Saturday, May 19, 2012
Friday, May 18, 2012
Government Gone Wild
From lavish conferences with clowns and mind readers to five-star vacations cloaked as “scouting trips,” you won’t believe what the government is doing on your dime! On tonight’s On the Record, we’ll take a closer look at the spending scandals draining your wallet and your faith in government.
Rush: Only War on Women is the GOP Elite War on Sarah Palin
Rush Limbaugh is accusing the GOP elite of waging a war on Palin, which I would say has been going on since the day she was launched onto the national stage.
Shame On U FB !!! Facebook bans mother for posting photos of baby with birth defect. #teamgrayson
MEMPHIS, TN -
(WMC-TV) - More than 1,000 Action News 5 Facebook fans are rallying around a mother who feels Facebook is discriminating against photos she posted on the social media network of her son.
Grayson James Walker was born on February 15, 2012. He was born with Anencephaly, a rare neural tube birth defect in which a baby is born without parts of the brain and skull. Action News 5 shared the Walker's story about their sons eight hours of life shortly after he died.
Heather Walker recently posted pictures of Grayson without his hat on.
"Not long after, Facebook deleted them because of the content" she said. "They allow people to post almost nude pictures of themselves, profanity, and so many other things but I'm not allowed to share a picture of God's beautiful creation." More
Visit their blog: Our Sweet Boy Grayson James
Mystery object nearly causes mid-air collision in Denver ~ VIDEO
DENVER - The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a mystery in the sky. A mysterious object flying over Denver nearly caused a mid-air collision Monday evening, 9Wants to Know has learned.
As far as investigators know, the mystery object did not show up on radar Monday.
Investigators believe this object, whatever it is, could pose a serious safety hazard to planes.
Radio transmissions from LiveATC.net confirm a nervous-sounding pilot reported a strange object at 5:17 p.m. Monday.
The pilot is heard telling air traffic control: "A remote controlled aircraft, or what? Something just went by the other way ... About 20 to 30 seconds ago. It was like a large remote-controlled aircraft." More
Biden: 'I Don't Blame People' for Voting for the West Virginia Felon ~ VIDEO
From a May 17, 2012 Interview With WTOV-TV (NBC) In Steubenville, Ohio:
QUESTION: “In the West Virginia primary, a lot was made of the fact that this guy in a Texas prison cell was able to grab 40 percent of the vote in the presidential primary. What do you make of that?
JOSEPH BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: “Look, I come from a household where whenever there’s a recession, somebody around my grand-pop or my dad’s table lost a job. A brother, a sister a friend, a neighbor. When you’re out of work, man, it’s a depression. And a lot of people are still hurting because of this god-awful recession we inherited that cost 8.4 million jobs before we could really get going. And so I don’t blame people, they’re frustrated, they’re angry.”
Ouch, That’s gotta hurt !!! Federal inmate makes strong showing against Obama in West Virginia primary !!! http://barracudabrigade.blogspot.com/2012/05/ouch-thats-gotta-hurt-federal-inmate.html
VIDEO ~ Rep. Mike Coffman: Obama in his heart 'not an American'
"I don't know whether Barack Obama was born in the United States of America. I don't know that," Coffman said. "But I do know this, that in his heart, he's not an American. He's just not an American."
Listen to the full audio from the event. The comment about President Obama is made at 11:30.
Utah High School Cuts Art Program Funds After $15,000 Fine For Selling Soda
Davis High School in Salt Lake City, Utah, is being forced to cut money from their fine arts programs to make up the cost of the $15,000 Federal fine ($0.75 for each lunch the school serves) for accidentally selling soda during its lunch period.
KUTV reported the issue saying, “School lunch is served for 47 minutes each day, and federal law clearly states no soda can be sold during that time.”
Davis High Principal Dee Burton informed the news station the school has always been aware of the law and regularly shuts down the vending machines during lunch, but “Nobody realized our bookstore also sold carbonated beverages.”
While the law may seem absurd, it is the law, but just like Facebook co-founders finding ways to avoid capital gains taxes, students have found a way around the soda ban as well: just buy it elsewhere or before or after lunch when it is legal to sell soda.
To add to the irony of the ban, sugar loaded Gatorade is allowed along with Snickers and Milky Way bars. Why? Snickers and Milky Way bars “have nuts and they’re nutritious,” Principal Burton said. “You can’t sell licorice, but you can sell ice-cream,” he added. More
Click SHARE below if you think the obesity epidemic starts at home.
