What’s news today?

I have no idea, I’m on vacation.

🙂

So today we try something a little different.

As KBells suggested, an open News Thread.

You folks decide what’s news!

What’s news today?

There’s a lot going on…

Let’s start with this from Forbes.

“Do You Live In A Death Spiral State?”

“Two factors determine whether a state makes this elite list of fiscal (censored). The first is whether it has more takers than makers. A taker is someone who draws money from the government, as an employee, pensioner or welfare recipient. A maker is someone gainfully employed in the private sector.

Let us give those takers the benefit of our sympathy and assume that every single one of them is a deserving soul. This person is either genuinely needy or a dedicated public servant or the recipient of a well-earned pension.

But what happens when these needy types outnumber the providers? Taxes get too high. Prosperous citizens decamp. Employers decamp. That just makes matters worse for the taxpayers left behind.”

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Then to ZeroHedge for this.

“Exactly two years ago, some of the more politically biased progressive media outlets (who are quite adept at creating and taking down their own strawmen arguments, if not quite as adept at using an abacus, let alone a calculator) took offense at our article “In Entitlement America, The Head Of A Household Of Four Making Minimum Wage Has More Disposable Income Than A Family Making $60,000 A Year.” In it we merely explained what has become the painful reality in America: for increasingly more it is now more lucrative – in the form of actual disposable income – to sit, do nothing, and collect various welfare entitlements, than to work. This is graphically, and very painfully confirmed, in the below chart from Gary
Alexander, Secretary of Public Welfare, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (a state best known for its broke capital Harrisburg). As quantified, and explained by Alexander, “the single mom is better off earnings gross income of $29,000 with $57,327 in net income & benefits than to earn gross income of $69,000 with net income and benefits of $57,045.”

We realize that this is a painful topic in a country in which the issue of welfare benefits, and cutting (or not) the spending side of the fiscal cliff, have become the two most sensitive social topics. Alas, none of that changes the matrix of incentives for most Americans who find themselves in a comparable situation: either being on the left side of minimum US wage, and relying on benefits, or move to the right side at far greater personal investment of work, and energy, and… have the same disposable income at the end of the day.”

“The punchline: 110 million privately employed workers; 88 million welfare recipients and government workers and rising rapidly.”

Say it with me now….. Unsustainable.

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Which leads us to this, which we are also unable to afford.

From TheWashingtonExaminer.

“But Obama’s liberal supporters do have a second-term agenda, and it is a far-reaching one. That agenda, laid out a new article in the liberal magazine the American Prospect, is enough to set off alarm bells among conservatives in Washington and around the country.

In the piece, author Mike Konczal summarizes the work of some influential thinkers on the left who are asking the question: Now that Obama has been re-elected, and Obamacare is safe from Republican repeal, “what’s next for the welfare state?”

They divide the answer into three parts. The first is further expansion of the social safety net. The second is an array of programs to act as a “springboard” for the poor. And the third is an “escalator” to address income inequality by giving progressively larger government grants to lower-income Americans.”

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What a difference a few years makes huh?

From CNSNews

“In 2005, then-Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said that a plan by Republican Senate leaders to end the use of filibusters against presidential judicial nominations demonstrated “the arrogance of power.”

“Rather than changing the Senate rules, shouldn’t we be concerned  about the largest deficits in the history of the world?” Reid asked at a March 15, 2005 event entitled “Rally to Save the  Courts.”

“Reid, now the Senate Majority Leader, has said he plans to try to change the filibuster rule in the incoming Congress to stop Republicans from using a  filibuster to prevent the initial debate of a bill. But Reid says he will not try to change the rule to stop the final passage of a bill with a filibuster.”

For his opponents it’s an abuse of power. For Harry, it’s only with the best of intentions. Sure.

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The ACLU strikes again, from Reuters

“The American Civil Liberties Union and four servicewomen sued the U.S. Defense Department on Tuesday to end a ban on women in combat, calling the military the last bastion of discrimination by the federal government and saying modern warfare has already put women in the line of fire.

