Rational Nation USA

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Lib e rty -vs- Tyr a nny American's are an interesting bunch. Stubborn and fickle at the same time. Especially Republicans. But then again I question just why in the hell anyone is concerning themselves with the 2016 presidential race two years out? I guess it's because we're... Americans? Public Policy Polling - PPP's newest look at the Republican field for 2016 finds some big changes from our previous polling. Marco Rubio, who had led all of our polling since December, has dropped all the way to 6th place. Rand Paul now has the lead nationally, to go along with the leads he posted in our most recent Iowa and New Hampshire polls. And Ted Cruz has already hit double digits. The numbers are: Paul 16, Jeb Bush, Chris Christie, and Paul Ryan each at 13, Cruz at 12, Rubio at 10, Rick Santorum and Bobby Jindal at 4, and Susana Martinez at 2. Cruz has proven to be such a darling to the far right that he actually already lead

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Lib e rty -vs- Tyr a nny He does it again! Maybe it's in the name? New York Post - Anthony Weiner came up with an extraordinary excuse yesterday to explain why he went back to sexting after supposedly kicking the habit — he was suffering from marital woes. In a startling e-mail letter sent to rally campaign supporters, Weiner said he sought hot-blooded female consolation on the Internet when he and his wife, Huma Abedin, hit a rocky patch in their relationship last summer. At the time, Weiner had been out of Congress for a year, having resigned in disgrace, and was giving interviews with his wife at his side claiming he was cured. “It was a terrible mistake that I unfortunately returned to during a rough time in our marriage,” Weiner said in the e-mail. Later, at a press conference, he went into more detail. “I think that a lot of people see the resignation was the end of the challenges my wife and I, my family faced, and it

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Lib e rty -vs- Tyr a nny Yes indeed. Just as some on the left are sounding the clarion call that ObamaCare is working in those states that have embraced it, such as New York and California to name two, polls are indicating that the overall national perception of ObamaCare is a net negative and even shows that some believe it should be repealed. My own view is that those favoring drastic overhaul or repeal have it about right. In the rush " to do something " We the People ended up with a flawed law being shoved down our throats. This is not a partisan statement as I'm willing to bet (based on the number of democrats that are now balking) that many liberals are questioning the wisdom of passing the legislation they knew little about and whose leader, Rep, Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said 'we have to pass the law to know what's in it'. ????? is all I can say about that gem of blind partisan faith and lack of reason. As Presi

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Lib e rty -vs- Ty ra nny Is it just me or does anybody else think these two guys are flakes? TPM - According to Rep. Steve King's (R-IA) math, legalizing undocumented immigrants is untenable because for every valedictorian DREAMer -- immigrants brought to the U.S. as children -- there are 100 more who are carrying drugs across the border. "Some of them are valedictorians, and their parents brought them in," King told Newsmax in an interview last week. "It wasn't their fault. It's true in some cases, but they aren't all valedictorians. They weren't all brought in by their parents." "For everyone who's a valedictorian, there's another 100 out there that weigh 130 pounds and they’ve got calves the size of cantaloupes because they're hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert,” he continued. “Those people would be legalized with the same act." So, Representative King, wh

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Lib erty -vs- Tyr a nny Rev. Al Sharpton speaks during a news conference outside the Department of Justice while discussing Trayvon Martin case. Sharpton called for the federal government to investigate civil rights charges against George Zimmerman. ( Win McNamee / Getty Images / July 16 , 2013 ) The following article from the opinion pages of the liberal Los Angeles Times is without need of  further comment. By David A. Lehrer and Joe R. Hicks - During the week since the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the death of Trayvon Martin, the responses to the tragic event, the trial and the verdict have been predictable. That an unarmed youth lost his life and the perpetrator of the act walked free catalyzed angry and sometimes violent street protests. However unfortunate, that is hardly surprising. The legal nuances of second-degree murder, manslaughter, evidentiary rules and jurors'

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Lib e rty -vs- Tyr a nny The headline and the text below is self sufficient. The ball is again in your court liberals. AFRICAN AMERICAN NEWS - Cosby, an outspoken voice on cultural issues, says the recent trial did not prove that Zimmerman had racist motives at any point during his confrontation with Martin. That means race shouldn't be a part of the conversation regarding the case. "Let's not go into a racial discussion unless we really have something there," he told radio hosts Domenick Nati and Nate Foutz. Cosby also blasted the news media and said that he had stopped paying attention to "high-profile" court cases after the Casey Anthony murder trial because journalists were so convinced she would be found guilty and yet she was not.... Regarding the Zimmerman trial, Cosby said that he did not think the state of Florida was able to prove its case against him. "I found that the prosecuti