Damn The Veto: House OKs $642B defense
The House on Friday ignored a presidential veto threat and passed a $642 billion defense bill that abandons the deficit-cutting agreement that President Obama and congressional Republicans backed last summer.
On a 299-120 vote, lawmakers backed the spending blueprint that adds $8 billion for the military for next year. The bill calls for a missile defense site on the East Coast that the military opposes and restricts the ability of the president to reduce the arsenal of nuclear weapons under a 2010 treaty with Russia. It also preserves ships and aircraft that the Pentagon wanted to retire in a cost-cutting move.
Lawmakers also rejected the military's request for another round of domestic base closings. The White House has threatened a veto, as Republicans made wholesale changes in Obama's budget proposal.
Earlier Friday, the House reaffirmed the indefinite detention of suspected terrorists, even of U.S. citizens captured on American soil.
A coalition of Democrats and tea party Republicans fell short in their effort to end the controversial policy established last year and based on the post-Sept. 11 authorization for the use of military force that allows indefinite detention of enemy combatants.
The House rejected an amendment by Reps. Adam Smith, D-Wash., and Justin Amash, R-Mich., that would have barred indefinite detention and rolled back mandatory military custody. The vote was 238-182.
"The frightening thing here is that the government is claiming the power under the Afghanistan authorization for use of military force as a justification for entering American homes to grab people, indefinitely detain them and not give them a charge or trial," Amash said during hours of House debate.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/05/18/house-oks-642-billion-defense-bill-eds/#ixzz1vFPmElLA
Spooked horse swims two miles offshore -rescue caught on tape
Beach goers and boaters along the coast of central California are accustomed to seeing fascinating sea creatures large and small off its shores — but an Arabian horse?
Some at first thought the gleaming white animal bobbing up and down on the waves near Santa Barbara was a seagull, but were surprised to learn it was a equine model known as William,reports the Santa Barbara News-Press.
The 6-year-old Arabian, whose full name is Heir of Temptation, was part of a photo clinic on the beach until it got spooked by ocean waves crashing on shore and bolted, says owner Mindy Peters. The beautiful white stallion is valued at $150,000.
But instead of running away from the waves, William charged them and swam two miles out to sea.
Rescue crews managed to corral the horse a mile offshore around sunset. William was taken to Alamo Pintado Equine Medical Center in Los Olivos. The horse was exhausted and had some water in its lungs, but is doing fine.
US envoy to Israel: Plans in place to attack Iran if necessary ~ VIDEO
Dan Shapiro's message resonated Thursday far beyond the closed forum in which it was made: Iran should not test Washington's resolve to act on its promise to strike if diplomacy and sanctions fail to pressure Tehran to abandon its disputed nuclear program.
Shapiro told the Israel Bar Association the U.S. hopes it will not have to resort to military force.
"But that doesn't mean that option is not fully available. Not just available, but it's ready," he said. "The necessary planning has been done to ensure that it's ready."
Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, like energy production. The U.S. and Israel suspect Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons, but differences have emerged in how to persuade Tehran to curb its program.
Washington says diplomacy and economic sanctions must be given a chance to run its course, and is taking the lead in the ongoing talks between six global powers and Iran.
Israel, while saying it would prefer a diplomatic solution, has expressed skepticism about these talks and says time is running out for military action to be effective.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/05/17/us-envoy-to-israel-us-ready-to-strike-iran/?test=latestnews#ixzz1vDcPcbw1
Netanyahu: No evidence Iran will end nuke program !!!
Speaking in Prague, prime minister compares Iran's nuclear drive to that of North Korea's, says goal of upcoming negotiations should be freeze, removal of Iranian enrichment; IAEA expresses optimism ahead of talks.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Friday dismissed a new surge of optimism in the international community that Iran might be prepared to halt its nuclear program.
"I have seen no evidence whatsoever that Iran is serous about stopping its nuclear weapons program," Netanyahu said at the tail end of his meeting in Prague with the president of the Czech Republic, Vaclav Klaus.
In their meeting, Netanyahu expressed concern about talks by the six powers — US, Russia, China, France, Germany and Great Britain — on Iran, set to take place in Baghdad on May 23. These talks follow a meeting held in Istanbul in April.
