Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Scalise - Face of the GOP?...

Rational Nation USA
Purveyor of Truth


Is this what the party of Lincoln has turned into?

WASHINGTON — Speaker John A. Boehner on Tuesday expressed “full confidence” in Representative Steve Scalise of Louisiana, the No. 3 Republican leader in the House, as he sought to quell a racially charged controversy shaking the party after Mr. Scalise confirmed that he had addressed a white supremacist group a dozen years ago.

Mr. Boehner’s statement of support was his first public comment since the news broke on Monday night, a period filled with calls from some Republican and conservative commentators, as well as Democrats, for Republican leaders to shove Mr. Scalise from the leadership post. The flap roiled Republicans just as they were poised for a celebratory takeover of Congress when the new session opens next week.

“More than a decade ago, Representative Scalise made an error in judgment, and he was right to acknowledge it was wrong and inappropriate,” Mr. Boehner said. “Like many of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, I know Steve to be a man of high integrity and good character. He has my full confidence as our whip, and he will continue to do great and important work for all Americans.”

Indeed a firestorm has broken out and the result is likely to be declining support for the republican party. Especially in the non white minority community.

For more on this breaking story check out the following links.

Steve Scalise's attendance at 2002 white nationalists event ignites political firestorm

Scalise In 1999: I Agree With KKK Leader On ‘Conservative’ Issues But 'He Can't Get Elected'

How Do You Show Up at a David Duke Event and Not Know What It Is?

David Duke: Focus on me and House GOP leader is ‘insane’

Can a leopard change its spots?

You be the judge...

Via: Memeorandum

Friday, December 26, 2014

2015 Could Be a Bad Year for Liberals...

Rational Nation USA
Purveyor of Truth



2015 is going to be a very busy year for the Supreme Court of the United States and one that will result in defining moments on several fronts or issues. In just the first six months the SCOTUS will hear issues major that have divided political and social spectrum for some time.

Topping the list are:

1) Obama care
2) Same-sex marriage equality
3) Religious freedom
4) Freedom of speech

For details on the above short list and more GO HERE.

Via: Memeorandum

Senator Bernie Sanders Considering a 2016 Presidential Candidacy...

Rational Nation USA
Purveyor of Truth



As an advocate of equal opportunity for all; rather than the equai results for all that some prograssives and socialists hold out as the ultimate end, it is hard to imagine ever supporting a candidate for president such as Senator Bernie Sanders.

With income disparity between the very rich and the middle to lower economic strata continuing to increase it is likely the appeal for progressive/socialist politicians like Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders will grow as well.

Conservative republican and libertarian thinkers and politicians would be well served revisiting the social and economic conditions of the country's populace each time a progressive candidate has won the White House and liberal thinking grew in congress.

Senator Sanders likely sees the times as being ripe for a socialist president in America. Candidates advocating capitalism really need to step back and begin viewing things long range and with respect to the contry as a whole. Their long term rational self interest may very well depend on it.

BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) -- Vermont independent Sen. Bernie Sanders says he'll decide by March whether to launch a 2016 presidential campaign and, if so, whether he'll seek the Democratic nomination. Either way, Sanders says he wouldn't run just to nudge the debate to the left.

"I don't want to do it unless I can do it well," he told The Associated Press. "I don't want to do it unless we can win this thing."

Sanders, a socialist, said he grew up "solidly lower middle class" in a Jewish family in Brooklyn - his father, an immigrant from Poland, sold paint for a living -and his views about the distribution of wealth were formed early.

"A lack of money in my family was a very significant aspect of my growing up ... kids in my class would have new jackets, new coats, and I would get hand-me-downs," Sanders said.

After his graduation from the University of Chicago, Sanders came to Vermont in the 1960s as part of the counterculture, back-to-the-land movement that turned the state from solid Yankee Republican into one of the bluest in the country.

He won his first election - for Burlington mayor - by 10 votes, and since then has carried a consistent message thought eight terms in the House and now his second term in the Senate: The rich have too much, the poor and working class not enough.

Continue reading BELOW THE FOLD.

Continue reading BELOW THE FOLD.

Via: Memeorandum

Monday, December 22, 2014

The Other Side of the Story...

Rational Nation USA
Purveyor of Truth


In our concern for a "perfect system" and our desire for a "perfect equality" we often fail to recognize the immense sacrifices those who protect our communities make daily. Often the sacrifice is their own lives. The following Time article by Howard Safir points out what many seem to be leaving out of our national dialogue and the result is painting law enforcement officers into a collective box.

We have seen nothing but police bashing from some of the highest offices in the land.

Police lives matter. Let’s demonstrate it nationally.

Michael Brown and Eric Garner died resisting arrest. Officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu died doing their job. It is a very important distinction. Michael Brown and Eric Garner were committing crimes. Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu were protecting all the citizens of New York City.

The national dialogue on proper and effective policing has been totally distorted. Activists purporting to represent the majority of the black community have been bolstered by a 24 hour news cycle that gives them unwarranted credibility. I do not believe for one minute that Al Sharpton represents the feelings of most hardworking, law abiding black American families. I know through dozens of community meetings during my time as NYC Police Commissioner that what the black community wants most is what we all want—a safe environment in which to live their lives.

There are 18,000 police departments in the United States. They interact millions of times with the public, and make hundreds of thousands of arrests. Very few result in a suspect’s death or injury. We do not have police forces out of control as the media and the Sharptons of the world would have us believe. Does that mean that there are not serious incidents of police abuse or misjudgment? Of course there are. When they take place we should investigate them thoroughly and prosecute and punish those who committed the wrong doing. We should not burn down buildings and murder police officers.

When Ismaaiyl Abdulah Brinsley brutally executed Officers Ramos and Liu he did so in an atmosphere of permissiveness and anti-police rhetoric unlike any that I have seen in 45 years in law enforcement. ...

SKIP

We should all be concerned about the reaction our police officers will have. I have seen times when police bashing has resulted in officers doing the minimum necessary to complete their tours and go home safely to their families.

Those were the times when murders in New York were over 2,000, cars had “No Radio” signs in surrender to rampant auto theft, and gangs controlled the streets. I know this can happen again in spite of the sacrifice of hundreds of police officers who have given their lives while reducing violent crime across this country to historic lows.

SKIP

The President should declare a national day of Support for Police. He should send a clear message to all criminals that he appreciates the willingness of officers like Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu to sacrifice their lives, and that their lives have meaning. Perhaps their families should be present at the next State of the Union.

It is indeed time to move from the twilight zone into a rational daylight zone and attack the problem and not each other. We will solve this problem only if we move forward together as brothers and sisters who have shared interests. United we stand divided we fall.

Read the full article HERE.

Via: Memeorandum

Rest in Peace Joe Cocker... May 20, 1944 to December 22, 2014



BBC - The Sheffield-born singer had a career lasting more than 40 years, with hits including You Are So Beautiful and Up Where We Belong.

His agent Barrie Marshall said Cocker, who died after battling lung cancer, was "simply unique".

Sir Paul McCartney said he was a lovely guy who "brought so much to the world".

Cocker's friend Rick Wakeman, keyboard player for the rock band Yes, called his rendition of With a Little Help From My Friends "sensational" and said: "He had a voice that was just unique."

Wakeman told BBC Radio 2: "The great thing is with someone like Joe is what they leave behind, and that will be with us for years and years."

MORE...

An Understandable Lack of Respect...

Rtional Nation USA
Purveyor of Truth


Nothing else need be said...

Friday, December 19, 2014

More On Normalizing Diplomatic Relations with Cuba...