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Lib e rty -vs- Tyr a nny (CNN) - Sen. John McCain, who lost in 2008 to the first African-American elected to the White House, said President Barack Obama's speech about race relations was "very impressive" and agreed that "stand your ground" laws should be re-examined, including those in his own state of Arizona. "The 'stand your ground' law may be something that may needs to be reviewed by the Florida legislature or any other legislature that has passed such legislation," McCain said on CNN's "State of the Union." Arizona is one of 30 states that have such laws, which give individuals certain legal rights in cases of self-defense. The law in Florida has come under scrutiny recently during the trial of George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer who shot and killed teenager Trayvon Martin last year during a confrontation. Asked if he thinks Arizona should review the law, McC

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Lib e rty -vs- Tyr a nny I listened to the full Presidential news conference this afternoon. Obama said some things that made sense. Then he made the following remarks that IMNHO told the nation in full agenda with respect to said issue. Having a in depth discussion of race relations might very well be appropriate and a general discussion is something that MOST American's would welcome. Using the Zimmerman verdict ks simply the WRONG event at possibly the right time. However, don't expect the President, the Department of Justice, or the liberal media or ultra liberal populace to understand what this means. If I can find a video of the full and complete news conference it will be posted later. Via: Memeorandum     Update : via You Tube.    Your views and thoughts are most welcome. Left and or Right leaning...

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Lib e rty -vs -Ty ra nny LA Times - At least six people were arrested Thursday night in San Bernardino after rocks and bottles were thrown and officers and pedestrians were attacked in a protest against the George Zimmerman trial verdict. The incident began about 8 p.m. as marchers moved south along Highland Avenue and were joined by others not initially involved with what was a peaceful protest at that point, according to police. Protesters ended up at a Jack in the Box restaurant near Waterman Avenue and Baseline Street and began hurling rocks and bottles at passing vehicles and officers who arrived at the scene, said Lt. Mike Madden of the San Bernardino Police Department. "They just saw the opportunity for civil unrest," Madden told the Los Angeles Times. Officers gave orders to disperse. At that point, groups of people took off running and began attacking and robbing pedestrians, according to police. Two of the six

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Lib e rty -vs- Tyr a nny The Attorney General telegraphing what the ultimate decision by the Justice Department is to be? Thinly veiled code words for racism throughout the "esteemed" Attorney General's remarks. The Text - The death of 17-year-old African-American Trayvon Martin, and the subsequent trial of the man who shot him, George Zimmerman, brought back some sore memories for the U.S. attorney general. "They brought me back to a number of experiences I had as a young man," Attorney General Eric Holder told the NAACP at their annual convention in Orlando Tuesday. "When I was pulled over twice and my car searched on the New Jersey Turnpike when I'm sure I wasn't speeding, or when I was stopped by a police officer while simply running to a catch a movie, at night in Georgetown, in Washington, D.C." The shooting, meanwhile, inspired personal comments from President Obama as well. "Yo

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Lib e rty -vs- Tyr a nny Now that the second degree murder trial of George Zimmerman is over, with the jury's proper verdict of "not guilty", the nation begins the process of sorting out what it all means. As well as how the nation should move forward, if it moves at all. View the following CNN video with Van Jones and Newt Gingrich... then, you be the judge. If reading body language helps pay close attention, it might aid you in making up your mind. Now, some takes from your's truly... This case is not about race. It is about a very stupid individual that acted stupidly in ignoring the police dispatcher's instructions on that fateful night. The DA, as well as the prosecuting team botched both the indictment and the prosecution of the indictment. Place the responsibility where it belongs rather than screaming racism. Bottom line, Zimmerman walked because an inept DA AMD prosecutors. It was not a case of secon

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Lib e rty -vs- Tyr a nny Debate over a women's reproductive rights, or put another way the right of a woman to select abortion continues. This nation, as a result of the SCOTUS 1973 decision legalizing abortion took the back alley abortion practice that was all to common before 1973 off the table. This was certainly a humane positive move forward. Yet here we are today in the month of July 2013 even more polarized and irrationally inclined than perhaps we were in 1973. Any reasonable and rational individual recognizes that abortion, certainly for the purpose of this discussion, means to terminate a developing fetus and thus the potential for human life. These same reasonable and rational individuals also realize that prior to a certain point in gestation the developing fetus is incapable of surviving outside the womb of the host female uterus, even with life support systems to keep it alive. Up until this point in gestation, typically

