7 killed in Fort Hood Shooting Spree

America has become one big video game. Except real people are dying. And no one seems understand. We just sit around and watch it unfold on our TVs. And where is this President? Why hasn't he spoken out on gun violence in our society. The reason he is silent is simple: he's afraid of the gun lobby. Just like most every other politician in America.

in reference to:

"Seven people have been killed and at least 12 injured after a shooter opened fire on Fort Hood Thursday afternoon. Fort Hood officials say one person is in custody but are asking people to stay away from windows. We've learned an incident has taken place at the sports dome, now known as the soldier readiness area. The Nolanville Fire Department tells News Channel 25 that they've been asked to bring all available EMS and Rescue personnel. Darnall Army Community Hospital reports they have received numerous victims. The spokeswoman could not confirm what types of injuries the victims were suffering."
- 7 killed in Fort Hood shooting spree - KXXV-TV News Channel 25 - Central Texas News and Weather for Waco, Temple, Killeen | (view on Google Sidewiki)

Rihanna interviewed on Good Morning America

See the video of her interview on GMA.

in reference to:

"Rihanna's Good Morning America video from Thursday, November 5, 2009, has been released by ABC. Watch Rihanna's first part of her interview with Diane Sawyer played on Good Morning America today here on ABC's website."When I realized that my selfish decision for love could result into some young girl getting killed -- I could not be easy with that," Rihanna said on GMA. "I am strong. This happened to me. I didn't cause this. I didn't do it."That's how today's portion of Rihanna's Good Morning America segment opened, with the Barbados beauty morphing into tears only when she described how much her decision to briefly return to Chris Brown may have affected the young girls who look up to the star."
- Rihanna Good Morning America video: Here's Rihanna Good Morning America video to watch online (view on Google Sidewiki)

Transcript: Fox News' Interview With David Axelrod (11-4-09)

Complete transcript. Excerpt below:

Fox News: The president's decision on Afghanistan is still a few weeks away. Will the country know before Thanksgiving?

Axelrod: I'm not going to, Major, give you a precise deadline. The president is working through the options focusing on the objective that he began with and will continue to focus on which is how do you best disrupt, dismantle, and destroy Al Qaeda and how do you embrace a strategy in Afghanistan that best facilitates that and he'll make a decision soon based on a thoughtful review of all the options.

Fox News: Based on the deployment schedules communicated to the president will he have sufficient time to be prepared for the spring?

Axelrod: Absolutely I think that, you know, the troops that he ordered in March are just now completing their arrival and the next troops would not be due there until the spring and summer and he has time to make this decision and do it in a thoughtful way.

Fox News: To those who ask me via Twitter and other mechanisms why it's taking so long, what's the answer?

Axelrod: The answer is that whenever you deploy troops and make decisions relative to war you ought to make them based on the best information and get the strategy right, make sure that the strategy serves your goals and that you're making the right decisions and he owes that to the service men and women who are going, he owes that to their families, and he owes it to the American people.

Fox News: Health care - the goal is Christmas. Is it a realistic goal soft preference or hard demand for this White House?

Axelrod: We want to get this done. It's been a long process. A lot of good work has been done. We're very close to finishing and a lot of the delay right now has to do with the Congressional Budget Office reviewing the Senate proposal and scoring it for cost and impact and so on. And that's delayed the process. You've got holidays in the way and so on. But we hope that the Senate will work through and get it done. The House seems to be on a more expedited schedule so we have the ability to get this done and we'd like to get it done.

U.N. to evacuate hundreds of staff from Afghanistan

Abandoning ship. Looks a lot like the final days of Vietnam.

in reference to:

"The United Nations said on Thursday it would start evacuating hundreds of its international staff from Afghanistan after an attack by Taliban militants last month killed five foreign staff. U.N. spokesman Aleem Siddique said the United Nations would relocate about 600 of its roughly 1,100 international staff in total, with some being moved to safer sites within Afghanistan while the rest would be withdrawn from the country. "The United Nations has been in Afghanistan for half a century and we are not about to leave now. The Afghan people want us to stay,""
- U.N. to evacuate hundreds of staff from Afghanistan - Yahoo! News (view on Google Sidewiki)

Mom gets jail after teen rides in box atop van

What the hell is going on in this country? What would make this sick puppy think this was ok? Did no one notice?

in reference to:

"A woman pleaded guilty and will spend five days in jail after letting her daughter ride in a cardboard box on top of their van. The judge ordered Jackie Knott to 90 days jail time, of which she will serve only five days. WAFF reported Tuesday that the 37-year-old Knott admitted endangering the welfare of a child. The sentence began immediately and she also has to complete 40 hours of community service, attend a parenting class and driving school followed by two years probation. Albertville police arrested Knott last month after concerned drivers called police when they saw the 13-year-old in the box. Knott reportedly told police the box wouldn't fit inside the van so her daughter was sitting inside to weigh it down on the roof. The teen was not hurt."
- Mom gets jail after teen rides in box atop van (view on Google Sidewiki)

