Rational Nation USA

Rational Nation USA Purveyor of Truth News relese by the UC Berkeley : Campus statement on commencement speaker By Public Affairs, UC Berkeley | October 29, 2014 UC Berkeley issued the following statement today (Wednesday, Oct. 29): For many years it has been the responsibility of UC Berkeley undergraduates, through a committee known as the “Californians,” to select speakers for the university’s commencement ceremonies. In August the “Californians” chose Bill Maher as the speaker for the December commencement ceremony. However, last night the “Californians” reconvened without administration participation and came to a decision that the invitation should be rescinded. The UC Berkeley administration cannot and will not accept this decision, which appears to have been based solely on Mr. Maher’s opinions and beliefs, which he conveyed through constitutionally protected speech. For that reason Chancellor Dirks has decided that the invitation will stand, and he looks forward to ...

Rational Nation USA Purveyor of Truth The following is not America. It is not our founding principles and were it possible our Classical Liberal Founding Fathers would be rolling over in their graves. Make NO mistake, Dr. Keith Ablow is a dangerous man. While free speech and exchange of ideas is a everyone's right we can only hope rational networks and rational people will soundly denounce this nitwit and his ideas. TPM - Conservative psychiatrist Dr. Keith Ablow, the biggest race-hustler on Fox News, issued a fatwa on Tuesday in a column for the channel's website calling for "an American jihad" and "war or struggle against unbelievers." "An American jihad would embrace the correct belief that if every nation on earth were governed by freely elected leaders and by our Constitution, the world would be a far better place," the Fox contributor wrote. Ablow's American Caliphate would wipe out the "psychological plague" b...

Rational Nation USA Purveyor of Truth Why Middle-Class Americans Can't Afford to Live in Liberal Cities Blue America has a problem: Even after adjusting for income, left-leaning metros tend to have worse income inequality and less affordable housing . Excerpt from the article linked above, "Even after adjusting for differences of income, liberal markets tend to have higher income inequality and worse affordability,” Kolko said. Kolko's theory isn't an outlier. There is a deep literature tying liberal residents to illiberal housing policies that create affordability crunches for the middle class. In 2010, UCLA economist Matthew Kahn published a study of California cities, which found that liberal metros issued fewer new housing permits. The correlation held over time: As California cities became more liberal, he said, they built fewer homes. "All homeowners have an incentive to stop new housing," Kahn told me, "because if developers build too ma...

Rational Nation USA Purveyor of Truth Harvard University poll shows slightly more than half MILLENNIALS favor republicans in 2014. LIKELY MILLENNIAL VOTERS UP-FOR-GRABS IN UPCOMING MIDTERM ELECTIONS, HARVARD YOUTH POLL FINDS In contrast to 2010, Millennials reporting they will “definitely” vote in November prefer Republican-led Congress by slim four-point margin Cambridge, MA – A new national poll of America’s 18- to 29- year-olds by Harvard’s Institute of Politics (IOP), located at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, finds slightly more than half (51%) of young Americans who say they will “definitely be voting” in November prefer a Republican-run Congress with 47 percent favoring Democrat control – a significant departure from IOP polling findings before the last midterm elections (Sept. 2010 – 55%: prefer Democrat control; 43%: prefer Republican control). The cohort – 26% of whom report they will “definitely” vote in the midterms – appear up-for-grabs to both politic...

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Purveyor of Truth America's relationship with Israel has always stood on solid bedrock. Our relationship with the state of Israel has insured it's survival in a hostile and predominately Muslim region. Most states in the region would prefer if Israel simply were vaporized. Standing strong in support of Israel also insured we had a strong (strength built with American military hardware) ally in the region. While there have been ups and downs as there always is in relationships between allies from time to time the present relationship between the Obama administration and the Netanyahu administration is the worst USA/Israeli relations have ever been. This certainly does not bode well for Israel and may, over the long run, have undesirable consequences for the USA if differences are not ironed out and the relationship improved. Pressure being put on Israel by the Obama administration over the West Bank settlements and the "Palesti...

