Conservative Conference Attendees Cheer U.S. Not getting 2016 Chicago Olympics

This scum hate Obama so much that they cheer America's defeat. Thanks to Think Progress for this post:

McCain Top Adviser: Palin "Castastrophic" Pick in 2012

And he would know:

Calling Sarah Palin a potentially "catastrophic" choice for the 2012 GOP presidential nominee, John McCain's former chief campaign strategist Steve Schmidt said today the Republican party needs to look more toward the center.

"I think she has talents, but my honest view is that she would not be a winning candidate for the Republican party in 2012," he said. "Were she to be the nominee, we could have a catastrophic election result."

Palin, the former Alaska governor and Sen. John McCain's vice presidential running mate in the 2008 election, has fueled speculation that she could vie for the Republican nomination in the next presidential election with the upcoming release of her new book, "Going Rogue." When asked today at The First Draft of History conference in Washington, D.C. how he would be portrayed in Palin's book, Schmidt replied, "I think it may say I was anti-rogue in the running of the campaign."

- Take the Poll: Who will be the Presidential Nominee of the Republican Party in 2012

Rush Limbaugh: Olympics Committee ‘Bitch-Slapped’ the Obamas

- Discuss this post and more hate related, anti-Obama speech.

Afghan Policeman fires on US Troops, Killing 2

When the people that are supposed to be on your side start shooting at you, it's time to get out:

An Afghan official says a policeman conducting a joint operation with U.S. soldiers opened fire on the Americans, killing two of them.

The U.S. military said two American troops were killed in a firefight in Wardak on Friday, but provided no other details.

A third U.S. service member died Friday of wounds from a bomb attack in Wardak the day before.

Shahidullah Shahid, spokesman for the Wardak provincial governor, said Saturday the policeman fired on the Americans, killing two and injuring two before escaping. He did not give a reason for the shooting.

- Discuss whether we should still be in Afghanistan

Video: Pregnant Women and the Swine Flu (H1N1)

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Video: David Letterman Admits Blackmail over Sex with Staff Members

Study: Disabled more Likely to be Victims of Violent Crime

No surprise. We live in dog-eat-dog world. That is why we should have governments: to protect the weak.

People with disabilities are 50 percent more likely to be victims of violent crimes than are people without disabilities, according to a government study released Thursday.

The first national study of its kind found that a wide range of disabled people -- including blind, deaf, developmentally disabled, and others with physical and mental limitations -- were victims of assaults, rapes and robberies in 716,000 cases in 2007.

The study by the U.S. Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics said instances of violence against disabled people occurred overall 1½ times the rate of those without disabilities, but the numbers varied by age group.

The most vulnerable groups were disabled people ages 12 to 19 and 35 to 49, for whom victimization occurred at nearly twice the rate of non-disabled persons.

Video: Top Republican Denounces Glenn Beck

Lindsey Graham is one of the few Republicans with any decency:

• " Glenn Beck is not aligned with any party as far as I can tell. He's aligned with cynicism, and there's always been a market for cynicism."
• "Only in America can you make that much money crying,"

More:

• Asked how he deals with fringe elements in his party, Graham said, "I go to a town hall meeting and say 'you're crazy' - in a respectful way." He said the so-called "birthers," who doubt that Mr. Obama was born in the United States, fall into that catergory.

Birthers are "crazy"

Political Scientists: American Standing in the World is in Decline

And won't get any better under this President. Bush almost destroyed us by himself. But this has been in the works for some time. The events of 9/11 was the turning point. Ever since then we've been headed towards demise. We are a nation that is literally falling apart. The current Republican strategy of divide and conquer is plunging a dagger in whats left of this nation. Unless we make a dramatic change, America will cease to be a great nation. It can be argued that we are headed the way of the Roman Empire. Chaos and barbarism await.

The United States' standing in the world declined in the past decade to below Cold War levels, according to a leading group of political scientists.

Favorable attitudes have risen sharply under President Barack Obama with his commitment to "restore American standing," but confidence in him appears to be in conflict with unfavorable attitudes about U.S. foreign policy, the American Political Science Association said in a report released Thursday.