"It looks as though they (Iran) see these talks as another opportunity to deceive and delay, just like North Korean did for years," Netanyahu said. "They may try to go from meeting to meeting with empty promises. They may agree to something in principle but not implement it. They may even agree to implement something that does not materially derail their nuclear weapons program," he said.
"Iran is good at playing this chess game. They know that sometimes you have to sacrifice a pawn to save the King," Netanyahu said.
"The goal of these negotiations should be very clear. Freeze all enrichment inside Iran. Remove all enriched material and dismantle [the uranium enrichment facility near the city of] Qom," he said.
"When this goal is achieved I will be the first to applaud. Until then count me among the skeptics," he said. More
Man arrested in deadly Miss. highway shootings ~ VIDEO
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) -- Authorities in Mississippi said early Friday they have arrested a suspect in two fatal highway shootings that happened late at night along desolate stretches.
James D. Willie, 28, was being held on charges of kidnapping, aggravated assault and rape and would be formally charged with two counts of capital murder, Mississippi Department of Public Safety spokesman Warren Strain told The Associated Press.
Willie was being held at the Tunica County jail in north Mississippi.
Willie had not been posing as a police officer in the shootings as authorities previously thought, Strain said.
Willie was arrested Tuesday morning when authorities responded to a disturbance at an apartment. Tunica police found Willie with a woman who claimed he had raped her, a news release said. When Willie was arrested, authorities found a 9mm Ruger in his possession. Ballistic testing later found that it was the same gun used in the two highway shootings, authorities said.
Strain said Willie is a convicted felon, but he did not have details about his previous arrests.
Thomas Schlender, 74, of Raymond, Neb., was found dead in his car on Interstate 55 in Panola County on May 8 around 1:30 a.m. Lori Anne Carswell, 48, of Hernando, Miss. was found dead near her car on Mississippi Highway 713 in nearby Tunica County about 2:15 a.m. on May 11.
Strain said authorities developed several theories during the investigation and one of those was that someone could be posing as an officer to pull people over because there was no apparent reason for the victims to pull over. More
Thursday, May 17, 2012
EPIC FAIL: Bike Thief's Tumble Caught on Tape !!!
A bicycle thief's getaway only lasted a few feet before he crashed and wrecked the bike. The thief's klutzy inability to ride his hot wheels was caught on a surveillance tape and has been turned into a wanted poster with laughs.
The suspect threw a cinder block through a window of the Spoke House Bicycles store in Tulsa, Okla., around 6 a.m. Wednesday, and stole a $500 mountain bike, according to local ABC affiliate KTUL.
As soon as he had made it out of the store with the bike, the man, dressed in hooded sweatshirt, took a violent spill. Video captured by surveillance cameras at the car wash next door to the bike store shows the man plowing head-first over the handlebars and face-planting into the asphalt.
9/11 families upset over ground zero museum delays; work on hold for months in money fight !!!
NEW YORK (AP) -- Family members of some Sept. 11 victims are frustrated with delays at the museum being built alongside the memorial at ground zero.
Museum construction has largely been on hold for months because of a financial dispute between the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which owns the site, and the foundation that controls the memorial and museum.
Officials say significant progress has been made toward an agreement, but it's unclear when one will be finalized, and the museum definitely won't be ready for its planned opening on Sept. 11, 2012. More
Feds cracking down on lemonade stands ???
Glenn Beck highlights the dangers of excessive government over-regulation
Rubio upset over US issuing visa to Castro's daughter
A report that the daughter of Cuban President Raul Castro has been granted a temporary U.S. visa has sparked sharp criticism from Cuban-American Sen. Marco Rubio and other Capitol Hill lawmakers.
Mariela Castro will get a visa to attend an academic conference in San Francisco and another event, one of her associates said.
The State Department declined Thursday to comment, citing confidentiality rules.
“I think the … decision to grant the daughter of Raul Castro a visa to come to the United States and spread the propaganda of her father’s regime is outrageous and an enormous mistake,” Rubio, R-Fla., said. “It sends a terrible message to the democratic movement in Cuba.”
Rubio, whose parents are Cuban immigrants, also called Castro's daughter an “arm of his regime” and said the U.S. granting her a visa was “shameful.”
The United States and Cuba have been locked in dispute since a few months after Castro rebels swept to power in 1959.
The U.S. does not have formal diplomatic relations with the communist country and has an embargo that prohibits American companies from doing business with Cuba.
