Thursday, December 9, 2010
National Defense Authorization Act 2010 'Don't Ask Don't Tell' UPDATE
So what is the bill? It's the bill that keeps the government churning away. Without it, government spending on the military comes to a screetching halt. That's why it's not really all that shocking that there could be some partisan back and forth as this particular bills failure to pass could be a really nasty thing.
Right now, there's a filibuster in the wings, which threatens the advancement of the bill. President Obama has issued a statement revealing disappointment that the bill has not been passed yet. For the last 48 years it has been passed, and without it - military families will be on the hook.
Everyone knows that the government won't leave the military hanging. However, this is a definite political gesture and game, and one that points out politics as usual. President Obama has shown a willingness to compromise, giving in to some GOP demands in order to make headway in some of his desires. He's been labeled a "sell-out" by the far left.
The filibuster is because a small group of senators oppose the repeal of "Don't Ask Don't Tell" which would end discrimination in the military dealing with sexual preferences. It's an executive order signed by Bill Clinton that meant that the openly gay could not serve in the military.
Maybe the National Defense Authorization Act 2010 will be able to pass before Congress Adjourns.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Funeral for Elizabeth Edwards Planned for Saturday
Dream Act 2010 Debate Begins Tomorrow
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Elizabeth Edwards Facebook Page Bears Final Facebook Message Before Death
“I have been sustained throughout my life by three saving graces -- my family, my friends, and a faith in the power of resilience and hope. These graces have carried me through difficult times and they have brought more joy to the good times than I ever could have imagined. The days of our lives, for all of us, are numbered. We know that.”
Elizabeth Edwards suffered from Breast Cancer, and found a lump in her breast during the 2004 presidential election campaign. She was in support of her husband, who was running with John Kerry for the Democratic campaign against Bush 2's re-election. She was diagnosed with stage 2 cancer the day after the general election.
Edwards was sidelined later on when it was revealed that he not only had an affair, but also fathered a child out of wedlock. Edwards' little girl, Quinn, was born out of the affair between John Edwards and Rielle Hunter.
Rielle has not expressed any remorse for the affair. John Edwards' political career is over.
MORE ON THE JOHN EDWARDS SCANDAL, HERE.
Rest in peace, Elizabeth Edwards. The Facebook message she posted yesterday was a great final message, wasn't it?
FINALLY: Unemployment Extension 2010 - Almost Available, but No Tier 5 for 99ers
Could Julian Assange Arrested Conclude Wikileaks Debacle?
Celebrate Pearl Harbor Day 2010 - December 7 Military Quotes and Activities
Monday, December 6, 2010
Kathy Griffin: Bristol Palin's Weight Joke Draws Boos from Military
Could Unemployment Extension 2010 & Bush Tax Cut Compromise Hurt Obama?
Sunday, December 5, 2010
POLITICS: Unemployment Extension 2010 Benefits Bill Blocked, 99ers & Tier 5 Woes
If the benefits are not extended and soon, there will be massive lapses in benefits, amid the holiday season. This is not good news.
In the Senate, a bill was blocked yesterday even though Senator Barbara Boxer read letters from unemployed constituents. The bill would have had to head back to the House, but the Senate hurdle is far greater.
The benefits bill would have extended unemployment for one year. It would not have added a 5th tier of benefits for the "99ers", or those who have been out of work for 99 weeks or more.
The job market doesn't show any signs of uptick. The national unemployment rate went up during the month of November to a seasonally adjusted 9.8% - flirting with double digit unemployments.
The unemployed will keep their eyes trained on the unemployment extension 2010 and its passage. Hopefully the lame duck session will not pass by without an extension of benefits.
Bush Tax Cuts Extension 2010 Concessions On the Way?
Israel Fire 2010 Containment and UPDATES
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Elisabeth Hasselbeck - Did Sarah Palin 'Use' Her?
SATURDAY: Unemployment Extension 2010 Benefits Discussed Alongside Bush Tax Cuts
Friday, December 3, 2010
Again: Unemployment Extension 2010, Benefits Ambiguous And Expired
This happened in May, and it was July before the benefits extension was passed. This means that there were millions whose benefits lapsed, even though the benefits were retroactively restated.
Without swift actions, even if there are retroactive restatement of benefits there will still be numerous American families who are left in limbo amid the holiday season.
This is troublesome, at best.
