Cruz Talks Tough, Criticizes Jeb Bush and Romney For Not Being Hawkish Enough...

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Senator Cruz, a 2016 GOP presidential candidate ramping up the volume and hyperbole. Another of the saber rattling pro war republicans. Sound bites lacking substance sells. Particularly among the attention challenged rightwing nationalist war hawks.

Remember co president Big Dick Cheney and the ensuing Iraq fiasco? You're seeing his reflection.

THE HILL - Texas Sen. Ted Cruz on Thursday hit fellow Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush and 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney, doubling down on his criticism of the nuclear deal with Iran.

Cruz maintained Thursday that if world powers lift sanctions on Iran in exchange for the country curbing its nuclear program, members of the Obama administration "will be the leading global financiers" of terrorism.

"When you send billions of dollars to jihadists trying to kill Americans, you bear responsibility for the murder they carry out with the money you have given them," Cruz said on the "Chad Hasty Show."

"You know, one of the reasons Republicans keep getting clobbered is we have leaders like Mitt Romney and like Jeb Bush, who are afraid to say that," Cruz said.

Continue reading BELOW THE FOLD.

Via: Memeorandum

Mike Huckabee, Knight of the Religous Right Would Use Federal Troops and the FBI to Stop Abortion in the United States...

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As GOP presidential candidate and ex Arkansas governor takes it completely off the rails.

CJOnline.com - Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee indicated Thursday that if elected, he wouldn’t rule out employing federal troops or the Federal Bureau of Investigation to stop abortion from taking place in the United States.

Though the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against bans on abortion, Huckabee said past presidents have defied Supreme Court rulings.

The comments came at two public speaking stops on a tour of Iowa.

In response to a question from the audience at the Pizza Ranch in Jefferson, Iowa, Huckabee said he would “invoke the 5th and 14th amendments for the protection of every human being.”

Both amendments contain due process protections against depriving people of life without due process of law.

“Would that be a huge controversy?” the former Arkansas governor asked. “Yes.”

But he argued that scientific advancements have now verified that unborn babies are human beings — information he said wasn’t necessarily available when the Supreme Court issued its 1973 Roe v. Wade decision.

“I will not pretend there is nothing we can do to stop this,” Huckabee said at the event, where a Topeka Capital-Journal correspondent was present.

At his next stop, in Rockwell City, Huckabee answered follow-up questions from the correspondent, saying: “All American citizens should be protected.”

Asked by another reporter how he would stop abortion, and whether this would mean using the FBI or federal forces to accomplish this, Huckabee replied: “We’ll see if I get to be president.”

He said he would use all resources available to protect U.S. citizens.

Huckabee said past presidents also have defied Supreme Court rulings. He cited Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln, and said Lincoln had ignored the court’s 1857 Dred Scott v. Sandford decision — which found that black Americans weren’t citizens — when he emancipated slaves. He didn’t clarify in what way Jefferson had violated any court rulings.

Huckabee also said the Roe v. Wade decision was wrong to cite the right to privacy as a reason for abortion being permissible.

“Privacy doesn’t allow you to take a life,” he said.

Huckabee, a staunch social conservative, has focused much of his long-shot bid for president on social issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage.

Abortion has resurfaced in recent weeks as a hot topic in Washington following the release of three videos by an anti-abortion group purporting to show Planned Parenthood officials discussing the sale of fetal tissue.

Several bills have been introduced in Congress to cut federal funding of Planned Parenthood and ban the sale of fetal tissue. The Kansas State Board of Healing Arts will investigate the state’s two Planned Parenthood facilities in response to a request from Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback.

It is getting ever more difficult to distinguish the American religious right (GOP and religious conservatives) from other countries that are heavily influenced by or controlled y theocratic rulers. Buyer beware!

Via: Memeorandum

The Donald Lowering Expectations for First Presidential Debate Appearance...

