veterans

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News/Politics 4-17-15

What’s interesting in the news today?

Open Thread

Here’s a couple to start things off.

1. The Army and White House finally do the right thing. It’s about time.

From TheUnitedStatesArmy  “Secretary of the Army John McHugh announced today that he has directed the United States Army to provide all possible benefits to victims of a 2009 attack at Fort Hood who were recently awarded the Purple Heart medal.

Last week, 36 soldiers and surviving family members of the attack were awarded the Purple Heart medal during a ceremony at Fort Hood, Texas. The ceremony came after Congress expanded eligibility criteria for the Purple Heart, allowing the medal to be awarded to Soldiers wounded or killed in incidents that were previously ineligible.

“In addition to the Purple Heart medal, there are certain other benefits for which Soldiers receiving the Purple Heart are traditionally eligible,” McHugh wrote in an April 14 memorandum. “I intend to ensure that the Soldiers receiving the Purple Heart under the expanded criteria also receive all other related benefits for which they are eligible.”

Among the benefits ordered by McHugh is payment of hostile fire pay for those Purple Heart recipients “killed, injured, or wounded” in the attack, as well as combat-related special compensation for retired soldiers whose disability is attributable to an injury for which they were awarded the Purple Heart.

“After making the determination that the victims of the Fort Hood attack are now eligible for the Purple Heart, it seems only right and fair that these Soldiers also receive the benefits it traditionally entails,” McHugh said. “That’s why I directed an expedited process to make certain that happens.””

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2. But the DoJ is still doing the wrong things.

From TheWashingtonTimes  “The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee wants Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. to explain why a Department of Justice gun ban list has a “mental defective” category consisting almost entirely of names belonging to military veterans and their dependents.

“It’s disturbing to think that the men and women who dedicated themselves to defending our freedom and values face undue threats to their fundamental Second Amendment rights from the very agency established to serve them,” Sen. Chuck Grassley, Iowa Republican, said in a statement Wednesday. “A veteran or dependent shouldn’t lose their constitutional rights because they need help with bookkeeping.”

Mr. Grassley outlined his concerns about the list to Mr. Holder in a letter dated this week. It included various failures by the Department of Justice — including the inconsistent application of standards and weak due process protections — that have led to the Department of Veterans Affairs adding “a disproportionate number of names” to the federal gun ban list.

All federal agencies are required to report names of individuals who are dangers to themselves or others to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System’s “mental defective” category — a status that prevents them from owning or possessing guns.”

““According to the Congressional Research Service, as of June 1, 2012, 99.3% of all names reported to the NICS list’s ‘mental defective’ category were provided by the Veterans Administration (VA) even though reporting requirements apply to all federal agencies,” Mr. Grassley’s letter said.”

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News/Politics 8-27-14

What’s interesting in the news today?

1. While much of the world focuses on ISIS, Boko Haram continues their bloody rampage.

From PressTV   “Boko Haram Takfiri militants have taken control of more Nigerian towns as they press ahead with their attacks in the African country.

A Cameroonian police source said on Tuesday that Boko Haram militants moved into the Nigerian town of Ashigashyia overnight Monday, where they killed three people in front of a church, after soldiers sent there fled to take refuge across the border in nearby Cameroon.

Nearly 500 Nigerian soldiers escaped from the border towns of Ashigashyia and Kerawa over the weekend to take refuge from Boko Haram Takfiris on Cameroonian territory.”

“According to residents, the militants now control at least the town of Buni Yadi in Yobe state as well as Gwoza and Gamboru Ngala in neighboring Borno state.

In the northeastern state of Adamawa, which has been under a state of emergency along with Borno and Yobe states since May last year, local government officials said scores of gunmen attacked the town of Madagali on Saturday, forcing out soldiers and taking over government buildings.”

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2. Liberals have a new boogeyman. And of course they’ll blame greed and not the high tax policies that caused it.

From TheWashingtonExaminer  “The major fast food chain Burger King is in talks to merge with the Canadian donut and coffee chain Tim Hortons and move its headquarters to Canada.