The Lame Duck session hasn't been very productive for Congress. The Food Safety Bill was announced to be passed, only to be knocked back to the Senate for revisions. The Bush era tax cuts are still in debate, and the Democrats and Republicans are at a stalemate on many issues. The House passed a tax bill that they knew wouldn't pass in the Senate - a move that Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell claims is pure political.
Speaker of the House elect John Boehner has also spoke out about the lame duck session, showing frustration on the right and the left.
If the government was a couple going through divorce, the rest of the country are the innocent children being negatively impacted by their decisions, living in uncertainty.
What are you going to do without the unemployment extension 2010 and benefits ambiguity?
Thursday, December 2, 2010
UPDATE: Unemployment Extension 2010 Funding Found By Republican Senator?
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Elizabeth Smart Case - Smart Storms Out of Trial (UPDATE)
Hanukkah 2010 Calendar Available
World AIDS Day 2010: Could A Cure to AIDS and HIV Be Near?
TODAY: Hanukkah 2010, Unemployment Extension Expiration, & World AIDS Day
These are big times. Of course, Hanukkah is the first holiday of the season, and it's celebrated by Jews all around the world - from the US, to Europe, to the Soviet Union - everywhere. In celebration of Hanukkah there's eight days of presents, and my favorite way to remember Hanukkah is of course to listen to Adam Sandler's song.
The unemployment extension expired last night, which means that as people exhaust their current tiers they will not be eligible for further benefits. Many think that the whole debate over the benefits will somehow be resolved soon, but if that's the case I have yet to see any promising signs that the extension will be passed. This is disheartening to say the least. After all, this is the holiday season.
In addition, it's World AIDS Day. Stars like Kim Kardashian are living a "digital death" by turning off their social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter to raise awareness of the day. Actually, it did raise my awareness. When I didn't get my hourly Kim Kardashian Twitter update I thought something was up. A quick search on the Internet lead me to find out that it's World AIDS Day.
SO it's a big day in World News. Stay tuned for further updates!
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Sarah Palin, Wikileaks, & Twitter
Here's a screen shot of Palin's Tweet about the deal:
Slog slammed Palin, stating that Julian Assange, the wacko behind Wikileaks is from Australia, and that Wikileaks is hosted in Sweden and therefore the Wikileaks document leak cannot be treasonous. Why? Because in order to commit treason, it has to be an act by an American against America.
Well, actually the leak IS a treasonous act. The leaked documents were given to Wikileaks by a US citizen, and therefore are really an act of Treason. Never does the governor say that Julian Assange or Wikileaks is committing treason.
This is just another example of what Palin dubbs herself as "lame stream media" putting words in her mouth. Most recently, she made a North Korea gaffe, which was blown out of proportion by major media.
Palin shot back on Facebook via her Thanksgiving address to the nation - and very classily so.
However, Sarah Palin makes a good point. Couldn't the US stop this? I mean...there's gotta be something they could do. She makes a very valid point. If she could quickly get an obscure blog to remove pages of her book from their site then why can't the US stop the Wikileaks leak?
EXPIRING: Unemployment Extension, 2010 Tier 5 for 99ers, & Obama's Salary Cut
The problem is this - we are in the final weeks of the lame duck session. This means that after Congress adjourns, then it will be the newly elected Congress that will need to pass the extension of unemployment benefits.
The problem with that is that the newly elected Congress is that they are dominated by members of the GOP - not surprising in its entirety because of criticisms of the current government, and the Obama Administration. However, they aren't exactly for the unemployment extension - not because they don't want to help those without a job but because they want to curb government spending.
Obama has proposed ways to cut the budget - he's going to freeze civilian pay for federal government workers. Of course, this move has to be approved by Congress.
I imagine that there will be a lot of upset federal workers, but they should be grateful to have jobs...with benefits...although I could understand that knowing that you aren't going to get your customary raise would be disconcerting, at best.
There are a lot of things to hammer out. However, the unemployment extension - no matter what the cost - should be of the utmost importance to legislators.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Christine O'Donnell for Dancing with the Stars?
Christine O'Donnell was so controversial, her primary win was so shocking and is believed to have been one shoe that fell that caused the GOP to lose the Senate. The GOP did, however, gain control of the house during the 2010 mid-term elections.
O'Donnell is quirky, and is probably best known for her early 90's appearance at Bill Maher's show, in which she admitted to dabbling in witchcraft.
With Bristol Palin making it to the finale of Dancing with the Stars, a news story broke that Sarah Palin was lobbying to include O'Donnell in the next season.