“The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.” ― Socrates “Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.” ― Aristotle “It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” ― Aristotle, Metaphysics “The unexamined life is not worth living.” ― Socrates “Any fool can know. The point is to understand.” ― Albert Einstein “I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.” ― Albert Einstein “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” ― Eleanor Roosevelt “Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.” ― Mark Twain “I'm not young enough to know everything.” ― J.M. Barrie “Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power. If you realize that you have enough, you are truly rich.” ― Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching “Knowledge s...

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Purveyor of Truth Hillary Clinton said the following. “Don’t let anybody tell you that it’s corporations and businesses that create jobs.” Then later. “Trickle down economics has failed. I short-handed this point the other day, so let me be absolutely clear about what I’ve been saying for a couple of decades,” she said. “Our economy grows when businesses and entrepreneurs create good-paying jobs here in America and workers and families are empowered to build from the bottom up and the middle out — not when we hand out tax breaks for corporations that outsource jobs or stash their profits overseas.” Are they one in the same, with the second simply clarification of the first? What is is the logical extension with the tying of the two together? Is she suggesting something without saying it outright? Answers to the above questions will remain obscure, H. Clinton is a politician and politicians never seem to speak with clarity and steely co...

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Purveyor of Truth Massachusetts has two individuals both qualified to be Governor of the state. Charlie Baker, the republican candidate and Martha Coakley, the democratic candidate. The race has been an interesting one and slowly Baker has closed the gap and pulled ahead of Coakley. Good news, but the best news is the Boston Globe has thrown it's endorsement behind Charlie Baker giving his candidacy the weight of the highly respected news publication. So, it's on to November 4th and with hard work down the home stretch and a bit of good luck Massachusetts will have Governor Baker on Beacon Hill steering the state to even bigger and better things. Excerpt from the Boston Globe follows. Effective activist government isn’t built on good intentions. To provide consistently good results, especially for the state’s most vulnerable and troubled residents, agencies need to focus on outcomes, learn from their errors, and preserve and replica...

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Purveyor of Truth This fiscal conservative and social libertarian certainly does not agree with or advocate all of Senator Rand Paul's positions. Nor is it clear at this point the Senator from Kentucky has the attributes to eventually assume and execute the duties of the presidency of the United States of America. However, the points the Senator makes in the following video with respect military action and how our nation has reacted to current world events, especially in light of our Constitution, are worth serious consideration. Our world has changed and continues to change at an ever accelerating pace. With the above in mind can someone, anyone, point out errors in Senator Rand Paul's speech? If so what are they and why do you believe they are errors in judgment? Full text of the Senator's speech and be found BELOW THE FOLD . Via: Memeorandum Cross posted @ THE SWASH ZONE .

How many non-citizens participate in U.S. elections? More than 14 percent of non-citizens in both the 2008 and 2010 samples indicated that they were registered to vote. Furthermore, some of these non-citizens voted. Our best guess, based upon extrapolations from the portion of the sample with a verified vote, is that 6.4 percent of non-citizens voted in 2008 and 2.2 percent of non-citizens voted in 2010. Above from The Washington Post's Monkey Cage . Could it be true?

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Purveyor of Truth Ya just have to kind of like this guy. If for no other reason than he bucks the most conservative fringe element in the republican party and he speaks the truth about FOX News and it's incessant negativity. From TPM ... No stranger to taking on his party's most conservative voters, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) is now calling out the bastion of conservative media. CNN's Peter Hamby reported that during a speech Thursday night at a South Carolina fundraiser, Bush "singled out Fox News" while expressing "annoyance with the polarizing fights and constant negativity of the political news media." Bush reportedly said that he only watches Fox "for a few minutes a day before switching over to SportsCenter." Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) has been similarly critical of Fox , but the remarks from Bush are notable given how strongly he broke from conservatives on immigration earlier this y...

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Purveyor of Truth The following is from the weblog known as FreeThinke , although his site is without doubt void of free thought . FreeThinke is as intolerant and closed minded as any blogger publishing. He sees his world slipping away and it frightens him so he feels he must demand agreement with his cherished paradigms. He can brook no disagreement with his views. Those who question him, or his right wing commenter’s comments, no matter how mildly, causes him to lash out and react as you see below. Yet he is often not above allowing his fringe right wing visitors to taught, belittle, slander, and demean the positions of those he disagrees with. I post this not as a defense of myself for there is nothing to defend. Rather to point out the what the Tea Party and the fringe right has morphed into. One time a proud conservative and Republican I can honestly say the party of Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Calvin Coolidge, Gerald Ford, and even Ronald...