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Next week ten GOP presidential candidates will face each other in the opening debate of the 2016 presidential campaign. Donald Trump, the bombastic, narcissistic braggart is presently leading the GOP field in all major polls. He has accomplished this through controlling media focus and by his tough guy talk on immigration. Trump has touch a chord that resonates with a significant segment of the American electorate. Playing on Americans fears and by pumping up the volume on his rhetoric and bromides he has managed overshadow other more qualified and serious candidates.

THE HILL -GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump said on Thursday he has “no idea” how he will perform in next week’s Republican 2016 debate.

Trump argued that he is a man of action rather than words during a news conference in Turnberry, Scotland, that afternoon.

Perhaps Mr. Trump is a man of action rather than words, but as a candidate for the presidency of the United States it is incumbent on him to provide specific policy portions on issues of national importance as well as his vision for America and how he plans on leading the country in achieving his vision.

“As far as preparing for the debates, I am who I am,” he told ABC News.

“I’ve never debated before, I’m not a debater,” Trump said. “I get things done. I don’t talk about it, I get it done.”

There is no question Mr. Trump is who he is, and unabashedly so.

If nothing else it should prove interesting (and maybe entertaining) observing the non debater and a man who has been very short on specifics field what hopefully will be hardball and complex questions on policy and leadership.

“Politicians talk about it,” he added. “They debate all over the place and nothing happens. I’m sort of the opposite.”

Trump then refused to guess on how he will fare during next week’s televised contest with nine other White House hopefuls.

“I have no idea how I’ll do,” he said of the Aug. 6 debate on Fox News. “Maybe I’ll do terribly, maybe I’ll do great.”

Effectively debating issues requires an in depth understanding of the issues as well as the ability to convey a coherent plan of action. In other words you have to know what it is you want to accomplish and have a strong convincing plan as how you are going to get there.

One gets the sense Trump is likely going to "wing it" with a minimum of preparation, relying on his bombast and hyperbole to carry him. But never underestimate the Donald. He just might surprise us all and actually provide reasons to consider voting for him should he accomplish the highly unlikely and actually receive the GOP nomination.

Read more BELOW THE FOLD.

Via: Memeorandum

Donald Trump, Yellow Journalism, and a Contest of Madmen for the Primacy of the Sewer

  
By (O)CT(O)PUS

If this title caught your attention, you have come to right place. The art of headline writing is a lesson learned in Journalism 101 and a convention of 'yellow journalism' born in the Gilded Age. Yellow journalism is a derisive term that has become synonymous with sensationalism, pandering, and journalistic misconduct. When discussing the failings of contemporary journalism, the era of the yellow press is likely to be invoked. The criticisms are valid because the conventions of yellow journalism continue to live and thrive in the age of cable TV news.

My purpose in writing this post is to critique a column by Paul Janensch that appeared in the pages of our local newspaper: "Trump understands how to feed media to his advantage" [July 22, 2015]. Everyday we witness examples of cringe worthy headlines turned into newsworthy events. We understand how charlatans and shameless hacks play the media; but how many journalists ask the more pertinent question: Why does our media allow itself to be played? In his commentary, Janensch merely scratches the surface.

Yellow Journalism. The story of yellow journalism begins with publishing legend Joseph Pulitzer. An ambitious and aggressive newspaper entrepreneur, Pulitzer pioneered the use provocative headlines, pictures, games, and novelties to attract readers and build circulation. Yet, his motives were not entirely self-serving. Pulitzer also believed in journalism as a civic responsibility whose mission is to improve society. In an era marked by immigration, labor unrest, abuses of power, and injustice, Pulitzer transformed his newspaper into a leading voice of reform.

In short order, yellow journalism spread to Boston, Chicago, Denver, and beyond. The staid establishment tabloids of the era denounced the excesses of the yellow press, as evidenced in this 1906 commentary by Harper's Weekly:

"We may talk about the perils incident to the concentration of wealth, about the perils flowing from a disregard of fiduciary responsibility, about abuses of privilege, about exploiting the government for private advantage; but all these menaces, great as they are, are nothing compared with the deliberate, persistent, artful, purchased endeavor to pervert and vitiate the public judgment."

