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Libya is free

20 Oct

The Associated Press (AP) has reported that the tyrannical despot who raped and despoiled Libya for 42 some odd years, Moammar Gadhafi, is dead; killed as revolutionary forces overwhelmed his hometown, Sirte, the last major bastion of resistance.

One more feather in President Obama’s cap of foreign policy through strength; while Bush/Cheney mollified Gadhafi – a known terrorist – President Obama supported the revolution which overthrew him and which has brought the opportunity of freedom to the people there in the last regime to fall under the wave of the Arab Spring.

The Arab Spring wave of popular uprisings that swept the Middle East, demanding the end of autocratic rulers and greater democracy has rewritten the political destinies of a number of former dictatorships including Egypt, Tunisia and now Libya; and unlike the Bush/Cheney years all were accomplished with no American invasions or pre-emptive strikes forcing western democracy upon others. These were revolutions spawned from within, not foisted from without.

“We have been waiting for this moment for a long time. Moammar Gadhafi has been killed,” Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril told a news conference in the capital Tripoli.

Al-Jazeera TV showed footage of a man resembling the 69-year-old Gadhafi lying dead or severely wounded, bleeding from the head and stripped to the waist as fighters rolled him over on the pavement.

The body was then taken to the nearby city of Misrata, which Gadhafi’s forces besieged for months in one of the bloodiest fronts of the civil war. Al-Arabiya TV showed footage of Gadhafi’s bloodied body carried on the top of a vehicle surrounded by a large crowd chanting, “The blood of the martyrs will not go in vain.”

According to the AP, celebratory gunfire and cries of “Allahu Akbar” or “God is Great” rang out across the capital Tripoli. Cars honked their horns and people hugged each other. In Sirte, the ecstatic former rebels celebrated the city’s fall after weeks of bloody siege by firing endless rounds into the sky, pumping their guns, knives and even a meat cleaver in the air and singing the national anthem.

Information Minister Mahmoud Shammam said he was told that Gadhafi was dead from fighters who said they saw the body.

“Our people in Sirte saw the body,” Shammam told The Associated Press. “Revolutionaries say Gadhafi was in a convoy and that they attacked the convoy.”

So, today the world is a little brighter as one more ruthless man is sent to his reward; people in Libya can breathe a little easier, and America has helped to bring a tyrant down. In spite of what many Republican Tea Party (GOTP) politicos have been claiming, Gadhafi was not our friend; he was not our ally; he was a terrorist and he will not be missed.

 
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Posted by on October 20, 2011 in Libya

 

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Latest 2012 Presidential Polls – 20 Oct 11 Edition

20 Oct

A new Associated Press/GfK poll conducted 13 – 17 Oct 11 has been released concerning the Republican Tea Party (GOTP) nominating circus; the current poll results are:

Mittens Romney 30; Herman “Pizza Man” Cain 26; Reverend Rick Perry 13; Ronny Paul 8; Newter Gingrich 7; Michele “Krazy” Bachmann 4; Jon “I can’t believe it’s not butter” Huntsman and Ricky “The Ric” Santorum 2

The Pizza Man is still riding high in the polls. But now appears to be slipping after being tied with Romney; Perry’s continues to drop into second tier status with Newter; Paul and Krazy continue sharing a rubber room in political purgatory; while Huntsman and Santorum are still consistently bringing up the rear.

In Iowa, a new Insider Advantage poll conducted 16 Oct 11: Cain 26; Romney 18; Gingrich 12; Bachmann 11; Paul 10; Perry 6; Huntsman 1 and Santorum 0 …

In New Hampshire, the Insider Advantage poll conducted 16 Oct 11 shows Mittens’ lead being cut into a little by Cain; poll results: Mittens 39; Cain 24; Paul 11; Gingrich, Huntsman and Bachmann 5; Perry 2 and Santorum and Huntsman 0.

