Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Barker's Newsbites: Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Hiya Gang!
Just a shout-out to my nephews Sean, Dom, and Brendan (oh... and nephew-in-spirit "Black Sean") who make up "A Fragile Tomorrow."
These kids are pretty damned talented... and right now they're preparing for their upcoming West Coast tour with "The Bangles."
Here's a little rock... here's a little acoustic...
Enjoy!
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http://content.usatoday.com/communities/onpolitics/post/2011/10/lincoln-douglas-debate-newt-gingrich-herman-cain-/1
If you think the GOP presidential debates have been lacking, a Tea Party group offers something different.
The Texas Tea Party Patriots will host a "modified Lincoln-Douglas debate," with Republican candidates Newt Gingrich and Herman Cain confirming their attendance.
(*JUMPING UP AND DOWN LIKE A MANIAC SCREAMING AND CHEERING*)
* THANK... FRIGG'N... GOD...!!! THIS IS WHAT I'VE BEEN CALLNG FOR FOR YEARS - REAL DEBATES...!!! GOD BLESS THE TEA PARTY! GOD BLESS GINGRICH! GOD BLESS CAIN!
Bill O'Sullivan, treasurer of the group, told National Review Online that the recent debates have been "superficial" and "frustrating."
* AND HE'S RIGHT...!!!
(ALSO SEE: http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/281122/cain-gingrich-set-spar-robert-costa)
O’Sullivan says the event, which will be held on November 5 at the Woodlands Resort near Houston, will also feature Rep. Steve King (R-IA) as an emcee.
“This debate is going to be dominated by the candidates going back and forth, in a respectful way,” O’Sullivan says. “It will be divided into parts, one for each major entitlement - Medicare, Social Security, and Medicaid - with each candidate detailing their arguments.”
No broadcast network has agreed to air the exchange but O’Sullivan is hopeful. “These two candidates have been the most interesting people to watch in the debates,” he says. “So having them together for a modified Lincoln–Douglas debate will be great; it’ll be a real opportunity for the conversation about entitlements to get serious.”
* HEY... IF I HAVE TO WATCH STREAMING VIDEO OFF MY COMPUTER I WILL! AGAIN... GOD BLESS ALL THESE FOLKS FOR TRYING TO GIVE AMERICANS THE INFORMATION WE NEED - NOT JUST THE "ENTERTAINMENT" THE ESTABLISHMENT WANTS TO LIMIT US TO.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/10/25/MNIE1LLMJJ.DTL&tsp=1
President Obama is scheduled to appear before hundreds of donors at a $7,500-a-plate noontime fundraiser today at San Francisco's W Hotel...
(*SNORT*) YEP... THE CHAMPION OF THE POOR AND DOWNTRODDEN EMPATHIZING WITH "HIS PEOPLE." (*SMIRK*)
...but not a single local reporter will be allowed inside to cover his only stop in the area...
(*RAISED EYEBROW*)
Coverage instead is being restricted to a small pool of Washington-based reporters - a move that is a sharp departure from the practices of past administrations, political observers said.
(*PURSED LIPS*)
* FOLKS... THIS IS THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE REPORTING! JEEZUS...
Three former top White House press aides called the move insular and politically short-sighted. And some press watchers said it is hypocritical for an administration that Obama promised would be "the most transparent in history."
* Umm... PERHAPS THEY NOTE THAT IT'S HYPOCRITICAL BECAUSE... er... IT IS...?
The White House declined Monday to say why no local reporters would be allowed to attend today's event, nor whether the ban on local media was part of a new national policy.
(*BOTH EYEBROWS NOW RAISED*)
[B]arring local reporters from presidential events is not usual at all, according to veterans of past White House press operations and longtime Bay Area journalists.
Until recently, The Chronicle and other Bay Area papers including the Oakland Tribune and the San Jose Mercury News regularly served as local pool reporters in their home regions, feeding coverage of events to other media. Local journalists generally know big-monied donors and political players best.
Nicolle Wallace, a former press secretary to Republican President George W. Bush, called the ban "idiotic ... inexplicable on the politics side, let alone the press side." "For a Democrat to go to San Francisco and not invite the local press is like George W. Bush going to Crawford, Texas" and doing the same, she said.