Rational Nation USA
Purveyor of Truth


Even some of the most virulent anti Castro communist regime Cubans recognize the value and validity of President Obama's initiative to relax restrictions and normalize relations with our neighbor 90 from the Florida cost. Perhaps Rubio, Cruz, Melendez, and the FOX News talking heads, as well as the rest of the bobbleheaded naysayers with be struck by a bolt of reason and get on board. But we're npt goona hold our breaths.

MIAMI (AP) — Hours before President Barack Obama announced an end to a half-century of U.S. efforts to isolate Cuba's communist government, the Cuban American National Foundation opened the doors to its inviting new headquarters, with a modern glass and concrete lobby in the heart of Miami's Cuban exile community

The symbolism is hard to ignore: The lobbying group was founded in 1981 by veterans of covert U.S.-supported missions to overthrow Fidel and Raul Castro, and for many years it worked to undermine the communist government from offices in an unmarked Miami building outside Little Havana. A guard kept out unwelcome visitors, and its leader Jorge Mas Canosa tended to leave little room for differing opinions.

But Mas Canosa's son, Jorge Mas Santos, has transformed the foundation since his father's death in 1997, and the new building is better suited to this latest, more direct and transparent chapter in U.S. Cuba relations.

It also reflects how a niche industry of passionate anti-Castro groups, sustained in part by millions of U.S. taxpayer dollars over the decades, will have to adapt to new ways of dealing with Cuba.

"I think now everybody is going to be — and should be — more open about the activities they do with the opposition in Cuba," the foundation's president, Pepe Hernandez, told The Associated Press in an interview.

Hernandez's own support for an armed overthrow of the Castro brothers still make it impossible for him to set foot in Cuba. But he now says the kind of peaceful, people-to-people contacts Obama spoke of Wednesday will be more effective (emphasis mine).

Hopefully Senator Rand Paul and the Chamber of Commerce will continue to speak out (and put on a full court press) along with President Obama and ultimately convince the bobbleheads to end the embargo against the people of Cuba.

Read the full story BELOW THE FOLD.

Via: Memeorandum

Rubio Believes Paul is Clueless...

Rational Nation USA
Pureyor of Truth


Summing it up for those who follow the insanity rule, which is, if it isn't working keep doing the same thing for as long as it takes until it does Senator Rubio declares Senator Paul "clueless" for his support of Presidemt Obama's move to ease restrictions and normalize diplomatic relations with Cuba.

The 50-year embargo just hasn’t worked, if the goal was regime change, it sure doesn’t seem to be working,” Paul, Kentucky’s junior senator, said during an interview this week. “Probably, it punishes the people more than the regime because the regime can blame the embargo for hardship.” - Senator Rand Paul


I would expect that people would understand that if they just took a moment to analyze that, they would realize that the embargo is not what’s hurting the Cuban people, it’s the lack of freedom and the lack of competent leaders.” - Senator Marco Rubio

From this corner of reality we would expect most people, after analyzing the Rubio and Rand statements and position from a reasoned rational persective, will judge Rubio rather than Paul to be suffering from cluelessness.

Read tHe full story BELOW THE FOLD.

Via: Memeorandum

Thursday, December 18, 2014

Senator Rand Paul on Normalizing Relations with Cuba...

Rational Nation USA
Purveyor of Truth


President Obama's announcement that the United States of America and Cuba will begin normalizing relations is good news and long overdue. The Cuban embargo, expanded during the Kennedy administration on February 7, 1962 in response to the Soviet/Cuban missile threat to include almost all imports has, for all intent purposes, been a failure. It has failed to move the communist regime to lessen it's oppresion and democtatize the government. What it has done is closed Cuban markets to American businesses, restricted travel to and from the island, and denied the Cuban people the opportunity to benefit from trade between our two countries. As the saying goes... 'insanity is doing the same thing over and over again while expecting different results'.

While a majority of likely republican presidental canditates have walked the conservative line highly critized President Obama's decision to work with Pesident Raul Castro to nomaralize relations; Senator Rand Paul has chosed to be the voice of reason on the right. “The 50-year embargo just hasn’t worked,” Paul said in remarks confirmed by his office. “If the goal is regime change, it sure doesn’t seem to be working and probably it punishes the people more than the regime because the regime can blame the embargo for hardship.”

It is time we normalize relations with our island neighbor 90 miles to the south of us and for congress to authorize a complete and total lifting of the failked embargo. Senator Paul is spot on corect. His party should listen to his voice of reason and common sense.

POLITICO - Sen. Rand Paul broke with other likely Republican presidential contenders on Thursday by saying that opening up more trade with Cuba “is probably a good idea” and declaring that the U.S. embargo on the country “just hasn’t worked.”

The Kentucky senator’s comments to the West Virginia radio station News Talk 800 WVHU came a day after the White House announced it would normalize relations with the communist island.

The other likely GOP 2016 contenders who have weighed in so far on the plans have expressed fierce opposition. But Paul has taken a number of positions on foreign policy that have been at odds with many in his party.

SKIP

The latest action doesn’t formally lift the decades-old U.S. embargo on Cuba — that would require an act of Congress. But it will include establishing diplomatic relations, opening an embassy and easing restrictions on a range of activities, including some financial transactions.

Paul in the past has indicated support for allowing diplomatic talks with Iran over its nuclear program to continue, another policy at odds with many leading Republicans. He also has argued that a less aggressive foreign policy is appealing to younger voters and others who don’t traditionally vote for Republicans.

More HERE, and HERE

Via: Memeorandum

Friday, December 12, 2014

Democrats Bought By Special Interest Money, and They Say It's All Republicans...

Rational Nation USA 
Purveyor of Truth

We'll start with the thing that will catch your attention, as is the way: Democrats who voted for the giant spending bill on Thursday night received, on average, twice the campaign contributions from the finance/insurance/real estate industry as their colleagues who voted against it.

Yes folks, it's true. Money talks, regardless of party affiliation. And so we continue witnessing the purchase of influence by the wealthy and powerful.

Does this register? Does it tell us anything? Should it tell us anything? Or do we simply go along to get along and be thankful things are as they are? It seems worth questioning what we view as our biggest national domestic problems.

READ THE FULL WASHINGTON POST ARTICLE.

Via: Memeoandum

UPDATE:

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon made calls to lawmakers on Thursday urging them to support the “cromnibus” spending bill...

Dimon's involvement came amid progressive outrage that the House cromnibus included a provision that they said would weaken Wall Street regulations.


FULL STORY HERE.

Thursday, December 11, 2014

Averting Government Shutdown At What Cost?...

What has thrown the plan into chaos is that numerous House Democrats are defecting over extraneous policy provisions that would weaken derivative trading rules on big banks and loosen campaign finance laws. The bill likely will need significant Democratic support to pass.

If ever there was or is a reason to oppose a federal spending bill to fund the government the above is it. We absolutly do not need looser campaign finance laws and a relaxation on derivative trading rules. Risky bank behavoir and loose campaign finance laws is a dandy recipe for disaster.

TPM - House Republican leaders are skating on thin ice with the government funding bill, facing stiff opposition from the left and the right that threatens passage just hours before a midnight deadline to avert a shutdown.

GOP leaders temporarily recessed the House and postponed a final vote scheduled for the afternoon, while informing members to be ready to vote.

"Leadership teams are still talking to their respective Members. A vote is still planned for this afternoon," a House Republican leadership aide said.

Republicans long expected some opposition from their right flank due to the fact that the $1.1 trillion spending bill doesn't block President Barack Obama's executive actions on immigration.

Skip

he Democratic opposition is being led by Rep. Chris Van Hollen (MD) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (MA), who call the bank provision a giveaway to Wall Street.