"Many American leaders and citizens worry that this decline, despite a recent upturn, may be part of a long-term trend, one that will be hard to reverse," the report said.

While Obama has raised American esteem, he has not produced more European troops for Afghanistan, secured concessions from North Korea nor made any headway with Iran, the academics said.

Grayson is Right: Republicans Don't Care if we Die

Finally we have a Democratic politician with a backbone:


The non-apology:


- Debate whether Congressman Grayson was right in saying what he did

NY Judge: CIA can Keep 9/11 Videotape info Secret

The fix is in:

A judge cited national security concerns in ruling Wednesday that the CIA does not have to release hundreds of documents related to the destruction of videotapes of Sept. 11 detainee interrogations that used harsh methods.

U.S. District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein said he believed he had an obligation to let the CIA director decide what should be released when it pertains to methods used to make uncooperative detainees divulge information.

"The need to keep confidential just how the CIA and other government agencies obtained their information is manifest, and that has to do with the identities of the people who gave information and who were questioned to obtain information," the judge said from the bench.

Chemical Found in air Outside 15 Schools

It took a news outlet to expose a potential serious threat to our kids. Then again protecting children isn't a priority of the government.

Outside 15 schools in eight states, government regulators have found elevated levels of a substance that — in a more potent form — was also used as a chemical weapon during World War I.

Those findings, based on samples collected for the Environmental Protection Agency, mark the first time the agency has expressed concern about the chemicals it detected as part of an ongoing effort to check for toxic chemicals in the air outside 63 schools nationwide.

Kids of Working Moms Less Healthy, Study says

This an argument for marriages and good paying jobs. Jobs that are disappearing because they've been outsourced.

Children whose mothers work are less likely to eat healthily or exercise as often as children with stay-at-home mums, according to a British study that is likely to raise the hackles of working mothers.

The UK Millennium Cohort Study looked at the dietary habits and physical activity of more than 12,500 children from the age of nine months to the age of five.

It found that, regardless of ethnicity, maternal education or job level, children whose mothers worked part or full time were less likely to eat fruits or vegetables at meals or as snacks.

Especially if they eat candy:

British experts studied more than 17,000 children born in 1970 for about four decades. Of the children who ate candies or chocolates daily at age 10, 69 percent were later arrested for a violent offense by the age of 34. Of those who didn't have any violent clashes, 42 percent ate sweets daily.

Guns to be Allowed in Arizona Bars

This is as stupid as it can get. We're going back to the wild west days. Have we lost our minds in this country? You mix alcohol with guns nothing good can come from that. It also shows the power of the gun lobby.

Under the law, backed by the National Rifle Association, the 138,350 people with concealed-weapons permits in Arizona will be allowed to bring their guns into bars and restaurants that haven't posted signs banning them.

Those carrying the weapons aren't allowed to drink alcohol.

The new law has Shields and other bar owners and workers wondering: What's going to happen when guns are allowed in an atmosphere filled with booze and people with impaired judgment?

"Somebody can pull the trigger, then a bullet comes out, and people get hurt and killed," said Brad Henrich, owner of Shady's, a popular neighborhood bar that sees occasional minor scuffles. "The idea of anyone coming in with guns in a place that serves alcohol just seems ludicrous."

Swine Flu School Closings Could Cost Billions

AP:

Closing schools and day care centers because of swine flu could cost between $10 billion and $47 billion, a report by the Brookings Institution think tank found.

The government is urging schools to close only as a last resort, such as when large numbers of kids or staffers come down with swine flu.

But in the month since classes began, many schools have closed. As of Monday, there had been at least 187 school dismissals across the country affecting at least 79,678 students, the Education Department said.

The report issued Wednesday by Brookings' Center on Social and Economic Dynamics estimated that the cost of closing all schools in the U.S. for four weeks would be between $10 billion to $47 billion. Brookings called that a conservative estimate.

UN: 4 Million People Now on AIDS Drugs

But is it too little too late:

United Nations health officials estimate about 4 million people who need AIDS drugs worldwide are now getting them, according to a report issued Wednesday.

The figure represents a major increase in rolling out the drugs to patients across Africa, where the AIDS epidemic is focused, but an estimated 5 million or more across the globe are still waiting for the drugs.

