Mainstream Iowan

Reaping What We Sow...

2009-02-19T08:55:00.000-08:00

What Is Happening To Our Country -
Why Is The Crisis Worsening?

The answer is simple: "Our nation is now dealing with the consequences of it's own actions and conduct."

***

Enough said. The Mainstream Iowan blog has been around for a number of years and we have decided to move on to other things. The blog will be going away. While many of our visitors liked us, many did not, but that is okay.

We extend our thanks to all our visitors!
Regards and Best Wishes...

Principal In The News

2009-02-18T04:13:00.000-08:00

Principal Financial's Ratings

Fitch Ratings has downgraded and placed on Rating Watch Negative the ratings of Principal Financial Group Inc. (PFG) and its subsidiaries. The downgrades and watch assignments include the insurer financial strength (IFS) ratings of PFG's primary life insurance company subsidiaries to 'AA-' from 'AA' and its holding company senior debt rating to 'A-' from 'A'. A full list of rating actions follows at the end of this release.

The downgrade reflects Fitch's ongoing review of PFG's exposure to the current credit market turmoil and expectation of continued deterioration in 2009.

The Negative Rating Watch reflects Fitch's concern over PFG's ability to successfully refinance a $455 million holding company debt maturity due later this year without drawing upon its insurance subsidiary capital. Fitch believes the adequacy of insurance company capital at the current 'AA-' insurer financial strength level will be tested in 2009 due to expected investment losses, without the added pressure of making significant dividend payments to the holding company. Therefore, Fitch will closely monitor the refinancing prospects for PFG. Inability to successfully refinance could result in a one-notch downgrade. Successful refinancing could result in an affirmation of current ratings with a Negative Outlook reflecting Fitch's industry view. Read Article...

Prinicipal Financial Group

The Beginning of the USSA

2009-02-17T04:15:00.000-08:00

Obama To Sign Stimulus Bill Today

Indebting The Next Generation

U.S. President Barack Obama is scheduled to sign the $787 billion economic stimulus plan into law at a ceremony in the western city of Denver, Colorado on Tuesday. Mr. Obama calls it a "major milestone on the road to recovery" for the U.S. economy, while critics insist it is too expensive and will create fewer jobs than proponents insist.

The bill, which includes government spending and tax cuts intended to help push the U.S. economy out of recession, is the president's first big legislative victory since taking office last month.

Moody's Economy.com chief economist Mark Zandi who also appeared on Fox News Sunday said President Obama's contention that the stimulus plan will create or save 3.5 million jobs is optimistic.
Read Article...

Stimulus Obama Socialism

Immigration Fraud In Iowa Displacing American Workers

2009-02-16T04:05:00.000-08:00

A Scheme That Displaced American High Tech
& Advanced Computer Programming Workers

U.S. Attorney Matt Whitaker, who represents Iowa's Southern District, says Vision Systems Group Inc. brought foreign workers to the U.S. to fill temporary high-tech jobs.

The company filed documents claiming the workers were employed in Iowa, but Whitaker says they were actually located on the coasts. Whitaker says the move saved the company money as the foreign workers were paid lower wages in Iowa than they would have been paid in places like New Jersey and California.

In addition, prosecutors allege the tactic displaced American workers that were qualified to fill those positions in those coastal locations. Whitaker calls Vision Systems Group an I-T company and says the foreign workers were hired for advanced computer programming positions.

"These fraud schemes are not only very sophisticated in their use of Iowa as a location to drive down the prevailing wage that they can pay their workers - and then farm them out to more higher-wage, populated areas - but also how lucrative it is for the individuals that are behind these schemes," Whitaker said. The indictment claims the illegal maneuver may have saved the company more than seven-million dollars. Whitaker called the 18-month long investigation the "tip of the iceberg" and expects similar arrests in the future.
Read Article...

illegal immigration Iowa

Space Pollution: Is Our Space Safe?

2009-02-13T04:12:00.000-08:00

Collision Dangers Resulting From
Orbiting Satellites, Debris and Space Junk
300,000 Hazardous Objects Orbiting Earth

A Russian and a US satellite crashed into each other in an unprecedented collision unleashing clouds of space debris that could threaten orbiting spacecraft, officials said.

After more than five decades of human activity in space, the news raises fresh concern over the swarms of hazardous debris orbiting the Earth.

A 2008 report by the international monitoring group Space Security Index found that 300,000 objects measuring between 0.4 and four inches (one and 10 centimeters) in diameter and "billions" of smaller pieces orbit the Earth.

Some 6,000 satellites have been sent into space since the Soviet Union launched the first man-made orbiter, Sputnik 1, in 1957. About 800 satellites remain in operation, according to STRATCOM.
Read Article...

Space Pollution Satellites

The Price Of Partying With Phelps

2009-02-12T04:20:00.000-08:00

Phelps Party Friends Party Pooped
- Eight People Arrested -

Authorities recently executed search warrants at two private homes in Columbia, S.C., and arrested eight people for marijuana possession, in connection with an investigation into the photo of Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps holding a bong, ABC News has learned.

The British tabloid News of the World published a photo of Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps holding a bong. Phelps, a swimmer who won a record eight gold medals at the Beijing Games in 2008, ackowledged that it was him in the photo and admitted "bad judgment."

Armed Richland County Sheriff's Department officers entered at least one of the properties Saturday, Feb. 7, sources told ABC News. Though eight people were arrested, less than an ounce of marijuana was confiscated by sheriff's deputies, the sources said.
Read Article...

Phelps Marijuana Swimming

And Change Is What The Country Got...

2009-02-11T04:19:00.000-08:00

Dow Jones Fall 382 Points
Lack Of Confidence In Stimulus

Investors are frustrated with the government's latest bank bailout plan — and showing it by unloading stocks. The major stock indexes fell more than 5 percent Tuesday, including the Dow Jones industrial average, which tumbled 382 points. Financial stocks led the market lower, reflecting Wall Street's growing concerns about the government's ability to restore the health of the banking industry.

"The economy is in deep trouble. The stimulus plan is not very stimulative. It's not addressing the real problem," Buetow said. "We have an insolvent financial system. The government is trying to find a comprehensive way to save it. They can't afford to just throw money at it. That's what they tried to do in the fall and that clearly did not work."
Read Article...

Economy Stock Market Stimulus

More On The Minnesota Senate Race

2009-02-10T04:17:00.000-08:00

Disenfranchised Voters
Ballots Not Counted In Minnesota Senate Race

While Franken wants provisional election
certificate to be seated in the U.S. Senate

Smith, the top elections official in Anoka County, dropped a minor bombshell Thursday in the courtroom where a lawsuit over Minnesota's U.S. Senate race was being heard. She testified that the county has found — within the prior 24 hours — a dozen or more ballots that were never counted in the statewide recount that ended last month.

While the number is not enough to overcome Democrat Al Franken's 225-vote lead over former Republican Sen. Norm Coleman, it suggests there might be other uncounted ballots in other counties. Only a handful of elections officials have testified in the recount trial so far.
Read Article...

Franken Coleman Minnesota

Democrats: Pay Your Taxes

2009-02-09T04:21:00.000-08:00

Obama's Cabinet Appointees Have Tax Problems
Shhh.. Don't Forget About Al Franken's Taxes...

America is now nearly three weeks into the Obama presidency and already his administration has been plagued with a few political scandals. Chief among them are the inability of anyone in his cabinet to pay their taxes.

Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, Obama’s nominee for secretary of health and human services, recently stepped down as the nominee after controversy broke out over the fact that he did not pay $140,000 worth of income taxes to the government.

This happened after Nancy Killefer, nominee for Obama’s chief White House performance officer, withdrew her name after it was revealed that she failed to pay unemployment taxes in the District of Columbia. This new cabinet position is ironically supposed to help the president control wasteful spending. Too bad Killefer considers her taxes an example of useless spending.

And then there is Secretary of the Treasury Timothy F. Geithner, who prior to being confirmed to his present job failed to pay $35,000 in self-employment taxes. This is even greater irony, considering it is his job to handle the government’s money.
Read Article...

Tax Evasion Obama Democrat

World's Most Gifted Swimmer Blows It Away

2009-02-06T04:07:00.000-08:00

Michael Phelps
A Gifted And Talented Athlete, While A Poor Role Model

Michael Phelps was suspended from competition for three months by USA Swimming, the latest fallout from a photo that showed the Olympic great with a a marijuana pipe.

The sport's national governing body also cut off its financial support to Phelps for the same three-month period, effective Thursday.

Earlier Thursday, cereal and snack maker Kellogg Co. announced it wouldn't renew its sponsorship contract with Phelps, saying his behavior is "not consistent with the image of Kellogg." The swimmer appeared on the company's cereal boxes after his Olympic triumph.
Read Article...

Visit Michael's Web Site

Michael Phelps Olympics Marijuana

Employ Americans First In This High Unemployment Crisis

2009-02-05T04:19:00.000-08:00

Information From The
Coalition For The Future American Worker

My mission for 40 years has been to train Black Americans and find jobs for them. But it has become mission impossible as the government allows more and more jobs to be filled by legal and illegal foreign workers. Now Congress is considering amnesty for millions of illegal foreign workers. Some members see it as an easy way to get votes; some as cheap labor for their supporters. But to Black Americans, amnesty is an immoral seizure of our jobs.

Black Americans have lost hundreds of thousands of jobs to foreign workers willing to work for next to nothing. And the hiring of low-skilled immigrants is responsible for 40% of the decline in employment among Black American men. Amnesty for illegal workers will further devastate many of our communities. Around 40%of Black American men are without a job today. Why would anybody favor giving American jobs to MORE foreign workers – especially illegal ones?

Coalition For The Future American Worker

immigration Afro American Unemployment

First They Wanted Gay Marriages Legal - Now They Want A Gay Divorce

2009-02-04T04:13:00.000-08:00

The Pride of Gay Marriage In Massachusetts
Now To End In Divorce

A lesbian couple who led the fight for gay marriage in Massachusetts has filed for divorce. Julie and Hillary Goodridge were among seven gay couples who filed a lawsuit that led to a court ruling making Massachusetts the first state to legalize same-sex marriages in 2004. The couple became the public face of the debate in the state and married the first day same-sex marriages became legal.

The divorce case was filed last week in Suffolk Probate and Family Court and was not unexpected. The couple announced they were separating in 2006.
Read Article...

Gay Marriage Massachusetts Divorce

Support Support House Bill HR 735 - The Rangel Rule

2009-02-03T04:11:00.000-08:00

Bill Would Provide Taxpayers Equal Immunity Protection From IRS -After All, Democratic Politicians Receive Waived Penalties And Interest

All U.S. taxpayers would enjoy the same immunity from IRS penalties and interest as House Ways and Means Chairman Charles Rangel (D-NY) and Obama Administration Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, if a bill introduced today by Congressman John Carter (R-TX) becomes law.

Carter, a former longtime Texas judge, today introduced the Rangel Rule Act of 2009, HR 735, which would prohibit the Internal Revenue Service from charging penalties and interest on back taxes against U.S. citizens. Under the proposed law, any taxpayer who wrote “Rangel Rule” on their return when paying back taxes would be immune from penalties and interest.