According to multiple sources, the legislation was negotiated by GOP and Democratic leaders in the House and Senate. House Democratic leaders stress that they don't support all the provisions in the bill but want to keep the government open. They say they are not whipping against the bill.

The White House came out for the bill after it cleared a test vote in the House by a narrow 214-212 margin earlier on Thursday. It said it objects to the weakening of Wall Street reform but signaled Obama would sign the bill anyway.

A fallback plan Republican leaders are considering is to pass a short-term spending bill for two or three months to maintain the status quo and kick the task to the next Congress.

There is always a fall back plan. One way or another the Amerian people are likely going to get screwed.

Via: Memeorandum

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Bush/CIA On The Hot Spot Over Post 911 Interrogation Techniques...

Rational Nation USA
Purveyor of Trith


It's going to get heated over the report on Bush era CIA torture post 911. As the rest of the world undoubtedly verbalize its condemnation.



As people work their way through the passel of documents that is the Senate Intelligence Committee's report on post-9/11, Bush-era CIA torture, Fox News is ready to weigh in: The long-planned doc dump is all political subterfuge. The reactions of some of the hosts of the network's Outnumbered, though, was Fox News at their most stridently jingoistic.

Skip to about 2:15 video clip embedded above where it gets really interesting. Read the REST OF THE STORY.

Via: Memeorandum

Sunday, December 7, 2014

Institutionalized Racism in America...

by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Purveyor of Truth


America has a race problem. As with any problem of consequence there are many sides, or slants to the narrative. With a problem rooted as far back in history as the race problem in the Untied States of America the issues are complex and the solution, if it is to be found, will require shedding old paradigms and beliefs held by many white folks. Like it or not this is the simple truth.

Environment has a lot to do with ones views and beliefs. If a child is raised in an environment that teaches respect for all people regardless of color or ethnicity, combined with parental examples that one should extend respect to all regardless of color or ethnicity the likelihood is that the child will grow into adulthood carrying these belief with them.

One of the biggest reasons racial tensions continue to persist in America in the 21st century is because the foregoing simple truths are not universally understood and practiced by all.

Us white folks today certainly have nothing to do with the history of oppressing and enslaving blacks. Yet to deny that institutionalized racial bigotry and racism continues to exist today is either to be naïve or willfully ignorant. To deny that distrust and suspicion of people of color by many white folks indeed continues to be a reality in the 21st century is to admit burying your head in the sand.

Few, if any respectable and law abiding black or white folks condone the violent and anarchistic activity of the thugs looting and destroying the property and businesses of innocent community members in Ferguson or anywhere else. Yet perusing any of the hard right weblogs will lead any rationally thinking individual to realize just how deep seated the racial prejudice and bigotry runs in some. Even today in the 21st century.

When people rely on surface appearances and false racial stereotypes, rather than in-depth knowledge of others at the level of the heart, mind and spirit, their ability to assess and understand people accurately is compromised. James A. Forbes

While we dance in the streets and pat ourselves on the back for being a nation great enough to reach beyond racial divides to elect our first African-American president, let us not forget that we remain a nation still proudly practicing prejudice. Harvey Fierstein


America has a race problem, and for those white folks who question why this is a valid statement it might be a good time to start looking in the mirror.

Please take the time to read the following and understand why it was written. But most importantly why it is necessary to understand.

The Washington Post By Redditt Hudson - As a kid, I got used to being stopped by the police. I grew up in an inner-ring suburb of St. Louis. It was the kind of place where officers routinely roughed up my friends and family for no good reason.

I hated the way cops treated me.

But I knew police weren’t all bad. One of my father’s closest friends was a cop. He became a mentor to me and encouraged me to join the force. He told me that I could use the police’s power and resources to help my community.

So in 1994, I joined the St. Louis Police Department. I quickly realized how naive I’d been. I was floored by the dysfunctional culture I encountered.

I won’t say all, but many of my peers were deeply racist.

One example: A couple of officers ran a Web site called St. Louis Coptalk, where officers could post about their experience and opinions. At some point during my career, it became so full of racist rants that the site administrator temporarily shut it down. Cops routinely called anyone of color a “thug,” whether they were the victim or just a bystander.

This attitude corrodes the way policing is done.

As a cop, it shouldn’t surprise you that people will curse at you, or be disappointed by your arrival. That’s part of the job. But too many times, officers saw young black and brown men as targets. They would respond with force to even minor offenses. And because cops are rarely held accountable for their actions, they didn’t think too hard about the consequences.

Once, I accompanied an officer on a call. At one home, a teenage boy answered the door. That officer accused him of harboring a robbery suspect, and demanded that he let her inside. When he refused, the officer yanked him onto the porch by his throat and began punching him.

Another officer met us and told the boy to stand. He replied that he couldn’t. So the officer slammed him against the house and cuffed him. When the boy again said he couldn’t walk, the officer grabbed him by his ankles and dragged him to the car. It turned out the boy had been on crutches when he answered the door, and couldn’t walk.

Back at the department, I complained to the sergeant. I wanted to report the misconduct. But my manager squashed the whole thing and told me to get back to work.

I, too, have faced mortal danger. I’ve been shot at and attacked. But I know it’s almost always possible to defuse a situation.

Once, a sergeant and I got a call about someone wielding a weapon in an apartment. When we showed up, we found someone sitting on the bed with a very large butcher knife. Rather than storming him and screaming “put the knife down” like my colleagues would have done, we kept our distance. We talked to him, tried to calm him down.

It became clear to us that he was dealing with mental illness. So eventually, we convinced him to come to the hospital with us.

I’m certain many other officers in the department would have escalated the situation fast. They would have screamed at him, gotten close to him, threatened him. And then, any movement from him, even an effort to drop the knife, would have been treated as an excuse to shoot until their clips were empty.

* * *

I liked my job, and I was good at it.

But more and more, I felt like I couldn’t do the work I set out to do. I was participating in a profoundly corrupt criminal justice system. I could not, in good conscience, participate in a system that was so intentionally unfair and racist. So after five years on the job, I quit.

A simple yet powerful principle... "Seek first to understand, then to be understood."

Via: Memeorandum

Friday, December 5, 2014

USA Economy Starting To Percolate...

Rational Nation USA
Purveyor of Truth


Uh oh, overall good economic news, including the best increase in jobs for a single month in 15 years. What next, the Dow sprinting above 18,000? Can not help but thinking about whether the current administration gets any credit for the improved performance and if the Tea Boys and Girls are working on the next scandel yet.

After more than five years of elusive gains, ordinary Americans may finally be about to see the benefits of the recovery where it really counts: in their pocketbooks and wallets.

The Labor Department reported Friday that employers added 321,000 jobs in November — a much stronger number than expected — but perhaps even more significant was the biggest gain in average hourly earnings since June 2013.

Hourly earnings rose by 0.4 percent in November, double what economists had been expecting. That gain in hourly pay was significantly above the measly 0.1 percent increase in October, let alone the unchanged number in September. At the same time, the number of hours worked ticked up by one-tenth, adding to pay envelopes.

“The pairing of strong hiring and wage gains is a really strong indicator of the health of the economy,” said Tara Sinclair, chief economist at Indeed.com, a leading job search website. “Now, we want to see people coming back into the work force and also finding the right jobs for them in terms of wages, skills, and hours.”

The pickup in wage growth is coming as gasoline prices are plunging, providing a double boon for consumers and retailers with the holiday shopping season underway.

For the year as a whole, the gain in jobs, with one month still to go, is shaping up as the best in 15 years.

In economics most things cut both ways, however, and Friday’s report was no exception.