Mariela Castro will lead a panel on the politics of sexual diversity at a gathering in San Francisco next week organized by the Latin American Studies Association, said an institute official who spoke on condition of anonymity because she was not authorized to discuss the matter.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/05/17/rubio-disagrees-with-us-issuing-visa-to-castro-daughter/#ixzz1vCNX54Gk
Why Doesn't Facebook Have a Dislike Button ??? ~ VIDEO
Supporters of a "dislike" button, which Facebook does not have, say the culture of Facebook has become too nice. WSJ's Andy Jordan reports from San Francisco on what some creative contrarions are doing to game the Facebook system to "get" a dislike button.
FULL INTERVIEW: Senator Marco Rubio Blasts Back Against Dems for Failing to Present a Budget
Thursday, Senator Marco Rubio joined Your World to address our nation’s debt crisis.
Rubio blasted Senate Dems for having failed to offer a budget for the last three-and-a-half years. Rubio said, “I mean, do people back home fully understand what I just explained? The Democrats in Washington that control the Senate have not offered a budget in three-and-a-half years, almost four years now. This government has spent close to $10 trillion since the budget was last passed by them.”
He conceded that in order to determine a budget, both Democrats and Republicans will have to compromise, but he questioned how that can be accomplished if Democrats won’t come to the table. More
The War Next Door: Dear Mr. President, Do Your Job. Secure Our Borders !!!
Discovery of 49 mutilated bodies dumped on a highway Sunday in northern Mexico is latest violent incident ~ VIDEO http://barracudabrigade.blogspot.com/2012/05/discovery-of-49-mutilated-bodies-dumped.html
A popular vacation spot for ... body parts http://barracudabrigade.blogspot.com/2012/05/popular-vacation-spot-for-body-parts.html
Mexican cartel may be trying to silence bloggers !!! http://barracudabrigade.blogspot.com/2011/11/mexican-cartel-may-be-trying-to-silence.html
Gruesome Discovery in Mexico http://barracudabrigade.blogspot.com/2011/04/gruesome-discovery-in-mexico.html
14 Headless Bodies Found in Acapulco http://barracudabrigade.blogspot.com/2011/01/14-headless-bodies-found-in-acapulco.html
Below is a list compiled by Stratfor (available here) of drug-related violence in Mexico during the first week of May. It doesn't even include this week's discovery of 49 more victims—but consider these recent events and ask yourself what we would be demanding of our government if this was happening here in the United States.
May 1
• Gunmen killed three people sitting at an outdoor candy stand in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua state.
• Authorities discovered the body of a police officer in Tlaquepaque, Jalisco state, who was likely killed the previous day.
May 2
• Gunmen hiding in a motel in Estacion Bamoa, near Guasave, Sinaloa state, engaged a military convoy in a firefight that lasted two hours and left 15 gunmen and two soldiers dead.
• Five gunmen and one federal police officer died in Sain Alto, Zacatecas state, after a car chase.
• The Mexican navy arrested Luis Alberto "El Casanova" Perez Casanova in Xalapa, Veracruz state. Perez allegedly served as Los Zetas' security chief in Xalapa.
May 3
• Authorities found two photojournalists for local media outlet Notiver in black bags in a river in Boca del Rio, Veracruz state. The journalists were reported missing April 27.
• A newspaper vendor was shot dead on a street in Chihuahua, Chihuahua state.
May 4
• Nine individuals were hung from a bridge in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas state. Along with the bodies, a narcomanta was displayed denouncing individuals coming to Nuevo Laredo "to heat up the plaza" and singling out Gulf cartel leaders such as Metro-4 and Juan Mejia "R1" Gonzalez.
• Authorities discovered 14 headless bodies stored in a van in front of the Association of Customs Agents building in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas state, along with a narcomanta signed "El Chapo." The message demanded that the Mayor of Nuevo Laredo recognize the presence of the Sinaloa Federation in the city. The same day, authorities discovered 14 severed heads in three coolers in front of the city hall.
• Several gunfights in the Iztapalapa neighborhood of Mexico City left six dead and four wounded.
• Gunmen opened fire on a police patrol in San Nicolas de los Garza, Nuevo Leon state, killing one police officer and wounding another.
May 5
• A firefight between two groups left eight gunmen dead in Jerez de Garcia Salinas, Zacatecas state.
