Well, Republicans and Conservatives have never liked Student Loans since its inception in 1965 so that's not a surprise there. In fact, they (Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, etc) are actively calling for its abolishment.

[ www.nationalreview.com ]

[ www.nationalreview.com ]

BTW, nice to see Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) upholding the spirit of John C. Calhoun. When we last saw him, he heckled the President during the State of the Union Address.

[ www.youtube.com ]

ALEX JONES DECLARES VICTORY!!! Well, the remaining gun control proposals (universal background checks) failed in the US Senate earlier today. Obama threw a temper fit on the White House Lawn, but the fact is despite support of 90% of the public, the NRA and Conservatives once again outsmarted his forces. BTW, Piers Morgan said he would leave America if Obama couldn't pass some gun control measures. I'm sure Mr. Jones or perhaps Rush Limbaugh will gladly drive him to the airport.

[ www.politico.com ]

Well, as predicted a few months back, yesterday the U.S. Senate shelved the reintroduction of The Assault Weapons Bill due to lack of support (the liberals had less than 40 votes for it).

[ www.politico.com ]

Liberals, led by Piers Morgan are outraged by the news

[ www.cnn.com ]

[ www.nydailynews.com ]

The only measure left is for Universal Background Checks and even this has a 50/50 shot at passing. We'll see if Alex Jones and his comrades at the NRA can defeat this as well.

BTW, since the Newton massacre, 2,793 Americans have been killed by guns.

Love your common sense idea....unfortunately, it will never see the light of day here because it is so logical! After all...we are talking about the United States of America LOL.

Exhibit A: Here's the NRA's latest ad slamming Obama's gun control efforts. The organization has grown by a quarter of a million members in one month and they are flexing their political muscle. The attached article explains in detail why any comprehensive gun reform is DOA.

[ www.nrastandandfight.com ]

[ www.politico.com ]

At least in New York State, Gov. Andrew Cuomo is getting things done unlike Obama:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/15/nyregion/new-york-legislators-hope-for-speedy-vote-on-gun-laws.html?src=ISMR_AP_LO_MST_FB

Well Mr. Morgan last month in an interview conducted by The Guardian stated he would deport himself if Obama is not able to pass gun control legislation. Having had a front row seat to Obama's ineffective leadership for four years, I would advise Mr. Morgan to start making travel arrangements as soon as possible.

[ www.guardian.co.uk ]

I can definitely see a future administration (hailing from Texas or Mississippi) trying to deport a foreign journalist along the lines the petitioners are advocating (most likely against Al Jazeera). Using the Supreme Court case Kleindienst v. Mandel (1972) as their template, they could simply deny the renewal of the offending journalist’s visa request. Far fetched, but Lincoln, Woodrow Wilson, FDR, Nixon and G.W. Bush used similar underhanded tactics to remove 'undesirables".

[ caselaw.lp.findlaw.com ]

How is alex jones right wing???

I did not say Mr. Jones was out of the mainstream of conservative ideology. Quite the contrary....he's one of the rising stars of the conservative movement and is a leading voice of red state America's view on many topics (taxes, regulation, military power, firearms). Many believe he could successfully challenge Rick Perry for Texas Governor in 2014. Many people on this site may have been shocked by Mr. Jones' comments but if you had the chance to listen to Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and especially Michael Savage on a regular basis, Mr. Jones would actually come off as a moderate on this issue.

Piers Morgan and CNN

1. Over 100,000 Americans have signed a petition calling for The White House to deport Mr. Morgan back to Britain.

[ petitions.whitehouse.gov ]

2. Morgan's ratings (as CNN's) are abysmal. In total viewers, Morgan draws about 787,000 compared to Sean Hannity's (Conservative talker on Fox News) 1,861,000 in the 9PM time spot.

[ www.mediaite.com ]

[ www.mediabistro.com ]

3. Morgan comes off as another big government Northern (or in this case European) liberal trying to impose his way of life on Middle America. Morgan's goal is only to boost his flagging ratings rather than persuade the American people. Rachel Maddow (who's also on at 9PM) gives a more coherent argument for those advocating gun control

[ www.msnbc.msn.com ]

Future of Gun Control

Joe Biden (Vice President) is due to give Obama his commission's recommendations on Tuesday. Most likely anything Obama proposes will go down in flames thanks to the Tea Party dominated Republican House of Representatives. The last time the Democrats advocated gun control led to them losing both houses of Congress in 1994....we'll see if history repeats itself in 2014.