The nascent labor market strength makes it more likely the Federal Reserve will start raising short-term interest rates sooner rather than later. Most economists expect the central bank to increase interest rates in mid-2015, after leaving them near zero since the depths of the financial crisis in late 2008. Some now argue that the Fed may move to raise its key interest rate lever as early as March next year, but most are still sticking with midyear.

As positive as the figures for November were, one month’s data probably isn’t enough to shift the Fed’s thinking, said Guy Berger, chief United States economist at RBS. “You’d have to see these kinds of number over the next three or four months, then March comes into play,” he said. “Our view now is that the first rate hike will come in June.”

Full article with video BELOW THE FOLD.

Via: Memeorandum

Thursday, December 4, 2014

Top Dems Now Questioning Wisdom Of Political Capital Spent On ObamaCare...

Rational Nation USA
Purveyor of Truth


THE HILL - Influential Democrats who have strongly defended Obama-Care for years are now publicly questioning whether the law was worth the political fallout.

Passage of the Affordable Care Act marked the start of a political unraveling for the Democratic Party, which lost huge majorities in Congress and control of a majority of state governorships in the last four and a half years.

Sen. Charles Schumer (N.Y.), the third-ranking member of the Senate Democratic leadership, said last week that ObamaCare was not worth the political cost. And he’s not alone.
Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), the chairman of the Senate Health Education Labor and Pensions Committee, told The Hill that Democrats should have enacted a single-payer healthcare system or a public option. In retrospect, Harkin said, Democrats should have not passed the bill they did. While he says the ACA enacted some good reforms, he bemoans its daunting complexity.

Schumer’s and Harkin’s recent remarks are quite different than in prior years. After the Supreme Court upheld ObamaCare’s individual mandate, Harkin hailed the ruling as “great news for America’s families, businesses and our economy. The Affordable Care Act moves us forward where every person has affordable, quality healthcare in America.”

Schumer, meanwhile, in 2010 said, “I predict … by November those who voted for healthcare will find it an asset; those who voted against it will find it a liability.”

But the law has struggled to gain traction with the public and has been a boon to the GOP politically. In short, many Democrats are tired of waiting.

The public criticism of the law, the centerpiece of President Obama’s legacy, has ignited a debate within the Democratic Party.

Democrats are arguing among themselves about whether to focus on the poor, who are not reliable voters, or the middle class, who have started to turn to the Republican Party.

Schumer argued at a speech at the National Press Club that Democrats “blew the opportunity the American people gave them” by passing healthcare reform in 2009 and 2010 instead of working on economic legislation designed to help middle-class voters.

Opps!!! But as they say, "it is what it is".

Read more BELOW THE FOLD.

Via: Memeorandum

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

President Obama's Statement on Eric Garner Decision...

Rational Nation USA
Purveyor of Truth



More ABC US news | ABC World News

Video transcript:

Transcript for Obama After Eric Garner Decision: ‘This Is an American Problem’

Some of you may have heard there was a decision that came out today by a grand jury not to indict. Police officers who had. Interacted with the an individual named Eric Garner in New York City. All of which was caught on videotape. And speaks to the larger issues that. We've been talking about now for. The last week the last month but last year and sadly. For decades. And that is. The concern on the part of too many minority communities that law enforcement. Is not. Working with them and dealing with them. In a fair way. And there's going to be. I'm sure additional statements by law enforcement my tradition is not too. Remark on cases were there may still be an investigation. But I wanna read understand that this week. In the wake of Ferguson. We initiated. A task force. Whose job it is to come back. To me with a specific recommendations about how we strengthen. The relationship between law enforcement. And communities of color and minority communities that feel. That. Bias is taking place. That we are going to take specific steps to improve the training. And to work with state and local governments. When it comes to policing. In communities. Of color. That we are gonna be scrupulous in investigating cases where. We are concerned about. The impartiality. And accountability that's taking place. And as I said when I met way of folks both from Ferguson and law enforcement and clergy and civil rights activists. I served as an issue that we've been dealing with for too long and it's time for us to make more progress than we've met. And I'm not interest and talk some interest in action and I am absolutely committed as president of the United States. To making sure. That we have a country in which everybody believes. In the core principle that we are equal under the law. Soon. I just got off the phone with mine attorney general or colder you'll have more specific comments about the case in New York. But I want everybody know here as well was. Everybody who may be viewing my remarks here today. We are not going to let up until we see. A strengthening of the trust. And a strengthening of the accountability. That exists between our communities and our law enforcement and I say that as somebody who believes that law enforcement has an incredibly difficult job. That every man or woman in uniform. Are putting their lives at risk to protect us. That they have the right to come home. Is like we do from our jobs. That there's real crime out there that. They've got to tackle a day in day out. But that there are only going to be able to do their job effectively if everybody has confidence in the system. And right now unfortunately we are seeing too many instances where people just do not have confidence that folks are being treated fairly. And in some cases those maybe maybe misperceptions. But in some cases that's a reality. And is in come in about all of us as Americans. Regardless of race. Region. Faith. That we recognize this is an American problem and not just a black problem or brown problem or. A native American problem this is an American prompt when anybody in this country is not being treated equally under the law. That's brought. And it's my job as president to help solve.

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.


What say you?

Via: Memeorandum

Bigoted Hateful Baptist Preacher Calls For Extermination Of LGBT People...

Rational Nation USA
Purveyor of Truth


Can anybody tell us what separates this "Man of God" from the bigoted Clerics of the Faith of Islam? I'm really, really curious.

RAW STORY - A Baptist pastor in Tempe, Arizona called for the mass extermination of LGBT people on Sunday in a sermon entitled “AIDS: The Judgement of God.”

In the sermon, which was uploaded to YouTube on Monday from Faithful Word Baptist Church, Pastor Steven Anderson said that God has ordered in the scriptures that gays should be killed, and that if humanity wants to have an “AIDS-free world by Christmas,” he said, that’s what should be done.

“Turn to Leviticus 20:13,” he says in the video, “because I actually discovered the cure for AIDS.”

“If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them,” Anderson read aloud.

“And that, my friend, is the cure for AIDS,” he said. “It was right there in the Bible all along — and they’re out spending billions of dollars in research and testing. It’s curable — right there. Because if you executed the homos like God recommends, you wouldn’t have all this AIDS running rampant.”

At another point in his sermon, Anderson had a foot-stomping, shouting tantrum about the idea that people can be LGBT and Christian. There will never be any gays in his church, he said, not ever, ever, ever.

“No homos will ever be allowed in this church as long as I am pastor here,” he insisted. “Never! Say ‘You’re crazy.’ No, you’re crazy if you think that there’s something wrong with my ‘no homo’ policy.”

Make no mistake about it. This raving maniac would be among the first to welcome our country embracing theocratic rule and leading the charge. Certainly there are many who would follow.

Continue reading BELOW THE FOLD.

Via: Memeorandum

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Truth trumps hype in Ferguson

Rational Nation USA
Purveyor of Truth


By Joe Scarborough - There are times when symbolic gestures pack a powerful punch. Fifty-nine years ago yesterday, Rosa Parks refused to give her bus seat to a white passenger. Parks' action became an important symbol for the Civil Rights movement and an inspiration to those fighting to end segregation in America. Thirteen years later, Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised their fists while lowering their heads during their medal ceremony at the Mexico City Summer Olympics in 1968. That symbolic act jarred America and shoved the topic of racial prejudice into the face of millions of TV viewers. Their protests were an act of defiance against a system that still treated black Americans different than white Americans.

Forty-six years later, Barack Obama is president of the United States, Eric Holder is attorney general, and the CEOs of corporations like American Express, McDonald’s, and Xerox are African-Americans. Despite the remarkable progress made over the past generation, America's criminal justice system still treats black Americans worse than it treats white Americans. That is the reality in the streets, in courtrooms, and in prison. This tragic reality has been the excuse given by some for violent protests in Ferguson, Missouri and for other marches across America. And while this is a conversation worthy of heated debate, the spectacle that has unfolded on TV screens since August has poorly served those who want to remove the stench of discrimination from our criminal justice system.