In South Carolina, the Insider Advantage poll conducted 16 Oct 11 shows the “Pizza Man” jumping way out ahead of Mittens: Cain 32; Romney 16; Perry 12; Gingrich 8; Paul 7; Bachmann 6; Huntsman 1 and Santorum 0.

So, in the three states polling right now Cain leads Romney 2-1 (Iowa and South Carolina) while Mittens leads in New Hampshire, right now it doesn’t look good for Romney but it’s highly doubtful Cain can stay on top.

According to the new Associated Press/GfK poll conducted 13 – 17 Oct 11, if the general election were held today:

President Obama 48/Romney 45

President Obama 49/Cain 43

President Obama 51/Perry 42

And no one else matters:

President Obama /Gingrich

President Obama /Paul

President Obama /Bachmann

President Obama /Santorum

President Obama/Huntsman

Currently there are only three serious GOTP candidates, and everyone else is gobbling up air at the debates; but, they are making things entertaining …

Pizza Man continues to annoy Mittens by being anywhere close to the top, much less tied for first –Mittens and the others tore into Cain during this week’s CNN debate and he didn’t fair very well against their criticism, we’ll see if he can somehow overcome his lagging effort.

If the GOTP clown car had finally stopped spinning, and the general election was held today, Mittens would now be the GOTP candidate, and would have still lost to President Obama.

 
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Posted by on October 20, 2011 in 2012 Election

 

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President Obama’s record on Israel

20 Oct

During this week’s CNN Republican Tea Party (GOTP) debate, Michele “Krazy” Bachmann made the absurd claim that, “The biggest problem with this administration and foreign policy is that President Obama is the first president since Israel declared her sovereignty (to) put daylight between the United States and Israel.”

Krazy’s statement doesn’t support the facts; President Obama, late in 2009, transferred 55 bunker-buster 5,000 pound bombs to Israel putting it in the perfect position to take out Iran’s buried nuclear facilities; or perhaps to target Hezbollah’s buried bunkers in Lebanon at its earliest convenience (https://thelibertytree.wordpress.com/2011/09/26/obama-gave-israel-bunker-busters/ ).

Ever since he was elected, conservative talking heads have claimed President Obama was pro-Palestine, but just a month ago the President led the charge in the United Nations (UN) to deny the creation of a Palestinian state, and now it turns out he gave Israel the capability to defend itself in the event Iran continues its nuclear program.

It’s time for the whiny GOTP presidential hopefuls to shut their collective pie holes when it comes to the President’s stance on Israel; while Bush equivocated Obama acted.

Under President Clinton aid to Israel was $4,132,000,000 but under the Bush administration aid to Israel steadily declined to $2,424,000,000; under President Obama aid to Israel is on the rise once again $2,550,000,000 in 2009 and $2,770,000,000 in 2010 with continued increase expected through FY 12.

So, which party supports Israel? Under President Clinton aid to Israel reached its highest point and then was steadily cut under Bush (even though we were fighting the War on Terror), but has risen again under President Obama; Bush refused to give bunker busters to Israel, but President Obama has given them. Facts don’t lie, but GOTP presidential candidates – like Bachmann – clearly do …

 
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Posted by on October 20, 2011 in Israel

 

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Jesus Was Killed By A ‘Liberal Court’?

19 Oct

The Huffington Post is reporting that Republican Tea Party (GOTP) presidential “flavor of the week” Herman “Pizza Man” Cain wrote last December in a RedState column titled “The Perfect Conservative” that Jesus was killed by a “liberal court.”

The column claims Jesus was a conservative. “He helped the poor without one government program. He healed the sick without a government health care system. He feed the hungry without food stamps,” wrote Cain. “For three years He was unemployed, and never collected an unemployment check.”

Cain then describes Jesus’ death:

“But they made Him walk when He was arrested and taken to jail, and no, He was not read any Miranda Rights. He was arrested for just being who He was and doing nothing wrong. And when they tried Him in court, He never said a mumbling word.