• At least two gunmen in a vehicle shot and killed a strip club bouncer in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon state, in front of the club.
• Gunmen traveling in a vehicle shot a man walking home in the Azcapotzalco neighborhood of Mexico City.
• Federal police detained alleged La Linea leader Javier "El Dientes de Ajo" Hernandez Marquez in Chihuahua state. According to authorities, Hernandez assumed the leadership of the group after the arrest of La Linea's previous leader 10 days before.
May 6
• Authorities discovered three dead men along a highway in Atoyac de Alvarez, Guerrero state.
• Federal police announced the arrest of 12 La Barredora members in Acapulco, Guerrero state.
May 7
• Authorities discovered the bodies of two executed men in the La Draga neighborhood of Mexico City.
• Gunmen shot and killed an individual inside his vehicle in Cajeme, Sonora state.
• Mexican authorities announced the arrest of Maria "La Tosca" Jimenez, the leader of a Los Zetas cell of sicarios (assassins), along with eight other people in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon state. Jimenez was arrested with three male sicarios the week before.
New Mexico 'City in Chaos' Is Rocked by Scandals: Voter Fraud, Mexican prostitutes, strippers and an undercover video of a mayoral candidate getting a lap dance.
Voter fraud allegations in mayoral election rock New Mexico city
Sunland Park, N.M. – There is perhaps no other city in the country like Sunland Park, N.M.
The dusty border town minutes from El Paso, Texas, has been called "a city in chaos" by the state auditor, because a slew of public officials are facing felony charges that they ran City Hall like a personal piggy bank, tried to steal an election in order to remain in power and ruled the 14,000 residents through intimidation and fear.
The state is now moving to take over financial oversight of the city, as the council scrambles to try and name a new mayor.
The explosive case even involves Mexican prostitutes, strippers and an undercover video of a mayoral candidate getting a lap dance from a topless woman. The video allegedly was used to try to force him to drop out of the race.
Authorities say the extortion investigation has revealed widespread voter fraud and public corruption in the small city just south of the Rio Grande.
"It started with extortion charges, and from that it then led us to the voter fraud cases," says Dona Ana Third Judicial District Attorney Amy Orlando, who is prosecuting the growing case.
So far, her office has charged 12 people, many public officials and city employees, including 28-year-old Mayor-elect Daniel Salinas, who faces dozens of charges in four separate cases. He was barred from taking office, and the city has been without a mayor since the election on March 6. Isabel Santos is serving as mayor pro tem in the meantime.
The criminal charges against all the defendants range from voter fraud to bribery to extortion to conspiracy to kickbacks to blackmail.
"The whole common scheme was to get Mr. Salinas elected," Orlando told Fox News. "It was all done to further Daniel Salinas and the other people who wanted to stay in control of all the money, all the resources, which just hurts all of the citizens of Sunland Park.”
Among the allegations are charges that city workers registered people who didn't even live in New Mexico and convinced them to vote for Salinas during early voting.
In addition, absentee ballot applications were allegedly intercepted before reaching the city clerk, so that Salinas’ opponents could not hand them out to their supporters.
"They pressured the poor, old people, the people who don't know English. They were forced to sign without knowing what they were signing. It’s incredible, it’s disgusting," mayoral candidate Gerardo Hernandez told Fox News.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/05/17/voter-fraud-new-mexico-city/#ixzz1v9yPzk6B
Report: Obama's 1991 Literary Agency Described Him as 'Born in Kenya and Raised in Indonesia and Hawaii'
Breitbart.com on Thursday published part of what it says is a 1991 promotional booklet from Barack Obama’s then-literary agency, describing the the future president as “born in Kenya and raised in Indonesia and Hawaii.”
The 36-page Acton & Dystel booklet was reportedly distributed to “‘business colleagues’ in the publishing industry,” according to Breitbart, and includes a short biography of Obama and 89 other authors. Obama’s biography features a brief mention of his anticipated first book, “Journeys in Black and White,” which he never completed:
Image source: Breitbart News
Barack Obama, the first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review, was born in Kenya and raised in Indonesia and Hawaii. The son of an American anthropologist and a Kenyan finance minister, he attended Columbia University and worked as a financial journalist and editor for Business International Corporation. He served as project coordinator in Harlem for the New York Public Interest Research Group, and was Executive Director of the Developing Communities Project in Chicago’s South Side. His commitment to social and racial issues will be evident in his first book, Journeys in Black and White.