Please continue reading BELOW THE FOLD.

Via: Memeorandum

McConnell Bewildered Over Obama's Resonse to Democratic Losses...

Rational Nation USA
Purveyor of Truth


From the Wall Street Journal today. Is there a possibility of compromise and getting things done or will it be more of the same? America has indicated time and again it's displeasure with governmental gridlock and continual kicking the can done the road.



Immediately after the results were in, the White House and GOP leaders called for cooperation on trade, tax and other major issues. But the sides have since clashed, most notably over Mr. Obama’s executive order shielding millions of illegal immigrants from deportation. The White House also has announced plans with China to curb greenhouse gas emissions and called for new regulations on broadband providers, all to the dismay of Mr. McConnell and other Republicans.

Mr. McConnell said he has no objection to negotiating with the White House and gets along with Mr. Obama.

“We don’t have any personal problems,” he said. “There is however a deep philosophical difference.”

Full article at the above link.

What say you?

Via: Memeorandum

Monday, December 1, 2014

Presidential Hopeful Ben Carson on Ferguson, Women's Lib, and the Me Generation...

Rational Nation USA
Purveyor of Truth


Presidential hopeful Dr. Ben Carson expounds on the impact of the women' lib movement, the me generation, and their suspected link to Ferguson MO.



Read the article BELOW THE FOLD.

What say you?

Sunday, November 30, 2014

A New Racist Slogan, or Not?...

Rational Nation USA
Purveyor of Truth


Some believe the representation to be racist. Others do not. Including some African American's.


“I really haven’t heard that about (the beer),” said Anna Anderson, the manager of the Union Square location, who is African-American.

Many black customers and employees shrugged off the questionable undertones.

“It’s a beer,” said Taryn Harris, 40. “I didn’t interpret it that way. People are slaves to whatever they like. They’re a slave to their addictions, be it food or sex. That’s how I interpreted it, as an addiction, not anything else.”


What's your take?

Full text BELOW THE FOLD.

Via: Memeorandum

Friday, November 28, 2014

Black Ferguson Residents Protect White-Owned Business...

Rational Nation USA
Purveyor of Truth


There are, from time to time, heartening stories such as the following.

By Kathryn Schroeder - Amid the riots in Ferguson, one white-owned business has not had to close up shop—all thanks to a group of heavily armed black men.

Since the announcement that white police officer Darren Wilson would not be indicted in the shooting of black teenager Michael Brown, the streets of Ferguson have been in an uproar of rioting and looting. Businesses in a 2 square mile area outside of Ferguson have had to close and take measures to protect their property.

The white-owned Conoco gas station has remained open, though, because a group of male black Ferguson residents are keeping guard.

Derrick Johnson, a 6-foot-8 man, held an AR-15 assault rifle as he stood in a pickup truck near the station's convenience store entrance. Three other men joined Johnson, each armed with pistols.


The men said they are protecting the store out of respect for the white owner, Doug Merello, who employed them over the course of several years, reports Inquisitr.

“He’s a nice dude, he’s helped us a lot,” said one of the men who identified himself as R.J.

The men are not being paid by Merello, nor were any of the others that joined them on-and-off since the rioting began.

"We would have been burned to the ground many times over if it weren’t for them,” said Merello.

According to R.J., the men have chased away several groups of teenagers that were rampaging through the area.

Of course the image of any civilian in American having to stand guard over a legitimate business with an AK-15 during rioting caused by racial unrest is troubling and alarming. Isn't it time for a frank and rational discussion about our past as well as our present in regard to race? Understanding and facing the underlying mistrust and fear causing the riots in Ferguson will be essential to getting beyond the current reality with respect to race relations in America.

There are good and honorable black folks as well as good and honorable white folks, and the make up the majority in America. These are the folks that will be the ones to find a way out of the racial tensions that have always been a part of the United States of America. It is time it stops. For that to happen will require building trust between the brothers and sisters of different color.

Are we up to the task? We should all hope so. But much more importantly all Americans of good will must work to make it happen.

More of the article BELOW THE FOLD.

Via: Memeorandum

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

New York Times Irresponsibility...

Rational Nation USA
Purveyor of Truth


Main Stream news media acting ignorantly and irresponsibly.

Howard Kurtz - The New York Times, whether consciously or not, has just endangered Darren Wilson’s life.

With tensions running high in Ferguson over the lack of an indictment for Wilson’s killing of Michael Brown, the paper has published the officer’s approximate address -- the street and town where he lives with his new wife, who also is named.

Given the racial animosity unleashed by Brown’s death, given the rioting and the looting and the stores that were set afire, how can a news organization make it easier for some crazy zealot to track down Wilson?

But there it is in the paper:

“Officer Wilson and [blank] own a home together on [blank] Lane in [blank], Mo., a St. Louis suburb about a half-hour drive from Ferguson.”

I mean, why not add a locator map?

The piece was a seemingly innocuous scooplet about Wilson, who had dropped out of sight before the grand jury decision, getting married.

As Mediaite columnist Joe Concha puts it, “Regardless of your thoughts on Wilson’s guilt or innocence, how can anyone believe providing his street and name of his wife be anything but irresponsible?”

I suppose we shouldn't be the least bit surprised.

Full article BELOW THE FOLD.

Via: Memeorandum


By the way... HAPPY TURKEY DAY !!!

Abdul-Jabbar on Racism...

Text Via: TIME

President Obama Threatens Veto of Emerging Tax Deal...

Rational Nation USA
Purveyor of Truth


President Obama is threatening to veto the tax deal being worked out by Senator Reid and House Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp.

The White House on Tuesday threatened to veto an emerging deal that would restore several lapsed tax breaks, bringing into the open tensions between President Obama and the top Senate Democrat.

Skip

“The president would veto the proposed deal because it would provide permanent tax breaks to help well-connected corporations while neglecting working families,” Friedman said, just hours after reports emerged that a $450 billion deal on the tax breaks was close at hand and that negotiators hoped to wrap it up by Tuesday

The devil is always in the details but, could someone explain exactly why the interests of corporate America should trump the interests of the middle class or working poor?

More BELOW THE FOLD.

Via: Memeorandum

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Anarchy in Ferguson...

Rational Nation USA
Purveyor of Truth




Violence, looting, and rioting commenced last night in Ferguson Missouri following the announcement of the grand jury decision. Reaction to the decision not to prosecute the police officer who shot and killed Michael Brown is as anticipated.

Ferguson is know dealing with people who can only be considered anarchists. In response to a decision they did not agree with they are now creating additional victims. Innocent people who having nothing to do with the legal decision are having their businesses and property destroyed.

Rule of law means nothing to these individuals. In fits of irrational rage they are destroying property within their own community and creating destruction, not to mention jeopardizing public safety. Unacceptable under any circumstance these actions must be denounced in no uncertain terms and law enforcement must be allowed to restore order and calm.

Having said the forgoing, America has a race problem. Inequities of history have a way of coming home to roost. When they do, as often as not the result is not a desirable or pleasant one. Even as it is understandable.

It is time, no, it is woefully past time for this nation to face it's past and have an open, honest, and rational discussion on race. At the risk of being called many names by conservatives isn't time we confront our nation's history on race, admit the obvious hypocrisy that has existed, own up to the fact it still exists, and take the responsible actions most of us know is necessary?

I'm not holding my breath.

Monday, November 24, 2014

Rev. Al Sharpton Sounding Concerned...