Sigh...nice to see another one of my countrymen totally embarrass himself on international TV lol. Think you guys now know how Bush was elected Governor of Texas twice before becoming President. Ironically, Jones was arrested in Ottawa in 2006...too bad the local authorities released him:

[ en.wikipedia.org ]

And folks, he's not even the most radical of the daytime right wing talk radio hosts here (Google Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Michael Savage).

BTW, here's a map of the anti (blue) to pro (red) gun states in America.

[ www.rave.ca ]

Oh, I agree Moynihan's proposal isn't 100% full proof (like Connecticut, New York and New Jersey's ban on assault weapons was not enough to prevent this tragedy). His proposal caught my attention because it's the first new idea from American liberals on this issue since 1970. This article explains why the traditional liberal approach to gun control has failed miserably in America:

[ blogs.the-american-interest.com ]

Of course, here's the conservatives solution to this problem as articulated by Texas Gov. Rick Perry:

[ www.youtube.com ]

Virginia adopted a similar proposal after the Virginia Tech massacre in 2007.

The late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-New York) may of come up with the best idea for curtailing the use of firearms while sidestepping the Second Amendment. As I stated earlier, there are at least 310 million legal guns in circulation however there is only about a three year supply of ammunition in the country. So make the cost of ammunition so high that few people would be able to afford these weapons. Moynihan called for the government to impose a 10,000% tax on the sale of ammunition for high powered weapons that have been used in these shootings. Like most things here...if you want to change the hearts and minds of Americans, you have to hurt them through their wallets to make them do the right thing.

[ www.slate.com ]

[ www.nytimes.com ]

Well that was one of the original purposes of the Second Amendment...to have the population armed in case of invasion (most likely from Great Britain). Of course today, our 5,000 nuclear bombs will do the job but like most things in my country, we're slow to readjust our laws to reflect the modern age.




Right again....the South came closest to achieving that goal (against that mean authoritarian Lincoln). Had it not been for Lee's idiotic gamble at Little Round Top in Gettysburg, they might have succeeded.

In fairness to JPFO, they also cite Joseph Stalin, Pol Pol and other dictators as reasons why Americans should be leery of any gun restrictions.

[ www.ecclesia.org ]

Of course, their arguments make the leap into the world of the tin foil crowd by comparing these leaders to Obama and other Democratic politicians.

[ jpfo.org ]

Newtown is roughly 40 miles from where I live. This is the worst loss of life disaster to hit this state since the I-95 Bridge Collapse in 1983. The event was shocking in so many ways. However, the problem with gun control in the US is the way our government is structured. America has a decentralized form of government...meaning we have 50 states, cities and counties having different rules and regulations on everything. Because of the 2nd Amendment and our general conservative attitude, Washington has left most gun regulations to state and local governments. Connecticut, New York and New Jersey (the home state of the gunman) have the most stringent gun laws in America (semi-automatic weapons for instance are outlawed). However most states, especially in the South and West have little to no limits on gun rights. So, many people (criminals and legal buyers alike) go to these states and purchase guns with little hassle or questions asked. Add to this the "Stand Your Ground" law (legal in 31 states) which allows people to use deadly force if they feel their life is threatened. The best thing one can hope for in the wake of this tragedy is the reimposition of the Assault Weapons Ban (which George W. Bush let lapse in 2004). Outside of this, don't expect any new gun control laws in the foreseeable future. Washington cannot even pass a simple budget....let alone anything else. And remember, we had a sitting member of Congress last year from Arizona (Gabby Giffords) who was shot point blank by a gunman and NO piece of gun control legislation was introduced in the aftermath.

BTW, there are actually more legally held guns (310 million) than people (300 million) in America.

Burns: OK, Spielbergo, I want you to do for me what Spielberg did for Oskar Schindler.

Director: Schindler's very good, Mr. Burns is the devil.