“We must show the American people that Congress is following the same law, and the same legal process as we expect them to follow,” says Carter. “That has not been done in the ongoing case against Chairman Rangel, nor in the instance of our new Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner. If we don’t hold our highest elected officials to the same standards as regular working folks, we owe it to our constituents to change those standards so everyone is abiding by the same law. Americans believe in blind justice, which shows no favoritism to the wealthy or powerful.”
Read Article...

IRS Taxes Rangel John Carter

The Daschle Question: Tax Cheat, Incompetence Or Honest Mistake?

2009-02-02T04:14:00.000-08:00

Do All Americans Get The Same Treatment?
Former Democratic U.S. Senator Know Better...

Thomas A. Daschle, fighting to defend his nomination to be secretary of health and human services, released a letter early today apologizing to the top lawmakers on the Senate Finance Committee for mistakes on his personal income tax returns that resulted in $146,000 in back payments.

"I am deeply embarrassed and disappointed by the errors that required me to amend my tax returns," he wrote to Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa). "I apologize for the errors and profoundly regret that you have had to devote time to them."
Read Article...

Daschle Cabinet Democrat Tax Evasion

Does The Stimulous Help Illegal Immigrants?

2009-01-30T04:03:00.000-08:00

Some Say No, But Read The Details
Regarding Use Of Alternative Tax Numbers...

During the 1700s and 1800s, immigrants who wanted to come to America were lured by the prospect of streets that were “lined with gold.” Well the streets may not have been lined with gold, but for those who had the will and desire to work hard, the possibilities for success were potentially endless.

The streets still are not lined with gold – but if Washington liberals get their way, the pockets of illegal aliens could be lined with taxpayer dollars. Part of the economic stimulus bill that was just passed by the House (except for House Republicans and 11 Democrats who voted against it), includes “tax credits” of $500 per person and $1,000 per couple. (Note: if the recipients pay no taxes, it’s not a credit, it’s a handout.) Apparently the wording specifically disqualifies “nonresident aliens” – Washington-speak for illegals – people with no Social Security numbers could still get the cashola:

Undocumented immigrants [liberal reporter-speak for illegals] who are not eligible for a Social Security number can file tax returns with an alternative number. A House-passed version of the economic recovery bill and one making its way through the Senate would allow anyone with such a number, called an individual taxpayer identification number, to qualify for the tax credits.
Read Article...

Read The Associated Press Wire...

Economy Stimulus immigration

Franken Vs. Coleman Race Still Unsettled

2009-01-29T04:13:00.000-08:00

Minnesota Voters Absolutely Had Their Votes Improperly Taken Away - Recount Seriously Flawed

GOP Sen. Norm Coleman’s attorneys pried a key admission from Minnesota’s assistant secretary of state Wednesday, who said some voters “absolutely” had their votes improperly taken away during the controversial recount that awarded the lead to Democratic challenger Al Franken.

“It’s something I had no control over,” testified election official Jim Gelbmann, referring to a controversial ruling that effectively gave each campaign the right to veto absentee ballots that they didn’t want counted. “It was an order by the Supreme Court.”

Gelbmann’s admission on day three of the election contest, which is being tried in St. Paul before a three-judge panel, appeared to support contentions of the Coleman legal team that the recount process was seriously flawed.
Read Article...

Coleman Franken Minnesota Elections

Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley Right On H-1B Visa Workers

2009-01-28T03:59:00.003-08:00

Finally: American Workers First!
Iowa Senator Asserts American Companies Should Layoff Foreign H-1B Visa Workers Before Layoffs Of Qualified American Workers

See previous Blog Post On Microsoft Layoffs...
In a letter sent to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer late last week, Grassley wrote:

"I am concerned that Microsoft will be retaining foreign guest workers rather than similarly qualified American employees when it implements its layoff plan. As you know, I want to make sure employers recruit qualified American workers first before hiring foreign guest workers."The letter continues:

"Last year, Microsoft was here on Capitol Hill advocating for more H-1B visas. The purpose of the H-1B visa program is to assist companies in their employment needs where there is not a sufficient American workforce to meet their technology expertise requirements. However, H-1B and other work visa programs were never intended to replace qualified American workers.

Certainly, these work visa programs were never intended to allow a company to retain foreign guest workers rather than similarly qualified American workers when that company cuts jobs during an economic downturn.

It is imperative that in implementing its layoff plan, Microsoft ensures that American workers have priority in keeping their jobs over foreign workers on visa programs."

In 2007, Microsoft petitioned the United States government for 959 H-1B visas, ranking fifth among the top 100 employers -- including U.S. and non-U.S.-based companies -- who requested the temporary visas to hire foreign workers for jobs in the United States.
Read Article...

Visas Grassley Economy Layoffs Immigration

State of Iowa To Ask Budget Cuts of 6.5%

2009-01-27T04:04:00.000-08:00

Big Cutbacks Coming In State Government Spending
Budget Shortfall Could Be As High As $779 million

Iowa Gov. Chet Culver said Monday he will ask the Legislature for a 6.5 percent cut in most state programs and use $200 million in cash reserves to wipe out a huge budget shortfall in the next fiscal year.

"Our state's sound fiscal management does not mean we can avoid cuts in government spending," said Culver. "Simply put, just as families and businesses across the state and around the nation are doing more with less, so too must state government."

The governor spelled out the broad outlines of his proposed budget in a speech Monday evening to the Iowa Business Council. He will send details of his spending plan to the Legislature on Wednesday, but he made it clear in his speech that there will be big cutbacks in state government.
Read Article...

Iowa Economy Budget

Microsoft Experiences Layoff For First Time

2009-01-26T04:13:00.000-08:00

The Software Giant Posts Falling Profits

Microsoft Corp. last week announced that it will eliminate 5,000 jobs because IT spending in the most recent quarter didn't meet projections.

At the same time, the company reported that its profits for its second fiscal quarter, which ended Dec. 31, fell 11%, to $4.17 billion, from the same quarter a year earlier. But its revenue rose 2% to $16.6 billion.

About 1,400 workers were laid off immediately, with the remainder to be dismissed over the next 18 months. Posts will be eliminated in IT, R&D, marketing and other departments, Microsoft said.
Read Article...

***

Economic Crisis Affects Microsoft In Iowa
Microsoft Delays West Des Moines Data Center

Microsoft’s facility in West Des Moines, Iowa dash any hopes that huge data center projects would create jobs in the midst of the economic crisis. Both states each offered significant tax incentive packages to attract these companies, with expectations of a payoff in high-tech jobs.

Iowa Gov. Chet Culver “is obviously disappointed by the news that Microsoft has decided to delay their plans for a new data center in West Des Moines,” Culver’s office said in a statement Friday. “This is just one more sign that no one is immune from the economic recession gripping our nation. The Governor remains hopeful that conditions will improve and Microsoft will begin construction on their new facility soon.”
Read Article...

Microsoft Layoffs Economy Iowa

Guess Who Is Replacing Hillary In New York?

2009-01-23T04:20:00.001-08:00

Not A Kennedy... Not A Cuomo,
It's Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand

Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand, a second-term congresswoman from upstate New York, was Gov. David Paterson's pick to fill Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's Senate seat a day after Caroline Kennedy abruptly withdrew from contention.

A Paterson aide said Friday that the 42-year-old Hudson Valley Democrat will be named by the governor at an announcement Friday in Albany. The aide spoke on condition of anonymity because the announcement hadn't been made. Gillibrand was considered one of the top three or four contenders in Paterson's secretive selection process, where the front-runners were considered to be Kennedy and state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo.
Read Article...

Kirsten Gillibrand Caroline Kennedy Andrew Cuomo New York Senate

Obama Takes Oath Of Office Again...

2009-01-22T04:31:00.000-08:00

Oath Number #2
From Drudge Report:

At 7:35 pm, Roberts administred the oath of office again to obama in the map room. Robert Gibbs said the WH counsel, Greg Craig, believes the oath was fine Tuesday, but one word was out of sequence so they did this out of a "an abundance of caution." "

We decided it was so much fun..." Obama joked while sitting on a couch. Obama stood and walked over to make small talk with pool as Roberts donned his black robe. "Are you ready to take the oath?" Roberts asked. "I am, and we're going to do it very slowly," Obama replied.

Oath took 25 seconds. After a flawless recitation, Roberts smiled and said, "congratulations, again." Obama said, "thank you, sir." Smattering of applause. "All right." Obama said. "The bad news for the pool is there's 12 more balls."
Read Article...

Obama Oath of Office Inauguration

We Wish Our New President Well

2009-01-21T04:27:00.001-08:00

The 44th President Of The United States
Barack Obama

On a day rich in history, Barack Obama took office Tuesday as the 44th president of the U.S., urging Americans to stand together amid the "gathering clouds and raging storms" of war and recession.

The inauguration of the first African-American to lead the world's most powerful country drew a crowd of well over one million to the National Mall here. In his 18-minute address, Mr. Obama called on Americans to return to the values of "hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity" that have seen the country through past crises
Read Article...

Obama Inauguration

The End Of The Bush Era

2009-01-20T04:11:00.001-08:00

He Kept America Safe...
Yet Said To Have Decimated The Republican Brand

George W. Bush leaves the White House with one of the lowest approval ratings in history. According to Gallup, only Richard Nixon and Harry Truman, who suffered the double whammy of a bad economy and the unpopular Korean War, had lower approval ratings when they left the White House.

Today, Bush’s legacy to his successor is two unresolved wars, a global image that is deeply tarnished, and the greatest economic crisis in modern times.

Conservatives who backed Bush in two successive elections have little to show for their efforts. Bush, in fact, has decimated the Republican brand.
Read Article...

Bush President Politics

Churches Feeling Effects From Economic Downturn

2009-01-19T05:47:00.000-08:00

Reductions in Giving Include Non-Profits

Tens of millions of Americans have already suffered substantial financial losses in the wake of the sub-prime mortgage crisis and subsequent financial challenges. A new survey from The Barna Group shows that more than 150 million adults said they have been affected by the economic turbulence, and most of them expect it to take several years before the nation fully recovers. Americans are now passing on their financial pain to churches and other non-profit organizations by cutting back substantially on their giving during the fourth quarter of 2008. Those reductions - occurring during the most important quarter of the year for donor-driven organizations - will cripple thousands of smaller and less stable donor-supported organizations.
Read Article...

Religion Charity Donations Economy

IBM To Create 1,300 Jobs In Dubuque

2009-01-16T04:20:00.000-08:00

Good News For Northeast Iowa:
A New Service Center For Dubuque

Amid a daily stream of layoff notices by companies across the nation, IBM stood out Thursday by announcing it would bring a new service center and up to 1,300 jobs to Dubuque.

IBM officials said the company was responding to demand from its business clients by establishing the new technology service delivery center in the northeast Iowa city.

"IBM is making a determination that it can best meet the needs of its business clients in the U.S. by being in Dubuque, Iowa," IBM spokesman Jim Larkin said. "It's really about what our clients are telling us they need right now. We are adapting to the needs of our clients."
Read Article...

In the meantime RR Donnelley in Spencer to cut 160 jobs...

200 at Featherlite to lose their jobs...

Iowa Dubuque Jobs Employment

Frigid Temperatures In Des Moines Metro Area

2009-01-15T04:21:00.000-08:00

So Cold Even Schools Are Closed

Most metro-area public school districts will be closed, Thursday, January 15, due to dangerously cold weather.