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Lib e rty -vs- Tyr a nny America must indeed do something to overcome the HU GE immigration problem created over the past thirty three plus years. A problem that everyone (in both parties) one knew was developing and yet no one in either party had any real interest in addressing. So... here we are. Faced with HU GE problem that won;'t go away by itself and will requires some level of rational thinking on the part of both the democrats as well as republicans. Speaker John Boehner may not get it right often, however, when he stated... “we’d be in a much weaker position if we didn’t act" with respect to immigration reform he was EXACTLY right. THE HILL - Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) urged their House Republican colleagues to pass immigration reform legislation in a closed-door meeting Wednesday, with the Speaker arguing his conference would be “in a much weaker position” if it failed to act. A divi

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Lib e rty -vs- Tyr a nny For those on the left side of the aisle, and  those on the right side of the aisle who are REA LLY about getting something of substance accomplished the following will be REQU I RED .. Any questions? Via: Reason

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Liberty -vs- Tyranny Apparently some democrats and progressives consider putting a National Park on the Moon, at what cost only Zeus knows, is money money well spent. THE HILL - Two House Democrats have proposed legislation that would establish a national historical park on the surface of the moon to mark where the Apollo missions landed between 1969 and 1972. The bill from Reps. Donna Edwards (D-Md.) and Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas) would create the Apollo Lunar Landing Sites National Historical Park. The park would be comprised of all artifacts left on the surface of the moon from the Apollo 11 through 17 missions. The bill says these sites need to be protected because of the anticipated increase in commercial moon landings in the future. "As commercial enterprises and foreign nations acquire the ability to land on the Moon, it is necessary to protect the Apollo lunar landing sites for posterity," according to the text

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation U S A Lib e rty -vs- Tyr a nny Following 911, and the understandable fear it created in the hearts and minds of Americans, our federal government took steps to insure the security of the nation's citizenry and prevent possible future terrorist attacks. Beginning with the enactment of the Patriot Act the United States of America, in the pursuit of enhanced put into motion the legal mechanisms that can just as assuredly be used against the liberty of individuals as it can be used to provide national society ad thwarting terrorist attacks. Certainly the argument for grossly expanded federal power in the name of protecting the American people is a powerful one, one few people took issue with following the Islamist attack on the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001. From the initial enactment of the Patriot Act federal agencies like TSA, NSA, and the FISA court have grown ever more intrusive of the rights of innocent and law abiding citizens. This

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation U S A Libert y -vs- Tyrann y Having tired of the religious right's fanaticism and the rabid left's fanaticism, while arguing for reasonable and reasoned positions for reproductive rights for women and at the same time arguing to recognize the right of a viable fetus to continue life, it is clear to me this debate will continue into the next century and possibly beyond. So, this being my last post on the issue I leave you with the insanity. Just minutes after a House panel Wednesday passed a package of sweeping abortion restrictions, Reps. Donna Howard, a Democrat, and Steve Toth and Bill Zedler, both Republicans, got into an interesting and at times heated discussion . This happened right after several House Republicans held an impromptu presser in the back of the hearing room following an 8-3 partly line vote to pass House Bill 2. Howard, who joined Democratic colleagues in a presser of their own, was still hanging around the hearing

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation U S A Libe r ty -vs- Tyra n ny Ex-President George W. Bush and President Barack Obama converse during this week's trip to Tanzania. (Doug Mills/The New York Times) This should be interesting. dallasnews -A president named Obama may be most linked to overhauling immigration policy. But on Wednesday, George W. Bush will weigh in. Bush will deliver opening remarks at an citizenship ceremony and immigration forum at the Dallas presidential center bearing his name, where it’s expected he will talk about how immigration reform will be good for America. A panel discussion titled “What Immigrants Contribute” will follow. The day will start with 20 immigrants taking a quick pathway to citizenship at an actual naturalization ceremony. It’s unclear whether the ex-president will stick to generalities during his remarks at the citizenship ceremony, or elevate the conversation with details about the super-sized immigration bill now being debated

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation U S A Libe rty -vs- Tyra nny Stirring words spoken by a man who happened to be the President of the United States of America who although elected twice to the highest office in the land by the American People would not even receive the nomination of his party were he running in 2016. A shame, but the stark truth. Those who really know and understand his record realize this truth. A big h/t to the Left Coast Rebel blog. Happy Independence Day !!!