Palin denies the story in her Thanksgiving message to her Facebook fans. She says 'And for that matter, why not just make up stories out of thin air – like the totally false hard news story which has run for three days now reporting that I lobbied the producers of “Dancing with the Stars” to cast a former Senate candidate on their show. That lie is further clear proof that the media completely makes things up without doing even rudimentary fact-checking.'
So there you have it. Sarah Palin is not lobbying for Christine O'Donnell to be on Dancing with the Stars?
Obama Stitches Dominate White House Christmas Tree Delivery Discussions
The press caught a glimpse of the commander in chief from a White House window while waiting for Michelle Obama to be given the official Christmas Tree.
The whole thing was an "accidental" elbow jab to the lip. One can't help but wonder how the president is going to hide his injury - of course, he can't. The injury took place during a friendly B-Ball game at a Washington military facility.
Rey Decerega has been outed as the person who was responsible for the injuries. He's a member of the Hispanic Caucus.
The president is an avid lover of basketball, and has even attended professional and college games while in office. Medical staff at the White House sewed up his injuries in a way that would make the scars less visible, according to ABC News.
Of course, there are injuries in any sport. It's not all that uncommon for someone to bust a lip playing basketball. It could have been worse. He could have gotten a black eye, broke his nose, or pulled a muscle in his knee.
However, I imagine he's going to get a lot of chuckles walking around with 12 Obama stitches in his lip!
Politics: Unemployment Extension, 99ers Tier 5 2010 Continues To Be Elusive
The current emergency federal benefits will expire on November 30, 2010 - which is only three short days from now. Back in the spring, the extension of benefits was delayed and as such there was a big cluster when it came to getting everyone their benefits.
The current proposal which was put to a "fast track" vote in Congress would have extended benefits until February 28, 2010. This is a short extension, but it would have at least gotten Americans through the holiday season. The "Fast track" rules of legislation call for a 2/3 majority in order to pass the house, but that did not transpire.
Still, passing the house still faces an uphill battle in the Senate.
The unemployed are keeping their fingers crossed that the extension of benefits will be involved in a deal cut with the GOP. Perhaps if the GOP is given the Bush Tax Cuts, they will give back the unemployment extension in return.
Sarah Palin North Korea Gaffe A Simple Misstatement, Not Consipracy
One reason I love Palin is that she doesn't stand idly by and allow people to step all over her. She took to her social networking sites to speak out about the gaffe, pointing out 10 gaffes from our President.
She's not trying to belittle him, or say that he's incompetent - only that all politicians regardless of party are guilty of such slips of the tongue.
So what was Sarah Palin's gaffe? During a brief radio interview with Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin inadvertently called North Korea our allies. However, if you listen to the ENTIRE interview, you will see that she had it correct all along.
In short, her slip was taken out of context. The former Alaskan Governor KNOWS that North Korea is NOT our allies.
You can read Sarah Palin's hilarious Thanksgiving address to her readers, here.
In case you didn't hear the ENTIRE Sarah Palin North Korea gaffe, you can view it below. It was a slip of the tongue.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Immigration: Dream Act Continues Discussion During 2010 Lame Duck
The basic premise is that the move would help fix a social injustice. The people who qualify for the amnesty are those who did not choose to be illegal immigrants. In essence, as illegal immigrants these are people without a country. All their lifelong friends are from the US, and they know no body - and perhaps don't even speak the language - of their motherland. In addition, by adding people with degrees to the country, it will help us advance.
On the other hand, some say that this measure might cause more harm than good. If you are a parent, ask yourself this: would you go to a country illegally if you thought your child would get a chance for a better life? I doubt there are any parents out there who would say no. Parents will do anything for their young.
So is the Dream Act going to pass - and is it necessary for our country? Weigh in and debate with us in our comment section.
Holidays: Unemployment Extension Benefits 2010 Expire, Tier 5 & 99ers Worry
Today is Thanksgiving Day, and there are many moms and dads out there who are preparing a modest meal, watching holiday shows on TV, and trying to act as normal as possible so as not to ruin the holidays for their young children. While the kids aren't around, they are trying to figure out how they are going to purchase toys and presents
A couple of weeks ago, Congress tried to "fast track" extending the current emergency federal benefits, with no avail. The measure failed to get a 2/3 majority required, but even if it would have it would have faced an uphill battle in the Senate.
The GOP wants to ensure that any measure is paid for by spending cuts or increased taxes. They also don't want to push through any measures that the Democrats are passionate about, unless there's some deal with the Bush Tax Cuts.