Sound familiar? Even in a bygone era, critics called attention to the power of media to shape public opinion, a concern still voiced more than a century later. All told, yellow journalism has been described as irritating yet irresistible, imaginative yet frivolous, aggressive yet self-indulgent, and activist but arrogant. The history of 'yellow journalism' informs our concerns about the failings of contemporary journalism:

What has changed since the Gilded Age?

Is modern mass media serving the public interest?

Should we be concerned?

Media Consolidation. In the Gilded Age, there were thousands of independently owned newspapers, and no tabloid had the market reach or power to influence national opinion. By mid century after a succession of wars, the focus of public attention shifted to national and world events. By 1975, two-thirds of all independently owned newspapers and one-third of all independently owned TV stations had vanished. Today, less than two-dozen companies control 75% of the print market, and only five companies dominate the cable news network segment – the same ones that own the top Internet news sites.

What has changed from the Gilded Age to the present? Media consolidation has concentrated power in the hands of very few players that now have the means to "pervert and vitiate the public judgment." In recent times, media conglomerates – grown too big to fail -- measure success in terms of ratings and audience share (which translate into advertising revenue).

Roger Ailes, chief architect of the Fox News stratagem, openly admits: He sees himself as a producer of ratings, not journalism; audience share is his only yardstick. Roger Ailes knows the conventions of yellow journalism. He also knows his audience better than most: Middle Americans with traditional values who dutifully practice their faith weekly in church pews and want their opinions shrink-wrapped on the nightly news.

Crosstalk. To avoid charges of promoting a partisan bias, news networks often interview opposing stakeholders to create an appearance of balance and objectivity. We know this formula all too well: He claims the sky is falling; she says the sky is blue. Which one tells the truth; who among them is the liar? All too often, the burden of unbundling fact from fiction is left to the viewer.

When broadcasters fail to check the veracity of competing claims (and all lie are treated as newsworthy events), deceptions are legitimized upon a national stage. Staged confrontations further antagonize an angry public already mired in partisanship. How polarized have we become as a nation? On any given day, read the opinion pages (and share your impressions here).

Donald Trump, Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, and Bill O'Reilly are the 'yellow kids' of broadcast journalism. When we catch them in the act of dissembling, they reflexively lash out when criticized, or feign innocence by masquerading as entertainers, or defame and demonize their opponents. From the Gilded Age to the present, much has remained the same. When sensational headlines scream for attention, nothing succeeds like excess, and Donald Trump is the most consummate troll of all.

Should we be concerned? You betcha! We have long known how media can be played and manipulated – by paying journalists to promote an industry viewpoint; by hiring PR firms to feed stories to the press; by faking news with maliciously edited videotape; by using smear tactics to destroy reputations; by repeating hot-button weasel words to spread suspicion and fear; by leveraging the powers of government to shape public opinion; to sell a bogus war on flimsy evidence. We understand intuitively how often our networks have failed in their mission to report honest and trustworthy news -- leading us astray.

   Finally, consider the impact of the Citizens United decision that opened a new era of Super PACs and dark money from anonymous donors whose identities and motives are no longer transparent to the public.

In closing, I leave you with this thought. As Hannah Arendt once observed, a disciplined and well-funded minority of totalitarians can use the instruments of democratic government -- namely free speech and freedom of the press -- to undermine democracy itself.

(O)CT(O)PUS writes regularly for THE SWASH ZONE. Rational Nation USA, while acknowledging his contribution to our site, wishes to extend our appreciation to him for allowing us to publish the foregoing article in full.

Allan West Sounding the Drums of War...

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This is a dangerous man. Another the neo con right loves to idolize.

Words To Consider As We Aproach 2016 And Beyond...