This decision is being made jointly by area superintendents who have collaborated with their district staff, meteorologists and the national weather service.

Weather information confirmed a forecast of 15 - 20 degrees below zero air temperature, with a predicted wind-chill of 35 - 40 degrees below zero. At 35 degrees below (wind chill) skin can freeze in a matter of minutes. Because of this, it is important that children be kept inside during this unprecedented severe weather.

In addition, extremely low temperatures of this nature affect the ability to start and keep buses running reliably.
Read Article...

Note: Keep your vehicle's gas tanks over a half tank...
Consider using gas antifreeze additives...

Des Moines Iowa Winter

Teens Find New Use For SMS On Mobile Cell Phones

2009-01-14T04:17:00.000-08:00

Not Just Talking and Texting on Cell Phones...
Sexting: Sending Nude Photos Of Themselves

Teens here are taking nude photos of themselves or others, sending them on their cell phones or posting them online.

Some teens do it as a joke.

For others, it's the new bold pickup line to get a date.

A year ago, a 19-year-old Goshen cheerleading coach was charged and prosecuted for a misdemeanor, contributing to the unruliness of a child, for taking a topless photo of herself and a 15-year-old girl. A Glen Este Middle School boy was taken to juvenile court during the last school year for taking explicit photos of his girlfriend.

The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy and CosmoGirl.com last month revealed results of a study that showed 20 percent of teens say they have sent or posted nude or semi-nude pictures or video of themselves.
Read Article...

Mobile Phone Cell Phone SMS Teens

Caution For Kids In This Cold Season

2009-01-13T04:14:00.000-08:00

18-Month-Old Girl Hospitalized After
Vicks VapoRub Put Under Her Nose

Misuse of Vicks VapoRub may have landed an 18-month-old girl in the hospital, Wake Forest University researchers suggest.

The previously healthy girl had an upper respiratory infection, for which her grandparents treated her with a dab of Vicks VapoRub under the nose. In about half an hour, the child began to struggle for breath, and she was taken to the emergency room.

Bruce K. Rubin, MD, professor of pediatrics at Wake Forest's Brenner Children's Hospital, suggests the grandparents' misuse of Vicks VapoRub may very well have caused the girl's respiratory distress.
Read Article...

Note: Vicks VapoRub is not recommended for direct application in the nostril, and is not recommend for children under two years of age, this advice is sometimes ignored, researchers report.

Cold Flu Children Infants Vicks

Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon Indicted On 12 Counts

2009-01-12T04:25:00.000-08:00

Perjury, Theft, Misconduct in Office
Among 12-Count Indictment

Baltimore Mayor Sheila A. Dixon was charged today with 12 counts of felony theft, perjury, fraud and misconduct in office, becoming the city's first sitting mayor to be criminally indicted.

The case stems in part from at least $15,348 in gifts Dixon allegedly received from her former boyfriend, prominent city developer Ronald H. Lipscomb, while she was City Council president.

She also is accused of using as much as $3,400 in gift cards, some donated to her office for distribution to "needy families," to purchase Best Buy electronics and other items for herself and her staff.

Lipscomb was not indicted in the Dixon case, but he and City Councilwoman Helen L. Holton were charged this week in a separate $12,500 bribery scheme. Both cases grew out of a nearly three-year probe by the state prosecutor into City Hall corruption.
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Sheila Dixon Baltimore Maryland Scandal

Almost Certain Impeachment For Illinois Governor

2009-01-09T04:09:00.000-08:00

Committee Democrats And Republicans
Unanimously Vote For Impeachment

Gov. Rod Blagojevich faces almost certain impeachment by the Illinois House, a historic step that would trigger a trial to determine whether the Democratic governor should be tossed out of office.

A simple majority vote will be enough to impeach. With Blagojevich defenders almost impossible to find, the outcome appears set.

The governor seemed to acknowledge the inevitable when he issued a statement Thursday night that looked past the House vote and predicted a different outcome in the subsequent Senate trial. His statement criticized the hearings leading up to the House vote as unfair and biased.
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Illinois Governor Blagojevich Impeach

Internal Revenue Service To

2009-01-08T05:33:00.000-08:00

Agency Offers To Waive Penalties, Negotiate New Payment Plans And Postpone Asset Siezures To Delinquent Taxpayers

As the nation sinks deeper into recession, the IRS is offering to waive late penalties, negotiate new payment plans and postpone asset seizures for delinquent taxpayers who are financially strapped, but make a good-faith effort to settle their tax debts.

IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman said Tuesday that tax agents are being given new authority to work with victims of the nation's economic woes who are struggling to pay their bills.

"We need to recognize that it's an extraordinary, challenging time," Shulman said in an interview. "We need to understand the taxpayers' perspective. We need to walk a mile in their shoes."

It's unrealistic to expect some taxpayers to make timely payments in this economy, Shulman said. However, he cautioned that those seeking help will have to demonstrate their inability to pay. Those who fail to file tax returns, or who simply ignore collection notices, will not be eligible for help, he said.
Read Article...

IRS Taxes Government Money Internal Revenue Service

Has Been Bob Barr Flip Flops On Defense Of Marriage Act

2009-01-07T04:09:00.000-08:00

Libertarian Says The Defense of Marriage Act
Should Be Repealed After He Authored
and Sponsored It...

Former Republican Rep. Bob Barr of Georgia, author of the Defense of Marriage Act signed into law by President Clinton, now says the statute overreaches the federal government's constitutional power and needs to be repealed.

The Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, establishes the definition of marriage for federal purposes as only between one man and one woman and further clarifies that no state need recognize a same-sex marriage from any other state.

Barr introduced the law to the House of Representatives in 1996, but now says – regardless of any opinion on same-sex marriage itself – that the law gets in the way of states that do wish to legalize homosexual unions.
Read Article...

Bob Barr Libertarian Republican Marriage DOMA

California Epicscopal Congregations In Dispute Over Property

2009-01-06T04:17:00.000-08:00

Episcopal Church Retains Property

When Congregations Leave Church Body

The state's high court has prohibited three Southern California parishes who left the U.S. Episcopal Church over its ordination of gay ministers from retaining ownership of their church buildings and property.

In a unanimous decision, the California Supreme Court ruled that the property belongs to the Episcopal Church because the parishes agreed to abide by the mother church's rules, which include specific language about property ownership.

St. James Church in Newport Beach, All Saints Church in Long Beach and St. David's Church in North Hollywood pulled out of the 2.1 million-member national Episcopal Church in 2004 and sought to retain property ownership.

Since 2003, four dioceses and dozens of individual churches have split, setting off bitter legal feuds over division of property.
Read Article...

Episcopal Church Christian

Looks Like Franken May Win Senate Seat In Minnesota

2009-01-05T03:56:00.000-08:00

Franken Has 225 Vote Lead
A Race Close, Controversial And Full Of Doubts

Victory in Minnesota's drawn-out Senate race moved within Democrat Al Franken's grasp Saturday when he increased his lead over Republican Norm Coleman as the statewide recount drew to a close.

The state Canvassing Board will reconvene Monday to declare which candidate received the most overall votes in the election. Barring court intervention, it will be Franken.

Franken's lead now stands at 225 votes after gaining 176 votes more than Coleman in Saturday's review of the formerly sealed absentee ballots. Franken started the day with a 49-vote advantage.
Read Article...

Minnesota Franken Coleman

60% Of Active Military Uncertain or Pessimistic About Obama

2009-01-02T04:23:00.000-08:00

A Crisis Of Confidence?

When asked how they feel about President-elect Barack Obama as commander in chief, six out of 10 active-duty service members say they are uncertain or pessimistic, according to a Military Times survey.

In follow-up interviews, respondents expressed concerns about Obama’s lack of military service and experience leading men and women in uniform.

“Being that the Marine Corps can be sent anywhere in the world with the snap of his fingers, nobody has confidence in this guy as commander in chief,” said one lance corporal who asked not to be identified.

For eight years, members of the U.S. military have served under a Republican commander in chief who reflected their generally conservative views and led them to war in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Nearly one-third of respondents — including eight out of 10 black service members — said they are optimistic about their incoming boss.
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Military Armed Services Obama Army

CIETC's Queen Of Government SCAM Appeals Sentence

2008-12-31T04:12:00.000-08:00

Ramona Cunningham Appeals
Diverts Attention From $2.4 Million In Restitution

Ramona Cunningham, former chief executive officer of the Central Iowa Employment and Training Consortium, apparently disagrees with the judgment made by Chief District Judge Robert Pratt during a hearing on Dec. 15. He told Cunningham that the sentence, which includes prison time followed by three years supervised release, was meant to "send a signal" to private and public CEOs who abuse the public trust.

Cunningham's daughter, Kelly Ayers, signed a notice of appeal to the U.S. Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals just a couple of days after the sentencing hearing.

Telephone messages left at a number listed for Ayers, and for Cunningham's attorney, Bill Kutmus, on Monday seeking comment weren't immediately returned. The U.S. attorney's office declined to comment on the appeal.
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Iowa CIETC Scandal Ramona Cunningham

Governor Sarah Palin Now A Grandmother

2008-12-30T04:03:00.000-08:00

Bristol Palin and Levi Johnston Now Have A Son

The 18-year-old daughter of former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin has given birth in Alaska to a son.

People magazine reports that Bristol Palin gave birth to Tripp Easton Mitchell Johnston on Sunday. He weighed 7 pounds, 4 ounces.

Relative Colleen Jones tells the magazine the baby is fine and Bristol is "doing well." Jones is the sister of Bristol's grandmother.

The father is Levi Johnston, a former hockey player at Alaska's Wasilla High School. He has said he and Bristol plan to marry.
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Note: Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was a strong second among the
most-admired women, behind Hillary Clinton but ahead of television host Oprah
Winfrey, when the USA Today/Gallup poll was conducted Dec. 12-14.

Bristol Palin Alaska

Economics At The Close of 2008

2008-12-29T03:53:00.000-08:00

Dow Jones Lowest Since The Great Depression

The ongoing recession and global economic shock pummeled stocks this year, with the Dow Jones industrial average slumping 36.2 percent. That's the biggest drop since 1931 when the Great Depression sent stocks reeling 40.6 percent.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index is set to record the biggest drop since its creation in 1957. The index of America's biggest companies is down 40.9 percent for the year.

With these statistics ready to play out this week, it is little wonder why investors are all too happy to close the books on 2008. Analysts are already looking toward January as a crucial period for the market as it tries to recover some of the $7.3 trillion wiped from the Dow Jones Wilshire 5000 index, the broadest measure of U.S. stocks.
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Recession Depression Economics

Internet Surpasses Newspapers For Source Of News

2008-12-26T04:08:00.000-08:00

Television Still The Preferred
Medium For Americans

The Internet has surpassed newspapers as the main source for national and international news for Americans, according to a new survey.

Television, however, remains the preferred medium for Americans, according to the survey by the Washington-based Pew Research Center for the People & the Press.

Seventy percent of the 1,489 people surveyed by Pew said television is their primary source for national and international news.

Forty percent said they get most of their news from the Internet, up from 24 percent in September 2007, and more than the 35 percent who cited newspapers as their main news source.

Only 59 percent of people younger than 30 years old prefer television, Pew said, down from 68 percent in the September 2007 survey.

