Month: October 2013

Categories
BLM Domestic Policies Politics

Booker & Rand: New Dynamic Duo?

The oppositional party politicians vow to rewrite the “War On Drugs” manifesto in the U.S.!

Word is out that U.S. Senator-elect, Newark, N.J., Mayor Corey Booker has extended an invitation to ultra conservative Republican senator Rand Paul to work for a cause both men apparently have similar interests in.

And get this – Paul has accepted!

Corey Booker feels that the War on Drugs in Newark is a losing battle, entrapping and destroying hundreds of young lives and putting an enormous burden on taxpayers to house them in prisons.

“We have seen so much of our national treasure being spent in the drug war,” says Booker. “I’m not saying people [not take a] personal responsibility for their lawlessness, but what I’ve seen in Newark is a massive trap in this drug war and it’s not just a trap for the individuals being arrested. It’s a trap for taxpayers, communities and towns.”

Turns out that Kentucky senator Rand Paul feels the same way. At a campaign rally in September for Booker’s opponent in the race for the senate, Tea Partier Steve Lonegan, Paul showed up to support the republican candidate.

He started off with the usual spew of venom expected of politicians these days on the stump, but around the end of his speech, Paul dropped this unexpected gem, opening the door to Mayor Booker’s invite;

“African-Americans are being denied the right to vote by driver’s license. You know the reason why they’re being denied the right to vote? They’re being put in prison as felons for non-violent drug crimes and kept there and for the rest of their life it ruins their lives [sic]. I’m not saying I’m for your white kid, black kid or brown kid using drugs, it’s not a good idea. But I’m saying a youthful mistake should not keep you out of the marketplace, able to get a job, and it should not prevent your right to vote for the rest of your life when you didn’t hurt anybody but yourself.”

Paul actually got applause from the Republican audience in attendance. I’m certain they were totally confused about his surprise ending.

After hearing this part of the senator’s speech, Booker was heard to say ” I want to work with him.”

Surprisingly, Paul Rand is one of the few Washington politicians who has been participating in a national conversation to rewrite the War On Drug’s manifesto. Back in September, during a packed public hearing of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, he compared the war on drugs to the racist policies of the Jim Crow era:

Mayor Booker believes that the law which hands down mandatory, minimum prison sentences for non violent, minor drug crimes should be revamped. And he’s pushing this idea as a way to cut government spending. A ‘twofer’ deal so to speak.

After hearing of Booker’s request to join forces, Paul Rand’s camp shot back this public statement:

“… Senator Paul will be pleased to work with any member who believes that mandatory minimum sentencing is unnecessary. He looks forward to senator Booker’s assistance on this important issue.”

How do I feel about the whole matter? Well, while I do think its unjust for some young man or woman’s life to be destroyed over a minor drug infraction, I would have been a whole lot more impressed if either of these men had put this kind of energy, publicly, behind saving the Voting’s Right’s Act which protected a whole lot more than just some pothead’s right to smoke weed in public without being harassed by the cops. If the dismantling of the VRA was not attempt to return us back to the Good Ol’ Days of Jim Crow, I don’t know what is. Case in point: Texas and North Carolina. The governors of these states are having a hootenanny enforcing new voter restriction laws aimed at nullifying thousands of Black, Democratic votes.

In the meantime, let’s see if Paul’s own party gets in the way of this unique, bipartisan initiative or will he succumb to the inevitable wrath rained down upon him from the formidable Tea Party machine and Ted Cruz (check out Cruz’s smug mug to the right of the video).

Color me suspicious of the intent of all parties involved.

 

Categories
immigration reform Immigration Reform Politics

Immigration Reform: Republicans Have No Plans For a Vote This Year

Politico reports that although Democrats and President Obama have been pushing immigration reform, House Republican leadership has no plans to vote on any immigration reform legislation before the end the year.

The House has just 19 days in session before the end of 2013, and there are a number of reasons why immigration reform is stalled this year.

