Sen. Sanders fears GOP will take America back to the last century

Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) does not mince words when it comes to revealing what he believes to be the Republican agenda. In an interview with Rachel Maddow on MSNBC, Sanders said that in the Halls of Washington, the GOP has made no secret of the fact that their first mission is to destroy President Obama.

The reason they want to destroy President Obama is so they can take America back to the last century. According to Sanders, they want to dismantle the EPA so the oil companies can “do whatever they want.” Then they want to get rid of Social Security, Food Stamps, unemployment, college PELL Grants, and every other safety net and public government benefit the United States has implemented since the days of Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

“They don’t care what happens” to the elderly or sick people, Sanders said. “They want to take the country back to the last century.”

The Republicans may indeed succeed in destroying what’s left of the endangered middle class. Since wealth in America is concentrated in the hands of just 2% of the population, that would push millions of people into poverty. Without food stamps, more families will go hungry.  That is apparently just what the republicans want.

Politico reported that former Republican House Leader, Newt Gingrich, said, “This year, the House Republican’s Pledge to America has set the stage for a powerful, symbolic closing argument for candidates seeking to unseat the left-wing, big spending, job killing Democrats: paychecks versus food stamps. It is an unassailable fact that in June, more food stamps were distributed by the government than ever before in American history. Which future do I want? More food stamps? Or more paychecks?”

Republicans do not appear to be concerned about jobs or the deficit. If they were they would do something to move the country forward, rather than roll it back to the 1930’s, when so many Americans were starving, President Roosevelt had to create government programs like Food Stamps to keep large segments of the population from dying in the streets.

In the end, the millions in the middle class who voted for the republicans who plan to dismantle the U.S. government will be the ones who end up losing. The middle class will become the poor and the poor will have no power in the self-perpetuating republican regime that will become the new United States of America.

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Cut off unemployment, raise debt with tax cuts for the rich?

Let’s see if we have this one right. The Republicans are fighting to add $700 billion to the deficit with tax cuts for millionaires, but refuse to vote to extend unemployment insurance for people who are struggling?

The GOP argument is a weak one. Claiming that unemployed people don’t have jobs because they are lazy, is a statement that could only be made by someone who has not tried to find a job when the competition is 15 million other people. Hypocrisy should be the new name for the Republican Party.

While Democrats are not happy with their spineless representatives, there is hope among progressives that the GOP will self-destruct with their obvious bias for millionaires while the jobless are cut off. 

The same rage directed at incumbents in 2010 will simply be directed at the Republican incumbents in 2012. The result will be the exact opposite of what the party of Hypocrisy wants – which is to unseat President Obama.

People are not stupid. The Republicans won a majority in the House because voters wanted to see progress, which they were not getting from the previous occupants of our legislative branch. Now that the GOP has the reins, it appears that the horse and cart are running out of control.

If the Republicans continue on their reckless path of a reverse Robin Hood theory, Obama will win the White House in 2012 in a landslide. Not because voters think he is a better candidate, but because the alternative is worse.

Is a puppy a good Christmas present ?

While television and movies often portray happy scenes of puppies popping out of boxes on Christmas morning, in the real world, giving a live animal as a gift may not be a welcome surprise. Parents who decide to give small children puppies for Christmas are sending the wrong message, and they are putting the long term life of the animal at risk, whether they realize it at the time or not.

Live animals are not toys.

Putting a big red bow around a puppy’s neck and giving it to a small child may be a thrilling moment. The look in the child’s eyes may make a great photograph, but responsible pet ownership is about much more than giving in to a child’s wishes.

Pets of every sort are living creatures with feelings and bodies that can be hurt easily by a child, who may not be old enough to understand why an animal cannot be treated like all their other toys.

Several years back when I was living in an apartment complex in Philadelphia, I found a kitten in a dryer in the laundry room. The kids in the development thought it would be fun to watch the animal go in circles through the window. She was also wet when I found her, I’m not sure exactly why.

By the time I got to the kitten she was in shock. Her shoulder had been dislocated and she was barely breathing. I sat with her for hours keeping her warm with blankets and a blow dryer, hoping that there was some chance she would recover, although on some level, I knew she would never survive. It’s probably a good thing that she didn’t. She would have been in such agonizing pain if she had regained consciousness she wouldn’t have been able to bare it. She died in my arms that night. One moment she just stopped breathing and it was over.