Chris Lehane, a former spokesman for Democratic President Bill Clinton, was also baffled by the move, saying they always had local pools. "It's not only the right thing to do in terms of respecting the Fourth Estate, but it typically translates into better press coverage," he said. "It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that access results in the occupying of more real estate in the newspaper and on television."
Ken Lisaius, who oversaw local White House press coverage as a former deputy director of the office of media affairs in the Bush administration, said he "simply can't recall a time where we didn't provide for a local pool. It's part of a transparent and identifiable government."
* WELCOME TO THE AGE OF OBAMA, FOLKS!
Earlier this year, the White House threatened to ban The Chronicle from future local pool coverage after political writer Carla Marinucci, serving as a print pool reporter, recorded a video of a protest inside a fundraiser. The White House said Marinucci had violated a rule forbidding print reporters from recording video. But there is no such rule. The White House denied making the threat.
(*SMIRK*)
* TWO-PARTER... (Part 1 of 2)
http://www.pjstar.com/news/x804700618/Teen-mobs-harass-motorists
* THE HEADLINE FROM PEORIA: "Teen mobs harass motorists: In one case, a Meals on Wheels delivery driver threatened; in another, gun brandished and woman's car window smashed."
* Hmm... JUST A GUESS... I'M BETTING A CERTAIN DEMOGRAPHIC DESCRIPTIVE IS... er... "MISSING" FROM THE ABOVE HEADLINE.
Two motorists were accosted by groups of teenagers within a few days of each other in an area near the site of a similar incident over the summer that drew national attention.
* JUST... er... "TEENS?" NO OTHER... er... IDENTIFIER...???
(*SMIRK*)
A group of about 50 young people on West Thrush Avenue near North Sheridan Road in June caused a disturbance by blocking the roadway and, according to one resident but not others, shouting race-related remarks.
Comments related to race also were part of one of the incidents last week.
* "YOUNG PEOPLE," HUH? JUST... er... "YOUNG PEOPLE?" (Hmm... I WONDER WHAT KIND OF "RACE RELATED REMARKS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT...???)
(*SMIRK*)
A Meals on Wheels delivery driver was making his way to a home in the 800 block of West Nowland Avenue about 12:45 p.m. Wednesday when he encountered a group of 15 teens - 13 males and two females - walking down the middle of the road. The group would not yield to the motorist, who followed him until reaching the house where he had to make the meal delivery. As he exited to take the food to the door, he was verbally attacked, according to a report on the incident.
(*DRUM ROLL*)
* WAIT FOR IT, FOLKS... WAIT FOR IT...
One teen called him "honky," while another threatened to "kick his white (expletive)."
* FINALLY...!!! (TALK ABOUT BURYING THE LEAD!) (*SNORT*)
* To be continued...
* CONCLUDING... (Part 2 of 2)
As the volunteer driver returned to his car to leave, the teens surrounded his car and pounded on it.
* FOLKS... WHAT'S IT GONNA TAKE? (READ ON, FOLKS... READ ON...)
A woman driving in the 800 block of West Brons Avenue on Saturday night was the subject of a similar, but much more aggressive confrontation. She encountered a group of more than 40 teens about 10:25 p.m. The group surrounded the 21-year-old woman's car and began beating on it with an object that shattered her driver's side window. One of the boys....
* "BOYS," HUH? YA MEAN LIKE "KIDS?"
...involved in the attack also pointed a handgun in the direction of a passenger in the car, but didn't make any threats or attempt to open the door.
* HOW'BOUT THIS: "THE BLACK MALE SUSPECT..." (NAH... LET'S SOFT-SELL IT INSTEAD...)
When police responded, the group scattered in different directions. No arrests were made.
* SEEMS TO ME YOU MIGHT AS WELL SIMPLY DISBAND THE POLICE AND ALLOW LAW-ABIDING CITIZENS TO TAKE THE LAW INTO THEIR OWN HANDS AND PROTECT SOCIETY AGAINST THE ANIMALS THREATENING IT. (*SHRUG*)
Both incidents remain under investigation by police.