The latest survey was conducted December 3-7 and released on Tuesday. Pew did not provide the margin of error.
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Newspapers Television Media Internet Communications

Chris Matthews Wins “Quote of the Year”

2008-12-24T03:41:00.000-08:00

Media Biased and Proud Of It:
Listening to Obama, “I felt this thrill going up my leg!”
- Chris Matthews of MSNBC -

The Media Research Center today announced its Best Notable Quotables of 2008: The 21st Annual Awards for the Year’s Worst Reporting, and MSNBC’s Chris Matthews “won” the dubious honor of Quote of the Year for gushing over a Barack Obama speech back in February: “I felt this thrill going up my leg. I mean, I don’t have that too often….And that is an objective assessment.”

Top runner-up for Quote of the Year went to Reuters for this ridiculous post-election headline: “Media bias largely unseen in U.S. presidential race.”
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Christ Matthews MSNBC Media Bias

Southern and Western States to Gain Seats in Congress

2008-12-23T04:10:00.000-08:00

People Are Migrating To The South and the West
With Such Cold, Who Can Blame Them?

Southern and western states are poised to snatch more congressional seats from the rest of the country as Americans pursue open spaces and warmer climates.

The nation's migration west and south has slowed, according to new government population estimates. But states in the Northeast and Midwest are still projected to lose political clout in Washington after the 2010 census, when the nation apportions the 435 seats in the House of Representatives, based on population.

Texas stands to be the biggest winner, picking up as many as four seats, while Ohio could be the big loser, giving up as many as two seats, according to projections by two firms that specialize in political apportionment. California is in danger of losing a seat for the first time since it became a state, though experts disagree on the likelihood of that happening.

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Climate Population United States

Cost Of Gasoline Down

2008-12-22T04:26:00.000-08:00

Lowest Price Of Gas Per Gallon In Five Years

The average price of regular gasoline Friday was $1.66 a gallon, oil industry analyst Trilby Lundberg said. The price of mid-grade was $1.80 a gallon and the price of premium was $1.92 a gallon.

The last time gas prices dipped so low was in February 2004, Lundberg said, when the national average for regular was also around $1.66 a gallon. The all-time high was on July 11, 2008, when the price peaked at $4.11 a gallon.

Of cities surveyed, the nation's lowest price was $1.37 in Cheyenne, Wyo. The highest price was $2.41 in Anchorage, Alaska. In the continental United States, the highest price was on New York's Long Island, at $1.92.
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Gasoline Oil Economy

Minnesota Senate Recount Difference - Five Votes

2008-12-19T04:04:00.000-08:00

Coleman Leads Franken By Just Five (5) Votes
Initial Challenges and Improperly Rejected
Ballots Yet To Be Counted

AFTERNOON UPDATE: FRANKEN TAKES LEAD:
According to a tally by the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Franken has taken the lead as the state’s Board of Canvassers continues to review ballots challenged by both campaigns during the state's hand recount.

Franken led early Friday afternoon by nearly 200 votes, according to the paper. While Coleman led Franken by 188 votes at the conclusion of the hand recount, the board's review of thousands of challenged ballots has yielded a lead – which could again narrow – for Franken on Friday.
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Original Post:

More than six weeks after the Nov. 4 election, Democratic challenger Al Franken threatened to take his first lead Thursday over incumbent GOP Sen. Norm Coleman in the recount of votes in the hotly contested Minnesota Senate race.

The State Canvassing Board ended its day Thursday with Franken having moved within just five votes of Coleman.

If Franken ultimately emerges the winner, he will be the 59th Democratic vote in the U.S. Senate, putting President-elect Barack Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid just one vote away from being able to cut off a filibuster on any issue, as they work to push Obama’s ambitious legislative agenda through Congress.

Coleman began Thursday with a 358-vote lead. But by 1 p.m., his advantage had dwindled to just 195 votes out of nearly 3 million votes cast on Election Day. The slide continued until about 6 p.m. Eastern time, when the board called it a day, with Coleman clinging to a five-vote margin.
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Coleman Franken Minnesota Elections

No Vampires In Ankeny During Christmas 2008...

2008-12-18T04:21:00.001-08:00

Ankeny Uses Scented Ice Melt On Roads
- Garlic Salt -
Don't Cook With The Snow...

Slush has never smelled so spicy. City crews in the Des Moines suburb of Ankeny are using garlic salt to melt snow and ice on streets from Tuesday's storm. The salt was donated by Tone Brothers Inc., a top spice producer headquartered in Ankeny.

Public Works Administrator Al Olson said the company donated 18,000 pounds of garlic salt to use on its 400 miles of roads.

Olson doesn't have details, but he said the salt would have ended up in the landfill, so the company donated it. A telephone call Wednesday to Tone Brothers wasn't immediately returned.

Olson said the city mixed the garlic salt with regular road salt and it works fine. He said some road workers say it makes them hungry, but Olson doesn't recommend it to spice up lunch or dinner.
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Garlic Salt Ice Melt Ankeny Iowa

Canada Ready For Auto Bailout - Contingent On U.S. Bailout

2008-12-17T04:09:00.000-08:00

582,000 Direct and Indirect Auto Industry
Jobs Could Be Lost In Canada

A whopping 582,000 direct and indirect jobs would be lost in Canada over the next five years if the ailing Big Three US auto makers shut down their Ontario operations, said a study Tuesday. If output is reduced by 50 percent, 296,000 jobs would be lost nationally, said the 11-page report prepared for the Ontario Manufacturing Council.

The auto sector and parts industry employ roughly 219,000 Canadians nationwide. The Big Three directly employ about 34,000 workers while overseas car makers employ just under half that number.

On Friday, the Canadian and Ontario governments reached a tentative deal for a 3.4-billion Canadian dollar (2.8 billion US) bailout of Chrysler, General Motors and Ford's operations in Ontario province.

But a payout is contingent on Washington's approval of a 14-billion-dollar US aid package.
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Bailout Auto Industry Chrysler General Motors Ford

Ramona Cunningham Get 7 Years In The Slammer

2008-12-16T04:24:00.000-08:00

The Queen Of CIETC Goes To Jail
Pleaded Guilty To 8 of 30 Charges

Former Central Iowa Employment and Training Consortium CEO Ramona Cunningham was sentenced Monday in U.S. District Court in Des Moines. She was accused of being the mastermind behind a scam that involved misspending more than $1.5 million on huge executive bonuses and salaries from January 2003 to April 2006.

She pleaded guilty in June to 8 of the 30 federal charges she faced.
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Ramona Cunningham: Iowa's Most Famous Scandal Poster Girl...

Iowa CIETC Scandal Ramona Cunningham

State of Iowa Budget In Deficit

2008-12-15T04:04:00.001-08:00

$40 Million + $60 Million = $100 Million in Cuts
- To Get Iowa Through Until Next Month -
More Cuts May Come Next Month...

$60 million cut in state spending is on the way after a panel of budget experts projected state revenue for the current budget year may fall nearly $100 million short of previous estimates.

Iowa Gov. Chet Culver’s office said the cuts will include reductions in administrative spending, transfers of unused funds and calls for the Legislature to retract spending it had previously approved.

Culver will unveil specifics on the cuts next week, according to a release from his office on Friday.

The new cuts will come in addition to $40 million in spending reductions Culver announced earlier in the week. A gloomy projection from the state’s Revenue Estimating Conference on Friday is forcing Culver to trim deeper into the budget.
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Iowa Budget Revenue

No Bailout For Now... Two Of Big Three Automakers Could Be Weeks From Collapse

2008-12-12T04:29:00.000-08:00

U.S. Senate Rejects Bailout 52-35 On A Procedural Vote

A bailout-weary Congress killed a $14 billion package to aid struggling U.S. automakers Thursday night after a partisan dispute over union wage cuts derailed a last-ditch effort to revive the emergency aid before year's end.

Republicans, breaking sharply with President George W. Bush as his term draws to a close, refused to back federal aid for Detroit's beleaguered Big Three without a guarantee that the United Auto Workers would agree by the end of next year to wage cuts to bring their pay into line with Japanese carmakers. The UAW refused to do so before its current contract with the automakers expires in 2011.

The breakdown left the fate of the auto industry - and the 3 million jobs it touches - in limbo at a time of growing economic turmoil. General Motors Corp. (GM) and Chrysler LLC have said they could be weeks from collapse.
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Bailout General Motors Chrysler

UN Global Warming Conference Criticize Al Gore

2008-12-11T04:27:00.000-08:00

Community Of 650 Scientists Challenge The UN and Gore

The UN global warming conference currently underway in Poland is about to face a serious challenge from over 650 dissenting scientists from around the globe who are criticizing the climate claims made by the UN IPCC and former Vice President Al Gore. Set for release this week, a newly updated U.S. Senate Minority Report features the dissenting voices of over 650 international scientists, many current and former UN IPCC scientists, who have now turned against the UN. The report has added about 250 scientists (and growing) in 2008 to the over 400 scientists who spoke out in 2007. The over 650 dissenting scientists are more than 12 times the number of UN scientists (52) who authored the media hyped IPCC 2007 Summary for Policymakers.

The U.S. Senate report is the latest evidence of the growing groundswell of scientific opposition rising to challenge the UN and Gore. Scientific meetings are now being dominated by a growing number of skeptical scientists. The prestigious International Geological Congress, dubbed the geologists' equivalent of the Olympic Games, was held in Norway in August 2008 and prominently featured the voices and views of scientists skeptical of man-made global warming fears.
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Global Warming UN United Nations Al Gore

Principal Financial Group Lays Off Workers

2008-12-10T04:23:00.000-08:00

Company Lays Off 3.5% Percent Of Their Work Force
550 Employees At Different Locations

Des Moines-based Principal Financial Group Inc. says it is cutting 300 jobs at its headquarters and around 250 in 45 other locations.

The insurance, banking, retirement and asset management company on Tuesday blamed the cuts on continued deterioration of U.S. and global markets.

The cuts represents about 3.5 percent of Principal's work force.

The company released a statement saying most affected employees will leave Dec 31.

All affected employees will receive severance and career assistance.
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Why are they at the bailout trough?

Principal Financial Group Iowa Bailout

Chicago and New York Old Media In Deep Financial Trouble

2008-12-09T04:17:00.000-08:00

Chicago Tribune and New York Times May Collapse

Tribune was toast the moment Sam Zell loaded it up with $13 billion of debt. That it is now considering bankruptcy, therefore, comes as little surprise. (Read this early prognosis from Alan Mutter if you doubt that sane industry observers saw this coming).

More startling over the past year has been the collapse of the New York Times (NYT). The New York Times Company has a $400 million debt payment due in five months, and management has not yet explained how it plans to meet this. The company is nearly out of cash, its operations are now burning cash, and its attempts to sell assets have, so far, been unsuccessful.

As we noted a month ago, the New York Times Company now has a negative current net worth: Over the next year, it will be required to shell out more than twice as much cash as it has on hand. The New York Times' long-term assets and liabilitities, meanwhile, are roughly equal: The value of the Red Sox stake and corporate headquarters approximately offset the company's long-term debt, pension plan, and other liabilities (at least according to their carrying values.)
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Chicago Tribune New York Times Newspapers

Minnesota Senate Race Still Not Decided

2008-12-08T04:12:00.000-08:00

Will Winning Results Be Known By Christmas?