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“Now I will tell you the answer to my question. It is this. The Party seeks power entirely for its own sake. We are not interested in the good of others; we are interested solely in power, pure power. What pure power means you will understand presently. We are different from the oligarchies of the past in that we know what we are doing. All the others, even those who resembled ourselves, were cowards and hypocrites. The German Nazis and the Russian Communists came very close to us in their methods, but they never had the courage to recognize their own motives. They pretended, perhaps they even believed, that they had seized power unwillingly and for a limited time, and that just around the corner there lay a paradise where human beings would be free and equal. We are not like that. We know what no one ever seizes power with the intention of relinquishing it. Power is not a means; it is an end. One does not establish a dictatorship in order to safeguard a revolution; one makes the revolution in order to establish the dictatorship. The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. Now you begin to understand me.”
― George Orwell, 1984

As America marches, blindly, in step with the beat and to the music being chosen for them.

Source

GOP Favorability at 32%, Dem Favorable Beats GOP's by 16%...

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Purveyor of Truth

Given the GOP's position on many issues important to the American people it is understandable why they are viewed as unfavorably as they are. If the Grand Old Party (which is really no longer all that Grand)doesn't address the issues the American electorate is concerned about and put forward clear, honest, and realistic solutions the current negative trajectory will continue on it's present course.

The Republican Party’s image has grown more negative over the first half of this year. Currently, 32% have a favorable impression of the Republican Party, while 60% have an unfavorable view. Favorable views of the GOP have fallen nine percentage points since January. The Democratic Party continues to have mixed ratings (48% favorable, 47% unfavorable).

The Democratic Party has often held an edge over the GOP in favorability in recent years, but its advantage had narrowed following the Republicans’ midterm victory last fall. Today, the gap is as wide as it has been in more than two years.

Republicans, in particular, are now more critical of their own party than they were a few months ago. About two-thirds (68%) express a favorable opinion of their party, the lowest share in more than two years. Six months ago, 86% of Republicans viewed the GOP positively.

The latest national survey by the Pew Research Center, conducted July 14-20, 2015 among 2,002 adults, finds little change in more specific perceptions of the two parties.

As has been the case over the past four years, the Republican Party is viewed as more extreme in its positions than the Democratic Party. Currently, 52% say the GOP is more extreme, compared with 35% who say this better describes the Democratic Party.

The Democratic Party continues to hold wide advantages over the Republicans on empathy and honesty. By 53% to 31%, the Democratic Party is viewed as “more concerned with the needs of people like me.” And the Democrats hold a 16-point lead on governing in an honest and ethical way (45% to 29%).

Neither party has an edge in perceptions about which could better manage the federal government: 40% say the Republican Party, while an identical percentage prefers the Democrats.

While the democratic party is viewed more favorably in many categories congress has a favorability rating of only 25% with an unfavorably rating of 69%.

The full Pew Research Poll taken on 7/14/15.

Via: Memeorandum

Why No Sane Person Will Vote For The Dumpster, In His Own Words...

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The Donald - The latest polls are out, and just as I predicted, I’m leading the Republican presidential race by a wide margin. You might be wondering how that could be. After all, it’s hardly been a month since I entered the field and I’ve already alienated America’s largest immigrant population, seen dozens of my high-profile business deals implode one after the other, and publicly insulted a national hero’s military service, all while not offering a single viable policy idea. But none of that matters at all, and my candidacy continues to surge forward, because none of you—not a single one of you—can look away. Not even for a second.

Admit it: You people want to see just how far this goes, don’t you?

My campaign’s just barely begun and I’ve already got you begging for more. Sure, you can say you oppose me or that you don’t even take me seriously. But let me ask you: How many articles have you read about Ted Cruz lately? How many news segments have you watched on Bobby Jindal? Or Rand Paul? But if those stories have the name “Donald Trump” in them, well, look who suddenly can’t get enough.

The thing is, I’ve got all of you eating out of my hand and I haven’t even released a single campaign commercial yet. Don’t look me in the eye and tell me you don’t want to stick around and see what that looks like, because you and I both know these ads are going to be absolutely incredible. I’ll be standing there projecting my best presidential air, saying “I’m Donald Trump, and I approve this message,” and you won’t be able to take your eyes off it.