Burger King would be one of the largest and most well-known companies to seek to leave the U.S. in a so-called corporate inversion, in which a U.S. company buys a smaller foreign company in a lower-tax jurisdiction and then places its headquarters in the foreign country to lower its tax bill. Its departure will likely heighten concerns about inversions eroding the American tax base.

In a press release announcing the discussions, Burger King and Tim Hortons said that they were pursuing the deal for business reasons and to accelerate Tim Hortons’ international growth. But the new company’s headquarters would be located in Canada, which has lower corporate taxes than the U.S.

President Obama has criticized companies attempting to move headquarters to lower-tax countries as “corporate deserters.” The Treasury Department is preparing options to prevent tax inversions through tax rules.

Congressional Democrats have introduced legislation to tighten the rules to prevent companies from fleeing the domestic tax base, but Republicans have opposed such measures, saying that they do not address the underlying problem of the U.S. tax code’s lack of competitiveness internationally.”

And some of it’s being financed by Obama’s pal Buffett, who already owes millions in back taxes. He must not have gotten the “economic patriotism” memo.

From CNBC  “Burger King on Tuesday confirmed plans to acquire Ontario-based Tim Hortons for about $11 billion—creating a new company to be based in Canada with combined sales of $23 billion.

Berkshire Hathaway Chairman and CEO Warren Buffett is helping to fund the deal by committing $3 billion of preferred equity financing. The news release on the deal did not disclose the terms for Berkshire, which is only a financing source and will not have any participation in the management and operation of the business.”

“Amid speculation that the deal was motivated to save taxes by moving a U.S. company’s headquarters to a foreign country, sources said the U.S. would receive at least as much in taxes, not less, because of the way the deal is structured. Those sources did not elaborate. Locating the new company’s base in Canada was seen as a way to garner support from Canadian regulators, which tend to take a dim view of foreign acquirers, the sources said.”

Here comes the new boogeyman…

From TheDailyBeast  “To help business grow in America, taxpayers have funded public infrastructure, workforce training, and incentives to encourage R&D and capital investment,” Brown thundered. “Runaway corporations benefited from those policies but want U.S. companies to pay their share of the tab.”

Sen. Carl Levin, who has long been a champion for closing corporate tax loopholes, warned the company that the blowback from the American consumer could swamp any tax benefits it receives from leaving the United States. He was speaking before the deal was confirmed on Tuesday.”

“So could Levin and Brown be onto something? Burger King’s Facebook wall has been inundated with threats from customers over a possible boycott should their corporate operations move to Canada. An advertisement for their Mushroom and Swiss burger became a key venting ground for Americans frustrated about the potential deal.

“If you attempt to buy Tim Horton’s for the purposes of evading US Taxes, I will NEVER step foot in another Burger King again…Don’t do it,” read the most ‘liked’ comment on the post. Others called them “tax cheats,” “freeloaders,” “tax dodgers”—and many others threatened boycotts. The same fate befell the company’s Facebook advertisement for cookies.”

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3. Obama spoke to veterans yesterday in a speech to The American Legion. The response was as you’d expect.

From TheDailyMail  “President Barack Obama faced a tough crowd on Tuesday – American military veterans – and fell flat on his applause lines as he failed to win over the American Legion’s convention-goers.

His 35-minute speech seemed to have reminded the audience of the stark divide between the White House’s policy choices and the feelings of the men and women often called on to carry them out.

A Virginia legionnaire who served in the U.S. Marine Corps told MailOnline that ‘a small group of Obama’s admirers – and there are some here – sat near the front and tried to generate applause for him about 10 times.’

‘They didn’t get much pickup,’ the retired lieutenant colonel said of the ‘instigators’ gathered at the Charlotte, North Carolina event, but ‘they were persistent. You could tell when the applause was genuine and when it wasn’t. It was obvious to everyone here.’

Most of the veterans sat on their hands, leaving awkward silences where White House speechwriters expected ovations.”