Rational Nation USA
Purveyor of Truth



Never have cracked for Al Sharpton and will say right up front I likely never will.

Having said the above I must say I agree with Sharpton's analysis that Senator Rand Paul's efforts to reach out to the black community could hurt the democrats in 2016 should Paul be the eventual nominee. If Senator Paul is sincere, if he convincingly demonstrates his understanding of the black community's concerns and acts accordingly over the next two years he, and the republican sate could be quite formidable.

That would not be a bad thing. Republicans must begin recognizing the nation's changing demographics and the concerns, aspirations, fears, and the realities this change will bring. Responsible fiscal conservatives need to take the reigns of the party (from the hands of the most virulent Tea Party folks) and give American's of all persuasions multiple reasons to vote FOR them rather than against the democrats.

The issues facing this nation both fiscally and socially are large. Placing the importance of resolving these issues in the best interests of ALL Americans must trump the interests of party and special interests. It is possible Senator Paul knows this, is prepared to set the right tone, believes it is time do the right thing, and will walk the talk. Let's hope he does that he will.

And leave the low road of trying to instil fear to the Reverend Al Sharpton.

POLITICO - The Rev. Al Sharpton says Rand Paul’s efforts to engage black voters could present a strategic challenge for Democrats: If the Republican senator runs for president, fewer African Americans may be motivated to show up and vote against him.

The civil rights activist and TV host had breakfast with the Kentucky senator last week, and the pair discussed the need for criminal justice reform before disagreeing over how to deal with the immigration system.

Democrats have traditionally done well among African American voters, especially with Barack Obama at the top of the ticket. In 2016, Democrats will “need maximum black turnout in a lot of states,” Sharpton told POLITICO.

“What I think is more dangerous for Democrats is, if a guy like Paul is out there, if he becomes the nominee, for argument’s sake, he … does not generate a turnout against him” among African Americans, Sharpton said. He added, “If he’s able to neutralize his past image on civil rights, if he becomes the candidate … and if you don’t get a huge black turnout saying ‘We’re afraid [of him],’” that could be a pitfall for Democrats.

Sharpton pointed to former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s efforts to engage the black community as an example. Bloomberg “didn’t get a lot of black votes … but because he reached out, a lot of blacks were not energized to come out and vote against him,” Sharpton said.

Continue reading BELOW THE FOLD.

Via: Memeorandum

Friday, November 21, 2014

The Fingers of God...

Rational Nation USA
Purveyor of Truth



As he’s made abundantly clear by now, famed neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson believes God will talk to him about running for president in 2016. As we draw closer to primary season, it appears as though those vague whispers have turned into physical contact.

In a sit-down interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network’s David Brody, Carson suggested God has been gently touching him with his heavenly fingers.


Okie Dokie then. We'll be watching those debates, Should prove to be entertaining at the very least.

Find full article BELOW THE FOLD.

Via: Memeorandum

A Reasonable Explanation on Obama's Immigration Plan...

Rational Nation USA
Purveyor of Truth


From Slate a reasoned and accurate explanation with respect to President Obama's temporary immigration plan. A fitting rebuttal to the screeching Tea Baggers that have tied themselves in knots over something that is far from new.

The idea that the immigration plan just announced by President Obama is a lawless power grab is absurd. As the Justice Department legal analysis that was just released amply demonstrates, much of the advance criticism of the president’s action has been uninformed and unwarranted. The opinion is well-reasoned and at times even conservative. The president is not acting unilaterally, but pursuant to his statutory authority. Wide discretion over deportation priorities has long been conferred on the executive branch by Congress, and it is being exercised in this case consistent with policies such as family unification that have been endorsed by Congress.

Even though the action is breathtaking in scope, there is nothing legally remarkable about what the administration is doing, or the legal analysis supporting it. The announced “deferred action” provides temporary administrative relief from deportation for aliens who are the parents of citizens, or the parents of lawful permanent residents. “Deferred action” is an exercise of discretion in which officials may temporarily defer the removal of an alien. The grant of deferred action in this case will remain in place for three years, is subject to renewal, and can be terminated at any time at the discretion of the Department of Homeland Security. As Eric Posner, who served in the Office of Legal Counsel under the first President Bush, notes, the president “is just doing what countless Congresses have wanted him to do”—setting priorities for deportation enforcement.

Let’s be clear about what the administration has not done in this opinion. No one has been granted “amnesty,” either literally or functionally. And no precedent has been set for this or any future president to act unilaterally in disregard of acts of Congress. On the contrary, the legal opinion rejects a second proposed exercise of discretion—deferring deportation of the parents of “Dreamers”—that Justice concluded cannot be said to carry out priorities established by Congress.

The fundamental fact is this: There are 11.3 million people in the United States who, for one reason or another, are deportable. The largest number that can be deported in any year under the resources provided by Congress is somewhere around 400,000. Congress has recognized this and in 6 U.S.C. 202 (5) it has directed the secretary of homeland security to establish “national immigration enforcement policies and priorities.” In the action announced tonight, the secretary has done just that, and the president has approved
.

Full article BELOW THE FOLD.

Via: Memeorandum

Ted Cruz Spreading the Bull...

Rational Nation USA
Purveyor of Truth


Senator Ted Cruz, the man without an original though in his tea bag head, let alone a solution to our immigration problem of many years, reached back in time and quoted Cicero in his most recent Obama bashing frenzy. Undoubtedly crafted to further whip up Tea Party ire over the president daring to do what other presidents have done before him.

He took to the floor of the Senate and delivered a speech that included one of Cicero’s most famous addresses, subbing in Obama's name.

“When, President Obama, do you mean to cease abusing our patience? How long is that madness of yours still to mock us? When is there to be an end to that unbridled audacity of yours, swaggering about as it does now?” he said, using the beginning of Cicero’s First Oration Against Catiline.

By substituting Obama's name for Catiline's, Cruz compared the president to a figure who sought to violently overthrow the Roman republic.

Of course there is more as the spokesman for Speaker of the House John (Orange Man) Boehner weighs in with this:

“If ‘Emperor Obama’ ignores the American people and announces an amnesty plan that he himself has said over and over again exceeds his constitutional authority, he will cement his legacy of lawlessness and ruin the chances for congressional action on this issue and many others,” said a spokesman for Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio).

The above is bulls*it and especially laughable in light of the fact the republicans have done jack squat in addressing what everone knows is a national problem. But I guess when you don't have a plan, other than to villify and obstruct the opposition party and the duly elected president this is how you roll.

Full article BELOW THE FOLD.

Via: Memeorandum

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Reasons Why...

Rational Nation USA
Purveyor of Truth


Reason one why I'm not a Tea Bagger. Reason two why I'm not a Tea Bagger. There are of course many more examples of why but time is, after all, limited and I'm sure you get the picture.

Friday, November 14, 2014

According To One Senator Democrats Are "Blunderheads"...

Rational Nation USA
Purveyor of Truth


Look no further than the following statements and it is easy to understand in part what is wrong with our broken politics and present government.

Political rhetoric has always been cantankerous and at times extremely heated. But until recently elected representatives of the people (from both parties) have held the interest of the people of this nation as a priority. It now seems the only thing of importance these days is wining elections because it enables the victorious party to push through the agenda(s) of special interest groups that have bought them and expect results from their expenditures.

"Frankly, I intend to win with our candidate for the presidency in 2016, and we will give them a taste of their own medicine, ..."

"And we're going to win. We're going to win. These next two years are extremely important. Maybe the most important two years in our history."

"We should not return to the old rule. We should teach those blunderheads that they made a big mistake. And we have the votes to stop bad judges if we want to, ..."

