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10 Mar 2011 21:10

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Politics: Even folks getting questioned don’t get Peter King’s hearings

  • I was overwhelmed by the number of Muslims who, while under threat from misinformed sources, were ready and willing to connect with law enforcement to help keep the peace.
  • Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca • Speaking at Rep. Peter King’s totally effed-up hearings on radical Islam about the level of outreach he received from the Muslim community after Sept. 11, 2001. Baca, one of the four witnesses who spoke the hearing, called out the hearing’s entire premise as screwed up. You and everybody else, Lee. “This hearing is playing into Al Qaeda right now,” said Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, a Texas Democrat who is exactly right. Basically, go back to what Keith Ellison said. It really nails it all. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Mar 2011 20:17

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Politics, U.S.: Congress continues working the budget layaway circuit

  • two number of weeks the government gave itself to figure out a budget plan by putting one on layaway
  • zero number of spending resolutions that passed both chambers of Congress in that two-week period
  • three number of weeks the government will likely put a new budget on layaway to prevent a shutdown source
  • » Oh yeah: The next temporary deal could include restrictions that limit how and when the budget can be used – such as, for example, no money spent on the new health care law. Hrm.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Mar 2011 14:15

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Politics: Ted Gundy, 85-year-old former sniper, flashes skills with modern rifle

  • He’s still got it: Ted Gundy, 85, was an Army sniper who served in the Battle of the Bulge, one of the most notoriously violent, hellish fronts in America’s campaign against Nazi Germany. He was offered a chance to test his skills with a modern rifle, which allows soldiers to hit targets up to 1000 yards away, 700 yards further than his old gun. Despite expressing doubt he could possibly hit something that far away, the octagenarian sniper landed three bulls-eyes within five inches of one another. He called the experience “one of the nicest things to ever happen in my life.” source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Mar 2011 13:27

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Politics: Johnnie Baston, 37, executed in Ohio with animal drug

  • old Lethal injections in the state of Ohio, a controversial issue from the get-go, used to be made from sodium thiopental. The company that makes the drug relocated to Italy, however, and the country refused to allow production if it was to be used for the death penalty.
  • new The first execution since took place today, as inmate Johnnie Baston was injected with pentobarbital, typically used to kill horses. As the drug was administered on its own with no customary blend of tested drugs, this has raised the ire of prisoner rights advocates. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Mar 2011 10:08

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Politics: Rep. Peter King has good reason to be afraid of radicals

Peter King says that he’s being trailed by around-the-clock police because of an unnamed threat from overseas. Glad he’s announcing that ahead of his Islam hearings. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

09 Mar 2011 22:18

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Politics: Congressman Doug Lamborn does not like Big Bird

  • I have been seeking to push Big Bird out of the nest for over a year…it’s time for Big Bird to earn his wings and learn to fly on his own.
  • Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO) • On the departure of Vivian Schiller, the now-former CEO of NPR — as well as his push to defund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and NPR. He wrote the legislation to defund the organizations. “We can no longer afford to spend taxpayer dollars on non-essential government programs,” Lamborn said, and Schiller’s departure “only strengthens my resolve to eliminate all federal funding for NPR and its parent organization.” Fair enough, but cut the Bird some slack, eh? He’s just an innocent bystander!  source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

09 Mar 2011 22:02

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Politics: Ron Paul fifty-fifty at running for President

  • 50% odds that Ron Paul will run for President in 2012 source
  • » Indecisive in Iowa: The libertarian hero, whose stock is way up since his cred-building 2008 run, made the prediction while visiting Iowa. “I really don’t know,” he says. “Maybe a trip like this will help me make up my mind.”
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

09 Mar 2011 21:32

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Politics: Flashback: Scott Walker, circa three weeks ago

  • The bottom line is we are trying to balance our budget and there really is no room to negotiate on that because we’re broke.
  • Governor Scott Walker • After making this statement, he tried to negotiate, then stripped all budget-related provisions from the bill. Think about this next time Walker says, well, anything. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

09 Mar 2011 21:22

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Politics: How Wisconsin Republicans were able to pass the “budget-repair” bill

  • They removed the “budget-repair” part. The reason the Democrats left the state to begin with is because Wisconsin’s upper chamber can’t pass any fiscal bills without 3/5 of the members present, according to Senate rules. With the Democrats missing, Republicans lacked that 3/5 quorum, and couldn’t hold a vote. So, they simply stripped all fiscal provisions from the bill, eliminating the need for a 3/5 quorum, and passed it that way. What makes this extraordinarily slimy is that Governor Walker has insisted from the beginning that the bill’s purpose was to fix the state’s fiscal situation. Now, he and the Wisconsin GOP are implicitly admitting what everyone’s known all along: the bill wasn’t about fixing the budget. It was actually about busting up the unions. Good luck spinning the PR, Walker. You’ve done a bang-up job so far. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

09 Mar 2011 21:03

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Politics: Wisconsin drama: Democrat Lena Taylor evokes Ash Wednesday

  • Tonight is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent for Christians, and in this time set aside for repentance and prayer, Republicans have turned judgment on themselves. Justice will flow down like a river on this state as Wisconsin recalls it elected officials who have betrayed the public’s trust.
  • Wisconsin Democratic State Sen. Lena Taylor • Dropping some religious talking points on the kids in the wake of tonight’s dramarama in Wisconsin. “Walker and his legislative rubberstamps achieved their goal of ending the Wisconsin values of collective bargaining and access to health care,” she said. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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