The civil rights group argued in a legal complaint filed in federal court in Northern California that the military policy barring women from roles primarily focused on combat solely because of their gender was unconstitutional.

Hundreds of thousands of women veterans returning from wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are finding career paths off limits, sparking the challenge to a policy that has been in place officially since 1994 and unofficially for around two centuries.”

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I can’t wait to see how this plays out.

From TimesOfIsrael

“A group of 24 Americans living in Israel, some of them victims of terror, on Tuesday filed a civil action lawsuit against the United States governmentover what they claim is its funding of Palestinian terrorism in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The plaintiffs were being represented by the Tel Aviv-based Shurat HaDin – Israel Law Center, a legal advocacy group that combats terror organizations.

The lawsuit, which was filed in Washington, DC, contends that the State Department and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ignored Congressional safeguards and transparency requirements attached to US aid to the Palestinian Authority, thus allowing for the funneling of funds to Hamas, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), and the Palestine Liberation Front. It also accuses the White House of not complying with the regulations and reporting obligations governing presidential waivers which facilitate emergency funding to the Palestinians.

“I just want justice,” said Stuart Hersh, one of the plaintiffs, an elderly Jerusalem resident and victim of a terror attack on Ben Yehuda Street in the same city in 1997, which caused him brain damage and left him partially disabled. “I am against the American government indirectly financing Hamas — the very people who try to kill me,” Hersh said by telephone, adding that he differentiates between “humanitarian aid for the Palestinian people and supporting political agendas.””

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And the last one, from TheWashingtonTimes.

“Moving to try to steal the immigration spotlight from Democrats, top Senate  Republicans on Tuesday introduced their own version of the Dream Act to grant  young illegal immigrants legal rights — though it wouldn’t give them a special  path to citizenship.

Sens. Jon Kyl, John McCain and Kay  Bailey Hutchison, all senior Republicans, introduced the bill as a way to  restart the immigration debate and to carve out a middle ground between sending  illegal immigrants home or granting them green cards, which is the intermediate  step to citizenship.

“We have got to get this ball rolling,” Mr.  Kyl said. “We have to have a discussion that is sensible, that is calm.”

Their bill would give young illegal immigrants a chance at legal status as  long as they are earning a college degree, serving in the military or, having  completed those steps, are holding down a job.”

What’s news today?

First the Senate, and now the UN too?

From TheWallStJournal

“Who runs the Internet? For now, the answer remains no one, or at least no government, which explains the Web’s success as a new technology. But as of next week, unless the U.S. gets serious, the answer could be the United Nations.

Many of the U.N.’s 193 member states oppose the open, uncontrolled nature of the Internet. Its interconnected global networks ignore national boundaries, making it hard for governments to censor or tax. And so, to send the freewheeling digital world back to the state control of the analog era, China, Russia, Iran and Arab countries are trying to hijack a U.N. agency that has nothing to do with the Internet.”

“Having the Internet rewired by bureaucrats would be like handing a Stradivarius to a gorilla. The Internet is made up of 40,000 networks that interconnect among 425,000 global routes, cheaply and efficiently delivering messages and other digital content among more than two billion people around the world, with some 500,000 new users a day.”

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Looks like we have a major public school cheating scandal. But it’s not the students.

From TheDailyCaller

“It was a brazen and surprisingly long-lived scheme, authorities said, to  help aspiring public school teachers cheat on the tests they must pass to prove  they are qualified to lead their classrooms.

For 15 years, teachers in three Southern states paid Clarence Mumford Sr. — himself a longtime educator — to send someone else to take the tests in their  place, authorities said. Each time, Mumford received a fee of between $1,500 and  $3,000 to send one of his test ringers with fake identification to the Praxis  exam. In return, his customers got a passing grade and began their careers as  cheaters, according to federal prosecutors in Memphis.

Authorities say the scheme affected hundreds — if not thousands — of public  school students who ended up being taught by unqualified instructors.”

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Egypt’s new President says he stands by his overreaching decrees.

From Times Of Israel

“Egypt’s president told the country’s top judges Monday that he did not infringe on their authority when he seized near absolute powers, setting up a prolonged showdown on the eve of a mass protest planned by opponents of the Islamist leader.