“He didn’t have a lawyer, nor did He care about who judged Him.
His judge was a higher power.

“The liberal court found Him guilty of false offences and sentenced Him to death, all because He changed the hearts and minds of men with an army of 12.”

Cain described his faith to the Associated Press recently, and vowed to challenge Rick Perry for the evangelical vote. “People are realizing that he is not the only Christian conservative in this race,” Cain said.

“You know, I don’t wear my Christian faith, which has been my faith since I was 10 years old, on my forehead,” he said. “But people can see it on my website and when they read my credentials they can see I’m a staunch Christian conservative, and they are saying ‘wait a minute.”’

Cain also said over the summer that former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney could not win the presidential election because of his Mormonism. “It doesn’t bother me. But I do know it is an issue for a lot of southerners. If you don’t win South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, you can’t win the nomination.”

Cain ended his RedState column on a cheery note: “We must be the Defending Father and the defenders of the perfect conservative. That’s why I proudly wish one and all a very Merry Christmas!”

First, is Cain claiming the Roman Empire was a liberal state? Hardly, it was the uber-conservatives’ dream come true; the perfect melding of religion and state into a divine emperor whose word was law.

“He helped the poor without one government program. He healed the sick without a government health care system. He feed the hungry without food stamps,” wrote Cain. “For three years He was unemployed, and never collected an unemployment check.”

Second, the uber-conservative Sanhedrin condemned Christ to death, it own version of Shariah law upheld by the uber-conservative Roman Empire. If Rome was so liberal, where were the government programs to help the poor? Where was the socialized health care program to heal the sick? Where was the government program to feed the hungry? Where was Jesus’ unemployment check? If anything Cain’s own statements proof that Rome was anything but liberal and Christ was.

I’m pretty certain that Jesus would be booed by the uber-conservative debate crowds for saying we should help the poor, the needy and the hungry; that we should help those who need medical attention. I’m equally sure the same crowds would have cheered Pilate and jeered the crucified Savor. Many would no doubt have stood by and said, “He was found guilty, he must have been a criminal.”

 
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Posted by on October 19, 2011 in 2012 Election

 

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Zero tolerance – we’ll see

19 Oct

Well, well, well Republican Tea Party (GOTP) puppet Eric Cantor has an opportunity to prove that he’s a real boy, and that he means what he says; when the GOTP took over the House in 2010 Cantor pledged a “zero tolerance policy” on ethics issues, “I think that as Republicans emerge as a new governing majority, it is incumbent upon us to institute a zero-tolerance policy — that we understand there are reasons for our being fired in ’06 and ’08 […] We cannot tolerate any ethics violations or behavior in terms of compromising the ethics that the people expect us to have as their representatives.”  [YouTube, uploaded 8/10/10]

Cantor is now faced with the news that the National Republican Tea Party Congressional Committee Finance Chairman, Congressman Vern Buchanan (FL-13), is under federal investigation by the Department of Justice for an “extensive and ongoing” campaign finance scheme to reimburse employees who contributed to his campaign. “Will House Republican leaders including Leader Cantor and Chairman Sessions stand idly by while Congressman Vern Buchanan – the chief fundraiser to preserve their majority – is under investigation by the Department of Justice for campaign finance schemes?” asked Jesse Ferguson of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “This is just the latest test of Republican’s ‘zero tolerance’ policy – will they live by their own rules?”

Will they indeed, or is Cantor just another empty suit dancing to the fiddle of the uber-conservative Tea Party? And here’s the kicker, NRCC Chairman Pete Sessions appointed Buchanan as his NRCC Finance Vice Chair. The GOTP NRCC Chairman has appointed this scalawag as the vice chair of finance! It can’t get much better than that.