* "INCIDENTS...???" REALLY...?!?! (WELCOME TO THE AGE OF OBAMA, FOLKS!)
Public information officer Doug Burgess said Monday the incidents do not appear to be organized efforts, but rather the byproduct of unruly circumstances.
* UH-HUH. ("A BLACK MALE WITH A GUN...") SURE.. "UNRULY CIRCUMSTANCES."
* FOLKS... SERIOUSLY... ARM YOURSELVES. GET PROPER GUN TRAINING. STOCK UP ON AMMO. THE INMATES ARE RUNNING THE ASYLUM. ("NO ARRESTS WERE MADE.")
"It's not groups that are getting together to wreak havoc on the community," Burgess said.
* OH... (*DISBELIEVING CHUCKLE*)... NO... NO... OF COURSE NOT! JUST... er... "GROUPS" OF... er... "TEENS"... (JUST A SIDE ISSUE THAT SOME OF THESE VIOLENT BLACK TEENS ARE APPARENTLY ARMED!)
The group Wednesday likely had just left school after District 150 released students early for the day. Police also have fielded reports that the group Saturday night had just left a nearby house party. The large group in June, too, had been at a house party just before that incident.
* ANIMALS.
* DANGEROUS ANIMALS.
http://www.gao.gov/products/B-321982
The [White House] Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) violated section 1340 of the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011, by participating in the U.S.-China Dialogue on Innovation Policy (Innovation Dialogue) and the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED), held in Washington, D.C., in May 2011.
Section 1340 prohibits OSTP from engaging in bilateral activities with the government of the People's Republic of China or Chinese-owned companies unless specifically authorized. Because OSTP was prohibited from using appropriated funds to participate in the Innovation Dialogue and the S&ED, OSTP violated the Antideficiency Act.
* SEE ALSO: http://campaign2012.washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/gao-china-dialogues-wh-violated-law
* BOTTOM LINE... THIS ADMINISTRATION - AS OFFICIAL POLICY - BELIEVES THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH (THE PRESIDENT) IS (LITERALLY) ABOVE THE LAW. AND ERIC HOLDER'S COMPLIANT "JUSTICE" DEPARTMENT... JUST A RUBBER STAMP.
http://dailycaller.com/2011/10/25/obama-defies-base-hires-wall-street-lobbyist-for-re-election-campaign/
President Barack Obama’s new senior campaign adviser is a longtime Wall Street lobbyist...
* OF COURSE HE IS! (*SNORT*) (*RUEFUL CHUCKLE*)
Obama’s new adviser, Broderick Johnson, has an extensive history of lobbying for big banks and corporations, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
* NOT EXACTLY A "RIGHT WING" OUTFIT... (*SNICKER*)
In 2007, he lobbied for JP Morgan Chase and in 2008 Johnson lobbied for Bank of America and Fannie Mae.
* FANNIE MAE...?!?!
* FOLKS... SERIOUSLY... (*JUST SHAKING MY HEAD*)
Johnson is currently a partner at D.C.-based communications firm Collins Johnson Group...
* HOPE... CHANGE... UH-HUH...
Including open houses and social events, Johnson has visited the White House 17 times since 2009, according to White House visitor logs. One of those meetings was with Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett.
(*SHRUG*)
* HEY... SINCERE LIBERAL READING THIS... IS THIS REALLY WHAT YOU VOTED FOR IN 2008?
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/oct/24/senators-fail-to-follow-law-on-using-e-verify/
Sen. John Boozman (R-AR) is co-sponsoring a bill that would require every employer in the country to use the E-Verify program to screen for illegal workers - but until earlier this month, the senator himself wasn’t signed up for the system, thus violating a 1996 law that makes its use mandatory for all congressional offices.
(*SNORT*)
The Arkansas Republican wasn’t alone. As of the beginning of this month, seven Senate offices were not signed up to use the system, which lets employers check would-be workers’ Social Security numbers against a government database to determine whether they are in the country legally.
After inquiries by The Washington Times, all seven offices said they are now properly signed up.