Oh My!!! From The American Conservative we now find out that our Socialist, Marxian, Commie, Muslim President is more like a Nixon Republican than a Marxist Commie? S*it, what are those Patriotic Tea Party folks and the rest of the right wing going to do now?. Probably ignore the evidence as they usually do and barrel ahead as they look for more scandals to imagine. Back in 2008, Boston University professor Andrew Bacevich wrote an article for this magazine making a conservative case for Barack Obama. While much of it was based on disgust with the warmongering and budgetary profligacy of the Republican Party under George W. Bush, which he expected to continue under 2008 Republican nominee Sen. John McCain, Bacevich thought Obama at least represented hope for ending the Iraq War and shrinking the national-security state. I wrote a piece for the New Republic soon afterward about the Obamacon phenomenon—prominent conservatives and Republicans who were openly supporting Obama. Many s...

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Purveyor of Truth If one wants to know the problem with our political system they need look no further than the money . OpenSecrets.org has pegged the cost of the upcoming mid term elections at almost four billion dollars. Given the gridlock, political ineptitude, lack of serious statesmanship (predominately on the art of republicans), and the generally dismal state of the nation that has dogged us for the last six years and more shouldn't this colossal waste of resources be questioned? Almost $4 billion will be spent for this year’s midterm election, the Center for Responsive Politics is projecting. That figure makes this year’s election by far the most expensive midterm ever. The candidates and parties alone will combine to spend about $2.7 billion, while outside groups will likely spend close to $900 million on their own — a figure that veers close to the $1.3 billion spent by outside groups in 2012, when the hyper-expensive presid...

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Purveyor of Truth Again, as he so often is on many issues, Ron Paul is on the rational side of the Ebola air travel ban hysteria. He opposes a ban on travel to and from Africa while his more mainstream right wing son Senator Rand Paul supports a ban. Of course Ron Paul is right in his assessment that the current hysteria is largely (if not completely) driven by political motivations. POLITICO - Ron Paul on Monday said that calls for a ban on travel from West African countries affected by Ebola are primarily “politically motivated” — just days after his son Sen. Rand Paul announced his support for one. Appearing on Newsmax TV’s “America’s Forum” with former Arizona Republican Rep. J.D. Hayworth, Ron Paul said he wouldn’t support a travel ban. “Right now, I would say a travel ban is politically motivated more than something done for medical purposes,” the former Texas congressman and three-time presidential candidate told Hayworth. Rand P...

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Purveyor of Truth Okay, I'll say it straight out. If this is considered intellectual thought or intellectual honesty by the republican party brass it is only a matter of time before the party is dead. Because this is pure intellectual dishonesty and political BS . STORY BELOW THE FOLD . Via: Memeorandum

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Purveyor of Truth Video via You Tube: WASHINGTON (CBSDC/AP) — President Barack Obama on Friday turned to a trusted adviser to lead the nation’s Ebola response as efforts to clamp down on any possible route of infection from three Texas cases expanded, reaching a cruise ship at sea and multiple airline flights. Facing renewed criticism of his handling of the Ebola risk, Obama will make Ron Klain, a former chief of staff to Vice President Joe Biden, his point man on fighting Ebola at home and in West Africa. Klain will report to national security adviser Susan Rice and to homeland security adviser Lisa Monaco, the White House said. Klain does not have a medical or a health care background. Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., slammed the decision on Twitter. “Worst ebola epidemic in world history and Pres. Obama puts a government bureaucrat with no healthcare experience in charge. Is he serious?” Harris tweeted. Hold it right here. Klain's fun...

