Rational Nation USA

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Liberty -vs- Tyranny Interesting... No more Fox News contributor Dick Morris. His contract to spout republic-damaging nonsense on Fox airwaves has expired, and the network isn’t renewing it. Taken together with the news that Sarah Palin will no longer be contributing, the Morris development is strong evidence that Fox News has glimpsed the underside of allowing charlatans to brand its coverage. Palin was a roboto-contributor, who responded to everything with a little crack on the lamestream media and a reference President Obama’s socialist heart. As for Morris’s misdeeds, well, everyone knows what they are. That’s because Fox News presented them so prominently in the run-up to last year’s presidential election. In his prime-time, pre-election appearances, Morris was among the few pundits who wouldn’t hedge his bets; who wouldn’t triangulate his way through the polling numbers; who wouldn’t rummage through scenario after scenario in hi...

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Liberty -vs- Tyranny The economy has made gains under the Presidency of Barack H. Obama. Gains the democrats feel proud of. Perhaps they should given the rocky road they inherited. Right? Here's a slightly different perspective. Investors Business Daily - Economy : So the economy created 157,000 new payroll jobs in January. Wow. At this rate, we might actually get back down to Bush-era unemployment rates sometime, oh, within the next 100 years. The January jobs report is supposed to be good news. After all, the economy has now added a total of 6.1 million jobs over the past three years, and the BLS revised last year's jobs numbers sharply upward. But it doesn't take much effort to notice that, when it comes to job creation, we are barely treading water. Case in point: Despite these "big" gains, unemployment climbed to 7.9% — higher than when Obama took office amid the "worst recession since the Great Depres...

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Liberty -vs- Tyranny RHINOS and Neocons working hard to ensure Chuck Hagel's nomination by President Obama for the position of Secretary of Defense goes down in flames. I guess the Neocons are looking for a war hawk to keep the Military Industrial Complex well oiled and satisfied. The only question now is whether the Obama administration will pull the plug after Hagel's relatively weak showing during his confirmation hearings. Personally I am still hoping he is confirmed. It's time to let the Neocons know the nation ain't behind their BS. The Weekly Standard - On October 3, 2005, President George W. Bush announced his intention to nominate his White House counsel, Harriet Miers, to succeed Sandra Day O’Connor as an associate justice of the Supreme Court. On October 27, after vigorous statements of opposition from conservatives and quiet expressions of dismay from Republican senators, Miers withdrew her nomination. Conserv...

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Liberty -vs- Tyranny Unfortunately your browser does not support IFrames. Watch More News Videos at ABC | Technology News | Celebrity News I like Chuck Hagel. In fact I fully support his nomination by President Obama to the position of Secretary of Defense. He is ultimately qualified and capable of executing the duties of said position. Senator McCain's views aside. Actually the biggest reason to support this nomination is because it riles the establishment RHINOS to the point of frenzy. Indeed the modern rEpublican party is working hard at attaining irrelevancy. ABC World News - Facing a rocky confirmation process, Chuck Hagel today defended his record before his former Senate colleagues, including an openly impatient Sen. John McCain. "I'm on the record on many issues, but no one individual vote, no one individual quote, no one individual statement defines me," Hagel said in his opening statement at his first c...

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Liberty -vs- Tyranny I found the chart and article from the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press quite interesting. It is indeed true the federal government has become an increasing threat to individual individual freedoms and rights. That being said, what I found most interesting is the year GWB was elected to his first term on the heels of the Clinton presidency only 30% of the people believed this to be true. Every year since 2001 the percentage of the people viewing the federal government as a threat to their rights has been growing. It is easy to understand why when you think about the Patriot Act, TSA, ObamaCare, the current efforts to strengthen firearms control ( an effort I support to a point - see prior posts on this issue ), and the overall general trend for more government involvement in every aspect of our lives. President Obama seems to be continuing on the trend line started by GBW following his election in 2001. If w...

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Liberty -vs- Tyranny If anyone doubts the presence of Nanny State Progressive Mentality in the nation's democrats one need look no further than Rep. Mitch Greenlick, from Portland Oregon and his ridiculously absurd anti smoking legislation that he introduced in Oregon. Don't get me wrong. As an aspiring personal fitness trainer I advocate a healthy and active lifestyle. Certainly smoking does not lend itself to a healthy lifestyle. Quite the opposite. However, I do not support the state as being the vehicle to control the individuals choice with respect to fitness and health practices. Certainly not beyond the aspect of education and requiring the accurate representation of the health risks associated to risky behavior. SALEM, OR (KPTV) - If you're a regular smoker, you may want to keep an eye on a new bill in the Oregon Legislature. Rep. Mitch Greenlick, from Portland, is sponsoring a bill that makes cigarettes a Schedule...

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Liberty -vs- Tyranny Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal I have previously posted on Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal as being one of the forward thinking politicians (and bright lights) in the present rEpublican party. A party that frankly IMNHO is essentially void of new ideas and blind to the reality of changing demographics and national concerns. I was pleased to see Governor Jindal getting the press he needs and deserves from the Washington Post . Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal will deliver a forceful denunciation of his party’s Washington-centric focus in a speech to the Republican National Committee on Thursday evening, arguing that the GOP is fighting the wrong fight as it seeks to rebuild from losses at the ballot box last November. “A debate about which party can better manage the federal government is a very small and short-sighted debate,” Jindal will tell the RNC members gathered in Charlotte, N.C. for the organization’s winter me...

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Liberty -vs- Tyranny This from the Queen of gimmickry. The Hill - House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Friday rejected the House GOP’s three-month plan to increase the debt ceiling. A spokesman for Pelosi said that the bill coming to the floor next week, which would raise the debt ceiling with the condition that Congress will not get paid if the House and Senate fail to pass a budget, is a "gimmick." “This is a gimmick unworthy of the challenges we face and the national debate we should be having. The message from the American people is clear: no games, no default,” Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill said. He called for a “clean” debt-ceiling increase without conditions. “We need a clean debt ceiling increase and a bipartisan and balanced budget that protects Medicare and Social Security, invests in the future, and responsibly reduces the deficit,” he said. “This proposal does not relieve the uncertainty faced by s...