You keep obsessing over every little thing I do and say, and I promise you’ll get your commercials real soon.

I can tell you’re practically salivating right now. And I’m going to keep riding this fascination, this little fixation you have with me as far as you’ll take me. You know I will.

And the TV spots are just the beginning. I know you, and I know what you like. You’ll absolutely eat it up when you see the “Trump ’16” T-shirts, the lawn signs, the bumper stickers; in fact, you’ll probably get a real kick out of pointing them out to your friends. Now, just imagine me shaking hands with senior citizens at a nursing home in Iowa. Wouldn’t you love to watch that? Or hear what comes out of my mouth when I speak to blue-collar workers at a struggling auto factory?

You say that doesn’t interest you? Oh, right, because you’re dying to see how Scott Walker behaves in those situations, right? Give me a break.

Just take a moment and imagine the primary debates: Jeb Bush; Chris Christie; me. Of course, they’ll put me in the middle because I’m ahead in the polls—far ahead at the moment. You already know how I answer even the most basic inquiries, so just picture me staring down the barrel of a question about foreign affairs or agriculture policy or something like that. You think you won’t sit there with bated breath while I try to tackle a question about using military force, or about food stamps, or about how my faith influences my decision-making? I guarantee you that my answers will be worth watching. And we both know you wouldn’t miss them for the world. It’d be the biggest, most-watched primary debate in history, courtesy of all of you.

And might I remind you that the longer this goes on, the closer I get to selecting a running mate. That realization kind of delighted you in a way, didn’t it? You absolutely want to know who I’d pick. A defeated GOP challenger who hates my guts? Another lunatic billionaire? Maybe my own son, Donald Trump Jr.? Whatever your wildest expectation is, I promise you I will surpass it. You’re not going to pass up an opportunity to see that, are you?

I can tell you’re practically salivating right now. And I’m going to keep riding this fascination, this little fixation you have with me as far as you’ll take me. You know I will.

So don’t try to tell me you’d be just as happy to watch one of these other bozos go toe-to-toe with Hillary Clinton or give a soaring speech at the national convention. And don’t delude yourself into thinking it’s everyone else who wants to watch me do this and you’re somehow above it. You want to see it. You want more. You hear “Trump” and your attention snaps to the TV screen right away.

Don’t think it’s true? Fine. You know what you have to do to make me go away. Just quit paying attention. Stop reading this right now.

That’s right, I didn’t think so. I have the power to make the next 16 months one of the most incredible times in our nation’s history, and not a single one of you can say you’re not at least a little bit curious to see how this wild ride shakes out. So just keep clicking every link that mentions my name and hitting play on every clip of my public appearances, and I promise you will not be disappointed.

Now, excuse me, but I have to go appear at a New Hampshire town hall and make a statement that every last one of you will be eagerly reading about and discussing in just a few hours’ time.

This weblog has been saying since Trump announced his candidacy he is NOT a serious candidate, that he IS a NARCISSIST,, and now he is brashly telling you in so many word he is playing you as the fool. He is right though about one thing; many of you will HANG on every word and misstatement as though it is the gospel because it will be just what you want to be told. Whether true or not is immaterial to you.


Via: Memeorandum

Obama Right on Iran Deal, Critics are WRONG...

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POLITICO - As he stepped up efforts to sell the Iran nuclear deal to the American public and skeptics in Congress on Tuesday, President Barack Obama compared critics’ opposition to the agreement with support for the invasion of Iraq.

In both a muscular speech to the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Pittsburgh and a taping of “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” Obama cast critics of his diplomatic approach as the same kind of misguided warmongers who pushed for an invasion of Iraq during George W. Bush’s presidency.

“We’re hearing the echoes of some of the same policies and mindset that we’ve heard in the past,” Obama said. His loudest critics, he added, are “the same folks who were so quick to go to war in Iraq and said it would take a few months.”