An aide to President Mohammed Morsi said the decree was limited to “sovereignty-related issues,” but that did not satisfy his critics.

The uncompromising stance came during a meeting between Morsi and members of the Supreme Judiciary Council in a bid to resolve a four-day crisis that has plunged the country into a new round of turmoil with clashes between the two sides that have left one protester dead and hundreds wounded.”

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The White House says they are concerned but…….

From NationalReview

“Asked whether the White House was forewarned about President Morsi’s power grab, Jay Carney said today that the administration has “expressed and raised concerns” about it. He also said that the power grab is part of Egypt’s “transition to democracy”:

Our interest in the development and transition to democracy in Egypt is one that reflects what the Egyptian people demanded through their revolution, and continue to demand, which is a government that reflects the will of the people. And we will continue to work towards that goal, because it reflects what the Egyptian people want.”

Sure. What the people want. I guess he thinks all the new protests in the streets are over The Video, just like with the Embassy attack.

🙄

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They say this will only be on “Rich” people, but I don’t trust them.

From the NYTimes

“A tax break that has long been untouchable could soon be in for some serious scrutiny.

Many home buyers deduct their mortgage interest when assessing their tax bill, a perk that has helped bolster the income of millions of families — and the broader housing market.

But as President Obama and Congress try to hash out a deal to reduce the budget deficit, the mortgage interest deduction will likely be part of the discussion.”

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This one is a new low, even for Democrats. I’m hoping it’s not true, yet fearful that this is exactly what they would do to win.

From Breitbart

“But even knowing this, I was not prepared for a conversation I had at Thanksgiving dinner today with my brother-in-law, Henry, who has lived most of his life in a home for the mentally disabled, and though now in his forties has the intelligence level of a six-year-old.

“Obama saved me,” he said to me out of the blue.

“What do you mean?”

“I voted for him for president and now he’s saving me.”

I was taken aback by these words, since Henry had no idea who Obama was, or what a president might be, and would be unable to fill out a registration form let alone get to the polling place by himself. So I asked him how he knew that and how he had registered and cast his vote. In halting, impeded speech he told me that the people who take care of him at the home filled out “the papers” to register him to vote, told him how Obama cared for him, even taught him the Obama chants, and then took him to the polling place to vote. They did the same for all of the mentally disabled patients in their care, approximately sixty in all.”

Wow. Just wow.

What’s news today folks?

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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.”

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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.”

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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.”

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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.”

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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.”

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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.

🙂

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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.

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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.

🙄

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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.”

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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”.”

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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.

One piece of News, and I’m skipping the Politics.

🙂

Feel free to post something if you think it’s worth noting.

Here’s the only news I have to report.

This Thanksgiving is yet another historic day in high school football.

From LehighValleyLive

At 10:00AM I’m watching the 106th playing of the Easton/P’burg game. It is the longest running interstate (PA/NJ) rivalry in high school football.

It’s the Easton Red Rovers against the Phillipsburg Stateliners, now played at Lafayette College’s Fisher Field to handle the huge crowds.

I know they’re probably gonna be crushed, but……

GO LINERS!

🙂

What’s news today folks?

The new health reform rules have been released.

From NBCNews

“Long-awaited federal rules for health insurance plans came out Tuesday, and they make clear that insurance plans that people can buy on the open market next year will look a lot like some of the most popular plans on offer now – with a few big differences.

As the 2010 health reform law requires, insurers will no longer be able to dump patients who are starting to cost too much, they won’t be able to charge women more than men, they have to cover anyone who can pay and they’ll have to pay for maternity care, eye exams for kids and for mental health services.”

“The rules on so-called essential health benefits –specific services that insurers have to offer and conditions they must cover — include 10 areas: Ambulatory patient services, emergency services, hospitalization, maternity and newborn care, mental health and substance use disorder services, including behavioral health treatment, prescription drugs, rehabilitative services and devices, laboratory services, preventive and wellness services and chronic disease management and pediatric services, including oral and vision care.