Burns: Pish posh! Listen, Spielbergo, Schindler and I are like peas in a pod! We're both factory owners, we both made shells for the Nazis, but mine worked, damn it!

With four weeks to go until Election Day here in the US...I was wondering what your opinions are regarding Obama and Romney? Will you freak out if Romney does become President next January? Has Obama disappointed you? What would you like to see Obama do should he win a second term? Certainly domestically, Romney will roll back the remaining vestiges of liberal legislation of the mid 20th Century (Social Security,Medicare/caid/ Voting Rights/Abortion) as well as National Health Care (Obamacare). Overseas....expect another war in the Middle East...this time against Iran (Benjamin Netanyahu spent most of his childhood in suburban Philadelphia and is very well connected with the Conservatives here).

Right now, Obama is ahead in the electoral college vote...but a lot of things can change in month. I've provided a link where you can follow the race state by state. If you notice the map...Obama is winning the entire North...with Romney winning most of the South and Far West up to Arizona.

[ fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com ]

Interesting articles and I'll try to make that meeting on the 27th

Excellent article. The key to the Tea Party's success was organization. Unlike the OWS leaders who were novices, the principal organizers of the Tea Party had been involved with politics since the 1970s. Richard Armney (former House Majority Leader and head of Freedomworks), Grover Norquist (head of Americans for Tax Prosperity) and Ralph Reed (head of the Faith and Family Coalition) all served under President Reagan and were instrumental in rallying a demoralized conservative movement into opposing Obama on every piece of legislation. They raised money, recruited candidates for office and stoked the sentiment many felt in Red State America that Obama's central agenda was to redistribute income to people who do not deserve help (the poor, the uninsured, students, minorities etc). While they will probably fail in their goal of electing Mitt Romney (due to Romney's incompetence), the Tea Party will elect more members to the House and to the Senate, thus making Obama's second term pointless in terms of putting new liberal policies into law.

Can the OWS and other liberal groups fight back against the Tea Party? Sure, but they have to become serious players in the political game and focus on a few issues that are simple for the American people to understand. OWS needs to establish lobbying groups around the five agenda points you outlined like the Conservatives have in pushing theirs (low taxes, less regulation, less government involvement) and force Democrats to either accept their terms or face primary challenges in future elections.

[ en.wikipedia.org ]

[ atr.org ]

[ ffcoalition.com ]

[ www.freedomworks.org ]

"Obama ruined that song"

I agree! signed W. Mitt Romney (45th President of the US 2013-?)

Another good one is Al Green's Let's Stay Together

[ www.youtube.com ]

And here's B.H. Obama singing a few bars of the song at a Manhattan fundraiser

[ www.youtube.com ]

Two of my favorites are Tell Mama by Etta James and Nothing But a Heartache by the Flirtations (great Northern Soul song circa 1970).

[ www.youtube.com ] Etta James

[ www.youtube.com ] The Flirtations

A sad loss indeed. He was a man who spoke truth to power and wasn't afraid to expose the military establishment. He was especially clairvoyant in his predictions regarding the Vietnam War as demonstrated in his famous debate with conservative William F. Buckley in 1968.

[ www.youtube.com ] - Short clip

[ www.pitt.edu ] - Full debate clip

Lech Walesa of Poland's Solidarity Movement in the 1980s is the latest major political figure to lend support for the Occupy Wall Street Movement. He's planning to come to NYC to speak in front of the group as soon as his schedule allows it.

[ www.nydailynews.com ]

[ www.businessinsider.com ]

[ online.wsj.com ]

I totally agree with Ponchalice's analysis. Barack Obama in 2008 by far received the lionshare of contributions from Wall Street and as Ron Suskind outlined in his new book "Confidence Men", Obama rewarded them with tame/useless new regulations that does nothing to help the average consumer.

Ironically, today most Democrats represent the richest states and districts (New York, Illinois, Massachusetts, California) where the financial industry is the top industry in their area...so they will not dare rein in their friends. And Republicans represent areas (Mississippi, Oklahoma, Texas) where people believe the rich deserve their wealth because they worked harder than everyone else and should be left alone. The upper class has used this schism to their advantage since at least 1981 and it has worked perfectly. And remember, it was Bill Clinton who deregulated most of Wall Street in the 1990s (Glass-Steagall being the biggest rule change).