A few hours later, on the “Daily Show” set in New York City, Obama took another jab at his critics, this time invoking Dick Cheney. He mocked those who he said seem to believe that if “you had brought Dick Cheney to the negotiations, everything would be fine.”

The administration has presented the negotiations with Iran as a choice between peacefully preventing a nuclear Iran and going to war with the Islamic Republic, but Obama appeared to take the argument a step further to question the credibility of his opponents.

“I believe there’s a smarter, more responsible way,” Obama said in Pittsburgh.

“We’ve done the hard and patient work” of diplomacy, he added, “instead of chest-beating which rejects the idea of even talking to our adversaries.”

When you are right you are right. On this issue of utmost importance the President is absolutely right. BTW, it really is time for conservatives, neo cons, and war mongers to accept the USA share of responsibility for the volatility in the Middle East and our shitty relations with Iran.

Read more BELOW THE FOLD.

Via: Memeorandum

Iran's Supreme {Spiritual} Leader Speaks On Nuke Deal...

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(CNN)—Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed Saturday that a newly negotiated deal on his country's nuclear program would not alter Iran's policies toward the United States.

In a televised address marking the start of Eid al-Fitr, the festival that follows the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Khamenei said the agreement signed Tuesday on the nuclear issue would not affect Iran's stance on other regional or bilateral matters.

"Our policies toward the arrogant government of the United States will not be changed at all," he said.

Khamenei said the negotiations with the United States and other world powers on Tehran's nuclear program were an exception because they served Iran's national interest.


Families query deal


Bilateral issues currently at stake between Washington and Tehran include the fate of three Americans of Iranian background who are currently detained in Iran, as well as the status of a fourth American, who was a CIA contractor and remains missing after visiting the country.

Their families have questioned how a deal could have been made on the nuclear issue without addressing their cases.

U.S. President Barack Obama has strongly defended the landmark deal, which was the result of 20 months of talks, telling reporters Wednesday: "This deal is our best means of ensuring Iran does not get a nuclear weapon."

His real audience, however, was skeptical Democrats on Capitol Hill, who could join with Republicans to scuttle the complex agreement brokered in Vienna.

In a bid to bolster support, White House officials have been trumpeting the measure for the limits placed on uranium enrichment and broad access for international inspectors.

Obama also noted that he has met with families of some of the Americans held in Iranian custody, and said his administration was "working diligently to try to get them out."

So, is the Supreme {Spiritual}Leader of Iran simply playing to his more militant and radical base; much as American conservatives and libertarians play to their radical religious base or is he really representative of the greater Iranian population?

Our considered opinion is it is the former rather than the latter. We are interested in yours and why.

VEIW VIDEO AND READ FULL TEXT

Via: Memeorandum

Neo Con's, Republicans, and Netanyahu Claim Historic Nuclear Deal With Iran Poses Security Threat...

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Purveyor of Truth

As the American neo con's and republican presidential candidates go all goofy over the Historic Nuclear deal with Iran, falling all over themselves declaring how bad it is for America, reasonably intelligent folks will withhold judgment until we actually know the details. It appears based on what we already know this negotiated deal is by far better than the alternative; which is the use of force against Iran.

Of course Bibi, the Israeli version of the American neo con, is talking up how catastrophic this deal is be for Israel as well as the USA. No surprise there as the Prime Minister has been sounding the same rhetorical BS for as long as he has been in Israeli politics and government.

My prediction; the deal stands, it ultimately improve relations with Iran, and the world will be a safer place for it. Oh, and if by a stroke of unfortunate luck one of the republican candidates should win the 2016 election, they will do absolutely nothing to vacate the agreement.











Find the text HERE.

Via: Memeorandum

As the Neo Cons, MIC, and Republicans Spring to Scuttle the Iran Nuclear Deal...