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation U S A Libe rty -vs- Tyra nny Today is Independence Day in the United States of America. A day in which ALL Americans should take pride, as well as being thankful for the liberties we enjoy as a people.  Governed by the rule of law , free from the religious tyranny of the dark ages as well as present day extreme Islam , and fundamentalist Christianity... We have our founding fathers and the Constitution they gave us to thank for this incredible, and increasingly rare reality. A recent and timely GALLUP POLL sheds light on American citizens perspective and  Pride in the USA. As the United States celebrates Independence Day, most of its adult residents continue to say they are proud to be an American, including 57% who are extremely proud and 28% who are very proud. This high level of pride in being an American has varied only moderately over the past 12 years since the question was first asked, but has been lower since 2005 than it

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation U S A Libe rty -vs- Tyra nny I am sure many millions have contemplated what the United States of America might look like should Sarah Palin ever be elected president. I know I have. The following is an article that contemplates such a scenario. Although it is a fictional scenario it could conceivably happen. Contemplating beyond just a possible Palin presidency... Any religious right wing politician might very well change the United States of America along the lines discussed in the the article. Trashing the Constitution in the process. Perhaps the best course for United States Citizens is to study the issues of the day, work to gain a better understanding of the Constitution and the rights it protects and guarantees, and improve knowledge of the workings of our government. Doing so would certainly result in making more informed voting decisions. By PATRICK GAVIN - The McCain/Palin ticket lost in 2008, right? Fiction can change that. ”

From the Desk Of: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Libe rty -vs- Tyra nny Received this in the inbox at Rational Nation USA this afternoon. It certainly seems to apply to some executives and almost ALL politicians methinks. A bit crude but entertaining . . . ENJOY!!! *Mathematics:* This comes from 2 math teachers with a combined total of 70 yrs experience. It has an indisputable mathematical logic. It also made me laugh out loud. This is a strictly mathematical viewpoint. It goes like this: What makes 100%? What does it mean to give MORE than 100%? Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%? We have all been to those meetings where someone wants you to give over 100%. How about achieving 103%? What makes up 100% in life? Here's a little mathematical formula that might help you answer these questions: If: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Is represented as: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 2

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation U S A Libe rty -vs- Tyra nny Kirsten Powers is a woman of the left. Yet there has always been something about her that I knew set her apart from the pack. It's called COMMON SENSE Kirsten recently reaffirmed my belief in her ability to reason clearly. THE DAILY BEAST - It’s amazing what is considered heroism these days. A Texas legislator and her pink sneakers have been lionized for an eleventh-hour filibuster against a bill that would have made it illegal for mothers to abort babies past 20 weeks of pregnancy, except in the case of severe fetal abnormalities or to protect the life or health of the mother. But the fight is not over. The bill will be reintroduced, and supporters of the ban are optimistic it will pass. For now, Wendy Davis has achieved the dubious victory of maintaining a very dark status quo. Texas women will still be able to abort a healthy baby up to the 26th week of pregnancy for any reason, as the current law all

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation U S A Libe rty -vs- Tyra nny America is indeed changing . More accepting and tolerant. For certain the nation has a long way to go before bigotry and prejudice is finally eradicated for good. But the movement is encouraging and no amount of religious right influence or  latent racial prejudice will stop the trajectory. Some interesting snippets of the changing times. USA TODAY -...  Last year was the first time a majority of Americans had backed gay marriage. The only major demographic groups in which a majority oppose same-sex marriage are Republicans (68%) and seniors 65 and older (51%). Even in the South, which continues to be the only region that doesn't show majority support for gay marriage, opposition has slipped below 50%. • By a narrower margin, 48%-43%, those surveyed favor the Supreme Court's decision declaring unconstitutional part of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which barred the federal government

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation U S A Libe rty -vs- Tyra nny This individual has enjoyed his four plus years spent political blogging. It has been my pleasure to encounter some very intelligent individuals from the conservative libertarian side as well as from the liberal progressive side. Of course the downside has been there are are in fact some really dumb individuals on both sides. Individuals that lack the ability as well as the desire to even consider that there may be a different and possibly better way of looking at and approaching issues. I'm sure you all know somebody like that. For me the journey has been informative and instructional. All of us develop our values, principles, and aspirations based in large share on our early life experience. For those with active and inquiring minds I'm fairy certain you understand. For those who prefer the known and avoid the temporary mind chaos of considering and sorting out new ideas and concepts, well turn in to Fox N