Read Franken's Lips: "Loooooser"

Coleman held a 192-vote lead after the recount finished. But that doesn't account for more than 6,600 ballot challenges from the two campaigns. The results are muddied further by legal squabbles over Franken's push to include some rejected absentee ballots in the final count.

"Improperly rejected absentee ballots are simply another way of saying uncounted ballots," Franken campaign attorney Mark Elias said, who claims that Franken is the winner by four votes.
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Minnesota Al Franken Norm Coleman

Gannet Layoffs Hit Iowa

2008-12-05T04:17:00.000-08:00

Layoffs Blamed On Internet and Poor Economy
(What About Cancellations Due To Leftist Biased Reporting?)

The Des Moines Register has reported that 41 people are being laid off and 15 open positions not be filled. Forty-one employees have been let go and 15 open positions won’t be filled at The Des Moines Register. An additional four employees volunteered for a severance package.

The Indianola Record-Herald and the Altoona Herald, also owned by The Register’s parent company, Gannett Co., will let 14 employees go. The Press-Citizen laid off 11 employees, including six full-time and five part-time workers, this week because of the worsening economy.

The layoffs are part of a 10 percent reduction in payroll that Gannett Co., the Press-Citizen's parent company, announced in late October.

Iowa Gannett Des Moines Register

Iowa Supreme Court To Hear Gay Marriage Case

2008-12-04T04:29:00.000-08:00

Reason For Planned Challenge In Iowa
- Iowa Supreme Court Deemed Gay Friendly -
Judicial Activism At It's Worst

On December the 9th at 9:00 a.m., the Iowa Supreme Court will hear arguments from both sides of the same sex marriage issue. The case is an appeal of the August 30th, 2007 decision by Judge Robert Hanson which declared unconstitutional Iowa’s Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).

The Court will hear arguments from an attorney for Lambda Legal, an eastern United States gay activist organization supporting Judge Hanson’s decision and from the Polk County Attorney’s Office representing the people of the State of Iowa. The Court would not allow attorneys who would represent the Legislature to take part in the hearing. They have, however, filed a brief defending Iowa’s DOMA as a constitutional law.

The Iowa Supreme Court, which was evaluated by a gay activist organization, was deemed by them as gay friendly. That is one of the reasons Lambda Legal chose Iowa as one of the states in which they filed a challenge. By reviewing the judges’ records and other public information, they deemed Chief Justice Marsha K. Ternus, Justice Brent Appel and Justice David Wiggins extremely pro-gay; Justice Mark S. Cady, Justice Daryl L. Hecht, Justice Jerry L. Larson and Justice Michael J. Streit as pro-gay.

Only two states, Massachusetts and Connecticut, offer legal same sex marriages...

News From Iowa Christian Alliance...

Iowa Gay Marriage Judicial Activism

Republican Senator Handily Beats Democrat In Georgia

2008-12-03T04:23:00.001-08:00

Saxby Chambliss Brought Sarah Barracuda
To Campaign In Georgia

Could Sarah Palin's celebrity appeal be the thing to push incumbent Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R) over the edge in the statewide run-off?

Chambliss seems to think so. "She -- she truly is a rock star,” Chambliss said on FOX. “I mean, she came into town to help us electrify our base, make sure that these folks get fired up and turn out tomorrow, and she did exactly that.”
Read Article...

***

Republican U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss beat back a prolonged challenge from Democrat Jim Martin on Tuesday to win a second term in office after a bruising four-week runoff between the one-time University of Georgia fraternity brothers.

Chambliss’ double-digit victory dashed Democrats’ dreams of securing a filibuster-proof, 60-vote “supermajority” in the Senate and buoyed a Republican Party battered by staggering losses in the Nov. 4 general election.

“Republicans still know how to win an election,” Republican National Committee Chairman Mike Duncan told hundreds of Chambliss supporters at the Cobb Energy Centre.
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Georgia Senate Saxby Chambliss Sarah Palin

Dow Plummets 680 Points

2008-12-02T04:14:00.000-08:00

Our Country Has Been In A Recession
Since December 2007

Most Americans sorely knew it already, but now it's official: The country is in a recession, and it's getting worse.Wall Street reeled at the news. The Dow plummeted 680 points, and all major indexes lost over 7 percent of their value, erasing much of last week's gains. Washington pledged even more help to try to ease the pain.

The National Bureau of Economic Research concluded Monday that the country has been suffering through a recession since December 2007.

By one benchmark, a recession occurs when the gross domestic product declines for two straight quarters. But the bureau's dating committee uses more precise measures, including employment, personal income and industrial output.
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Recession Economy Iowa

Rosie O’Donnell Bombs On TV...

2008-12-01T04:06:00.000-08:00

NBC Pulls The Plug On Rosie
The Has Been Becomes A Thanksgiving Flop...

Rosie O’Donnell has had her variety show canceled because of bad reviews and even worse ratings, TV’s Extra reports. Only 5 million people tuned into O’Donnell’s variety show, “Rosie Live,” on NBC last Wednesday night, prompting the comedian, 46, to pull the plug. “There will b no more,” Rosie blogged on her Web site. “No ratings . . . bad reviews.” O’Donnell also blogged that even though the show tanked, she had fun while it lasted. “Yet still - a thrill 4 me.”
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Rosie O’Donnell NBC

University of Iowa Fans: Behave...

2008-11-28T04:30:00.000-08:00

Football Not The Only Entertainment For
Fans In The Metrodome
A Hat Tip To Bitten and Bound

Update: Mother of Three Says Bathroom
Sex Scandal Ruined Her Life

A couple of University of Iowa fans took a break from Saturday's game at the Metrodome against the University of Minnesota to have some illicit sex in a Dome restroom, police said.

The duo — a 38-year-old woman and a 26-year-old man from Carroll and Linden, Iowa, respectively — turned a handicapped toilet stall into their love nest about 8:30 p.m., late in the Hawkeyes' 55-0 trouncing of the Gophers.

A crowd of intoxicated fans gathered in the restroom to laugh and cheer the off-the-field action, until an Avalon Security guard tipped off University of Minnesota police to the ruckus.

Hestness assumed the woman was embarrassed about being caught: She initially gave a false name to officers and had to be identified by her husband before she was released.

The man was attending the game with his girlfriend, according to police.
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Metrodome Iowa Football Minnesota

Word of the Year is: "Bailout"

2008-11-26T04:09:00.001-08:00

Bailout Wins!
John McCain's Commonly Used Word, “Maverick,”
Nearly Won the Title “Word of the Year.”

The alphabet gurus at Merriam-Webster gave the honor to the word “bailout.”

People looked it up so often on Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary that it was an easy choice for its annual award, the publisher said.

The rest of the list features other terms used at times of economic peril, "trepidation," "precipice" and "turmoil."

Other words from the presidential trail included “bipartisan” and “vet” – as in to appraise or evaluate.
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Bailout Economy Politics

Iowa Churches Request Government Bailout For Illegal Aliens

2008-11-25T04:01:00.000-08:00

Postville Churches Ask For Government Bailout To Support Illegal Aliens

- Churches Struggling To Sustain From Their Own Funds The Humanitarian Crisis They Helped Create In Postville By Supporting and Creating Sanctuary For Illegal Aliens -

Representatives of 20 churches in Postville and Decorah are asking Gov. Chet Culver, U.S. Sens. Tom Harkin and Chuck Grassley, Congressmen Tom Latham and Bruce Braley, State Senator-Elect Mary Jo Wilhelm and state Representative-Elect John Beard to immediately come to the Postville area in a coordinated visit.

In a letter, the churches say the six-month humanitarian response to needs created by the May 12th raid on the Agriprocessors Inc. kosher meatpacking plant has been stretched beyond its sustainable capacity. They ask the politicians to spearhead a government response.

Read Article...

U.S. attorney's spokesman Bob Teig acknowledged that his office is not helping support the witnesses. Teig said the alternative to the current arrangement would have been to keep the men in jail as material witnesses. He said defense lawyers told a judge the men would find support in Postville if they were let out of jail. "It's not like the government came up with this idea," he said. Read Article...

Postville Iowa Illegal Aliens immigration

Principal Financial Group To Join Feeding Frenzy At The Bailout Trough

2008-11-24T04:16:00.000-08:00

Show Me The Money!
- The Principal Wants A Cool $2 Billion Dollars -
- Denies It's A Bailout... -

Principal Financial Group Inc. (PFG) has applied to participate in the Treasury Department's Capital Purchase Program and could receive up to $2 billion in exchange for preferred shares and warrants to the Treasury.

Shares jumped 4.8% to $15 in after-hours trading.

Principal said it applied as a savings and loan holding company subject to oversight of the Office of Thrift Supervision. The money would support and capitalize the company's federal savings bank subsidiary, Principal Bank, and support growth needs of its operating units.

Principal said "the company believes it is prudent" to seek the funds "as another option to build on its position of financial strength, by adding to its capital cushion in a time of volatile and uncertain market conditions."
Read Article...

Bailout Iowa Prinicipal Financial Group Des Moines

Thanks Sarah Palin!

2008-11-21T04:08:00.001-08:00

Time To Say "Thanks!" To
- Sarah and The Palin Family -

Sarah Palin

Is California Still A Democracy?

2008-11-20T04:05:00.000-08:00

The Citizens Of California Voted: Gay Marriage Defeated
- State Supreme Court Intervenes Again -
Time To Recall/Depose Activist Judges...

The proposition, which overturned a May decision of the California Supreme Court that legalized same-sex marriage, has been challenged by a number of cities and civil rights groups, which say it is a substantial revision of the state’s Constitution, and therefore requires legislative approval.

In agreeing Wednesday to take the case, the court suggested in a two-page order signed by six of its seven justices that it would take up that question, as well as lingering questions over the legality of some 18,000 same-sex marriages performed in the state this year. Those ceremonies were halted after Proposition 8 passed.

The court has also been asked to consider whether same-sex couples are being denied equal protection under the state’s Constitution. An amendment banning same-sex marriages has never been challenged in a state where the marriages had been legal.

Dennis Herrera, the city attorney of San Francisco, a petitioner in the case who opposes the ban, said, “I have confidence that this court is going to make this decision on the facts and on the law.”

Supporters of the ban said they were pleased that the court had declined to suspend the ban.
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California Poposition 8 Gay Marriage

High School Athletics - No Pass No Play In The News Again In Des Moines

2008-11-19T04:19:00.000-08:00

Des Moines Roosevelt High School Wrestler

Makes Public Personal E-mail Exchange
- Jonathon Narcisse Responds... -

A Des Moines school board member said Tuesday that he doesn't regret using a sexually explicit term in an e-mail to a student.

Last week, a sophomore from Roosevelt High School sent a letter to the school board asking for help in getting back on the wrestling team after he failed an advanced placement algebra class. In response, Narcisse e-mailed the boy and told him to "step it up" academically.

Narcisse also told the boy a story about a student he once knew who didn't step it up and ended up on a Des Moines street corner offering "oral sex" for money.
Read Article...

***

Note: Before the sanctimonious get all excited, there is a lot worse language that has gone on in the Roosevelt Wrestling room and in their locker room. Des Moines Roosevelt High School even has an officially school sponsored gay support group for those engaging in such acts. The boy is not the first or last academically ineligible athlete that has been on the Des Moines Roosevelt Wrestling team.