“The proposed rule defines essential health benefits based on a state-specific benchmark plan, including the largest small group health plan in the state,” HHS says. These can be the largest plan, for instance, or the largest commercial health maintenance organization in a state.”

Here’s a story most will dislike, and which could cause some problems for foreign relations.

From TheHill

“The United States used U.S.-Israeli spy software to hack into the French presidential office earlier this year, the French cyberwarfare agency has concluded, according to the newsmagazine l’Express.

The magazine reported late Tuesday that the computers of several close advisers to then-president Nicolas Sarkozy – including Chief of Staff Xavier Musca – were compromised in May by a computer virus that bears the hallmarks of Flame, which was allegedly created by a U.S.-Israeli team to target Iran’s nuclear program. Anonymous French officials pointed the finger at the United States.”

“Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano reportedly did not deny the allegations when asked point-blank about them.”

Here’s another on the UN Small Arms Treaty.

Also from TheHill

“Several dozen members of the House have introduced a resolution that calls on President Obama not to sign the United Nations’s Arms Trade Treaty (ATT). It also demands that if Obama does sign it, the government should not spend any time or money on implementation until the Senate approves it.

The resolution, whose main sponsor is Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.), argues that the ATT does not recognize the right of American citizens to keep and bear arms, and thus threatens to undermine the Second Amendment of the Constitution. The ATT aims to regulate international trade in conventional arms.

“There is considerable cause for alarm regarding the UN’s renewed efforts to forge an Arms Trade Treaty that could trample the constitutional rights of Americans, and could seriously compromise our national security and the security of our allies, whom we will be less able to arm and less quick to defend due to the restrictions placed on us by the ATT,” Kelly said Friday. “My colleagues and I stand committed to fighting this threat to our sovereignty and to standing up for the U.S. Constitution, which we are all sworn to support and defend.””

Well we know what the House is doing, let’s check on the Senate.

From C/NETNews

“A Senate proposal toutedas protecting Americans’ e-mail privacy has been quietly rewritten, giving government agencies more surveillance power than they possess under current law, CNET has learned.

Patrick Leahy, the influential Democratic chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has dramatically reshaped his legislation in response to law enforcement concerns, according to three individuals who have been negotiating with Leahy’s staff over the changes. A vote on his bill, which now authorizes warrantless access to Americans’ e-mail, is scheduled for next week.

Leahy’s rewritten bill would allow more than 22 agencies — including the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Federal Communications Commission — to access Americans’ e-mail, Google Docs files, Facebook wall posts, and Twitter direct messages without a search warrant. It also would give the FBI and Homeland Security more authority, in some circumstances, to gain full access to Internet accounts without notifying either the owner or a judge.

CNET obtained a draft of the proposed amendments from one of the people involved in the negotiations with Leahy; it’s embedded at the end of this post. The document describes the changes as “Amendments intended to be proposed by Mr. Leahy.””

And yet these are the same people who told us they were worried about the Patriot Act stealing liberties. Go figure.

Solyndra Redux?

From CNSNews

“The White House announced the federal government will spend $6 billion over four years for a “sustainable energy future” plan with Asian countries that involves loaning tax dollars to other countries to increase their purchasing power for U.S. technology, services and equipment.

“Recognizing that energy and the environment are among the most pressing issues confronting our region, President Obama, in partnership with Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei and President of the Republic of Indonesia Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, today proposed the U.S.-Asia Pacific Comprehensive Partnership for a Sustainable Energy Future,” the White House announced Tuesday as Obama visits Asian Pacific countries.

The initiative comes after the Obama administration has been criticized for spending billions to subsidize U.S.-based green energy companies that went on to declare bankruptcy, including Solyndra, Ener1, A123, Beacon Power and other failed renewable energy ventures.”

Sure it’s a failure, so act like Democrats and just throw more money at it. It’s worked so well for Education and such, right?

The Hostess mediation has failed.