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4. I’m starting to think this global warming thing might be a scam. 🙂

From Breitbart  “The Australian Bureau of Meteorology has been caught red-handed manipulating temperature data to show “global warming” where none actually exists.

At Amberley, Queensland, for example, the data at a weather station showing 1 degree Celsius cooling per century was “homogenized” (adjusted) by the Bureau so that it instead showed a 2.5 degrees warming per century.

At Rutherglen, Victoria, a cooling trend of -0.35 degrees C per century was magically transformed at the stroke of an Australian meteorologist’s pen into a warming trend of 1.73 degrees C per century.

Last year, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology made headlines in the liberal media by claiming that 2013 was Australia’s hottest year on record. This prompted Australia’s alarmist-in-chief Tim Flannery – an English literature graduate who later went on to earn his scientific credentials with a PhD in palaeontology, digging up ancient kangaroo bones – to observe that global warming in Australia was “like climate change on steroids.”

But we now know, thanks to research by Australian scientist Jennifer Marohasy, that the hysteria this story generated was based on fabrications and lies.”

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5. Donna mentioned later yesterday that it was National Dog Day. So in honor of our furry friends, Hero dogs: Tales of bravery and sacrifice.

From MSNNews  “Aug. 26 is National Dog Day. To mark the occasion, we look at heroic dogs and the way they saved people and fellow canines.”

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by

News/Politics 2-25-14

What’s interesting in the news today?

1. 4 Pinocchios. Again.

From TheWaPo  ““We’ve got close to 7 million Americans who have access to health care for the first time because of Medicaid expansion.”– President Obama”

The Fact Checker has written several times about the fuzziness of the Medicaid numbers issued by the Obama administration. But it is like playing whack-a-mole. Every time we rap someone for getting it wrong, the same problem pops up someplace else.”

“What does this mean in terms of evaluating the president’s statement? He seems to be falling into the same trap as other Democrats, and some reporters, by assuming that everyone in the Medicaid list is getting health insurance for the first time because of the Affordable Care Act. But that number is nowhere close to 7 million. It could be as low as 1.1 million (Avalere) or as high as 2.6 million (Gaba.) If one wanted to be generous, one could include people coming out of the woodwork, even though they would have been covered under the old law, but no one is really sure what that figure is.

In any case, no matter how you slice it, it does not add up to 7 million. It is dismaying that given all of the attention to this issue, the president apparently does not realize that the administration’s data are woefully inadequate for boastful assertions of this type.”

He knows, but he says it anyway. And it keeps popping back up because they all use the same White House talking points.

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2. Meanwhile Democrats continue to jump ship as a result of their ObamaCare votes.

From TheDailyCaller  “Seven of the Democratic lawmakers surrounding President Obama when he signed the Affordable Care Act in 2010 are either now out of Congress or on their way out.

As depicted in this Daily Caller graphic, seven smiling Democrats have gone down or out in the last four years.”

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3. In other ObamaCare news, Notre Dame has lost a court battle over the contraceptive mandate.

From FoxNews  “A federal appeals court on Friday ruled against the University of Notre Dame in a case over parts of the federal health care law that forces it to provide health insurance for students and employees that covers contraceptives.

The U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago upheld a federal judge’s earlier ruling that denied the Roman Catholic school’s request for a preliminary injunction that would prevent it from having to comply with the birth control requirement as the university’s lawsuit moves forward.

The lawsuit challenges a compromise in the Affordable Health Care Act offered by the Obama administration that attempted to create a buffer for religiously affiliated hospitals, universities and social service groups that oppose birth control. The law requires insurers or the health plan’s outside administrator to pay for birth control coverage and creates a way to reimburse them.”

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4. Margret Sanger’s dream come true.

From TheBlacksphere  “Sanger was a nurse and a birth control advocate in the early 20th century. But more importantly, she formed the organization, American Birth Control League, which would eventually become Planned Parenthood.