Athletics Academics Des Moines High School Roosevelt Iowa

Gas In Iowa $1.77

2008-11-18T04:16:00.000-08:00

Update Today 5:00 PM:
Gas At QuickTrip $1.71 Per Gallon!

Within The Last Six Months Gasoline -
Was As High As $4.09 Per Gallon In Iowa

The national price for regular unleaded gasoline fell for the ninth week in a row, sinking to $2.07 a gallon, down $1.03 from a year ago, the department's Energy Information Administration said in its weekly survey of service stations.

Seventeen states have gasoline prices that average under $2 a gallon, according to the AAA travel club.

Falling gasoline prices are putting extra money in the pockets of consumers, but there is also concern some drivers may return to their gas-guzzling vehicles.
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Oil Gasoline Energy Iowa

California's Prop 8 And The Minority Vote

2008-11-17T04:15:00.000-08:00

Analyzing The Vote In San Francisco -
Parts Of Chinatown Supported The Ban By 65%
Racial Minorities Don't Buy Gay Arguments

For all the talk of San Francisco values, a Chronicle analysis of how the city voted on the state's same-sex marriage ban shows a city geographically divided on the issue - and voting trends that turn San Francisco's typical political spectrum on its head.

One in 4 San Franciscans voted in favor of Proposition 8, far fewer than the 52 percent who voted to ban same-sex marriage statewide. But a closer look shows race, age and education influenced voters more than anything else - even among those living in one of the world's most gay-friendly cities.

Voters in 54 of San Francisco's 580 precincts supported the ban, with a high of 65 percent of voters favoring it in parts of Chinatown and downtown. More than half of voters in large swaths of Bayview-Hunters Point, Visitacion Valley, the Excelsior and areas around Lake Merced also voted to ban same-sex marriage.
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Proposition 8 Gay Marriage Minorities California

Roman Catholic Priest: Refrain From Holy Communion If Voted For Obama

2008-11-14T03:36:00.000-08:00

Parishioners Put Souls At Risk If They
Take Holy Communion Before Penance

A South Carolina Roman Catholic priest has told his parishioners that they should refrain from receiving Holy Communion if they voted for Barack Obama because the Democratic president-elect supports abortion, and supporting him "constitutes material cooperation with intrinsic evil."

The Rev. Jay Scott Newman said in a letter distributed Sunday to parishioners at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Greenville that they are putting their souls at risk if they take Holy Communion before doing penance for their vote.

"Our nation has chosen for its chief executive the most radical pro-abortion politician ever to serve in the United States Senate or to run for president," Newman wrote, referring to Obama by his full name, including his middle name of Hussein.

"Voting for a pro-abortion politician when a plausible pro-life alternative exits constitutes material cooperation with intrinsic evil, and those Catholics who do so place themselves outside of the full communion of Christ's Church and under the judgment of divine law. Persons in this condition should not receive Holy Communion until and unless they are reconciled to God in the Sacrament of Penance, lest they eat and drink their own condemnation."
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Catholic Vote Elections Obama

The Entrance Of A New American Socialism

2008-11-13T04:16:00.000-08:00

The Line Grows At The Federal Welfare Bailout Trough: Includes Banks, Financial Institutions, The Auto Industry, California, Other Large U.S. Cities

Congressional Democrats are marshaling support for a rescue package to pump $25 billion in emergency loans to U.S. automakers in exchange for a government ownership stake in Detroit's car companies.

Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, and Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., are developing legislation that would let the auto industry tap into the $700 billion Wall Street rescue money, approved by Congress last month, to fund their business operations.
Read Article...

***

The Golden State isn't the gleaming beacon of success it once was. California's budget is spiraling out of control and lawmakers are calling for a federal bailout.

"I think states need to be raised to level of AIG, to the level of the banks, to the level of the auto industry," said Dem. Assembly Speaker Karen Bass.
Read Article...

***

Los Angeles, along with several big cities, is asking U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson for a piece of the $850 billion Wall Street and bank bailout.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa wrote to Paulson along with New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley and Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter. They are asking Paulson to use the bailout funds to provide $50 billion for cities to invest in construction and public works projects. They also want bailout money to deal with cash flow and pension fund issues.
Read Article....

Bailout Socialism Financial California

Minnesota Recount For Senate Race Looms

2008-11-12T04:18:00.000-08:00

Ballots Mysteriously Appear For Franken
- Lawsuits Likely -

Note: With ACORN filing more than 43,000 registration forms this year, 75 percent of all new registrations in the state, Minnesota was facing vote fraud problems even before the election. Even a small percentage of those registrations resulting in fraudulent votes could tip this election...

Twenty men and women settled in along tables at the Ramsey County elections office first thing Monday morning and began plowing through more than 7,700 ballots cast last Tuesday in the U.S. Senate race.

After nearly three hours of counting, Norm Coleman had lost exactly one net vote in five of the county's precincts. Al Franken had gained exactly one.
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Franken Coleman Minnesota

Unprofessionals In The McCain Campaign Disinformation Leaks

2008-11-11T05:21:00.000-08:00

Another Hoax?

Annonymous Unethical and Unprofessional Staff
That Trashed Sara Palin Under The Guise of Leaks?

This Guy Has A Blog...

***

Greta's Interview

"When I arrived at the convention, there were clothes waiting for me, and clothes being ordered for me and the family, for eight of us," the Alaska governor told FOX News' Greta Van Susteren, in an interview scheduled to air Monday night. "And ever since then, those clothes, knowing that they didn't belong to me ... we boxed them all up, sent them back to the rightful owners, the Republican National Committee, and that's the story on the clothes."

Palin dismissed the controversy over the reported $150,000 bill as "irrelevant," along with claims from Republican aides that she could not identify the members of NAFTA or that she thought Africa was a country -- and not a continent.

Regarding the reported Africa gaffe, Palin said, "And never, ever did I talk about, well, gee, is it a country or is it a continent? I just don't know about this issue. So I don't know how they took our one discussion on Africa and turned that into what they turned it into ... Along those same lines, of course, was the criticism that supposedly I didn't know who the participants in NAFTA were."
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Sarah Palin Elections

Post Election Stats: Nonpartisan Support For Traditional Marriage

2008-11-10T04:00:00.001-08:00

Traditional Marriage Not A Partisan Political Issue

- Traditional Marriage Won In Three States -
- Two States Were Blue States -

In addition to choosing a president and selecting members of Congress, voters around the United States made decisions on a wide range of topics this week, including the controversial issue of same-sex marriage. Votes to ban gay marriage were held In California, Arizona and Florida.
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***

Minorities Voted Democrat
- Supported Traditional Marriage -

Even as African-American and Latino voters were a powerful force in boosting America's first black president to victory, in California they also were crucial to passing Proposition 8, a ballot measure labeled, "Eliminates right of same-sex couples to marry."

Exit polls showed that 70 percent of black voters, and a majority of Latino voters, voted yes on Proposition 8, one likely reason why the measure won a slim majority in Los Angeles County, where pre-election polls had suggested it would lose, even though it lost by a huge margin in the Bay Area.
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Poposition 8 Marriage Election Minorities Vote

Too Little Too Late - Palin Found Innocent In TrooperGate

2008-11-07T04:08:00.000-08:00

Governor Sarah Palin Cleared of Ethics Violations
- Rejects Politically Driven Probe By Legislature -

"There is no probable cause to believe that the governor, or any other state official, violated the Alaska Executive Ethics Act in connection with these matters."

A state personnel board said Monday Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin did not abuse her office as governor of Alaska in the "Troopergate" case, rejecting the findings of an earlier probe by the state legislature.

The report was released the day before the US presidential elections in which Palin's role in the case became political fodder in the campaign.

"There is no probable cause to believe that Governor Palin violated the Alaska Executive Ethics Act by making the decision to dismiss Department of Public Safety Commissioner (Walt) Monegan and offering him instead the position of Director of the Alaska Beverage Control Board," the board said.
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Sarah Palin Alaska Troopergate

A Day After The Election Of Obama

2008-11-06T03:51:00.000-08:00

The Righteous Wind Of Change Begins...
- Election Breaks All Records: Stock Market Plunges -

The stock market posted its biggest plunge following a presidential election as reports on jobs and service industries stoked concern the economy will worsen even as President-elect Barack Obama tries to stimulate growth.


Year  Dow   S&P Nasdaq President elect
2008 -5.05 -5.27 -5.53 Barack Obama
2004 +1.01 +1.12 +0.98 George W. Bush
2000 -0.41 -1.58 -5.39 No decision: G.W. Bush v Al Gore*
1996 +1.59 +1.46 +1.34 William Clinton
1992 -0.91 -0.67 +0.16 William Clinton
1988 -0.43 -0.66 -0.29 George H. W. Bush
1984 -0.88 -0.73 -0.32 Ronald Reagan
1980 +1.70 +1.77 +1.49 Ronald Reagan
1976 -0.99 -1.14 -1.12 James Carter
1972 -0.11 -0.55 -0.39 Richard Nixon
1968 +0.34 +0.16 --- Richard Nixon
1964 -0.19 -0.05 --- Lyndon Johnson
1960 +0.77 +0.44 --- John Kennedy
1956 -0.85 -1.03 --- Dwight Eisenhower
1952 +0.40 +0.28 --- Dwight Eisenhower
1948 -3.85 -4.15 --- Harry Truman
1944 -0.27  0.00 --- Franklin Roosevelt
1940 -2.39 -3.14 --- Franklin Roosevelt
1936 +2.26 +1.40 --- Franklin Roosevelt
1932 -4.51 -2.67 --- Franklin Roosevelt
1928 +1.20 +1.77 --- Herbert Hoover
1924 +1.17 --- --- Calvin Coolidge
1920 -0.57 --- --- Warren Harding
1916 -0.35 --- --- Woodrow Wilson
1912 +1.83 --- --- Woodrow Wilson
1908 +2.38 --- --- William Taft
1904 +1.30 --- --- Theodore Roosevelt
1900 +3.33 --- --- William McKinley
1896 +4.54 --- --- William McKinley

Read Article...

Obama Change Economy Stock Market

History: Obama Wins It... First Black President

2008-11-05T03:58:00.000-08:00

Obama Asks For McCain's Help - As
McCain Fails To Keep Republican Coalition

Barack Obama asked John McCain for his help in leading the country in a telephone call Tuesday night, moments after the Democratic senator was declared the country's first black president.

Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs said Obama thanked McCain for his graciousness and told him he had waged a tough race.

"Senator Obama told Senator McCain he was consistently someone who has showed class and honor during this campaign as he has during his entire life in public service," Gibbs said in a statement. "Senator Obama said he was eager to sit down and talk about how the two of them can work together."

Gibbs quoted Obama as saying to McCain: "I need your help, you're a leader on so many important issues"
Read Article...

President Obama Democrat

Will Election Be Called Before Its Over?

2008-11-04T04:07:00.000-08:00

Exit Polls and Projections May Cause Confusion
Registration and Voter Fraud Lawsuits Already

No matter who wins Tuesday's presidential election, you can be sure of one thing: The networks aren't going to hold back calling the election for Barack Obama or John McCain if either gathers the magic number of 270 electoral votes.