Jay Acton, who no longer represents Obama, told Breitbart News “almost nobody” wrote their own biography for the booklet, though said the non-athletes whom “the agents deal[t] with on a daily basis“ were ”probably” approached to approve the text.
Acton’s former partner Jane Dystel still lists Obama as a literary client, but did not respond to Breitbart’s requests for comment.
The text editor of the booklet, Miriam Goderich, also did not return requests for comment, though booklet designer Richard Bellsey told Breitbart it “sounds like one of our jobs, like I did for [Acton & Dystel] 20 years ago or more.”
In a “senior management” note, Breitbart.com stated it is “a site that has never advocated the narrative of ‘Birtherism.’ In fact, Andrew believed, as we do, that President Barack Obama was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, on August 4, 1961.”
The booklet, the post stated, is evidence “not of the President’s foreign origin, but that Barack Obama’s public persona has perhaps been presented differently at different times.”
Read Breitbart News’ full report here.
Donna Summer, Disco Queen, dead at 63
(CNN) -- Donna Summer, the "Queen of Disco" whose hits included "Hot Stuff," "Bad Girls," "Love to Love You Baby" and "She Works Hard for the Money," has died, a representative said Thursday. She was 63.
Her publicist, Brian Edwards, said Summer was suffering from cancer. She died surrounded by her family in Florida, he said.
"Early this morning, we lost Donna Summer Sudano, a woman of many gifts, the greatest being her faith," a family statement said. "While we grieve her passing, we are at peace celebrating her extraordinary life and her continued legacy. Words truly can't express how much we appreciate your prayers and love for our family at this sensitive time."
Summer first rose to fame the mid-'70s, thanks to "Love to Love You Baby." The song, with Summer's whispered vocals and orgasmic groans helped define the mid-'70s disco trend and hit No. 2 in 1976. Summer followed the song with such hits as "I Feel Love," "Last Dance" and a disco-fied version of the Richard Harris hit "MacArthur Park," which outdid Harris' version by hitting No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart. It was Summer's first of four chart-toppers. More
Powerful & Moving: Rep Gowdy slams Dems for playing politics over Violence Against Women Act ~ VIDEO
Rep. Gowdy took to the floor today and told a tragic story of a woman that was killed by her husband in S.C. and thus spurred on improvements in the way the state handled battered and abused women. More
Elke's warning >>> Really LISTEN to her !!!
She was born under Hitler, raised under the USSR's sovereignty in East Germany, and came to America as a young adult.
Obama requesting help to pay for Afghan army, as spokesman says building army after pullout must be 'multilateral effort'
WASHINGTON – Mapping the way out of an unpopular war, the United States and NATO are trying to build an Afghan army that can defend the country after 130,000 international troops pull out. The alliance's plans for arm's-length support for Afghanistan will be a central focus of the summit President Barack Obama is hosting Sunday and Monday in Chicago.
The problem with the exit strategy is that someone has to pay for that army in an era of austerity budgets and defense cutbacks.
The problem for the United States is how to avoid getting stuck with the check for $4.1 billion a year.
"This has to be a multilateral funding effort," said Pentagon spokesman George Little. "We think there should be contributions from other countries."
That's partly why so many non-NATO nations are getting invitations to the summit. About 60 countries and organizations are expected to be represented, including nations such as Japan that are far removed from the trans-Atlantic defense pact's home ground.
More than 20 nations have already agreed to help fund the Afghan army and more are expected to announce their commitments at the Chicago summit. U.S. and other NATO leaders claim that fundraising is on track, although the totals publicly announced so far are small.
A senior Obama administration official said the U.S. and its partners would seek to set targets at the summit for the size and scope of the Afghan security forces after 2014, when foreign forces pull out. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to preview the upcoming summit, would not detail pledges expected in Chicago.
That force is now projected to be smaller -- and cheaper -- than NATO had planned only a year ago. The decision to trim the goal for an Afghan force from about 350,000 to roughly 230,000 was driven more by economic reality than a shift in thinking about Afghanistan's security needs after 2014, U.S. military officials and NATO diplomats said. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal planning. The larger force had been projected to cost $7 billion a year.
Obama is unlikely to say so, but outside estimates of the U.S. share of the bill for Afghan defense after 2014 range from a quarter to well more than half the total bill. The U.S. will also be on the hook for other support to Afghanistan, but the amount is unclear. The United States is the richest and best-equipped nation in the NATO alliance and long Afghanistan's largest patron.