China activist risks jail with letter to Obama

I'm sorry, you're on your own. China can do whatever they want without repercussions or even criticism. Remember the snubbing of the Dalai Lama?

in reference to:

"China activist risks jail with letter to Obama"
- Newsvine - China activist risks jail with letter to Obama (view on Google Sidewiki)

Fla. baby missing for 5 days found alive under bed

Once again, the system failed. And children are the greatest victims. No one seems to be looking out for them.

in reference to:

"A baby missing for five days was found alive and well under her baby sitter's bed, and Florida authorities said Thursday they plan to charge the sitter, her husband and the child's mother. Investigators found 7-month-old Shannon Dedrick in a box tucked under a bed surrounded by items intended to hide the child at Susan Elizabeth Baker's home near Chipley, a rural Panhandle town, Washington County Sheriff Bobby Haddock said in an interview early Thursday. The baby was placed in protective custody. "Statistically speaking this should not have ever happened, that we found this child alive, especially after so many days. Time was against us," Haddock said. Shannon was taken to a hospital but appeared healthy, Haddock said. "It was very emotional for us, because once we got her to the hospital, we called our wives and every one of us was crying. Grown men crying. It's just such a relief," he said. "We've had missing children cases in the past, but nothing like this." Haddock said deputies were working to charge Baker, her husband James Arthur Baker and the child's mother, Chrystina Lynn Mercer. He wouldn't provide details about the possible charges or say how they believe the mother was involved, but said more information would be released later Thursday. Authorities don't believe the child's father, James Russell Dedrick Jr., was involved but the case is still under investigation, Haddock said. He said Susan Baker and the father are related."
- Fla. baby missing for 5 days found alive under bed - Yahoo! News (view on Google Sidewiki)

Politicians get World Series Tickets for Less

It's good to be Congressperson. You get the best of everything. And the people they represent get left out. Getting elected to Congress is basically a lifetime gig, despite the pretense of democracy. Money rules, especially in politics. The politicians give our money away to bankers and stick us with the check. The least they could do is raffle off some of those tickets to a veteran who lost a limb in a pointless war they started.

in reference to:

"World Series tickets are hard to come by for average baseball fans (assuming they could even afford them in the first place) but some members of Congress and their staffers are having no problems getting into the big games. Major League Baseball sells seats to federal lawmakers and their aides at face value, hundreds of dollars less than the going rate, the Wall Street Journal reports. So far during the series between New York and Philadelphia, MLB has sold about 75 tickets to a total of 15 congress members and members of their staffs. A league spokesperson declined to say exactly who purchased the tickets. Because the tickets are bought, not gifted, no congressional rules are broken. But ethics groups say the purchasers are exploiting a loophole. "Anytime you have access to something that regular people don't have, it should be considered a gift," Melanie Sloan, executive director of the nonpartisan Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, told the Journal. "Regular people can't call the Major League Baseball office and get tickets.""
- Pols Score World Series Tickets -- Politics Daily (view on Google Sidewiki)

10 Failed Doomsday Predictions

We've all heard predictions, especially after the fact, about some cataclysmic event. Always some vague prediction. Why don't these people ever give you a specific date or place before it happens. Okay. Here's your chance. Predict the next disaster. I dare you. Date and place, please. At least Robertson had the effrontery to make his ridiculous prediction.

in reference to:

"With the upcoming disaster film "2012" and the current hype about Mayan calendars and doomsday predictions, it seems like a good time to put such notions in context. Most prophets of doom come from a religious perspective, though the secular crowd has caused its share of scares as well. One thing the doomsday scenarios tend to share in common: They don't come to pass."
- 10 Failed Doomsday Predictions - Yahoo! News (view on Google Sidewiki)

Newark anti-violence activist killed in shooting crossfire

This man should be a national hero. Instead he will be forgotten. His work will have gone to waste. All because we sit back allow our cities to be over run by the lawless. Worst of all, politicians whom run this country don't have one iota the courage Shabazz exhibited during his lifetime.

in reference to:

"After getting arrested for dealing drugs as a teen, Yusuf Shabazz turned his life around by getting into anti-gang and -violence activism and warning other young people from a lawless life on the street. But the chaos the Newark resident warred against claimed the 22-year-old’s life this morning after a barrage of gunfire fatally wounded him and injured another man at a city apartment complex."
- Newark anti-violence activist killed in shooting crossfire | New Jersey Real-Time News - - NJ.com (view on Google Sidewiki)

High mortality rate of U.S. babies blamed on premature births

This is a statistic that should be cited every time a Republican talks about the evils of government controlled health care. It's a disgrace.