Following the fiscal battles last month, the internal political dynamics are tenuous within the House Republican Conference. A growing chorus of GOP lawmakers and aides are intensely skeptical that any of the party’s preferred piecemeal immigration bills can garner the support 217 Republicans — they would need that if Democrats didn’t lend their votes. Republican leadership doesn’t see anyone coalescing around a single plan, according to sources across GOP leadership. Leadership also says skepticism of President Barack Obama within the House Republican Conference is at a high, and that’s fueled a desire to stay out of a negotiating process with the Senate. Republicans fear getting jammed.

Of course, the dynamics could change. Some, including Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.), are eager to pass something before the end of the year. Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) has signaled publicly that he would like to move forward in 2013 on an overhaul of the nation’s immigration laws. If Republicans win some Democratic support on piecemeal bills, they could move forward this year. But still, anything that makes its way to the floor needs to have significant House Republican support

And Obama is also ramping up his messaging on immigration reform. “It’s good for our economy, it’s good for our national security, it’s good for our people, and we should do it this year,” Obama said Thursday. That same afternoon his chief of staff Denis McDonough met with business CEOs to strategize on immigration reform. Attendees included representatives from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers.

Categories
ObamaCare Politics weekly address

President’s Weekly Address – Your Healthcare: “it’s a very big deal”

The President:

. A few weeks ago, we launched an important new part of the Affordable Care Act. 

It’s called the Marketplace.  And for Americans without health insurance, and Americans who buy insurance on their own because they can’t get it at work, it’s a very big deal. 

If you’re one of those people, the Affordable Care Act makes you part of a big group plan for the first time.  The Marketplace is where you can apply and shop for affordable new health insurance choices.  It gathers insurers under one system to compete for your business.  And that choice and competition have actually helped bring prices down.

Ultimately, the easiest way to buy insurance in this Marketplace will be a new website, HealthCare.gov.  But as you may have heard, the site isn’t working the way it’s supposed to yet.  That’s frustrating for all of us who have worked so hard to make sure everyone who needs it gets health care.  And it’s especially frustrating for the Americans who’ve been trying to get covered.  The site has been visited more than 20 million times so far.  Nearly 700,000 people have applied for coverage already.

Categories
Politics voter suppression

GOP Official Brags – Voter ID Will “kick Democrats in the butt,” and “Hurt Lazy Blacks”

Don Yelton

Another story in the Republicans fight to take away your voting rights. And this time, the truth about their real reason for implementing voter ID and other voting restrictions is once again told.

In an interview on Comedy Central,  North Carolina Republican official Don Yelton said that the changes Republicans are making would have the intended effect of taking votes away from Democrats. To quote Mr Yelton, voter ID laws “is going to kick the Democrats in the butt.”

In the interview, which aired Wednesday night, Yelton tells Daily Show correspondent Aasif Mandvi that the new voting law, which mandates voter identifications, the curtailing of early voting operations and does not allow college students to vote using their school ID, “is going to kick the Democrats in the butt.”

He also dismisses concerns that the law will particularly affect communities of color by saying, “If it hurts a bunch of lazy Blacks that want the government to give them everything, so be it.”

Don was fired from his job after making his statements in the interview, but he is saying that if he had to do it all over again, he wouldn’t change a thing.

It’s hard to teach an old dog new tricks. It’s also apparently hard to teach an old racist to be tolerant.

Categories
Featured twerking

High School Ask Students to Sign No Twerking Contract

A high school in Lacey is making students and their parents sign an agreement stating students will not twerk, lap dance, or otherwise “look like you’re having sex” on the dance floor during school-sanctioned events.

River Ridge High School officials sent home the RRHS Dance Contract earlier this month.

The contract outlines various examples of “inappropriate dancing,” as well as consequences that will incur following a student violation.

Punishments range from a warning to removal from a dance and ban on future dances.

Students’ parents are asked to sign the form, notifying them that the cost of the dance will not be refunded following a student’s dismissal.

Categories
Celebrities Entertainment

Kim and Kanye Will Sign a Prenup Agreement

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West have already agreed … they will keep their assets separate by drawing up a prenup before they tie the knot … TMZ has learned.

Multiple sources connected with the couple tell us … both Kanye and Kim are committed to the marriage and they are NOT signing a prenup because they’re worried the relationship might fall apart.  But they’re both business people and know given their vast wealth it’s just the smart thing to do to have a prenup. 