Of course, the ideal situation would be this. The Democrats would say "ok" to the GOPs desires to keep the Bush Tax Cuts in place, and in turn the GOP would extend unemployment benefits for at least six more months.
Will that happen? It's hard to say. However, in five short days the 2010 unemployment extension will expire, and it won't be just the 99ers who need a Tier 5 who will be struggling for answers.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Sarah Palin Book Tour 2010 Dates Avoid Certain Cities
Bristol Palin Dancing With The Stars 2010 3rd Place Finale
On the bottom two with Brandy last week, the country watched in awe as it was Brandy and not Bristol who was sent home. We got to see Brandy dance one last time last night during the special 2 hour finale.
Now, everyone is looking forward to the next season and who ABC will be able to put in to the lineup. Skating with the Stars has started, and it feels a bit dull and there are no political personalities in the lineup.
Next season, I would love to see Todd Palin or even Meghan McCain join the crew. Chris Christie would also make a great contestant once he's out of office, and if he doesn't run for President. Maybe one day we will also get to see Michelle Obama, Laura Bush, or perhaps even Megyn Kelly.
I'm proud of Bristol's 3rd place finish. I'm proud of her for making it in to the season finale. Jennifer Grey winning Dancing with the Stars 2010 isn't a shocker at all to me. After all, everyone knew it would happen from the time she danced her first dance.
Bristol Palin's Dancing with the Stars 2010 finale 3rd place finish shows that there was no massive tea party conspiracy to take over ABC's DWTS.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Will Bristol Palin Be Who Won Dancing With The Stars?
Bristol Palin Dancing With The Stars ABC DWTS
Megyn Kelly GQ Photos - Fox News becomes Foxy News?
Sarah Palin's Alaska Ratings Decrease
Chris Christie For President? NJ Governor Popular GOP Choice
Sarah Palin Katie Couric Interview Controversy Continues
Natalee Holloway Found? No. Jawbone Doesn't Belong To Missing Girl
The promise was short lived. In the Netherlands, further testing revealed that the bone is of unknown origin, as it does not belong to Natalee Holloway.
There are two theories on the missing girl's case. One theory claims that Holloway was killed, or somehow died in the company of Joran Van Der Sloot. This is the most accepted theory - and Van Der Sloot has been arrested for the murder of another young woman in Peru five years exactly to the date in which Holloway went missing.
The second theory is that Natalee, a beautiful blonde, was sold into the sex trade. If that's the case, she could be dead - or could be living a nightmare. Either case does not pose a rosy picture for the young girl or her family.
However, this is the most devastating blow yet. The Holloway family needs closure, which is something they can't get from this situation.
Could "Don't Touch My Junk" Change TSA Screenings For Good?
Only the pat down could be construed as a semi-sexual assault. This is what John Tyner, a 31 year old software engineer, noted and said to one TSA Agent - if you touch my junk, I will have you arrested.
There are people for the pat downs, claiming that they will help us identify potential security threats. However, what it's identifying is a lot of embarrassing situations. For instance, one flight attendant going through the security screening had to show her breast prothesis. A man with a medical condition was soaked in his own urine when a TSA Agent broke the seal on the medical device that was collecting his urine.
In Israel, profiling is used in security. Many say that profiling would be a great way to combat the TSA screenings today. However, some say that profiling goes against rights in the US. Of course, others push back and argue that our rights are also violated by the invasive pat downs and body scanners.
So could "Don't touch my junk" change TSA screenings for good? Let's hope so. How to properly combat airport security, however, remains a big question mark.
Bristol Palin Dancing With The Stars 2010 Champion?
Sarah Palin is synonymous with the Tea Party crew. There's a conspiracy theory that somehow, the Tea Party wants to hijack the results of Dancing with the Stars 2010 and make sure that Palin is the winner, although she's far from the best dancer left.
Out of the three left, in all actuality if you go by fairness in the level of improvement and the level of prior experience, it's Kyle Massey who should win. He's not a professional dancer like Jennifer Grey and he doesn't have the political clout of Bristol Palin. Even though she's the underdog, she's obviously got something on her side working hard.
Palin's score last night was a 52/60. Kyle Massey got a 56/60 and Jennifer Grey a perfect 60/60. Therefore, once again, Palin was on the bottom of the group - but will she finish on top?
It's been a rough ride for Bristol Palin on Dancing with the Stars 2010, but it all ends tonight during the season finale.