in reference to:

"Premature births, often due to poor care of low-income pregnant women, are the main reason the U.S. infant mortality rate is higher than in most European countries, a government report said Tuesday. About 1 in 8 U.S. births are premature. Early births are much less common in most of Europe; for example, only 1 in 18 babies are premature in Ireland and Finland. Premature births are the chief reason the U.S. ranks 30th in the world in infant mortality, with a rate more than twice as high as infant mortality rates in Sweden, Japan, Finland, Norway and the Czech Republic."
- High mortality rate of U.S. babies blamed on premature births - STLtoday.com (view on Google Sidewiki)

Dem Health bill to get AARP backing

The White House and Democratic leadership are running out of excuses. If they can't pass any meaningful health care reform, the Democrats should all be kicked out of office.

in reference to:

"In a coup for House Democrats, AARP will endorse sweeping health care overhaul legislation headed for a history-making floor vote, officials told The Associated Press on Wednesday. An endorsement from the seniors' lobby was critical when then-President George W. Bush pushed the Medicare prescription drug benefit through a closely divided Congress in 2003. House Democratic leaders are hoping it will work the same political magic for them as they strive to deliver on President Barack Obama's signature issue. An announcement from the 40-million member group is expected Thursday, said officials with knowledge of the group's decision. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the endorsement is not official yet."
- AP: Dem Health bill to get AARP backing - USATODAY.com (view on Google Sidewiki)

South Korea Taxi Drivers Can Watch TV Despite Crash Risks, Judge Rule

And I thought the judges in this country were lenient. This is crazy:
"Cab drivers in South Korea can continue to have televisions on their dashboards, despite the risk of crashing, a court has ruled"
- source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/04/south-korea-taxi-drivers-_n_345249.html

GOP senators talk of boycotting climate bill

Both parties are tool of big business. But the Republicans have decided they will do nothing but do the bidding of the corporations. They have adopted a strategy of subverting the government, and using race to attack this President. It is pure demagoguery. They believe that if things get worse in America they will benefit from. So they want to help it along but undermining a piece of legislation proposed by this President. And they are probably right. America is going down the toilet. And its happening because the Republicans want to pick up the scrapes that are leftover. Just like vultures. After all, they have nothing to offer but failure.

in reference to:

"A threatened Republican boycott of a Senate committee's consideration of climate legislation is exposing the sharp partisan divide over a Democratic proposal to combat global warming. Republicans for the most part plan to stay away from a meeting of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on Tuesday as the panel begins deliberations over legislation that would cap greenhouse gases from power and industrial plants and curb the use of fossil fuels. Democrats have a 12-7 majority in the committee and enough votes to advance the measure to the full Senate. But GOP members are demanding additional studies on the cost and job impact of the bill, arguing that an analysis by the Environmental Protection Agency was inadequate. The EPA study projected it would cost average households no more than $111 a year."
- GOP senators talk of boycotting climate bill - Yahoo! News (view on Google Sidewiki)

U.S. settles suit with Muslims in post-9/11 abuse

This case is another argument against torture. The Bush administration has done irreparable harm to America's standing in the world. We are now viewed as a country like any other which violates human rights.
in reference to:

"The U.S. government will pay $1.26 million to five Muslim men detained for months without charges after the September 11 attacks who sued for unlawful imprisonment and abuse, their lawyers said on Tuesday.

The men claimed they suffered inhumane and degrading treatment in a Brooklyn detention center, including solitary confinement, severe beatings, incessant verbal abuse and a blackout on communications with their families and attorneys. Rachel Meeropol, a lawyer for the Center for Constitutional Rights who brought the case in Brooklyn federal court, said it was the largest settlement so far for claims of abuse in the United States following the attacks of September 11, 2001."
- NewsDaily: U.S. settles suit with Muslims in post-9/11 abuse (view on Google Sidewiki)

Same-Sex Marriage Repealed in Maine

The people have spoken again. Marriage should be between a man and a woman.

in reference to:

""Maine voters overturned the state’s same-sex marriage law yesterday, delivering a potentially crushing blow to gay-rights advocates after a year when their cause seemed to be gaining momentum with legislative and legal victories in four states. As the ballot counting continued well past midnight, the margin continued to grow -- with 52.7 percent of voters in favor of the repeal -- and the Associated Press called the contest in favor of gay-marriage foes shortly before 1 a.m. The 'people’s veto' came six months after Maine’s law was approved, and one year after California voters rejected gay marriage by a similar margin.""
- ME: Same-sex marriage repealed - First Read - msnbc.com (view on Google Sidewiki)

Body Count Hits 10 at Ohio Rapist's House

How does anyone get to kill 10 people in plain site without no one noticing. This is another example of a failed criminal justice system. It is also shows how we, as a society, do not care about our neighbors.

in reference to:

"The number of bodies found in and near a rapist's home rose to at least 10 on Tuesday when authorities unearthed four corpses from the backyard and found a skull in a bucket in the basement. Cleveland police stopped searching for victims for the night and planned to continue on Wednesday. They have extended their efforts to boarded-up homes in the neighborhood where residents complained for years of a stench that one even said "smelled like a dead body." Some in the community want an investigation into why it took so long to trace the grisly source."
- Body Count Hits 10 at Ohio Rapist's House - CBS News (view on Google Sidewiki)

Afghan policeman kills 5 British soldiers

The government in Kabul cannot be trusted. Nor should we fight alongside the Afghan army. NATO forces should go it alone.

in reference to:

"An Afghan policeman opened fire on British soldiers in the volatile southern province of Helmand, killing five before fleeing, British and Afghan authorities said Wednesday, raising concerns about discipline within the Afghan forces and possible infiltration by insurgents. The attack Tuesday afternoon came a month after an Afghan policeman on patrol with U.S. soldiers fired on the Americans, killing two. Training and operating jointly with Afghan police and soldiers is key to NATO's strategy of dealing with the spreading Taliban-led insurgency and, ultimately, allowing international forces to leave Afghanistan. Attacks such as these will heighten concern about the effectiveness of the Afghan forces."
- Afghan policeman kills 5 British soldiers - Yahoo! News (view on Google Sidewiki)

Election Results a Victory for Independents, Defeat for Two Party System

The headlines roared:

• CNN: "A big night for the GOP"
• MSNBC: "Election '09 tests don't bode well for Obama"
• ABC news: "Election Night Lesson for Obama?"
• NY Times: "Republicans Sweep Top Races in Setback for Obama"
• FOXNews: "Wins Give GOP Hope...Election of Republican governors in Va., N.J. could mean trouble for Obama"
• Republican Chairman, Michael Steele: Victories in New Jersey and Virginia show "a transcendent party"

But a look at the exit polls show a different story. In Virginia where Republican, Bob McDonnell, won decisively, voters by 2 to 1 said their vote had nothing to do with President Obama. The same happened in New Jersey. The NY Times concluded that it was neither a win or a lose for Obama. In fact both states have "long histories of electing governors from a political party opposite that of the president." Republican "George Allen was elected in 1993, one year after Bill Clinton won the presidency. Democrat Mark Warner won in 2001, a year after George W. Bush's first presidential victory."

The Conservative Republican right will attempt to paint last night Governorship gains as proofs their message is resonating. In New Jersey, the winning candidate, Chris Christie, is considered a moderate. He won with less than 50% of vote against an unpopular Governor, who is also a wealthy Wall St. investor. His business skills were obviously not much use in running New Jersey. The Independent candidate in that race got 6 percent. President Obama "campaigned for Corzine three times, most recently this past Sunday."

In New York City, the Independent incumbent Mayor, Mike Bloomberg, won with only 51% of the vote despite spending an estimated $100 million, and the commonly held perception that he is someone who gets things done. The voters of New York (where I live) were angered by the Mayor's overturning term limits and his original support for it. Bloomberg changed his allegiance from the Republicans only recently. The Democrats in NYC haven't won the Mayoralty, despite having overwhelming registration advantage, in the last 5 elections. Voters here don't think much of either party.

The 23rd Congressional district in NY dealt the Republicans a major defeat yesterday. Despite having endorsements from heavyweight Republicans, the Conservative candidate, Doug Hoffman, lost to the Democrat. No Democrat had held this seat in over 100 years. The Republican candidate was forced out of the race in favor of Hoffman. But the fact that a third party candidate did as well as he did, is a message to the Democrats and Republicans.

Clearly, the biggest winners were Independent voters. In the 23rd, Independents won it for the Democratic candidate, Bill Owens. In Virginia, "independents opted for McDonnell over Democrat Creigh Deeds by an astonishing 65 percent to 34 percent."

Yesterday election results were a repudiation of the two party system.

Half of US kids will get food stamps, study says

This is an indictment of the two party system and the so-called free enterprise system. We have an political establishment and economic orders that puts profit above our people. Trickle-down economics is represents an attack against Americans. Nothing short of revolution will do away with it. Either we overthrow the system (democratically) or will die as a nation, and planet.

in reference to:

"Nearly half of all U.S. children and 90 percent of black youngsters will be on food stamps at some point during childhood, and fallout from the current recession could push those numbers even higher, researchers say. The estimate comes from an analysis of 30 years of national data, and it bolsters other recent evidence on the pervasiveness of youngsters at economic risk. It suggests that almost everyone knows a family who has received food stamps, or will in the future, said lead author Mark Rank, a sociologist at Washington University in St. Louis."
- Half of US kids will get food stamps, study says - Yahoo! News (view on Google Sidewiki)