“Rep. Vern Buchanan is under investigation by the Justice Department for allegations that he asked a former business associate to reimburse employees who made donations to his campaign account, a local paper reported. The Bradenton Herald, which is based in the Republican’s western Florida district, first reported that the DOJ was investigating whether Buchanan, a former car dealership owner, asked his associate, Sam Kazran, to encourage employees to make straw donations to the lawmaker.” [POLITICO, 10/18/11]

It appears that while he was a car salesman – no really, he sold cars before he became a crooked Congressman? – he misused campaign funds (wow, a member of the GOTP misusing campaign funds. Isn’t that just the standard operating procedure in the House?) and his former business is under the axe,  “A federal court is imposing a $67,900 fine on a car dealership once owned by Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Sarasota, for what the Federal Election Commission calls an ‘extensive and ongoing scheme’ to funnel ‘secret, illegal contributions’ to Buchanan’s 2006 and 2008 campaigns.” [Florida Independent, 6/1/11]

$67,900 bucks! That ain’t chump change; we’re talking a major violation, which needs to be addressed. C’mon Cantor, you ran your mouth off all the time you were in the minority, now here’s your chance to prove you have some; or maybe you don’t. Buchanan is another corrupt GOTP Congressman, he should step down – after all, misusing tens of thousands of dollars is far worse than sending pics of yourself to people.

 
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Posted by on October 19, 2011 in Congress

 

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James R. Leep Jr.

19 Oct

A 44-year-old soldier with a Virginia National Guard squadron based in Portsmouth died in Iraq as a result of non-combat-related injuries.

SSG James R. Leep Jr. of Davenport died Monday in Babil Province, a news release from the Virginia National Guard public affairs office said. His death is under investigation.

Leep was assigned to the 2nd Squadron, 183rd Cavalry Regiment, 116th Brigade Combat Team. He was assigned to the Gate City-based 1033rd Engineer Company as a combat engineer and construction equipment supervisor. He was reassigned to Troop A as a truck commander for the unit’s convoy security mission and was commander for a convoy escort team.

His unit will hold a memorial service on Thursday in Iraq.

He is survived by his wife, two adult children and a sister.

Leep first joined the National Guard in April 1986 and served on active duty from December 1987 to August 1995 as a light-wheeled vehicle mechanic, the Virginia National Guard news release said. He rejoined in January 1996 and worked as a combat engineer and construction equipment supervisor. He worked full time as surface maintenance repairer technician for the Virginia National Guard at field maintenance shop #14 in Richlands.

His previous deployments include Bosnia from September 2001 to April 2002, Iraq from December 2003 to March 2005, the southwest U.S. border security mission from June to August 2006, and Afghanistan from November 2008 to January 2010.

More than 825 soldiers from across Virginia were deployed to Iraq this summer as Task Force 183 under the command of the Portsmouth-based 2nd Squadron, 183rd Calvary Regiment. They are conducting convoy security and base defense operations. After training at Camp Atterbury for almost two months, the unit arrived in Iraq at the end of July.

The Portsmouth squadron, which includes units from Norfolk, Suffolk and Virginia Beach, will be joined by two companies of soldiers from Fredericksburg and a third from Christiansburg.

This was the single largest Virginia Army National Guard unit mobilization since Sept. 11, 2001.

SSG Leep was the 4,479th U.S. Fatality in Iraq.

 
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Posted by on October 19, 2011 in War on Terror

 

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Michael D. Elm

19 Oct


The Pentagon on Tuesday announced the death of a Phoenix soldier fighting in Afghanistan.

SPC Michael D. Elm, 25, was killed by an improvised explosive device Oct. 14 in Khost province. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, based in Fort Knox, Ky.

Elm’s unit has been a part of Operation Steel Rain, which seeks to disrupt insurgent cells in the Tirzaye district of Khost.

A division press release described the cells, known as the Haqqani network, as a militant Islamic organization linked to the Taliban and al-Qaida. It is believed to be based along the Afghan-Pakistan border.