Kim especially understands the importance of a prenup because her late father, attorney Robert Kardashian, told her over and over about the necessity of having clear contracts when it came to money.

We’re also told … even though they will keep their assets separate, they will have a fat joint account for living expenses that will probably approach the gross national product of a small country.

As for how much they have … some reports place Kim’s wealth at $40 mil and Kanye’s at $90 mil.  But we’re told Kim’s actually worth more than Kanye. 

Go figure

Categories
Featured

Judge Who Ordered ‘Baby Messiah’ to Change Name is Facing Charges

A three-member investigative panel associated with the board filed a formal report against Child Support Magistrate Lu Ann Ballew in Cocke County on Wednesday.

In August, Ballew ordered the name of 8-month-old baby Messiah Deshawn Martin be changed. She stated in a ruling and a later interview with Knoxville TV station WBIR that the name “Messiah” was a title reserved only for Jesus Christ.

Another judge later overruled Ballew’s decision and said she had acted unconstitutionally. By then, the baby’s parents had filed a complaint against Ballew with the Board of Judicial Conduct.

The state board’s charges allege Ballew did not promote confidence in the judiciary or uphold the law without bias or partiality through her actions.

Ballew now has 30 days to answer the board’s charges, according to the documents filed in the case. Once she responds, the board will hold a hearing on the case within 60 days.

Categories
Politics

Jon Stewart’s NSA Apology to World Leaders

Snowden’s NSA leakage is hitting world leaders hard, as word is slowly coming out that many of these leaders may have been spied on by the US government. Some, in their own way demanded an apology.

Jon Stewart did the honors.

“You want an apology? Fine. We’re sorry,” Stewart said, before adding, “that you forgot that we’re kind of d*cks.”

Pointing to a “camera” over his desk, Stewart argued that for the U.S. to tap German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s mobile phone was relatively small potatoes.

“If it makes you feel any better, our government isn’t doing anything to you that they’re not doing to us,” Stewart said. “They’re spying on our studio, and I’m literally saying that into a camera that’s going to broadcast that. It seems kind of redundant.”

Besides, he argued, these types of dealings were par for the course with the U.S.

“Have you met us?” Stewart asked. “Meddling in your affairs for our national self-interest is kind of our thing. What part of, ‘Everything we’ve done since the Monroe Doctrine’ don’t you get?”

Stewart also knocked nations like Pakistan, Germany and France for complaining about the U.S.’ activities given their own dirty laundry.

“Do I really have to justify myself to a country that invaded Poland because they thought Poland was looking at them funny?” Stewart demanded of Germany. “So get over it — or better yet, turn that frown upside down. Don’t think of us as an overly aggressive, paranoid superpower; think of us as what anyone’s looking for in a partner: a good listener. A great listener. The best listener in the history of the world.”

Categories
Technology

The Reverse Microwave – Chills A Drink in Seconds

Microwaves are handy little units when we want to heat food or drinks up quickly. However, never before has there been a gadget that does just the opposite — cooling without the long wait. That is, until now.

A product of Enviro-Cool Limited, V-Tex is an environmentally-friendly, efficient system that cools beverages in a matter of seconds. From wine bottles to soda cans, the unit is able to chill drinks in all types of containers without disturbing carbonation. How? V-Tex uses a “start stop rotational sequence” to create a Rankine vortex, which essentially keeps a drink in its original state while quickly bringing down the temperature.

The reverse microwave requires nearly 80% less energy than many standard drink chillers, allowing consumers to save money and keep things green. It also frees up standard refrigerator space, since most beverages can be stored at room temperature elsewhere until right before serving.

Enviro-Cool plans to release both commercial and domestic versions of V-Tex, but until then, we’ll have to settle for poppin’ bottles in the fridge. See how it works below:

Categories
ObamaCare Politics

Report: 700,000 Applications Already Submitted For ObamaCare

About 700,000 applications have been submitted for U.S. healthcare coverage being offered through new exchanges created by President Barack Obama’s healthcare law, a U.S. official said on Thursday.

The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released the number during an update for journalists about the healthcare marketplace, which has had a rocky rollout since enrollment in the new plans began on Oct 1.