Obama signed a pledge with Afghan President Hamid Karzai this month that would obligate the U.S. for a decade. Several other nations have signed similar long-term deals, and NATO is to sign one with Afghanistan at the Chicago meeting. The agreements cover a range of assistance to Afghanistan, but underwriting the military is the largest line item.
The summit in Obama's adopted hometown is not a pledging conference, but it will be a platform for Obama to invite other nations to step up.
Follow-up conferences are planned for Kabul and Tokyo later this year, where specific pledges are expected.
U.S. officials have had their tin cups out for months. Marc Grossman, the top State Department official for Afghanistan, recently hit up European nations, and others are lobbying Russia, Central Asian and Asian nations. U.S. officials are asking for pledges to sustain an Afghan force of roughly 230,000 during the first three years after the NATO-led international force departs.
The argument is fairly straightforward. Even $4 billion a year to prop up the Afghan military is cheaper than the cost of maintaining a foreign army in Afghanistan, and a lot easier for war-weary publics to swallow.
Some of the requests appear to be largely symbolic. For example, U.S. officials asked some of Afghanistan's neighbors for initial pledges of about $5 million annually, said Richard Weitz of the Hudson Institute in Washington.
"That's nothing, but it's something, too," Weitz said, since it serves the diplomatic goal of showing broad support for Afghan stability.
Afghanistan has said it will contribute $500 million toward its own army. The goal is $2.3 billion from the U.S. and nations outside the fighting coalition, and $1.3 billion from coalition nations other than the U.S.
"You'll see a strong commitment from allies and partners, and from the Afghan government" in Chicago, NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said.
The White House said Obama discussed continued support for Afghan forces during pre-summit phone calls Tuesday with the leaders of Australia and Italy.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/05/17/obama-requesting-help-to-pay-for-afghan-army/#ixzz1v7ouRbUm
Iran to sue Google
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Iran says it will sue Google over dropping the name of the Persian Gulf on Google Maps.
The threat comes after the famous search engine left the body of water between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula nameless on its online map service.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast says that if Google does not restore the name of the Persian Gulf, it will face "serious damages." More
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Kelly's Court: N.Y. man spends $60K in dog custody battle ~ VIDEO
Talk about dedication to your pooch. New Yorker Craig Dershowitz has spent more than $60,000 on a dog custody battle. More
"Honk 4 Bad" 8 year old suspended for calling teacher a B**** had to stand outside with this sign !!! ~ VIDEO
OKLAHOMA CITY — A third grade boy has been suspended from school after calling two teachers a bad word that starts with the letter “B.”
When the single father picked up the boy from school, he had so go back to work, with no babysitter so the boy came along.
But Kevin Conley took creative disciplinary actions; he made his son stand outside with a sign reading, “I called my teacher a B****. Honk 4 bad.”
“I want him to realize every time someone honks, how bad what he did was. I want my boys to be upstanding and know not to call women that name ever,” Conley said.
People who agreed with the non-traditional discipline honked, others raised an eyebrow.
Passerby James Holmes said, “I think it’s a good idea. You can’t go around calling your teachers bad names.”
The 8 year old stood outside for hours but he got water breaks every thirty minutes, bathroom breaks and even lunch, minus the dessert.
“He didn’t get his pudding and he didn’t get his swiss cake but he got his sandwich and chips and cheese,” Conley said. More
8 yo suspended for calling teacher B**** had to stand outside with this sign See what family therapist says at 10 @kfor twitter.com/LaTashaGivens1…
— La'Tasha Givens (@LaTashaGivens1) May 17, 2012
First look: Bristol Palin and three-year-old son in promotional photograph for new reality show Life's a Tripp
Her reality show promised to feature 'a daughter, a mother and a young woman making her way in the world,' when it was announced earlier this year.
And, judging by a new promotional photograph, Bristol Palin's cute-as-a-button son Tripp will also be playing a major part in the forthcoming Lifetime programme, entitled 'Life's A Tripp.
The picture features the smiling daughter of Sarah Palin crouching down next to the blonde three-year-old who is equally cheery.
The show will chronicle Bristol and Tripp's journey from her hometown in Wasilla, Alaska to Los Angeles, where they move after Bristol lands a job with a non-profit organisation.