"I get a big kick out of them using the word 'progressive,'" he said. "My gosh, they're just straight old dumbass liberals anyway."

"... He has a Republican Congress that's willing to work with him. That's the thing that's pretty interesting to me."

These comments were made by a United States Senator. Maybe it's just me but I think I would have a very hard time working with anyone who held these views. They really demonstrate his personal beliefs about the opposing party as well as a unwillingness to work with his counterparts across the aisle.

And, he is not the most intransigent of the lot. In fairness... the entire article can be found BELOW THE FOLD.

Via: Memeorandum

Immigration Reform By Executive Order Part 2...

Rational Nation USA
Purveyor of Truth


Republican congressional leadership vows to fight President Obama "tooth and nail if he uses executive order to move immigration reform forward. Of course all the while pointing out congressional action to reform immigration law is the proper constitutional process. Which of course makes all the sense in the world.

So, republican congressional leadership, why haven't you acted responsibly and pased comprehensive immigration reform?

I think we all know the answer to that one.

The Washington Post - Congressional Republicans have split into competing factions over how to respond to President Obama’s expected moves to overhaul the nation’s immigration system, which are likely to include protecting millions from being deported.

The first, favored by the GOP leadership, would have Republicans denounce what House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) has called “executive amnesty” and use the party’s new grip on Congress to contest changes to the law incrementally in the months ahead.

The second, which has become the rallying cry for conservatives, would seek to block the president’s decision by shutting down the government for an extended period until he relents (emphasis mine).

The brewing internal debate, which started to play out Thursday in meetings on both sides of the Capitol, represents the first significant test for Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) since Republicans won full control of Congress, forcing the leaders to balance their desire to show that the GOP can govern and their fears of upsetting the conservatives who lifted them to power.

“It’s a big test for the leadership. We cannot listen to the loudest, shrillest voices in our party,” said Rep. Charlie Dent, a moderate Republican who represents the Philadelphia exurbs. “At some point we have to fund the government, and we should not fight to attach some demand. I don’t want to stand by and watch as our party gets driven into a ditch.”

More with videos BELOW THE FOLD.

Via: Memeorandum

Thursday, November 13, 2014

Immigration Reform By Executive Order?...

Rational Nation USA
Purveyor of Truth


President Obama has indicated his readiness to force immigration reform via presidential executive order. Certainly not the best route as congressional passage of an immigration reform bill is in the best interest of the republic. However, President Obama's willingness to use an executive order in the face of congressional inaction is understandable.

Senate Majority Leader Reid has advised the presidemt to hold off untill passage of a must pass spending bill in December. Reid believes Obama acting now to sign an executive order may risk a government shutdown because it will pis* off republicans in congress and they will retaliate by holding up passage of the spending bill thus causing a shutdown of the government.

Washington (CNN) -- Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has a surprising message for President Barack Obama: Not so fast on using that executive power to change immigration laws.
To be sure -- Reid said he supports any presidential move to go around a stalemated Congress and help illegal immigrants by executive order, but he wants the president to hold off until Congress approves a bill to fund the government.
The Democratic Leader told CNN in a hallway interview Thursday that he has privately conveyed to the White House his concern: that the move will anger Republicans and threaten passage of the must-pass spending bill. That could lead to a government shutdown.
"The President has said he'll do the executive action, the question is when," Reid said. "He can do it, you know, it's up to him. But I'd like to get the finances of this country out of the way before he does it. But it's up to him."
Congress is facing a Dec. 11 deadline to approve the government funding measure.

For those who state it will cause a constitutional crisis if the president uses executive order, you really ought to GO HERE . It is not like it hasn't happened bvefore and in much greater frequency.

Many do not like the use of executive orders, myself included. But when congress refuses to act responsibly in the face of a growing national problem created by both parties a strong leader will be compelled to act.

Via: Memeorandum

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Obama Predicted to Cave to Iranian Demands on Nuclear Program...

Rational Nation USA
Purveyor of Truth


From GOPUSA, with the help of an Israeli Middle East expert the following report.

A Middle East expert is confident the Obama administration will cave to Iranian demands and allow the rogue state to keep its nuclear program.

Last week The Associated Press confirmed the existence of a "dear Ayatollah" letter written by President Obama to Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, urging cooperation in the fight against ISIS and tying cooperation on that front to a deal over Iran's nuclear program. The U.S., Iran, and other negotiators are facing a November 24 deadline for such a deal – a deal about which some Capitol Hill lawmakers have expressed doubts.

David Rubin, a former mayor of the Israeli city of Shiloh, spoke with OneNewsNow about the confirmed behind-the-scenes negotiations. Rubin says the Iranians appear confident that Obama is a weak president and will do whatever it takes to make a deal with Tehran.

"They're very clear that they think that there's going to be a deal with the United States because the Obama administration is very, very eager for a deal because they have to show some sort of accomplishment in place of all the weakness," he offers.

In Rubin's eyes, the Iranians are issuing dictates to the United States making it clear that they want their nuclear program to go forward.

"That is what the Iranians are saying – and I predict that that is going to be the result of these negotiations," he says. "There will be an agreement; there will be some token limitations. But the Iranians will be able to go forward with their nuclear programs."

As we anxiously await to observe how this obviously biased and somewhat questionable prediction stacks up against reality.

Read more BELOW THE FOLD.

Monday, November 10, 2014

Marriage Equality or Not?...

Rational Nation USA
Purveyor of Truth


In the pursuit of presenting opposing views.

The “gay marriage” fairytale hurts children.

Here’s what marriage is. Marriage is the God-ordained, lifelong, covenantal union between man and wife, designed to provide men, women and children optimal stability and overall well-being. Marriage is that biologically, spiritually and morally centered institution calculated to ensure responsible procreation and perpetuate the human race. Marriage, real marriage, represents the fundamental cornerstone of any healthy society (any society that hopes to survive, at least).

Skip

On Thursday, the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals in Ohio agreed. It rightly upheld natural marriage laws in Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee. This is huge. It has kneecapped the left’s propagandist “gay-marriage-is-inevitable” myth. It’s created a conflict between federal circuits, which means, almost certainly, that the U.S. Supreme Court will, once again, weigh in on extremist efforts to deconstruct marriage, nationwide, via lower court judicial fiat.

In the 6th Circuit’s decision, Judge Jeffrey Sutton wrote, “Of all the ways to resolve this question, one option is not available: a poll of the three judges of this panel, or for that matter all federal judges, about whether gay marriage is a good idea. Our judicial commissions did not come with such a sweeping grant of authority, one that would allow just three of us – just two of us in truth – to make such a vital policy call for the thirty-two million citizens who live within the four states of the 6th Circuit.”

Ah, judicial restraint. How refreshing.

MORE BELOWTHE FOLD.

What say you?

Negative Politics... Producing No Results... Equals a Nation Adrift

Rational Nation USA
Purveyor of Truth


By MAGGIE HABERMAN 11/9/14 11:39 PM EST

Time was, a politician with approval numbers well below 50 percent was in deep trouble come Election Day.

But in politics, 40 has become the new 50.

Last’s week election saw a slew of unpopular politicians get elected or reelected despite approval ratings in the mid- or even low-40s. It’s in part a product of voter disgust with both parties and a race-to-the-bottom political climate, in which both sides nuke their rival early and often and public opinion of Congress and institutions is extremely low.

SKIP

While there have been politicians in the past who have been reelected with weak approval ratings, the spate of tight races with people with a net negative favorable ratings was unusual this cycle. Instead of punishing the candidate who goes negative first, voters have become inured to the idea that both of them will. And approval ratings are no longer a reliable indicator of electability.