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Purveyor of Truth Cliven Bundy, that rootin tootin Nevada rancher is back in the news again. Excerpt from Mediaite - “I know black folks have a had a hard time with slavery and you know, the government was in on it. And the government’s in on it again,” Bundy says as spaghetti western music plays in the background. “I worked my whole life without mistreating anybody. A man ought to be able to express himself without being called names.” In case you don’t recall, it was Bundy who suggested that “the Negro” was “better off as slaves, picking cotton and having a family life and doing things.” Video via You Tube: I do like Kamau Bakari, what little he said sounds damn reasonable. Bundy, I guess he needs to make up his mind. Full article BELOW THE FOLD . Via: Memeorandum

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Purveyor of Truth This ad from the National Republican Campaign Committee used the case of convicted killer Nikko Jenkins to show alleged negligence by Democrat Brad Ashford, who is running against Rep. Terry Lee (R) in Nebraska's 2nd district. (NRCC via YouTube) The Washington Post (excerpt) - The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee blasted the ad on Friday afternoon, accusing the ad of "race-baiting" and demanding that it be taken down. “Republicans should be ashamed that they have resorted to divisive rhetoric, playing up racial stereotypes and fear-mongering to save their sinking candidate," said DCCC Deputy National Press Secretary Ashley Lewis. Full story BELOW THE FOLD . Are the democrats allegations of racial stereotyping grounded in reality or is the ad really addressing legitimate concerns over what appears to be a weak law and the democratic candidate that supports the "good time" law. ...

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Purveyor of Truth President Obama has responded to criticism of his handling of the Ebola crisis by appointing a Ebola Czar. We will now wait and observe public reaction (especially republican politicians and pundits) to the President's decision to create another Czar. Washington (CNN) -- President Barack Obama will appoint Ron Klain his "Ebola czar," knowledgeable sources tell CNN. The president on Thursday signaled his openness to the idea to have one individual coordinating the entire federal response to any threat of an outbreak in the United States. "It may make sense for us to have one person ... so that after this initial surge of activity, we can have a more regular process just to make sure that we're crossing all the T's and dotting all the I's going forward," Obama said. The administration has been criticized for its response to the incidents of Ebola in the United States, in terms ...

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Purveyor of Truth SYRACUSE, NY (October 16, 2014) – Three-time Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Michel du Cille of The Washington Post, who returned from covering the Ebola crisis in Liberia 21 days ago and who is symptom free, was asked by Syracuse University officials today not to come to campus where he was scheduled to participate in a journalism program. "I just got off the phone with the Dean [Lorraine Branham], and I am pissed off," du Cille told News Photographer magazine this afternoon. "I am disappointed in the level of journalism at Syracuse, and I am angry that they missed a great teaching opportunity. Instead they have decided to jump in with the mass hysteria." Full article BELOW THE FOLD . Yep, America approaching full hysteria mode. Ebola, which is not a airborne virus is transmitted in humans through close body contact, see below. Transmission It is thought that fruit bats of the Pteropodida...

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Purveyor of Truth New poll just out shows democrats at a 30 year low in favorability ratings. 51 percent of Americans now view democrats (the blue team) unfavorably while 39% view them favorably. Americans still view democrats more favorably than republicans (the red team)who have a 56% unfavorable rating and a 33% favorable rating. It comes as no surprise that both blue team and red team are viewed unfavorably. American politics has become so polarized, so fringe driven it is no wonder the American people see politicians of both parties in such poor light. Americans view their government in even lower esteem. It is certainly not complicated to understand why. The Washington Post - The Democratic Party is held in worse regard than at any point in the past 30 years, according to a new poll. The poll, from the Washington Post and ABC News, shows 39 percent of Americans now have a favorable impression of the blue team, while 51 percent...

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Purveyor of Truth Where do these "people" come from? Either they worked their way out of some prehistoric slime of they are just hateful, ignorant, and... Rep. Steve Stockman yesterday chatted with End Times broadcaster Rick Wiles, telling the “Trunews” host that President Obama may be delaying the government response to the Ebola epidemic because he wants the virus to spread. Once it spreads, Stockman argued, Obama will use the Ebola outbreak as a justification to declare emergency powers. For the interested here is the rest of the story . Via: Memeorandum

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Purveyor of Truth "The business of Progressives is to go on making mistakes. The business of the Conservatives is to prevent the mistakes from being corrected." by G.K.Chesterton born 1884 died 1936 Such is the truth. Nowhere is this more evident than on conservative web logs such as FreeThinke (a true misnomer), where commentary contrary to his line of thinking is deleted post haste, Who's Your Daddy" where irrational reactionary sock puppets run rampant, and to a lesser degree Always on Watch where occasionally reasoned discourse can be found. Conservatives are truly their own worst enemy. When suppressing opposing views are commonplace, and creating alternate realities become the norm, you can be sure it is indicative of a dying poliotical ideology. Web logs such as those named above are the dying whimpers of a movement that fails to recognize what their own rational self interest really are. Hat tip goes to m...