'I was game for it,' the 21-year-old tells TV Guide. 'I wanted to show how down-to-earth my family and I are.'
Initially, Bristol was due to star in a show with her Dancing with the Stars friend Kyle Massey and his actor brother, Chris, but the show failed to materialise.
And then Bristol's parents Sarah and Todd were 'sceptical' about Bristol appearing in her own show.
Bristol Palin joins Lifetime for new docuseries about her life. "Bristol Palin: Life's a Tripp" http://barracudabrigade.blogspot.com/2012/02/bristol-palin-joins-lifetime-for-new.html
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2145092/Lifes-Tripp-Bristol-Palin-son-3-promo-photograph-new-reality-show.html#ixzz1v4j6zvfb
Hot Air interview with Mitt Romney ~ VIDEO
“Well, the most recent attacks are really off-target, and I think they know that,” said Romney of the Obama campaign. “They said, ‘Oh, gosh, Governor Romney at Bain Capital closed down a steel factory.’ But their problem, of course, is that the steel factory closed two years after I left. Bain Capital was no longer there, so that’s hardly something that’s on my watch.”
Earlier today, I had an opportunity to speak with Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney about the campaign and the economy, as well as Romney’s official endorsement of Connie Mack in the Republican primary for the US Senate race in Florida. Governor Romney is traveling in Florida today, and while he and Mack have often appeared together, Romney’s official endorsement came today. I got the first opportunity to ask him about it, and Romney cited Mack’s fiscal conservatism and leadership in the Republican Party as the reasons why he makes the best candidate to go toe to toe with incumbent Democrat Bill Nelson for the Senate seat in November. More
Gun Aimed at Georgia School Bus Prompts Alert
Witnesses in Atlanta suburb say they saw a man aim gun at kids boarding buses.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Wife, Mary Richardson Kennedy, Dead
Robert F. Kennedy's wife, Mary Richardson Kennedy, is dead, sources told ABC News.
Mary Kennedy, 52, was Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s second wife and the couple has four children together.
Kennedy Jr. is the son of former Sen. Robert Kennedy and the nephew of President John F. Kennedy.
Jon Lovitz stopped by America Live & held nothing back ~ VIDEO
On today’s America Live, Jon Lovitz explained that he meant everything he said in that viral video. While Lovitz understands that Americans may not care what he thinks about taxes, he pointed out, “Apparently, I said what a lot of people are thinking and a lot of people have thanked me.” More
Joe Biden’s Howard Dean moment ???
More
The Palin Effect: Fischer Wins Nebraska Primary ~ Victory Speech
Just two weeks ago, the battle for the GOP nomination for the U.S. Senate seat in Nebraska was between state Attorney General Jim Bruning and state Treasurer Don Stenburg. Neither inspired the growing base of conservative voters. They were, to be charitable, standard conservative-ish career politicians. Mama Grizzly Sarah Palin shook up the race with a late endorsement of state Senator Debby Fischer. It made all the difference.
I follow politics very closely, yet I hadn't heard of the Fischer candidacy until Palin's endorsement. National tea party groups like FreedomWorks had put all their resources behind Stenburg, with nary a thought about Fischer. A good reminder that these groups aren't as plugged into the grassroots as they like to claim.
A wind of change is blowing through the nation. Fischer's nomination tells us that voters are rejecting the tired 'politics as usual' messaging of most candidates. READ THE FULL STORY AT BREITBART.COM
President Barack Obama's re-election campaign says they brought in $43.6 million last month.
The campaign made their announcement early Wednesday morning on Twitter, saying "in April, #Obama2012 raised $43.6 million across committees. Thanks to everyone who pitched in."
The figure is down from the $53 million the re-election team raised in March. The money is divided between the re-election campaign, the Democratic National Committee and affiliated Democratic state parties.
The $43.6 million does not include the $15 million the campaign says they brought in last week at a fundraiser the president attended at the Los Angeles area home of actor and activist George Clooney. More
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Noam Chomsky Says Sarah Palin Was Right About Obama’s Lack of Substance ~ Video
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"How's That Hopey-Changey Stuff Working Out For Ya ???"
Probably the last person you’d expect to cite Sarah Palin favorably is Noam Chomsky. Yet in an interview with the Leftist news organization Democracy Now, Chomsky did precisely that, saying Palin was right to mock Obama for his lack of substance. More
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