In “today’s politics, the hyper-partisanship and the huge campaign spending, has permanently warped our old understanding of political norms,” said Republican pollster Bill McInturff, of Public Opinion Strategies.

Pretty much sums things up. Don't look to see changes anytime soon,if ever.

Sunday, November 9, 2014

GWB, No Regrets...

Rational Nation USA
Purveyor of Truth


Former President George W Bush told Bob Schieffer Sunday morning that he had no regrets over the decision to invade Iraq.

Bush was on to discuss his new book praising his father (and to honor Face The Nation’ss sixtieth anniversary). 43 insisted he did not invade Iraq to finish what his father started, and said he was surprised when Saddam Hussein called his bluff over the invasion, but didn’t regret the decision to go in.

“I think it was the right decision,” Bush said. “My regret is that a violent group of people has risen up again. This is al Qaeda plus. I put in the book that they need to be defeated. And I hope they are. I hope the strategy works.”

Golly gee, does anyone think the president would freely admit his blunder?

Video via MEDIAITE.

Friday, November 7, 2014

Inexplicable Evil...

by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Purveyor of Truth


Evil exist in this world. Evil that is so profoundly inexplicable it leaves us numb, incapable of understanding it's twisted, perverted, and tortured existence. Evil that only a devil could perpetuate. Evil that no human being should ever be subjected to. Certainly not an innocent defenseless three year old child.

May the bastards that did this burn in hell.



Canada Journal - Scott McMillan Tortured to Death by Mother & Her Boyfriend, Jillian Tait, 31, and her boyfriend Gary Fellenbaum, 23, face murder charges in the death of her son, 3-Year-Old Scotty McMillan.

Mr Fellenbaum is alleged to have repeatedly struck Scotty McMillan with a whip while hanging him upside down by his feet, as well as taping him to a chair and beating him with objects including a frying pan.

The couple live in a mobile home in Chester County, Pennsylvania, which they share with Mr Fellenbaum’s estranged wife.

The country’s district attorney Thomas Hogan described how nurses at the emergency room at the hospital where the child was brought “wept” when they saw his battered body.

“Let me tell you about an American Horror story,” he began his remarks while announcing charges for the case. “Little Scotty McMillan is dead.”

“He was punched in the face and in the stomach, he was scourged with a homemade whip, he was lashed with a metal rod, he was tied to a chair and beaten, he was tied upside down by his feet and beaten, his head was smashed through a wall and at the end of that he had bruises on top of bruises all over his body.”

In one incident where the three-year-old boy was hung upside down he is said to have attempted to break free, which authorities said the couple thought was “funny”.

Police only learned of the abuse after the couple called paramedics after the child stopped being responsive.

Initially the couple are said to have placed the boy in the shower for half an hour. When he did not respond, they are alleged to have laid him on an air mattress, gone car shopping, had sex, and had a nap.

It was only after the boy was still unresponsive that they called the emergency services, prosecutors said.

The couple also had the care of another 6-year-old son, who is also said to have been abused. The older child is now under the care of relatives. The couple are in custody and have been refused bail.

Chester County is one of the most affluent areas of the United States. The couple are said to have met at the superstore Wal Mart, where they both worked.

Police also charged Amber Fellenbaum, Mr Fellenbaum’s estranged wife, with child endangerment for failing to help the abused children.

Scotty McMillan : 3-year-old beaten to death in Pennsylvania
( by purely evil people - Added by RN USA)

I feel sick. It is at times like these I hope there is a heaven where the truly innocent who have had their lives cut short by evil can experience life in another dimension.

Thursday, November 6, 2014

America's Gasbag Extraordinaire...

Rational Nation USA
Purveyor of Truth


Rational Nation USA is pleased to bring you America's biggest gasbag for your comedic enjoyment.


RUSH: What I want to do here is cut to the chase. The result yesterday is exactly what I said it would be. The Republican Party now has one of the most important and unquestionable mandates a political party has ever had at its junction with American history, especially a political party which did not run on a national agenda. The Republican Party purposely stood mute nationally.

Now, if you go into the races, the House and Senate raises all over the country, you will find that many Republican candidates ran specifically against Obamacare, and that is an important note to make and an important thing for you to remember. Individual Republican candidates won, and they won big. They won in a wave landslide running against Obamacare. The national Republican brand or image didn't say a word, which makes the mandate that they have all the more incredible.

It is rare that a political party running for office in a midterm election not standing for anything ends up with a mandate, and they have one, and it is the biggest and perhaps the most important mandate a political party has had in the recent era, and it is very simple what that mandate is. It is to stop Barack Obama. It is to stop the Democrats. There is no other reason why Republicans were elected yesterday. Republicans were not elected to govern.

How can you govern with a president that disobeys the Constitution? How can you govern with a president that is demonstrably lawless when he thinks he has to be? The Republican Party was not elected to fix a broken system or to make it work. The Republican Party was not elected to compromise. The Republican Party was not elected to sit down and work together with the Democrats. The Republican Party was not elected to slow down the speed the country is headed to the cliff and go over it slowly.

The Republican Party was elected to stop before we get to the cliff.

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U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit Upholds Gay Marriage Bans...

Rational Nation USA
Purveyor of Truth



USA TODAY - The same-sex marriage movement lost its first major case in a federal appeals court Thursday after a lengthy string of victories, creating a split among the nation's circuit courts that virtually guarantees Supreme Court review.

The 2-1 ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit reversed district court rulings that had struck down gay marriage bans in Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee.

Read more on the socon agenda at work BELOW THE FOLD.

More on the Influence of Money on U.S. Elections...

Rational Nation USA
Purveyor of Truth


The following eye opening article needs no lead in. If and when our republic fails it will be the influence of money and the special interets that control it who will bear the greatest responsibility.

by Russ Choma on November 5, 2014 - Republicans made the most of their fundraising advantage and routed Democrats in Tuesday’s midterms, but they seized the majority in the Senate and built their lead in the House even as fewer donors participated in the process and more of the dollars came from secret sources.

Democrats weren’t swamped when it came to the money game, but the GOP clearly had the upper hand. Even where Democrats had raised more in pivotal Senate races, though, they still were mostly beaten. Several key differences between the two sides emerged on the fundraising front, with Democrats increasing their reliance on small donors since 2010 while Republicans turned sharply to big dollar donors.

The real story of the election’s campaign finance chapter was not which side had more resources, but that such a large chunk of the cost was paid for by a small group of ultra-wealthy donors using outside groups to bury voters with an avalanche of spending. Both sides had plenty of support from outside spenders, but Republican and conservative outside groups outpaced the spending of Democratic and liberal ones. Democratic/liberal groups channeled most of their money through organizations that disclosed donors, while their more conservative counterparts relied heavily on secret sources funneling money through political nonprofits.

Some things seem never to change, and this year’s midterms reprised many of the same old stories. But there were also a handful of surprises, some of which may portend new dynamics in how elections are financed.

Every election since 1998 has been more expensive than the one before it, and predictably the 2014 election will follow that path, CRP has projected — though the total projected cost of $3.67 billion is only a slight uptick over the price tag of the 2010 midterm. Counting all forms of spending — by candidates, parties and outside groups — Team Red is projected to have spent $1.75 billion, while Team Blue’s spending is projected to ring in at $1.64 billion.

CRP’s analysis of last night’s results finds that in House races, the candidate who spent the most prevailed 94.2 percent of the time; the Senate figure is slightly lower, 81.8 percent. Despite several key upsets of Senate Democrats who, as incumbents, had the cash advantage, this is actually an increase from 2012, when 93.8 percent of higher-spending candidates in the House won, and just 75.8 percent of those candidates in the Senate could claim victory.

Continue reading BELOW THE FOLD.