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Purveyor of Truth

POLITICO - The ink was barely dry on the nuclear agreement with Iran before Republican presidential candidates began attacking it as a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad deal.

On Tuesday morning, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham said the historic accord, announced early Tuesday in Vienna, is “akin to declaring war on Israel and the Sunni Arabs.” Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton could have done better, he said.

“Hillary Clinton, if you think this is a good deal, then you’re dangerously naive. I think she could negotiate a better deal than this. I think everybody on our side could, except Rand Paul,” he said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”

“My initial impression is that this deal is far worse than I ever dreamed it could be and will be a nightmare for the region, our national security and eventually the world at large,” Graham said in a separate interview with Bloomberg.

Graham said the deal has created “a possible death sentence” for Israel.

“This is the most dangerous, irresponsible step I’ve ever seen in the history of watching the Mideast,” Graham declared.

Yup, nothing has changed nor will it change as long as the neo con nincompoop MIC advocates hold any sway over the nation's strategic decisions. Concerned only with keeping mutual distrust and 20th century military doctrines alive they lack the capacity to see beyond their own foolish short sighted and ultimately destructive paradigms.

More BELOW THE FOLD

Via: Memeorandum

Santorum Wants Constitutional Amendment to Circumvent SCOTUS Ruling on Marriage Equality...

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Purveyor of Truth

Mister self righteous himself calling for a constitutional amendment defining marriage as a union between a man and a women. Courting the evangelical religious right vote will play well to a minority of the voting public and may even get him a place on the stage.

Good luck with the amendment thing Frothy. {Chuckling Out Loud}

Bloomberg Politics - Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum said Monday he wants a constitutional amendment that defines marriage as between a man and a woman in all 50 states, less than three weeks after the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.

“I believe we need a national standard for marriage. I don't think we can have a standard from one state to another on what marriage is,” Santorum told reporters at a breakfast in Washington hosted by the Christian Science Monitor, adding that he wants “to define marriage the way it was defined for 4,000 years of human history.”

The remarks put Santorum to the right of rivals such as Texas Senator Ted Cruz and Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, who are pushing a different kind of constitutional amendment that would allow states to decide whether to allow or ban same-sex marriage, rather than an amendment that would set a national standard.

“I think that's a mistake,” Santorum said of their positions. “I argued that 10 years ago when others wanted to do that 10 years ago. You can't have a hodgepodge of marriage...it just creates too much confusion out there on a variety of different levels.”

Santorum, a former Pennsylvania senator who won the 2012 Iowa caucuses and finished the primary as runner-up to nominee Mitt Romney, is competing with a crowded field of 2016 candidates and has so far struggled to gain traction. His decision to take the most far-reaching position on same-sex marriage, which a majority of Americans now support, could help him court evangelical Christian voters.

Via: Memeorandum

Reasonable Questions Deserving Of Reasonable Answers...

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Questions asked by Megyn Kelly are legitimate and are not only deserving of answers they must be answered. Division is only increased when the legitimate concerns of people are ignored and treated as if they do not matter. Concern is a two way street, however some apparently fail to acknowledge this simple fact.



Read the transcript of remarks .

2015 Independence Day Weekend... the Best Ever...

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Purveyor of Truth

A great 4th of July weekend project. What better way to spend ones time than helping a terrific son put in his rock patio.

Oh, and the slow smoked ribs he made for after project completion... Awesomely Outstanding! Henceforth my son; that would be Patrick the big guy, will be known as The Rib Man.

What July 4th Means To Me...

He that would make his own liberty secure, must guard even his enemy from opposition; for if he violates this duty he establishes a precedent that will reach himself.  ~Thomas Paine

Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it.  ~Thomas Paine

 

 

Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and success of liberty. - John F. Kennedy

 

 

So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.
Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.
Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!
Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!
Let freedom ring from the curvaceous peaks of California!
But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!
Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!
Let freedom ring from every hill and every molehill of Mississippi.
From every mountainside, let freedom ring.Martin Luther King Jr.

 

 

Happy Independence Day