That means it's possible, if not altogether likely, that the presidential election could be called before polls close in the West. That happened once before, in 1980, when the election was famously called -- and conceded -- by 9 p.m. ET. But it'll be the Internet, cable and the speed of news that will be the driving factor this time.

The networks all promise to take the time to project the race accurately, and say they won't make any predictions before their time. But executives say it would be foolish for them to sit on a projection if they're sure, and it wouldn't be fair to viewers.
Read Article...

Election Vote Polls Electoral College

Obama's Aunt Onyango An Illegal Alien - Disregards U.S. Laws

2008-11-03T03:54:00.000-08:00

Obama's Aunt Onyango Did Not Leave As Instructed
- Entered On Tourist Visa And Never Left...

Barack Obama did not know a relative was living in the United States illegally for the past nearly four years prior to today's Associated Press report, "but obviously believes that any and all appropriate laws be followed," the campaign said Saturday in a statement.

The Democratic nominee last heard from Zeituni Onyango, who attended his swearing-in ceremony to the U.S. Senate in 2005 and is a half-sister of Obama's late father, two years ago, when she called to say she was in Boston, the campaign said. Campaign officials said they did not assist her in getting a tourist visa and had not known that she was living in America.

News of Onyango's legal status, which the AP confirmed through sources, including a federal law enforcement official, provided an unwelcome diversion for the Obama campaign during its final push toward Election Day and stoked suspicions among supporters of a political motive behind the timing of the leak.
Read Article...

***

Aunt Lives In Public Housing Courtesy of Taxpayers
Made Illegal Contributions To The Obama Campaign

The campaign said it was returning $260 that Onyango had contributed in small increments to Obama's presidential bid over several months. Federal election law prohibits foreigners from making political donations. Onyango listed her employer as the Boston Housing Authority and last gave $5 on Sept. 19.
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***

Aunt Refuses To Leave - Asylum Request Denied

A person familiar with Onyango's immigration status told the AP Friday that she "was instructed to leave the United States by a U.S. immigration judge who denied her asylum request... Onyango's refusal to leave the country would represent an administrative, non-criminal violation of U.S. immigration law, meaning such cases are handled outside the criminal court system. Estimates vary, but many experts believe there are more than 10 million such immigrants in the United States.

"Information about the deportation case was disclosed and confirmed by two separate sources, one of them a federal law enforcement official," the AP reported. "The information they made available is known to officials in the federal government, but the AP could not establish whether anyone at a political level in the Bush administration or in the McCain campaign had been involved in its release."
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Obama illegal immigration

Blue Dog Democrats Distance Themselves From Obama

2008-10-31T04:14:00.000-07:00

Conservative Blue Dog Democrats Distance Themselves From Obama

The caucus of conservative-minded Democrats has been reluctant to cozy up to Obama, in some cases even distancing themselves from the popular presidential candidate. Scan the group's Web site, and you won’t find a single mention of their party’s presidential nominee.

During a special House election in May, for example, campaign ads linked Mississippi’s Democrat Rep. Travis Childers to Obama as well as his controversial former pastor, Jeremiah Wright. Childers was forced to run a 30-second response ad decrying attacks “linking me to politicians I don't know and have never even met.”

Opponents in Louisiana made similar claims about Rep. Don Cazayoux, who, like Childers, was forced to establish some distance between himself and Obama.

Both Childers and Cazayoux won their House races and now are members of the Blue Dog Caucus. But both congressmen skipped the Democratic National Convention in August, where Obama accepted the party’s nomination.
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Democrat Blue Dog Caucus Election Conservative Democrats

Nearly $10 Million In Fines Against Agriprocessors

2008-10-30T04:33:00.000-07:00

Exploitation of Illegal Immigrants Catches Up With Agriprocessors - Illegal Deductions... Wages Illegally Reduced... Wages Unpaid

Iowa’s Labor Commissioner assessed civil penalties against Agriprocessors, Inc. for repeated violations of Iowa’s wage laws from January 1, 2006 to June 30, 2008.

“Once again, Agriprocessors has demonstrated a complete disregard for Iowa Law,” stated Iowa Labor Commissioner Dave Neil. “This continued course of violations is a black mark on Iowa’s business community.”
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Postville Agriprocessors Iowa

Sarah Palin and The Phony $150,000 Clothes Flap

2008-10-29T04:04:00.000-07:00

Clothes Bought By The Republican Party For Palin Family - Didn't Want Palin Family On National Stage Looking Dowdy In Secondhand Clothes

Republican John McCain's campaign defended vice presidential running mate Sarah Palin on Friday over a flap involving $150,000 in clothes purchased by the Republican Party for her and her family's use.

"Governor Palin did not ask for or want any new clothes," said McCain senior adviser Nicolle Wallace.

"About a third of them have been returned, a third of them sit in the belly of the plane and are available to her and her family for special campaign events, TV appearances and ad filming," Wallace said. "Another third was made available to her family for the public events during convention week."

Palin told the Chicago Tribune that the clothes will either be given back, auctioned off or sent to charity.
Read Article...

***

Sarah Back To Wearing Clothes From Consignment Shop

Sarah Palin says she doesn't wear the clothes anymore that have been in focus since it was revealed the Republican National Committee spent $150,000 to outfit her and her family with designer items from posh stores.

Addressing the controversy on the campaign trail in Florida Sunday, Palin told a crowd she's "back to wearing my own clothes from my favorite consignment shop in Anchorage, Alaska."

That shop is called "Out of the Closet" and its owner, Ellen Arvold, told Early Show co-anchor Julie Chen Monday that Palin's been wearing similar outfits on the stump to what she buys at the shop.

Palin "started shopping here while she was running for governor, so it's been about three years," Arvold said.
Read Article...

***

Sarah Palin Elections Republican Campaign

Senator Ted Stevens Found Guilty

2008-10-28T04:17:00.001-07:00

Seven (7) Felony Counts

- And Still Running For Election -

Uncle Ted, the Senator with an avuncular penchant for giftgiving — $3.4 billion in federal earmarks for Alaska since 1995 alone — has been convicted of receiving a few freebies of his own. Stevens, 84, was found guilty Monday on seven felony counts for failing to report $250,000 in improper gifts he received from Bill Allen, the disgraced executive of an oil services company.

The Democrats are salivating at the idea that a jury of their peers may have just cleared the way for a Democratic supermajority of 60 seats in the Senate. But Stevens' chances are better than you might think. The latest polls, from earlier this month, show Stevens in a nearly dead heat with his Democratic challenger, Anchorage mayor Mark Begich. The numbers will change in the wake of the verdict, but it's worth noting that those polls had actually been moving Stevens' way, slightly, since he was indicted in July. It's possible that in Alaska, even a sullied Ted Stevens brand could be enough to win him election.
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Stevens Senator Election

Palin: Election Not Over Yet

2008-10-27T04:07:00.000-07:00

Pollsters Dismal Record Of Incorrect Predictions
Would Have Us Believe The Election Is Over

Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin has a pointed message for Barack Obama: This thing isn't over yet. Speaking in Tampa, Fla., on Sunday, Palin sharply criticized Obama for acting as if he's already won the election.

Palin mentioned reports that the Democratic presidential nominee, who is leading in the polls, has already written his inaugural speech. That drew boos from the crowd of more than 5,000 gathered for a rally at the Tampa convention center.

Palin said Obama's campaign "thinks this whole election thing is just a formality."
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Note: Sarah Palin had a great turnout in Des Moines last Saturday at the HyVee Center.

Election Polls

Police Departments Prepare For Civil Unrest If Obama Loses

2008-10-24T03:49:00.000-07:00

Violence Could Ensue In Communities
Already Suspicions Of Foul Play

Police departments in cities across the country are beefing up their ranks for Election Day, preparing for possible civil unrest and riots after the historic presidential contest.

Public safety officials said in interviews with The Hill that the election, which will end with either the nation’s first black president or its first female vice president, demanded a stronger police presence.

Some worry that if Barack Obama loses and there is suspicion of foul play in the election, violence could ensue in cities with large black populations. Others based the need for enhanced patrols on past riots in urban areas (following professional sports events) and also on Internet rumors.
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Election Violence Riot Obama

Polls, Polls and More Polls... What To Believe?

2008-10-23T04:09:00.000-07:00

Latest A.P Poll Show Obama 44% and McCain 43%
- Election Essentially Running Even...

The presidential race tightened after the final debate, with John McCain gaining among whites and people earning less than $50,000, according to an Associated Press-GfK poll that shows McCain and Barack Obama essentially running even among likely voters in the election homestretch.

The poll, which found Obama at 44 percent and McCain at 43 percent, supports what some Republicans and Democrats privately have said in recent days: that the race narrowed after the third debate as GOP-leaning voters drifted home to their party and McCain's "Joe the plumber" analogy struck a chord.
Read Article...

***

IBD/TIPP Polls

Contrary to other polls, some of which show Obama ahead by double digits, the IBD/TIPP Poll shows a sudden tightening of Obama's lead to 3.7 from 6.0. McCain has picked up 3 points in the West and with independents, married women and those with some college. He's also gaining momentum in the suburbs, where he's gone from dead even a week ago to a 20-point lead. Obama padded gains in urban areas and with lower-class households, but he slipped 4 points with parents.
Read Article...

Note: About IBD/TIPP: An analysis of Final Certified Results for the 2004 election showed IBD's polling partner, TIPP, was the most accurate pollster of the campaign season. Learn more at http://www.tipponline.com/.

Polls Election McCain Obama

Iowa State Senator James Seymour Pleads Guilty To Misdemeanor

2008-10-22T04:04:00.000-07:00

Plead Guilty To Soliciting Decoy Prostitute In 2002
- Senator Has No Opponent In Election -

Iowa State Senator James Seymour, a Republican representing the 28th District from Woodbine, pled guilty more than six years ago for solicitation after responding to an ad for a prostitute in Des Moines.

That revelation came Oct. 19 when the Des Moines Register published a story on elected officials' past criminal history. Seymour, 69, was running for his first term in the Iowa Senate at the time of his arrest.

Reached at home Oct. 20, he confirmed he was arrested in March of 2002 for solicitation after handing over $90 to what would later be revealed as a decoy prostitute. He appeared in court and pled guilty to a misdemeanor. He also had to pay a fine. Seymour told the Register the report could "destroy" him.

"To some degree, it already has," Seymour told The Woodbine Twiner. "Can I salvage my life and my career? I don't know. That's for other people to judge."
Read Article...

Election Republican Iowa Senate

Dead Goldfish Registered To Vote In Illinois

2008-10-21T03:59:00.000-07:00

Anything With A Name Can Be Registered To Vote
- No Voter Fraud Says Democrats

The paperwork sent to a "Princess Nudelman" likely came from the "Women's Voices, Women Vote" project, which sent nearly 1 million mailings to Illinois households in August using a list that mistakenly included some pets, said Sarah Johnson, a spokeswoman for the not-for-profit group that encourages single women to vote.

The mailing list, purchased from a vendor, included names from warranties, magazine subscriptions and other sources, Johnson said. The group attempted to screen out obvious pet names.

"Fido's not going to be left on there, but if a cat is named is Polly, she may be," Johnson said. Princess could be a person's name, she insisted. "I went to high school with two Princesses."