From ZeroHedge

“Last week, when discussing the next steps for the company, and specifically the hope that mediation may resolve the epic animosity between management and workers, we stated that “What makes a mediation improbable is that the antagonism between the feuding sides has certainly hit a level of no return: “Several unions also objected to the company’s plans, saying they made “a mockery” of laws protecting collective bargaining agreements in bankruptcy. The Teamsters, which represents 7,900 Hostess workers, said the
company’s plan would improperly cut the ability of remaining workers to use sick days and vacation.” Sure enough, moments ago we learned that mediation has now failed and the liquidation may proceed. And since in America nobody understands that proper sequence of events involved in a bankruptcy liquidation, where the valuable parts always end up being acquired by someone, in this case the Twinkie brand and recipe, let the pointless Ebay bidding wars over Twinkies continue.”

More from the WallSt.Journal

“Hostess Brands Inc. will continue down the path to a full liquidation after a last-ditch mediation session with its striking bakers’ union failed to save the Twinkie maker.

The company, which has already shuttered its plants and sent its workers home, will push ahead with its bid to embark on a shutdown that will leave about  18,500 people unemployed and its iconic brands either in the hands of new owners or gone forever, a company spokesman said Tuesday evening.”

😦

What’s news today?

Let’s start with this.

From Pew Research’s  Journalism.org

“During this final week, from October 29 to November 5, positive stories about Obama (29%) outnumbered negative ones (19%) by 10 points.”

“For Mitt Romney in the final week, the tone of coverage remained largely unchanged from the previous two weeks. Negative stories in the press outnumbered positive ones 33% to 16%.”

“But Romney may have suffered in final days from the press focusing less on him relative to his opponent. After receiving roughly identical levels of coverage for most of October, in the last week of campaigning Obama was a significant presence in eight out of 10 campaign stories compared with six in 10 for Romney-one of the biggest disparities in any week after Labor Day.”

And here’s another from Journalism.org

“Throughout the campaign, the two most popular cable news channels, Fox News and MSNBC, stood out from the rest the media coverage. Fox News was much more positive about Romney than the press as a whole and substantially more negative about Obama. MSNBC was even more overwhelmingly negative about Romney and offered mostly positive coverage about Obama.”

“At the same time, when Romney was receiving negative coverage in the final week from the rest of the press, Fox was different; 42% of its segments about him were positive while only 11% were negative. This was more positive than the earlier part of October when 34% of Fox News’ Romney coverage was positive and 9% negative.

MSNBC moved in the other direction. MSNBC’s coverage of Romney during the final week (68% negative with no positive stories in the sample), was far more negative than the overall press, and even more negative than it had been during October 1 to 28 when 5% was positive and 57% was negative.

For Obama, meanwhile, the coverage improved in the last week. From October 1 to 28, 33% was positive and 13% negative. During the campaign’s final week, fully 51% of MSNBC’s stories were positive while there were no negative stories at all in the sample.”

This should shut people like me up. This so obviously shows they’re unbiased. What was I thinkin’?

If not for Fox and it’s Right leanings, it’s obvious where the bias mostly leans. And it’s Left. Or if you prefer, MSNBC’s term, Forward.

Then this. Who’s up for some waste/fraud/abuse?

From Senator Coburn

 A lovely little pdf where you’ll learn what the govt. wastes your money on. Think flying dinosaurs, beef jerky, studying fish to see if ignorance can save democracy, robots as playmates for your kids, and millions to further “green” the military. But don’t worry, there’s useful stuff too. I learned that the Air Force did a study and the first bird probably had black feathers. And I also learned that they waste a lot of the military budget on things that have nothing to do with the military. Perhaps some reasonable cuts could be made to the DoD budget. This pdf is an excellent list of where to start.

You can also learn how the military has more “green” projects going than the Dept. of Energy. More on that here,

From TheFreeBeacon

“The Department of Defense has launched more green energy initiatives than any other federal agency and many are duplicative and wasteful, according to a report released Thursday by Sen. Tom Coburn (R., Okla.).

The Coburn report details nearly $68 billion in defense spending that appears to have little to do with national defense and instead focuses on issues ranging from beef jerky to studies of flying dinosaurs. Included in the report is $700 million in green energy initiatives.