(*JUST SHAKING MY HEAD*)
[N]one of the seven Senate offices that had failed to sign up had ideological concerns. Rather, most simply seem to have been negligent. The six in addition to Mr. Boozman were: Republican Sens. Jerry Moran of Kansas, Dean Heller of Nevada and Rand Paul of Kentucky, and Democratic Sens. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Jim Webb of Virginia and Michael Bennet of Colorado.
(*SMIRKING WHILE ROLLING MY EYES*)
[A] bill advancing through the House to make E-Verify mandatory is sponsored by Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith, Texas Republican. It passed his committee on a party-line vote last month.
A similar bill has been submitted in the Senate. It is sponsored by Sen. Chuck Grassley, Iowa Republican, and co-sponsored by 10 senators, including Mr. Boozman.
No action has been taken on that legislation [in the Democrat-controlled Senate].
(*SMIRK*)
http://www.cnbc.com/id/45019599
The nonprofit State Budget Solutions combined states' major debt and future liabilities, primarily for pensions and employee healthcare, unemployment insurance loans, outstanding bonds and projected fiscal 2011 budget gaps.
It found that in total, states are in debt for $4.2 trillion with California owing the most and Vermont owing the least...at just over $6 billion.
(*SARCASTIC CLAP-CLAP-CLAP*)
The group, which follows state fiscal conditions and advocates for limited spending and taxes, said the deficit calculations that states make "do not offer a full picture of the states' liabilities and can rely on budget gimmicks and accounting games to hide the extent of the deficit."
(*PAUSE*)
The true debt totals may be lower, though, because the group also used the highest estimates of pension gaps. The conservative think tank American Enterprise Institute says public pensions are short $2.8 trillion. Others, including the nonpartisan research group Pew Center on the States, put total unfunded pension liabilities at around $700 billion.
The wide range is based on different assumptions of the returns of pension fund investments, which provide the bulk of money for benefit payments. Conservative economists say the investments will have annual returns of around 4 percent, while many funds expect returns in line with the average of the last 20 years - closer to 8%. Using the higher pension gap number, State Budget Solutions said California is in the biggest financial hole - with total debt of more than $612 billion. New York follows with $305 billion of debt, and then Texas, with total debt of $283 billion.
The group also looked at the financial shape of states using the Pew pension projections. It came up with a total debt of $2 trillion for all states.
California still owes the most under the alternative computation, but the state's total debt drops significantly, to $307 billion. With the Pew numbers, New Jersey follows with $183 billion of debt and Illinois is next at $150 billion.
According to the analysis, California has also borrowed the most from the federal government to pay for unemployment benefits, $8.6 billion. Michigan was next, taking out $3.1 billion, and then New York, borrowing $2.9 billion.
As unemployment shot up, some states could not pay for the surge in demand for jobless benefits. The federal government loosened its lending rules to keep states from having to cut other areas of their budgets. But last month the U.S. government again began charging interest on the outstanding loans and may levy extra taxes on businesses in states with outstanding loans.
Looking at just state annual financial statements, the group found Connecticut has the highest debt per capita, at $5,402, and nine states have debt of more than $3,000 per capita.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/oct/25/state-department-buys-70000-worth-obama-memoir/
The U.S. Department of State has bought more than $70,000 worth of books authored by President Obama, sending out copies as Christmas gratuities and stocking “key libraries” around the world with “Dreams from My Father” more than a decade after its release.
* THIS IS NOT MY AMERICA. THIS IS HILLARY CLINTON'S AND BARAK OBAMA'S AND HARRY REID'S AND NANCY PELOSI'S AMERICA.
A review of the expenditures in a federal purchasing database did not reveal any examples of past purchases by the State Department of books by President Bush or President Clinton. The purchases of Mr. Obama’s literary work mostly, but not always, took place in the months after Mr. Obama captured the White House.
* HOW DO YOU FOLKS LIKE "THE CHICAGO WAY" MAKING IT'S WAY TO WASHINGTON? (AND WE THOUGHT THE ARKANSAS MAFIA WAS BAD!)
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