And like the modern day organization, cloaking its true agenda in palatable verbiage such as “family planning” and “choice,” Margaret’s goal was far more evil than the respectable facade she presented.”

“Such narratives lend to the Margaret Sanger reverence by new guard feminists, those women who prioritize self and convenience over the preciousness of life. Several generations of women have been raised to view sacrifice as demeaning, and new life as a potential threat to a self-centered career.

The real Margaret Sanger espoused sinister motives for advancing birth control and abortion: she fully endorsed eugenics for the betterment of race and society.”

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5. Here’s another story that demonstrates how the media omit relevant details to protect abortion.

From NewsBusters  “Australian TV Star Commits Suicide After Depression Triggered by Her Abortion; U.S. Media Accounts Omit Abortion”

“Abortion proponents push for easy access to abortion, deemphasizing its after-affects to the point they absolutely refuse to acknowledge post-abortion depression, which further incapacitates those actually living through it.

This is such a tragedy. Charlotte Dawson, RIP, was born in New Zealand but achieved fame in Australia as a model and a judge on Australia’s Next Top Model.”

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6. And remember… as always,

Media bias is a myth. 🙄

From CapitolCityProject  “Conservatives often argue that the mainstream media is unabashedly liberal, and a look at campaign contributions given by employees of mainstream media companies shows this seems to be the case on an individual level.

Using data from the Center for Responsive Politics, Capitol City Project has found that these donations, indeed, go heavily to Democratic politicians. For example, CNN’s ratio of individual political contributions from employees to politicians shows that of the total contributions, $29,460 is given to Democrats as opposed to $12,500 to Republicans from 1998 to 2014. That is a ratio of 70 percent to Democrats and 30 percent to Republicans.”

“NBC has one of the largest discrepancies of political donations between the parties. Contributions to Democrats total $85,853. On the other hand, Republicans received $4,050. That is 93 percent to Democrats. If you add in NBC Sports, individuals gave $2,500 to Democrats and none to Republicans.”

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7. Just like with the ObamaCare website. They know people’s personal info is at risk, but they don’t care.

From TheDailyCaller  “The Obama administration’s Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) knew that a breach of veterans’ personal information was “practically unavoidable” months before it happened in January, according to an internal VA risk assessment that also said the department’s security programs are “non-compliant” with three federal laws.

House Veterans Affairs chairman Rep. Jeff Miller recently wrote a letter demanding VA secretary Eric Shinseki take steps to address software glitches like the kind that plagued the department’s eBenefits portal, which in January exposed the “medical and financial information” of more than 5,000 veterans to anyone able to log on to the portal.”

“This breach came as no surprise to VA.”

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8. Former Pres. Bush has a new project for vets, joining Jacob Wood of Team Rubicon.

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by

News/Politics 10-11-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

I’ve got a bunch today, so I’ll be brief. Or not. 🙂

First up, an interesting read on the spitefulness from the White House and the similarities to other spiteful leaders in history.

From TheSultanKnishBlog  “The Berlin Blockade was a siege in all but name. Beyond the sheer fact of food and coal being cut off to a city of millions were a thousand minor humiliations by Soviet officials designed to break the will of their enemies to resist. That was their mistake. And it’s a mistake that the left often makes.

The barricades around the Lincoln Memorial and the WW2 Memorial, the traffic cones blocking the view of Mt. Rushmore and the sawhorses around Old Faithful are no Berlin Blockade, but they come out of the same meanness of spirit and the same motives.

The petty harassment extended to a 24-hour blockade of an inn that had tried to stay open and rangers arriving to block Old Faithful every time it erupted. There are few moments that sum up the meanness of spirit of the Obama Blockade as well as a park ranger angrily telling senior citizens to get back on the bus and stop taking photos because they are engaging in forbidden “recreating”.

The Obama Blockade has no valid justification. Like the Berlin Blockade, it is about power and control.”

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Next, good, let’s see more.