“The Department of Defense launched more than 100 renewable energy-related initiatives in 2010, more than any other federal agency including the Department of Energy,” the report says. “Many of these DOD renewable energy projects were so poorly planned, they failed to be cost effective or even produce power, wasting millions of national security dollars.””

And this one. Tsk, tsk, tsk……….

When will you people learn. It’s almost like you got what you voted for or something. You knew what you were getting, didn’t Brown burn ya’s on taxes last time too? Good thing we don’t vote for people who think like this on the national level.

Oh wait, we just did.  😯

From Breitbart

“California Governor Jerry Brown hailed his signature tax-hike to fund education—known as Proposition 30—as a towering achievement that will ensure educational excellence in higher education and spare those trapped in poor and failing K-12 California public schools from budget cuts.

“I know a lot of people had some doubts and some questions: Can you really go to the people and ask them to vote for a tax?” said Mr. Brown on election night. “Here we are…We have a vote of the people, I think the only state in the country that says let’s raise our taxes, for our kids, for our schools, and for our California dream.””

From CaPoliticalReview.com

“Millions of dollars in new tax revenue earmarked for the University of California system as part of the state’s recently passed Proposition 30 will instead be routed to major financial firms, because of bad bets made by a Wall Street-influenced UC Board of Regents.”

“However, according to a new report written by five doctoral students at UC Berkeley, in the years preceding the 2008 financial collapse, members of the Board of Regents themselves had overseen “a qualitative shift in the financial practices of the University of California” by employing the same kinds of exotic financial instruments that precipitated the meltdown on Wall Street — primarily, bond issuances hedged by interest rate swaps.”

But, but, but…….  It’s for the KIDS!

In other Cali. news,

From the AP/MiamiHerald

“There’s no room for the baby Jesus, the manger or the wise men this Christmas in a Santa Monica park following a judge’s ruling Monday against churches that tried to keep a 60-year Nativity tradition alive after atheists stole the show with anti-God messages.

U.S. District Judge Audrey B. Collins rejected a motion from the Santa Monica Nativity Scenes Committee to allow the religious display this season while their lawsuit plays out against the city.

Collins said the city was within its constitutional right to eliminate the exemption that had allowed the Nativity at the oceanfront Palisades Park because the change affected all comers – from Christians to Jews to atheists – and provided other avenues for public religious speech.”

And if you’re flying this Thanksgiving, remember the TSA has rules. You can’t bring dinner with you.

From TSA.gov

“Not sure about what you can and can’t bring through the checkpoint? Here’s a sample list of liquid, aerosol and gel items that you should put in your checked bag, ship ahead, or leave at home if they are above the permitted 3.4 oz.

• Cranberry sauce
• Cologne
• Creamy dips and spreads (cheeses, peanut butter, etc.)
• Gift baskets with food items (salsa, jams and salad dressings)
• Gravy
• Jams
• Jellies
• Lotions
• Maple syrup
• Oils and vinegars
• Perfume
• Salad dressing
• Salsa
• Sauces
• Snowglobes
• Soups
• Wine, liquor and beer

You can bring pies and cakes through the security checkpoint, but please be advised that they are subject to additional screening.”

I’ll translate that last part for you.

We will eat your pies and cakes, that’s how we test them to make sure they’re safe.

What’s news today?

Let’s start with the story that’s constantly changing.

From the NYPost

“The White House yesterday denied it edited talking points about the terrorist attack that killed the American ambassador to Libya — contradicting remarks made a day earlier by disgraced ex-CIA chief David Petraeus.

“The only edit that was made by the White House and also by the State Department was to change the word ‘consulate’ to the word ‘diplomatic facility,’ since the facility in Benghazi was not formally a consulate,” Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes told reporters aboard Air Force One.

“Other than that, we were guided by the points that were provided by the intelligence community. So I can’t speak to any other edits that may have been made.””

Somebody is lying.

And speaking of things the Obama admin seeks to hide…….

From the WashingtonTimes

“A House committee has launched an  investigation into whether EPA Administrator Lisa  Jackson used an email alias to try to hide correspondence from  open-government requests and her agency’s own internal watchdog — something that  Republican lawmakers said could run afoul of the law.