The numbers, based on incomplete data and modeling, are only a guess. They were released in an annual AIDS report jointly published by the World Health Organization, UNICEF and the U.N. AIDS program.

"There remain uncertainties related to the quality of data reported," officials wrote. Of the U.N.'s 192 member countries, 158 provided government-approved data, most of which were not independently verified.

"Even though some of the data are not fully clear and there are some unanswered questions, this is a dramatic improvement," said Daniel Halperin, an AIDS expert at Harvard University. "It shows that all this money that has gone to treatment has made some difference."

Driving Distraction Kills 6,000 a Year

Stricter laws and education are needed to deal with this plague. How many children and families have to die for our society to wake up to this stupidity.

Nearly 6,000 people were killed and a half-million injured last year in U.S. auto accidents due to drivers being distracted, particularly by mobile phones, the government said Wednesday.
The Transportation Department brought together experts for a two-day "distracted driving summit" on highway hazards caused by drivers talking on cell phones or texting from behind the wheel. Secretary Ray LaHood was expected Thursday to offer recommendations that could lead to new restrictions on using the devices while driving.
LaHood said he wanted the meeting of government officials, safety advocates, researchers and lawmakers to set "the stage for finding ways to eliminate texting while driving."

Senate Democrats Help to Defeat Public Option

We were told during and after the last election that things would change in America now that we have the Democrats in Control of the Congress and White House. So much for that. This is the false promise they always make. Once again the welfare of the people gets thwarted by self interest. Those 5 Democrats are looking out for numero uno, not the American people. Are you convinced yet? Or do you need more proof? Because you're going to get more of the same failure and betrayal in the months to come. Until the next election when they start making more false promises. You can also thank the press which help spread the disinformation put out by the Republicans. Because the media is about covering sensationalism rather than shedding light:

A Senate committee drafting health care legislation soundly rejected two versions of a proposed government-run program Tuesday. Supporters of the "public option" vowed to resurrect the provision later this fall.

Moderate Democrats twice voted with a unanimous bloc of 10 Republicans on the Senate Finance Committee to beat back attempts by more liberal Democrats to insert the public option into the $900 billion, 10-year plan under consideration by the committee.

Defeat of the public option underscored divisions among Democrats and bolstered predictions by Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., that the proposal doesn't have the support it needs to pass in the full Senate. "My job is to get this bill across the finish line," said Baucus, chairman of the Finance Committee and one of five Democrats who voted against the public option offered by Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va.

That wasn't the only defeat for Obama:

A Senate committee voted Tuesday night to restore $50 million a year in federal funding for abstinence-only education that President Barack Obama has pushed to eliminate.

The 12-11 vote by the Senate Finance Committee came over objections from its chairman, Democratic Sen. Max Baucus of Montana.

Two Democrats -- Kent Conrad of North Dakota and Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas -- joined all 10 committee Republicans in voting "yes" on the measure by Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah.

Where's the Outrage, Mr. President?

It's only been a day since the monstrous murder of a promising 16-year-old honors student, Derrion Albert. But as of yet there has been no comment by President Obama, or any other "national leader," on this tragic death.

Maybe the President is busy with healthcare reform. But you should be able to find a minute to express horror over what happened in your adopted home city, Chicago.

You found the time to go to Europe to lobby for that city to become the host of the 2016 Olympics.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Russian Journalist in hiding after Soviet Critique

This person needs to be in fear. And there isn't any country to run to. Any doubt democracy is dead in Russia?

A Russian journalist says he fears for his life and has gone into hiding after angering a nationalist pro-Kremlin youth group by writing an article criticising Russia's Soviet past.

Alexander Podrabinek says he has received threats after publishing an editorial on the Internet about a Moscow restaurant changing its name from "Anti-Soviet" under pressure from local officials who said it was offensive to "Soviet veterans."

The article on www.ej.ru recalled the prison camps and crimes of Stalinism, and accused the current Russian authorities of trying to burnish the image of the Soviet Union.

Podrabinek, a former anti-communist dissident and freelance journalist, has since been criticised by Nashi, a nationalist youth movement that began under former President Vladimir Putin.