I found that kitten in the dryer in 1977, and to this day, I still remember every detail of the horrible death she suffered.

Children who wanted nothing but a new puppy for Christmas lose interest when it grows into a dog. Too often, the parents discard the animal as if it were a used toy. What’s worse is many animals given as Christmas presents end up being killed by shelters, abandoned, abused, hit by cars, or given away with psychological damage. This is why some shelters have a ban on pet adoptions during the Holiday season.

We have a strict rule to adopt one of our rescues; no animals in homes with children under the age of 7. And under NO CIRCUMSTANCES will we ever adopt out an animal as a gift unless the recipient is present for and meets all the requirements of our adoption process.

We don’t do this because we want to be mean, we do it because we know from experience that live animals make terrible gifts, especially for small children. All it takes is one innocent nip to a child from a dog that is accidentally poked or squeezed too hard, and by law, the animal is un-adoptable and must be destroyed.  

Small children, puppies and Christmas presents are a bad combination. The one who always looses is the animal who deserved more than to be thrown away with the old wrapping paper after the Holiday thrills were over.

Gulf oil spill: Was better cleanup technology ignored to boost BP profits?

When the Deepwater Horizon began gushing into the Gulf of Mexico, BP chose to sink the oil with chemical dispersants. But there are other, cleaner ways to deal with oil spills.

Dan Parker, CEO and Founder of Louisville, Ky-based C.I.Agent Solutions, believes “traditional oil spill cleanup methods such as vacuum trucks and skimmers are very expensive and require a lot of manpower. The cleanup process is often slow, and transporting water for processing is often needed.”

Scientist’s claim that the long-term effects of the oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico is only part of the environmental and human health problem. Reports by whistleblowers in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency suggest that the 2 million gallons of dispersant BP poured into the Gulf was as deadly as the spilled oil.

Parker claims, “Solidified oil does not need any processing afterwards. It can be recycled, reused in various industrial applications, or disposed of in landfills depending on local regulations. Solidifiers are non-toxic and float on water. They are not harmful to animals, humans or the environment. They are very cost effective, up to 80% compared to traditional cleanup methods.”

On a spill as massive as the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster, no single clean up method could have contained the disaster. But according to Parker, “alternative technology products are just another tool in the response tool box. We can’t be used on every oil spill, but the ones we can be used on we can save the responsible party time, money, and help the environment. 

Unfortunately a majority of response companies are only interested in billing for time (labor) and materials. They make a huge profit using 50 year old technology.”

At some point, governments around the world may recognize the need modernize oil spill clean up methods, because an oil company’s desire for profits can never repair what took an ecosystem thousands of years to create.

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How to deal with a jealous Australian Sheppard

Australian Sheppard’s are fiercely loyal to their owners. That can be a good trait or a bad one depending on the circumstances. With an increase in abandoned dogs in the Tampa Bay area, many dog owners are making room for strays. But if one of the dogs you already own in an Aussie, adding another member to your family may not be as easy as it would be with another breed.

Some say you don’t own your dog – your dog owns you. Australian Sheppard’s may have been the inspiration for that phrase.

We recently learned of a woman who wanted to get rid of her 4 year old Aussie because she got a new puppy and her Aussie started showing aggression. All a knowledgeable dog person can say to this woman is, ‘you don’t deserve to own a dog as devoted as an Australian Sheppard, because he has better quality traits than you do.’

When adding another dog to a home with an Aussie, jealously is likely to rear its ugly head in one way or another. It may manifest in destructive behavior or unusual aggression. He or she may growl or snip at you or the new dog, even if they have never growled or snipped before. This is the dog’s way of showing the ‘intruder dog’ that you are his property.  It is also the only way he knows how to express his belief that your new dog is more important to you than he is, and he is only trying to get your attention again.

No matter how it comes out, you must remember that changes in his behavior stem from his deep devotion to you.