Haqqani insurgents have been blamed for a recent series of attacks that have claimed the lives of Afghan officials and U.S. and Afghan troops.

SPC Elm was 1,812th U.S. fatality in Afghanistan

for more info on SPC Elm: http://militarytimes.com/valor/army-spc-michael-d-elm/6568020

 
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Posted by on October 19, 2011 in War on Terror

 

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999 plan raises taxes on 84 percent?

18 Oct

The Associated Press (AP) is reporting according to an independent analysis, Republican Tea Party (GOTP) current presidential flavor of the week Herman Cain’s 9-9-9 tax plan would actually raise taxes on 84 percent of U.S. households’ clearly contradicting claims by the Pizza Man that most Americans would see a tax cut.

The Tax Policy Center, a Washington think tank, says low- and middle-income families would be hit hardest, with households making between $10,000 and $20,000 seeing their taxes increase by nearly 950 percent.

Wow, the lower 84% of Americans would be hit the hardest, go figure; it’s not hard to understand why his plan would hurt the mower and middle classes while actually helping the wealthiest; after all, Cain is the puppet to the Koch Brothers.

“You’re talking a $2,700 tax increase for people with incomes between $10,000 and $20,000”, said Roberton Williams, a senior fellow at the Tax Policy Center. “That’s huge.”

Households with the highest incomes, however, would get big tax cuts. Those making more than $1 million a year would see their taxes cut nearly in half, on average, according to the analysis.

According to Williams, among those in the middle, households making between $40,000 and $50,000 would see their taxes increase by an average of $4,400, the report said. Those making between $50,000 and $75,000 would see their annual tax bill go up by an average of $4,326.

“It’s very, very regressive compared to the current system, and that’s largely because we’re exempting capital gains, and we’re taxing your spending with the sales tax,” he said. “People at the top end don’t spend all their money and they get a lot of capital gains, so they are doing pretty well here.”

The facts don’t exactly mesh with Cain’s views of his plan.

“Some people will pay more, but most people would pay less is my argument,” Cain said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “Who will pay more? The people who spend more money on new goods. The sales tax only applies to people who buy new goods, not used goods. That’s a big difference that doesn’t come out.”

Cain’s plan would scrap current taxes on income, payroll, capital gains and corporate profits. He would replace them with a 9 percent tax on income, a 9 percent business tax and a 9 percent national sales tax.

So, we’d scrap our current tax plan; give a huge tax break to the wealthy and effectively screw everyone else. Great plan Herman; but what would anyone expect from someone who’s in the Koch Brother’s hip pocket. Cain is a flim flam man, and between this revelation and his electrified fence his star is about to plummet.

 
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Posted by on October 18, 2011 in 2012 Election

 

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Houston M. Taylor

18 Oct

SSG Houston M. Taylor, 25, who enlisted in the Army in 2005, was killed Thursday in Afghanistan when insurgents attacked his unit with small-arms fire in Kunar province; the mountainous province in northeast Afghanistan borders Pakistan.

“He was a warrior, and he was fighting for a cause that he truly believed in,” said MAJ Dave Eastburn a spokesman for the brigade in which SSG Taylor served. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family right now as they go through this terrible time. He was a great leader and is on our minds every day as we continue to fight, just as he would have wanted. He’ll truly be missed.”

SSG Taylor was married to his high school sweetheart and was the father of two children.

His wife, Kelsey Rae Taylor, said her husband was “a very good dad” to their son, Rylan, 4, and daughter, Avery, 1.

“He was very strong,” she said. “He never complained about anything he had to do.”

During his last call home, SSG Taylor told his wife that he wouldn’t be able to call her for 10 days or so, because he was about to start a mission.

“I asked him if I should be scared, because I always ask that when he says he can’t call me for a while,” she said. “He said, ‘No, because I’m not.’ Then we said, ‘I love you’ and got off the phone.”

