?

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Prayer Requests 9-6-13

Who has a request or praise to share today?

Psalm 26

¹ Vindicate me, O Lord, For I have walked in my integrity. I have also trusted in the Lord; I shall not slip.

2 Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; Try my mind and my heart.

3 For Your lovingkindness is before my eyes, And I have walked in Your truth.

4 I have not sat with idolatrous mortals, Nor will I go in with hypocrites.

5 I have hated the assembly of evildoers, And will not sit with the wicked.

6 I will wash my hands in innocence; So I will go about Your altar, O Lord,

7 That I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving, And tell of all Your wondrous works.

8 Lord, I have loved the habitation of Your house, And the place where Your glory dwells.

9 Do not gather my soul with sinners, Nor my life with bloodthirsty men,

10 In whose hands is a sinister scheme, And whose right hand is full of bribes.

11 But as for me, I will walk in my integrity; Redeem me and be merciful to me.

12 My foot stands in an even place; In the congregations I will bless the Lord.

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News/Politics 9-6-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

First up, an interesting read that further disapproves the assertions of Kerry and Obama.

From DallasMorningNews  “When the main Syrian opposition group speaks, it is often through a longtime U.S. resident whose ties to Islamist extremists were detailed in a 2010 Dallas Morning News report.

The Syrian-born man, Louay Safi, has made big news twice recently. Last month, at a coalition news conference in Turkey, he accused Syria’s government of using chemical weapons. A few days ago, he called President Barack Obama’s consultation with Congress about attacking Syria a “failure of leadership.”

Safi used to work occasionally on U.S. Army bases, teaching soldiers about his Islamic faith. But as we reported in 2010, he was suspended shortly after the Fort Hood massacre and subjected to a military criminal investigation.

Authorities said these actions stemmed from a complaint about the alleged terrorist connections of Safi’s main employer at the time, the Islamic Society of North America, or ISNA. Thirteen members of Congress asked the Defense Department to “stop any lecturing by Louay Safi or ISNA affiliated speakers.”

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What Kerry says also doesn’t jive with intelligence reports.

From Reuters  “Secretary of State John Kerry’s public assertions that moderate Syrian opposition groups are growing in influence appear to be at odds with estimates by U.S. and European intelligence sources and nongovernmental experts, who say Islamic extremists remain by far the fiercest and best-organized rebel elements.

At congressional hearings this week, while making the case for President Barack Obama’s plan for limited military action in Syria, Kerry asserted that the armed opposition to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad “has increasingly become more defined by its moderation, more defined by the breadth of its membership, and more defined by its adherence to some, you know, democratic process and to an all-inclusive, minority-protecting constitution.

“And the opposition is getting stronger by the day,” Kerry told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday.

U.S. and allied intelligence sources and private experts on the Syrian conflict suggest that assessment is optimistic.”

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Russia has warships heading to the area.

From YahooNews  “Three Russian warships crossed Turkey’s Bosphorus Strait Thursday en route to the eastern Mediterranean, near the Syrian coast, amid concern in the region over potential US-led strikes in response to the Damascus regime’s alleged use of chemical weapons.

The SSV-201 intelligence ship Priazovye, accompanied by the two landing ships Minsk and Novocherkassk passed through the Bosphorus known as the Istanbul strait that separates Asia from Europe, an AFP photographer reported.”

“Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on Wednesday that any US Congress approval for a military strike against Syria without UN consensus would represent an “aggression”.”

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And now Iran is making threats. They’re threatening abductions, rape, and violence against Americans, the families of US officials, as well as the Presidents daughters. Pretty disgusting.

From TheDailyCaller  “As Congress debates whether to support President Obama’s call for a limited  strike against Syria for the alleged use of chemical weapons, Iran is vowing to  back Bashar al-Assad’s regime to the hilt and threatening to unleash terrorism  should the U.S. strike.

Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran’s Quds Forces, Wednesday told the Assembly of Experts — the body that chooses the  supreme leader — that “[w]e will support Syria to the end.””

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This is getting out of hand. And in an ironic twist, there are reports the Senate will vote on this on 9-11.

So on the day that marks the anniversary of Al-Qaida and Bin Laden’s attack against the US, they’re gonna vote to help Al-Qaida? Wow. Talk about tone-deaf. Good thing this won’t make it past the House.

From RollCall  “Rep. John Culberson, R-Texas, told reporters Thursday that House leaders expect the Senate to vote on the Syria resolution on Sept. 11.

Reading an email off his phone from his chief of staff, Culberson indicated that Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., thinks the Senate will vote on the Syria resolution next Wednesday.

While the House may not always have the best idea of what is going on in the Senate, “Cantor expects the Senate to vote on 9/11,” Culberson said, parroting the guidance email.

While the Sept. 11 anniversary might seem like a curious day to hold the vote, Culberson thought it was fitting.

“How could it be any clearer? That’s the perfect day to do it,” Culberson said. “They need to defeat it to honor the victims of 9/11 and we will not give aid and comfort to al-Qaida and the psychopaths that carried out the 9/11 attacks.””

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And this one is just another sad result of the Trayvon Martin/George Zimmerman fiasco.

From NBCNews  “Shellie Zimmerman filed divorce papers Thursday against George Zimmerman, who was acquitted of second-degree murder in the shooting death of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin, her attorney told NBC News.

“The documents have been received by the Seminole County clerks” in Florida, the lawyer, Kelly Sims, said by email, updating and confirming a tweet by George Zimmerman’s older brother, Robert:”

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