The science committee has asked Ms. Jackson to turn over all information  related to an email account under the name of “Richard Windsor,” which is one of  the aliases identified by a researcher looking into the EPA.

The committee has also asked the White House’s lawyer and EPA’s  inspector general to look into the matter and report back by the end of this  month, saying that the secret email accounts could have been used to keep key  information from official watchdogs as well as the public.”

Say it with me now, “The most transparent administration EVAH!”

Now to the Republicans. Already? Really?

From the DailyCaller

“As the Republican Party regroups after Mitt Romney’s defeat, the message  Saturday night at Iowa Republican Gov. Terry Branstad’s birthday fundraiser was “turn the page” and “look to the future” — and what that future apparently holds  is Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, the event’s featured speaker.”

“Even before they heard him speak on Saturday, Iowans were attracted to Rubio.  Branstad said the fundraiser generated more than $600,000, a total he said was  greater than he had raised before in any single event.”

I’ve always liked Rubio, but I can’t help but think this is just pandering for minority votes from the party bosses.

But he’ll need a running mate, preferably one with an established “ground game”. And maybe as an added bonus a re-unification of the party. That’d be good. Say, maybe Rand Paul? And what better way to start an effective “ground game” than this. Have his Dad help.

From TheHill

“Retiring Rep. Ron Paul plans to deliver speeches on college campuses next year and beyond, continuing his message of liberty and reducing the size of the federal government.

In an interview with The Hill, the Texas Republican clearly indicated that he isn’t ready for the rocking chair.

The 77-year-old physician-politician said, “I’m excited about spending more time on college campuses, not less. College campuses will still be on my agenda. That’s where the action is.”

He added, “The young people don’t like the debt they are inheriting, the violation of their civil liberties. They don’t like the war and it’s a fertile field.”

Hmmmmmm………. This could work.

Another Union is about to do something stupid.

From CBS

“Employees at Los Angeles International Airport were considering plans Friday to walk off the job ahead on what is traditionally the busiest traveling day of the year.

A coalition of Southland labor and community leaders are calling for the protest of alleged violations by LAX contractor Aviation Safeguards (AVSG) after breaking their contract with the airport earlier this year.

Andrew Gross-Gaitan, the director of the Southern California Airports Division of SEIU, told KNX 1070 NEWSRADIO that AVSG left more than 400 LAX workers without affordable family health care when it failed to comply with the city’s Living Wage Ordinance.”

And when you are aware of the consequences, but you do it anyway, well what other word but stupid applies?

From RedState

“With the demise of 18,000 jobs weighing on their shoulders (though certainly not their consciousness’) and just in time for the Sunday morning talk shows union bosses are now trying desperately to point fingers at the victim (and Mitt Romney) for the union’s strike that ultimately destroyed Hostess and its 18,000 jobs. This blame game is going on despite the fact that the bakers’ union knew that its strike could, ultimately, lead to the company’s closure.

Ranging from the AFL-CIO’s Big Daddy Rich Trumka to the bakers’ union bosses who pulled the trigger by calling the strike that killed Twinkie the Kid, unions are now in full spin mode to make America believe that it was the company and Wall Street–not the union that called the strike that caused the company to go out of business.”

And score another one for the good guys.

From LifeNews

“A federal court today stopped enforcement of the Obama administration’s abortion pill mandate against a Bible publisher which filed a lawsuit against it.

The mandate has generated massive opposition from pro-life groups because it forces employers, regardless of their religious or moral convictions, to provide insurance coverage for abortion-inducing drugs, sterilization, and contraception under threat of heavy penalties.

The Obama administration opposed the order, arguing that Tyndale House Publishers isn’t religious enough for an exemption from the mandate, a component of ObamaCare that forces employers, regardless of their religious or moral convictions, to provide insurance coverage for abortion-inducing drugs, sterilization, and contraception under threat of heavy penalties.”

“The court’s order is the third nationwide against the mandate and the second obtained by Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys.”