[ www.opensecrets.org ] - Barack H. Obama Top Contributors

[ www.opensecrets.org ] - John McCain's Top Contributors

[ www.opensecrets.org ] - Hedge Fund Contributions

[ en.wikipedia.org ]

DynV, my friend (mon ami), my country was founded on greed! Courage had nothing to do with why we left the British Empire in 1776. It was economic self-interest. We were incensed that we had to pay higher taxes (although our tax burden was 1/4 of the average British citizen) to London, plus they were blocking our attempts of westward expansion. So we said the hell with you....and by chance we succeeded. For the next 150 years, we acquired territory by pushing people around who did not have the means to stand up for themselves. If you study how we acquired places like Florida, Texas, the West and Hawaii, you would be amazed at how underhanded we were in getting those areas.

Our era of dominance is at an end however thanks to dysfunctional leadership, a pathetic educational system and a depleted treasury. Within 5 years, China will be the largest economy, 30 years the principal reserve currency, and in 50 years the dominant military power. The position as the reserve currency of choice was our true path to global power after 1940 when Europe destroyed their economic position and we were the last major (capitalist) country standing. China learned this lesson well and are fast becoming the world's banker (they already hold most of our debt).

And folks...prepare yourself of the possibility of another Governor of Texas being President in 2013. [ www.governor.state.tx.us ] .This man makes George W. Bush look like a Rhode Scholar.

DynV, partly yes. Conservatives in my country see the military as one of the few legitimate governmental programs to fund and they spare no expense doing so. If you noticed in the graph that one of the members provided above...under the last four Republican Administrations ( Ford, Reagan, Bush I and II) the deficit zooms upward because they hike military spending while slashing taxes hence the deficit. They do this for four reasons. 1) finance their adventures into countries who dare to stand up to us. 2) provide jobs to their constituents (80% of military members are Conservative Republicans) 3) to make sure that when the Democrats return to power..they don't have the tax money to fund frivolous (in their mind) programs like health care, education etc. without imposing huge taxes increases which always angers the public (see 1994/2010 election). 4) to minimize as much as possible the amount people can benefit from existing programs (student aid, infrastructure etc). This formula has worked for decades for the GOP and may very well boot Obama from office next year if he doesn't decide to finally stand up to them. Don't hold your breath on that one lol.

BTW, saw on the news this morning that S&P is poised to downgrade the US yet again in a few months as well as France.

It's another sign of the impeding decline of the American Empire. America overstretched itself in too many wars it had no business participating in. Now the bill is due and we cannot pay it. Another factor is the total dysfunction of our political leadership. S&P explicitly stated that they have no faith that Washington can design a credible financial plan. Obama is seen as a pushover because he's been outmaneuvered time after time by the Tea Party/Republicans. He didn't have the balls to sunset the Bush Tax Cuts when he possessed huge majorities in Congress which would have taken a significant chunk of the deficit away. Now when the Tea Party a few weeks ago told him point blank "Unless you take out the tax increases, we are willing to take this economy down" Obama as always capitulated. Obama's problem is simple...he's trying to reason with people who have no interest in seeing him succeed. And people like Jim Demint and Mitch McConnell have said as much.

And don't expect Social Security and the military to be slashed anytime soon. The military provides hundreds of thousands of jobs and is basically the only major industry in many (mostly Southern) states. It's no coincidence that most of our powerful Senators come from those very states. As for Social Security, many a politician have seen their careers terminated because they dared to touch this "middle class" social program. If further cuts are made, expect Medicaid and other low income programs to receive the chop. The poor generally don't vote in large numbers here...which makes the politician's job easier to cut and not have to worry about losing their next election.

I'm so glad I made the trip for this party! Can't believe I finally had the opportunity to hear Frankie Bones play in person. All the DJs played like superstars and the dancehall was so spacious. Can't wait for the next event :-).

Incredible! One of the best parties I've ever attended. All the performers played on time and gave everything they had in their sets. The venue was the right size and the decorations were solid. Can't wait for the next one.