From TheWashingtonTimes  “Taking their lead from the veterans who first pushed through the barricades  to visit the World War II Memorial,  Americans nationwide are defying the federal government shutdown, tossing aside  traffic cones and toppling wooden fences to get to national parks and other  federal lands that the administration has deemed out of bounds.

As the shutdown hits the middle of its second week, civil disobedience has  become a sensation. Some proudly post online photos of themselves overcoming the  government’s obstacles, and others use more subtle ways to make their point.”

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And here’s more.

From TheWaPo  “Organizers of the “Truckers Ride for the Constitution” rally say they are indeed coming to Washington on Friday — but whether they will shut down the Beltway or just make a lot of noise remains to be seen.”

“Zeeda Andrews, one of the organizers of the event, said the ride is a go, but emphasized that it will be peaceful. She said that Georgia trucker Earl Conlon “overstepped his boundaries” earlier this week in saying the event was just a ploy to get attention for the group’s agenda.

“Yes, it is happening,” she said about the rally. Andrews said she expects “a few thousand truckers” to descend on the District on Friday.”

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Veterans are sick of the poor treatment and are planning a protest as well.

From VetMarch  “In a mean-spirited fit of selfish anger, Barack Obama has shut down our nation’s war memorials. And he has declared open war on our honored veterans!

 The World War II memorial … the Vietnam Veterans Memorial … the Korean War Veterans Memorial – Obama has shut them all down to force his will on the House of Representatives and frankly, to get revenge on the American people who oppose Obamacare and his other naked power grabs.

Let’s put it plainly: Barack Obama is behaving like a vicious tyrant. And if he succeeds in this assault on the democratic system, the Republic we love is at mortal risk. It’s just that simple.

That’s why I am asking you now to take two decisive moves to show Barack Obama, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi – and all of their oppressive ilk in Washington – that “We the People” are still in charge. And we won’t rest until we take back our memorials and monuments!”

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Some folks are picking up the slack. 🙂

From USAToday  “Most everybody complains about the government shutdown, but Chris Cox is actually doing something about it.

With many government operations shuttered by the political standoff in Washington,  Cox took a lawn mower to the National Mall this week and began cutting  grass areas between the Lincoln and World War II memorials.

“These are our memorials. Do they think that we’re just going to let them go to hell?” Cox told Washington radio station 99.1 in a story recounted by Columbia, S.C., TV station WIS.”

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Maybe de-funding ObamaCare won’t be necessary. It could just collapse on its own.

From TheDailyMail  “Obamacare’s main sign up engine attracted  just 6,200 new customers on its launch day and 51,000 after the first  week

At the same rate, the 6-month open  enrollment period would sign up just 2 million Americans, including 14 states  and D.C., which have their own insurance exchanges

The Congressional Budget Office says  Obamacare needs at least 7 million customers to stay afloat  financially .

Numerous Obama administration officials  have denied seeing any enrollment figures at all

MailOnline’s sources are two Health and  Human Services workers who have access to the data as it’s  crunched

So the White House lied yesterday when asked if the numbers were available. Not surprising.

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And it’s look like 800,000 NJ residents just found how it will impact them.

From NJ.Com  “Hundreds of thousands of New Jerseyans opened the mail last week to find their health insurance plan would no longer exist in 2014 because it does not cover all the essential benefits required by the Affordable Care Act.

The news surprised some who were unaware that provisions in the new law known as “Obamacare” were forcing insurance companies to scrap some plans they had previously offered.

“The Affordable Care Act is driving many changes to products and pricing,” said Thomas Vincz, a spokesman for Horizon. “Horizon BCBSNJ is actively working to help our members find new insurance plans that meet their needs and budget.”

Sorry folks. But elections have consequences’.

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by

News/Politics 10-4-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

It’s been an interesting few days hasn’t it? In the past few days the perceived enemies of the President have been called extremists, terrorists, jihadists, murderers, un-American, hostage takers, arsonists, accused of being anarchists, and of holding a gun to the country’s heads.