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Purveyor of Truth My previous post, " What Obama Needs Is More Power...? ", was all about the gushing of Gwyneth Paltrow about how wonderful it would be to give the President the power to get all the things he wants to accomplish accomplished. For the rational thinkers amongst us this is precisely what they don't want. Our desire to limit the power of the president and the executive branch of government is a sound and admirable pursuit. It's not personal, it has absolutely nothing to do with race or the heritage of a specific individual, nor is it ideologically driven. Rather it is about the desire the accumulation of power in the hands of one individual r branch of government. Checks and balances are every bit as important today as they were when our founders instituted a government based on checks and balances. One of this sites regular visitors, Dervish Sanders , and resident progressive irritant left the comment below...

by: Les Carpenter rational Nation USA Purveyor of Truth At a recent democratic fundraiser attended by the President a blithely partisan Gwyneth Paltrow uttered the folowing. Paltrow noted the approaching Nov. 4 midterm elections in which Democratic control of the Senate is at risk. She called it a "critical time" for Democrats and seemed to urge everyone to vote. "It would be wonderful if we were able to give this man all of the power that he needs to pass the things that he needs to pass," she said. What is troubling is specifically this. It would be wonderful if we were able to give this man all of the power that he needs to pass the things that he needs to pass. No Gwyneth, it would not be wonderful to give this man or any man , regardless of ideology or party affiliation "all the power he needs to pass the things that he ( feels he ) needs to pass. Hell, why not just call him King Obama and abandon the Constitution and the concept of being govern...

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Purveyor of Truth “Obama doesn’t want America to believe that we’re exceptional. He wants us to be just like everybody else, and if Africa is suffering from Ebola, we ought to join the group and be suffering from it, too. That’s his attitude.” Above quote by Phyllis Schlafly. Have the followers of conservative politics really sunk this low? Or is this just the blathering of one old person locked into the paradigms of her lifetime? We hope she represents a steadily declining minority. Full story can be found HERE . Via: Memeorandum

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Purveyor of Truth Spray first, ask questions later. Honest mistake or racial profiling? FUQUAY-VARINA, N.C. (WTVD) - It happened Monday afternoon on England Avenue in Fuquay-Varina. Ricky and Stacy Tyler have fostered 18-year-old DeShawn Currie for about a year. The Tylers, their three young children and DeShawn moved to Fuquay-Varina in July. They said while they're still getting to know their neighbors, it's hurtful someone would assume DeShawn was a burglar just for going about his normal routine of walking home after school. "He's my baby boy just as much as my other three children are," said Stacy. She left the side door to their home unlocked Monday for DeShawn, who was coming home early from school. You be the judge. Find the rest of the report BELOW THE FOLD . Via: Memeorandum

by; Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Purveyor of Truth So sayeth the "Duckman." Technically speaking he would be correct. A bit naïve but correct nonetheless. I was a just wonderin, has there ever been such a time as this? ya know, before the "librul" invasion and the degenerate morality Mr., Robertson apparently believes it unleashed. ( CNSNews.com ) – The Bible teaches that God made one man and one woman to come together and be married, a union through which they can procreate and “fill the Earth with offspring,” said Duck Dynasty patriarch Phil Robertson, who added that if the married couple are monogamous, “they can’t catch a sexually transmitted disease” and this “Biblically correct sex is safe.” Robertson further said the reason why there are so many sex-related “debilitating diseases” affecting people in America and abroad is because many people “follow liberal orthodox opinion” and breed with “anything and anybody,” refusing to “live a life of...