Most dogs will be jealous of new family members, but most will get over it relatively quickly. Since Aussie’s are a highly intelligent breed, they are more likely to hold a grudge unless you adapt and show him that you will always be as loyal to him as he is to you.

If you get a new dog, be sure to spend at least as much quality time with your Aussie as you did before. Try to take him on walks that include only you and him. Extra brushing or bathing will also give him reassurance that he is still the center of your world.

Regardless of how your Aussie reacts to a new family member, do not think for a moment that unusual behavior means anything other than his deep loyalty and love for you. An Australian Sheppard’s number one job will always be serving you with his entire heart and soul.

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US govt. considers technology to disable cell phones in cars

Secretary of Transportation Raymond LaHood believes the United States government should get automakers to build cars that contain devices that would disable cell phone use while driving.

During recent comments, LaHood cited statistical data surrounding driving and cell phone use. Approximately a half-million people were injured last year while using cell phones in vehicles. 5,500 of them died.

Several US states already have laws that do not allow the use of cell phones while driving. Some require cell phone use to be hands-free only, using devices like Bluetooth.

LaHood’s idea would take cell phone usage in cars a step further. The Department of Transportation plan would use a device designed to work with cellular towers. The tower would sense the speed of a moving vehicle, and when it reaches a pre-determined speed the cellular tower would cut the phone off.

Currently, there are a number of Public Service television commercials that warn of the dangers of texting and driving. However, many motorists are involved in accidents, or cause accidents because they are more focused on talking on the phone than they are on driving.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40418794/ns/technology_and_science-wireless/

Gap between rich and poor glares from new wealthy senior homes

If you can afford $3,695 a month for a two bedroom apartment, the new 5 acre Salishan apartment complex could be your next home. About fifty miles north of Tampa, Florida, the newly constructed 5 acre development off Barclay Avenue in the Spring Hill, Florida area recently opened its doors to the first 38 tenants who will call the luxury hotel-like facility their home.

In the midst of Hernando County’s ongoing recession and foreclosure crisis, the flashy, upscale building seems more like a beacon pointing toward further evidence of the widening gap between the rich and poor. Just a few miles from the Salishan, high unemployment has taken its toll on the neighborhood. Home buyers have a wide variety of foreclosures to choose from off Spring Hill drive, both east and west of the luxury senior citizen housing.

Hernando County remains an area where the population consists of an abundance of seniors collecting Social Security checks and pensions. Most have been untouched by the worst U.S. recession since the Great Depression of the 1930’s.

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Six party talks: Economics prompts China promote peace on Korean Peninsula

China has a vested financial interest in preserving peace between North and South Korea and it is rooted in economics. Trade interests in the region reach farther than China and the Korea’s; Japan, Russia and the United States also rely on their Asian partners to keep imports and exports moving. At a time when world economies are still struggling through recession, disruption of trade through war or United Nations imposed sanctions on North and South Korea can only worsen fragile recoveries.

As one of America’s most important trading partners, China has stepping in to propose an emergency meeting among six nations, who’s economies rely on uninterrupted trade with the Korea’s. The six-party talks will include; Japan, Russia, North and South Korea, China, and the United States.

In addition to stabilizing tensions between North and South Korea, the six-party talks will address, “advancing denuclearization on the peninsula and safeguarding peace and stability on the peninsula and in northeast Asia,” according to a CNN report.

Economically, China cannot survive without the United States, Russia, Japan and the Korea’s. The same holds true in the reverse. We are living in a time when international trade is so intertwined, more than one nation can be severely hurt by the disruption of another. And if one falls, the others know they will follow.

North Korea: Threatening U.S. over joint naval exercises?

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North Korean officials have stopped short of an outright threat against the United States, but the implication is there. North Korea sees US plans to conduct joint naval training exercises with South Korea as an act of aggression. The training was scheduled in July but was postponed to Sunday.

“The North’s state-run Korean Central News Agency also issued new warnings about its response to planned joint United States-South Korea naval exercises in the Yellow Sea off North Korea, which will include an American aircraft carrier.