Kelsey Taylor met her future husband when she was 17, though she was at Poolville High School and he was at Azle High. “His cousin was going to school with me,” she said. “We were married when we were 19, in 2005.”

That also was the year SSG Taylor committed to his other love, the Army. Taylor, a native of Portsmouth, Va., joined the infantry and trained at Fort Benning, Ga.

His mother, Renee Cremean, said he was destined for the service from the time he was 8 or 10. She knew by the way he played.

“When other kids played soldier, they said, ‘I’m going to get my gun.’ He said, ‘I’m going to get my weapon.'” Cremean said. “He loved serving his country. He was very protective of the soldiers under him.”

SSG Taylor’s first assignment was with Alpha Company, 2-8 Infantry Battalion. He deployed twice with that unit before joining the 25th Infantry Division.

Eastburn said the brigade was a little more than halfway through a 12-month deployment when SSG Taylor was killed. He was taking part in Operation Rugged Sharak, the Defense Department said.

Other survivors include his father, Shawn Taylor; brothers, Austin and Dallas Taylor; grandmother, Mary Cremean; and paternal grandparents Freddie and Jackie Taylor.

Taylor is the 1,811th U.S. fatality in Afghanistan.

 
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Posted by on October 18, 2011 in War on Terror

 

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Mike Huckabee Urges Voter Suppression?

17 Oct

The Huffington Post is reporting that former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee has been encouraging supporters of an anti-union ballot measure in Ohio to stop its opponents from voting, allegedly jokingly urging the crowd to let the air out of tires and intentionally give out a wrong election date.

It reported from MasonBuzz, that the 2008 presidential candidate spoke to a crowd of about 350 Issue 2 supporters at a pancake breakfast and rally in Mason, Ohio on Friday. Huckabee expressed his support for the referendum, and outlined what supporters could do to ensure the measure’s passage in next month’s general election.

“Make a list,” said Huckabee, referring to supporters’ family and friends. “Call them and ask them, ‘Are you going to vote on Issue 2 and are you going to vote for it?’ If they say no, well, you just make sure that they don’t go vote. Let the air out of their tires on Election Day; tell them the election has been moved to a different date. That’s up to you how you creatively get the job done.”

The crowd laughed at Huckabee’s remarks. In 2009, he made a similar joke in Virginia, saying, “Let the air out of their tires … keep ’em home. Do the Lord’s work.”

Only today’s uber-conservatives – the ones who claim to love and revere liberty and freedom and constitutional liberties – would think it was appropriate, or funny, to joke about or to laugh at suppressing voting.

Reportedly, Issue 2 is a ballot referendum on Senate Bill 5, which limits collective bargaining for Ohio’s public employees. The measure has been heavily opposed by pro-labor groups like We Are Ohio, which emphasize the bill would inhibit workers’ rights. Voters will decide on the ballot initiative next month.

“These comments reflect an entire campaign of deceit from Issue 2 supporters. They are willing to go to any extremes to keep Ohioans from letting their voices be heard,” said We Are Ohio spokeswoman Melissa Fazekas. “Enough is enough.”

The event where Huckabee spoke was hosted by the Warren County Republican Party and Building a Better Ohio, a pro-Issue 2 group that recently came under fire for using footage of an Ohio woman who opposes the legislation in one of their ads.

Huckabee does not love liberty, he does not love freedom, if he did he wouldn’t make light of suppressing a fellow American’s right to vote. Is this the America represented by FOX PAC – where Huckleberry has a daily show? Is this the type of liberty he thinks the Founding Fathers envisioned?

Huckles says he was only joking, most likely because someone reported what he said; but what if he hadn’t been reported on? Problem is, even if he were joking – which is doubtful – there will be some conservatives who will do as he says; they will attempt to keep their opponents from voting. This is the type of conservative activism practiced by the Brown Shirts during the 1930s, and it has no place here.

 
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Posted by on October 17, 2011 in Voting

 

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