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Purveyor of Truth Six years into the presidency of Barrack H. Obama and a majority of the American public view his tenure as one of failure. At east according to this IBD/TIPP survey . 53% of adults believe Obama is a failure while 41% still believe he has been a success. The presidents strongest support is found in the 18-24 year olds with 75% believing he has been a success. 54% of single women also se the President as a success. One half of people residing in states won by Obama consider his presidency a failure and 59% of those age 24-44 consider him a failure as well. Full report from THE HILL BELOW. A clear majority of Americans describe President Obama's tenure as a "failure" according to a new poll released Monday. The survey from IBD/TIPP indicates that 53 percent of adults in the United States now characterize Obama's presidency as a "failure," while 41 percent chalk it up as a success. Half of t...

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Purveyor of Truth WASHINGTON, DC -- U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, today issued the following statement regarding the Supreme Court’s decision to reject requests from five States to review state laws that prohibit same-sex marriage. “The Supreme Court’s decision to let rulings by lower court judges stand that redefine marriage is both tragic and indefensible,” said Sen. Cruz. “By refusing to rule if the States can define marriage, the Supreme Court is abdicating its duty to uphold the Constitution. The fact that the Supreme Court Justices, without providing any explanation whatsoever, have permitted lower courts to strike down so many state marriage laws is astonishing. “This is judicial activism at its worst. The Constitution entrusts state legislatures, elected by the People, to define marriage consistent with the values and mores of their citizens. Unelected judges should not be imposing their policy preferences to subvert the consider...

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Purveyor of Truth Senator Tim Kaine (D-Va) Is it reasonable to argue that the President is, in fact a war hawk? Given his significant increase in drone attacks and his unwavering position he does not need Congresses blessing to wake war against ISIS it is reasonable to answer yes to the foregoing question. Senator Tim Kaine, an early supporter of the President thinks he overreaching his authority. ORANGE, Va. — In June, after he had written a scorching opinion article seeking to constrain the president’s unilateral power to make war, Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia, one of Barack Obama ’s earliest supporters, buttonholed the commander in chief at the White House for what he called “a spirited discussion.” The militants of the Islamic State were pouring across the Syrian border into Iraq, and seizing cities where so much American blood and treasure had been spilled. But Mr. Kaine said he told the president in no uncertain terms that if h...

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Purveyor of Truth Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus talking about abortion and why republicans are so inclined to support government regulation of women's reproductive rights, aka abortion clinics. Of course Priebus fell back on the age old argument that republicans are opposed to using taxpayer money to fund abortions. If only that were the full truth. But it is isn't and Priebus and most of the rest of the nation knows it. The recent 5th Circuit Court of Appeals decision to allow Texas to move ahead with shutting down most of the abortion clinics in Texas is the driver of this exchange. Truthfully, the reason republicans support regulation of clinics that provide abortions is because they want Roe -v- Wade overturned. Since this is, at least for now this is unlikely, republicans will find and support back door ways to curtail a women's reproductive rights. In this case by making it as inconvenient as poss...

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Purveyor of Truth GOP war hawkism is experiencing a revival. No doubt driven by circumstances in the Middle East, old time "militarists" and warriors like Sen. John McCain, and the ever influential MIC with its insatiable appetite. Plan on hearing a lot of rhetoric supporting increased military presence and an expanding role for the military again. Of course expect the push for renewed growth in defense budgets. Can hardly wait for the 2016 presidential election campaigns to get started. Just imagine all the fertile fodder it will provide for pundits and bloggers on all sides of the issue(s). One thing we must do at all times is maintain an effective and mobile defense, whatever the cost. Visability has its cost and they are indeed high. the weekly Standard The Republican flirtation with dovish noninterventionism is over. It wasn’t much of a fling. For five years, we’ve been hearing that foreign policy and national security ...

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Purveyor of Truth The 5th Circuit, in allowing Texas to close all but eight abortion clinics statewide, resulting in the nearest clinic being a 150 mile drive for many, Texas is taking the lead in restricting a women's reproductive rights. Many will say options are still available, they are simply improving safety and all that. But most recognize what the real intent of the new law is. Stay tuned folks cause it ain't over till it's over msnbc - The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals Thursday allowed Texas to begin enforcing tough new abortion restrictions that will effectively close all but eight abortion facilities in the nation’s second-largest state. Unless the Supreme Court steps in, the law is poised to have the most devastating impact on abortion access of any such restriction across the country. Under the law’s force, which will close 13 clinics, one out of six Texan women seeking an abortion will now live more than 150 mil...