Nudelman said the only address on the registration card was the Lake County clerk's office. She said she wrote election officials a humorous note explaining why the fish was ineligible to vote.
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Vote Voter Registration Election Fraud

Gov. Palin Gives Highest Saturday Night Live Ratings Since 1994

2008-10-20T03:57:00.001-07:00

Alaska's Governor Grooves To Rap Song -
Shows She Is A Good Sport...

"It was so much fun and the cast members were amazing -- talented and sharp -- and very welcoming. It was a blast," Palin told "The Insider" while arriving at her New York hotel after the show.
Read Articles Here and Here...

Palin Saturday Night Live SNL Sarah Palin

What Happened To Global Warming?

2008-10-17T05:21:00.000-07:00

A Possible Little Ice Age Coming...

As strange it might seem, Alaska's glaciers could appear to be
shrinking for some time while secretly growing. Molnia said there are a few
glaciers in the state now where constant snow accumulations at higher elevations are causing them to thicken even as their lower reaches follow the pattern of retreat fueled by the global warming of recent decades.

Two hundred years of glacial shrinkage in Alaska, and then came the winter and summer of 2007-2008.

Unusually large amounts of winter snow were followed by unusually chill temperatures in June, July and August.

"In mid-June, I was surprised to see snow still at sea level in Prince William Sound," said U.S. Geological Survey glaciologist Bruce Molnia. "On the Juneau Icefield, there was still 20 feet of new snow on the surface of the Taku Glacier in late July. At Bering Glacier, a landslide I am studying, located at about 1,500 feet elevation, did not become snow free until early August.

"In general, the weather this summer was the worst I have seen in at least 20 years."

Never before in the history of a research project dating back to 1946 had the Juneau Icefield witnessed the kind of snow buildup that came this year. It was similar on a lot of other glaciers too.
Read Article...

Global Warming Climate Change

Nebraska State Senator Ernie Chambers - Omaha's Embarrassment

2008-10-16T04:58:00.000-07:00

State Senator Loses Lawsuit To Sue God
- Case Dimissed With Prejudice

A judge has thrown out a Nebraska legislator's lawsuit against God, saying the Almighty wasn't properly served due to his unlisted home address.

State Sen. Ernie Chambers filed the lawsuit last year seeking a permanent injunction against God. He said God has made terroristic threats against the senator and his constituents in Omaha, inspired fear and caused "widespread death, destruction and terrorization of millions upon millions of the Earth's inhabitants."

Chambers has said he filed the lawsuit to make the point that everyone should have access to the courts regardless of whether they are rich or poor.
Read Article...

On Tuesday, however, Douglas County District Court Judge Marlon Polk ruled that under state law a plaintiff must have access to the defendant for a lawsuit to move forward.

"Given that this court finds that there can never be service effectuated on the named defendant this action will be dismissed with prejudice," Polk wrote.
Read Article...

Conservative Party Wins Election In Canada

2008-10-15T04:37:00.000-07:00

Conservatives Do Not Have Parliamentary Majority

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Wednesday he will reach out to all parties during the global financial meltdown after his Conservative Party won in national elections but fell short of a parliamentary majority.

With nearly all the returns in, Canada's election agency reported on its Web site that the Conservatives had won or was leading in races for 143 of Parliament's 308 seats, an improvement over the 127 seats the party had in the previous Parliament.
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Canada Conservative Election

More Sacrilege: Lyrics - Jesus Was A Democrat Like The Bible Says He Was

2008-10-13T05:10:00.000-07:00

The Gospel According To The Band

everclear
Listen For Yourself...

Lyric Excerpts:

If Jesus was a Democrat like the bible says he was...

I think Jesus would have been a card carrying liberal
If he was a young man born in the USA..

If Jesus was alive today
And you had a chance to meet him face to face
I'm pretty God-damned sure that you and your friends
Would find some way to kill him all over again
You would kill him all over again
Again and again and again
Just like you always do
You do just what you always do

I bet you think of him
As a nice clean long haired Republican, nah
He would be all locked up in Guantanamo Bay
If he were alive today
He would have been a revolutionary
Wanted by the CIA

See for yourself at everclear...

Religion Bible Gospel Music

Obama A Messiah?

2008-10-13T04:51:00.000-07:00

Nation Of Islam Leader Farrakhan

"You are the instruments that God is going to use to bring about universal change, and that is why Barack has captured the youth. And he has involved young people in a political process that they didn't care anything about. That's a sign. When the Messiah speaks, the youth will hear, and the Messiah is absolutely speaking."
Read Article...

Obama Islam Election

TrooperGate Continues

2008-10-11T04:51:00.000-07:00

Palin Charged With Failure To Stop Husband
For Trying To Get Walt Monegan Fired

Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan's refusal to fire State Trooper Mike Wooten from the state police force was "likely a contributing factor" to Monegan's July dismissal, but Palin had the authority as governor to fire him, the report by former Anchorage prosecutor Stephen Branchflower states.
Read Article...

Palin Troopergate

The Debate: Who Won?

2008-10-08T05:21:00.000-07:00

It Depends On Who Was Asked...

Different Groups Have Different Sample Pools

Who won the debate? Different answers from different people are given. Some say McCain. More say Obama. Last night was not the last debate.

The only poll that counts is the final vote on election day. Polls have have changed and jumped dramatically. In the last presidential election, pre-election polls and exit polls were wrong.

If the same projection models being used today are the same models used in the last presidential election, I would suggest McCain will win.

Polls Debates Elections

Dow Dives... Lowest Since 2004

2008-10-07T03:15:00.000-07:00

So Much For The $700 Billion Dollar Bailout
Credit Crisis Spreads...

The Dow fell more than 800 points Monday, dropping below the 10,000 mark for the first time since 2004 as global markets suffered their worst day in years while the credit crisis spreads. Shares recovered later in the day to end down about 350, but the damage still resulted in a 3.5 percent drop in the Dow and a whopping 4.3 percent fall in the Nasdaq. The systemic crisis in the U.S. banking sector is now a worldwide phenomenon.

And that may be the worst news of all; namely that today's drop comes after the passage of the $700 billion bailout package. Among more optimistic pundits, the deal was supposed to be the thing that returned a spark of confidence to markets. Now, we're very likely past the point where all but the most hardened traders are willing to take flying leaps on beaten-down areas like banks (or much else, for that matter). It's also a signal that normalcy on Wall Street is still largely an illusion.
Read Article...

Economy Wall Street Recession

Obama's Youth Cult - Complete With Military Uniform Garb

2008-10-06T04:18:00.000-07:00

Obama's New America
Sieg Hiel Barak Hussein Obama!
Tip From Drudge Report

Can't See Video? Click Here!

Youth Corps And Similar Tactics Used By Others ... More militant Marxist indoctrination tactics reminiscent of the Hitler Youth, the Young Pioneers of the former Soviet Union, and the propaganda of North Korea.

Obama Democrat Election Indoctrination Cult

Democrats Weep While Palin Delivers

2008-10-03T04:15:00.000-07:00

Palin Surpasses Expectations
Avoids Gwen Ifill's Pitfalls And Traps

For Palin detractors who expected a meltdown onstage at Washington University, the night was a disappointment. Republican strategists not directly connected with the campaign, some of whom had low expectations about how she would do, were thrilled by her performance. And if Biden's detractors hoped he would be windy or overbearing, they, too, were disappointed. He showed off his three decades of Washington experience in a way designed to instill confidence in voters about himself and Obama.

She also sought to gain sympathy from the national television audience as someone who has been under fire from elites and her Democratic opponents. "I may not answer the questions that either the moderator or you want to hear, but I'm going to talk straight to the American people and let them know my track record," she said.
Read Article...

Palin Biden Debates Election Politics

College Student: Obama Is My Jesus

2008-10-02T04:34:00.000-07:00

Why Americans Must Reject Obama
Obama Supporters Again Mix Politics and Religion
So Much For Separation Of Church And State

Maggie Mertens - Assistant Features Editor - The Smith College Sophian: Yes, I just said it. Obama is my Jesus.

While you may be overtly religious and find this to be idol-worshipping, or may be overtly politically correct and just know that everything in that sentence could be found offensive, I'm afraid it's true anyway.

Then I found my miracle. Stumbling through my hopeless world, afraid to turn to anyone with my political questions of morality, my concerns about the afterlife of the country I called home, a voice spoke to me.Barack Obama bore to me his testimony in 2004 at the Democratic National Convention, a testimony that included believing in concepts as simple and wholesome as the Constitution; a belief the current administration had done away with entirely. I was 17 and my antipathy for politicians was already in place before I had even reached the age to legally vote for one. He, though, seemed different. I was intrigued. I would follow him. I believed however, that my discipleship would lead me on a much longer path to political change than was true. He was much too young, not white enough, not rich enough, not jaded - the country certainly wasn't ready for this, maybe in 12 or 16 years he would be able to run in the Democratic primary, I thought.

've officially been saved, and soon, whether they like it or not, the rest of the country will be too. I will follow him, all the way to the White House, and I'll be standing there in our nation's capital in January 2009, when Barack Obama is inaugurated as the 44th president of the United States of America. In the name of Obama, Amen.
Read Article...

Politics Religion Church and State Obama

A New Cult Religion: Obamanation (Obomination)

2008-10-01T06:35:00.000-07:00

Singing Praises Of The Messianic "One"

Youth Corps And Similar Tactics Used By Others ...

This smacks of pure, adulterated Marxist indoctrination tactics reminiscent of the Hitler Youth, the Young Pioneers of the former Soviet Union, and the propaganda of North Korea.
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Obama Indoctrination Democrat Election

ICE Does Their Job In California Sweep

2008-09-30T06:16:00.000-07:00

1,150 Illegals Arrested In California

Note: While the nation's fixation with the bailout (rescue), and stocks plummet, ICE was doing their job:

Federal immigration authorities say more than 1,150 people have been arrested in a special three-week sweep in California.

The sweep targeted those who ignored deportation orders or returned to the U.S. illegally after being deported.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman Virginia Kice said Monday that more than 400 of those arrested were from Los Angeles and several Southern California counties.
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immigration California ICE

Debates: Obama's Iraq Withdrawal Plan Dangerous...

2008-09-29T04:05:00.000-07:00

Will Presidential Election Be Determined On Integrity?
Obama Fails Commander In Chief Questions

Though Sen. Barack Obama pushed back on Republican presidential nominee's assertion during the debate that the country's top military official categorized his Iraq withdrawal plan as "dangerous", during a July interview Admiral Michael Mullen warned that the consequences of removing all U.S. troops by 2010 "could be very dangerous."

"Admiral Mullen suggests that Senator Obama's plan is dangerous," said Sen. John McCain. "That's not the case," Obama interjected.

In fact, 'Fox News Sunday' host Chris Wallace asked Mullen to put Obama's plan aside and speak to the general consequences of removing all combat troops from Iraq within the next two years.

Mullen responded, ""I think the consequences could be very dangerous in that regard. I'm convinced at this point in time that…making reductions based on conditions on the ground are very important."
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Four Times As Many Former Generals
and Admirals Support McCain

More than 240 retired generals and admirals have endorsed McCain, and veterans -- mostly older ones who fought in Korea and Vietnam -- form the backbone of his campaign's "victory centers." They travel the country to tell the story of McCain's imprisonment in Vietnam, they man phone lines, and they push fellow veterans to give McCain money and support.
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Obama Debate Election