And yet actual terrorists, jihadists, extremists, murderers (and the rest of the list) who actually do these things, are labeled as moderate rebels, and freedom-fighters by the same people. And the same RINO’s too. Go figure. Actual enemies of this country are treated better than the Republicans. Very sad, not to mention cowardly.

New tone? Anyone?

From TheWashingtonTimes  “Democrats, who have long posed as the party of peaceniks and doves, have been  anything but during the great rhetorical war of 2013. In fact, the party of  George McGovern and Jimmy Carter has been mad as hell as of late, leading an  offensive of bombastic insults and rhetorical bullying that has dominated the  government shutdown. It’s a perfect storm, with Democrats leading the pace.

President Obama called Republicans “reckless and irresponsible,” casting the  Grand Old Party in the role of villain. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid,  Nevada Democrat, referred to Republicans as “anarchists,” and House Minority  Leader Nancy Pelosi, California Democrat, deemed Republicans “legislative  arsonists.””

““Democrats have hurled every insult imaginable, such as ‘terrorist,’ ‘arsonist’  and ‘murderers’ against Americans who differ with President Obama. Despite their  threats and childish behavior, the speaker has been steadfast in his vision to  reduce the size and scope of government and treat everyone fairly,” Mr. Stockman  said.”

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Liberal religious leader Jim Wallis gets in on the act as well. He says these “political extremists” are acting in an unbiblical manner. Thoughts?

From TheBlaze  “Progressive faith leader Jim Wallis, founder of Sojourners, is joining a chorus of Americans who are frustrated over the government shutdown. In a video monologue this week, he unleashed his views on the matter, calling the closure “unbiblical” and hitting back at the “political extremists” he believes are responsible for it.

While most of the debate surrounding the shutdown is partisan in nature, Wallis argues that the conundrum is deeper than mere strife between the parties; in fact, he says it’s spiritual.

“There is a deeper problem here than politics. There’s a theological problem,” he proclaims in the clip. “As a Christian I want to say shutting down government is unbiblical. Yes, that’s what I’m saying — it’s unbiblical.”

“Wallis goes on to instruct readers to explore what the Bible has to say on the matter and specifically cites the 13th chapter of the Book of Romans, which discusses the importance of complying with government.”

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Harry Reid yet again shows himself to be “anti-veteran” by even his low standards.

From TheWashingtonExaminer  “Senate Democrats blocked four resolutions to fund government programs, including paying the National Guard and opening national parks, as Republicans offered the limited measures in an attempt to win the government shutdown fight by financing popular programs and leaving those they oppose untouched.

“Unbelievably, today Senate Democrats went on record to oppose funding for National Guard and Reserve salaries, veterans’ services, lifesaving medicine and cures, and national parks and museums,” Senate Republican Conference chairman John Thune, R-S.D., said in a release following the procedural battle.

“Congress unanimously passed a bill to ensure active-duty military personnel are paid during this lapse in government funding, and it’s unclear why Senate Democrats wouldn’t pass similar measures to fund these important services,” Thune said.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., asked for unanimous consent to pass funding for the Veterans Affairs Department and Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, requested unanimous consent to pass a bill funding the national parks and monuments. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., rejected both.”

He won’t fund veteran services to try and force people to give in to his wishes, but they’ll fund terrorist rebels in other countries with no strings attached.

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Folks on the Gulf Coast are preparing for Tropical Storm Karen, which appears to be turning into a full-fledged hurricane.

From AccuWeather  “Tropical Storm Karen has formed in the Gulf of Mexico and will move into the southern United States this weekend with heavy rain, gusty winds and rough seas.

Karen will continue to move along a curved northward path over the central Gulf of Mexico through Friday. During Saturday, Karen will begin to turn toward the northeast and will make landfall along the upper Gulf Coast from southeast of New Orleans to west of Panama City, Fla.

There is a chance Karen becomes a hurricane prior to making landfall. Shortly after being officially named a tropical storm, Karen’s maximum sustained winds had reached 65 mph. The threshold for a tropical system to become a hurricane is sustained winds of 74 mph.”

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