The U.S. government is operating the healthcare.gov website, which has been plagued by technical problems since the outset and is the portal for 36 states; the remaining states are operating their own online marketplaces. The nearly 700,000 applications are the total from both the state- and federally-run exchanges, Julie Bataille, a CMS spokeswoman, said on the media call.

Applications for at least 390,000 people have been completed through the state-run exchanges, according to a Reuters tally of state reports.

Completed applications mean that the applicants received a determination about whether they are eligible for tax credits or the Medicaid program for low-income Americans. Applicants have not necessarily chosen a plan.

While some states have released numbers for people who have enrolled in plans, Bataille said she did not have that figure, but that CMS would release it monthly.

The Congressional Budget Office estimated earlier this year that 7 million people would buy the new private plans offered by state exchanges for coverage next year.

 

Categories
Politics

Two Koch Brothers Operations Fined in California

Two groups that are part of a conservative political network maintained by billionaire industrialists Charles and David Koch have agreed to a record $1 million civil settlement with the California Fair Political Practices Commission, the largest campaign fine in state history.

The Center to Protect Patient Rights and Americans for Responsible Leadership, two Arizona-based groups that have funneled money to various arms of the Koch operation, will pay the fine for their role in financing ballot initiative campaigns in California in 2012.

The groups sent $11 million to campaigns opposing Proposition 30, which raised the California sales tax and income tax; and supporting Proposition 32, which would have limited political contributions by way of payroll deductions. Proposition 30, which had backing from Gov. Jerry Brown (D), passed. Proposition 32, which took aim at labor unions’ political power, failed.

The FPPC and California Attorney General Kamala Harris (D) filed suit against Americans for Responsible Leadership over the source of the contributions. ARL said the money had come from Americans for Job Security, another Koch brothers operation, and CPPR; ARL then passed the money on to the Small Business Action Committee, a California-based independent expenditure committee.

An investigation found another $4 million contribution from CPPR to another California-based committee. Neither contribution was properly reported, and under state law, the receiving committees will have to turn that cash — more than $15 million in all — over to the California general fund.

“This is a nationwide issue. These groups exploit loopholes in state law to undermine the clear purpose of the law,” Ann Ravel, the chairwoman of the FPPC and an incoming member of the Federal Election Commission, said at a Thursday press conference. “They hid the names of the true donors.”

Categories
Politics

Named: Pete Sessions Told Obama – “I cannot even stand to look at you.”

Pete Sessions

It is being widely reported that Republican Congressman Pete Sessions was behind yet another blatant remark disrespecting the President of the United States.

According to reports, Sessions made the statement during a meeting at the White House when President Obama was trying to find an end to the GOP government shutdown. The statement, disclosed first by Democratic Congressman Dick Durbin, claims that the Republican congressman told the president, “I cannot even stand to look at you.”

From Durbin’s Facebook page:

“Many Republicans searching for something to say in defense of the disastrous shutdown strategy will say President Obama just doesn’t try hard enough to communicate with Republicans. But in a “negotiation” meeting with the president, one GOP House Leader told the president: “I cannot even stand to look at you.” What are the chances of an honest conversation with someone who has just said something so disrespectful?”

Of course, Sessions is denying the story. And the White House is claiming that it never happened. Asked to clarify the events of the meeting, White House spokesman Jay Carney said;

“I looked into this and spoke with somebody who was in that meeting and it did not happen.”

Who to believe? I’ll believe Mr Durbin, not because he’s a Democrat, but because the congressman is known and respected among his peers as a no nonsense kind of guy. Also because Mr Durbin’s recollection is supported by others familiar with the meeting.

Senator Harry Reid not only corroborated Durbin’s story, he went one step further, pointing fingers and naming names.

According to the Huffington Post, Reid told the caucus about the incident on Tuesday and named Sessions. Reid also told the caucus that he was “sorry” to have to tell them about it… but gave Obama credit for his “dignified” response to Sessions. Reid reportedly told the caucus that Obama responded to Sessions by saying he understood that they disagreed on many issues and he respected their differences.

Just another example of the disrespect this particular president is getting from the Republicans.  And, according to Harry Reid, Mr. Obama still maintains his respect for his haters.

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