“If the U.S. brings its carrier to the West Sea of Korea at last, no one can predict the ensuing consequences,” the report said, using the Korean name for the Yellow Sea. The drills, which are to begin Sunday, have angered both North Korea and its protector, China, stirring intense speculation in the South Korean news media of whether the North will respond violently,” according to The New York Times.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has made few public statements on the Korean attacks since violence erupted on Monday. State Department spokesman PJ Crowley told reporters on Friday that Secretary Clinton has condemned North Korea’s behavior by calling it “unacceptable.” No details have been released on the role of the U.S. should the North Korean’s continue on a path of aggression.

China has been viewed by diplomatic channels as the most influential source for peacemaking between North and South Korea. However, if the North Korean’s fire on a U.S. warship during a training exercise, it is unclear exactly how the America will respond.

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National security threatened under GOP, Tea Party agenda - National Political Spin | Examiner.com

GOP agenda threatens relations with Israel and national security

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It began with GOP blocking President Obama’s efforts to renew the START treaty with Russia. Now, “Scores of Tea Party-backed candidates are entering Congress, many of whom favor isolationist policies and are determined to cut American foreign aid, regardless of its destination,” according to The New York Times. However, Representative Eric Cantor, and “other newly empowered Republicans are eager to promote themselves as Israel’s staunchest defenders in Washington, the reconfigured American political landscape is a more complex and unpredictable backdrop for Middle East peacemaking.”

The START treaty, originally ratified by the Ronald Regan Administration, is designed to reduce missiles, warheads and launchers. The new agreement replaces the previous one that expires in December. The Hill reports that, “ratification will require 67 votes by the Senate… and Republicans have been vocal critics of the treaty for months, led by GOP Whip Jon Kyl of Arizona.”

With tensions heating up between North and South Korea after a recent artillery exchange, the GOP appears to be taking their war against President Obama across the line of reason. The republican attitude of anything to defeat Obama is threatening the national security of the United States.

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North Korea fires more artillery: US military presence to take conflict to ‘Brink of War'

North Korea fires more artillery: US military presence to take conflict to ‘Brink of War'

US military exercises with South Korea could provoke war

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Military exercises between the United States and South Korea were scheduled for last July, but they were postponed to this weekend. However, the timing of the new drills could not be worse. The artillery exchange on Monday that rocked the tense peace between North and South Korea was ignited by military training on Yeonpyeong Island, about 8 miles from the North Korean shore. Under threats of more attacks from both sides, additional military exercises, especially those including the United States could push the Korean Peninsula to the brink of war.

“North Korea’s state-run news agency lashed out at South Korean and American plans to hold a joint training exercise on Sunday in Yellow Sea waters near the island,” according to the New York Times. “The situation on the Korean Peninsula is inching closer to the brink of war due to the reckless plan of those trigger-happy elements to stage war exercises targeted against” the North, the dispatch warned.”

The last war between North and South Korea, (1950 and 1953), was the result of an ally imposed division of the peninsula along the 38^th parallel, following the surrender of Japan in World War II. The Korean War, technically called a police action by the United States, also formed a political line between the ideological values of the East and West during the birth of the Cold War between the United States and the former Soviet Union. The Korea’s have had tense relations ever since.

  

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The Secret to Breaking Horses: Start Your Foal with a Bridle of Trust

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Whether you are training a show horse or back yard pet, when you start training is as important as what you are training your horse to do. Many people wait until a horse is four or five years old to start training, suggesting that a horse is too physically immature to bear the weight of a human on their back before then. The argument has validity because horses do not physically mature until they are approximately seven years old.

However the longer you wait to start training, the harder it is to convince your horse that letting you ride him is a better idea than just hanging around and eating all day.

Full story.....

US warship heads toward South Korea

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Korean conflict: China nervous as US warship heads toward South Korea

The Obama Administration has been trying to defuse the tension between North and South Korea's through diplomatic channels, suggesting that influence from China is a critical. However, Chinese officials have expressed concern over a recent move by the United States to send an aircraft carrier to the Yellow Sea. The mission has been reported as a joint military exercise with South Korea, but the added presence of an American warship has set the Chinese on edge. Full story....

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War games: North Korea blames U.S. for artillery exchange with South Korea

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Within hours of President Obama’s affirmation of support for long-time ally South Korea, the North Korean state media agency issued a statement claiming that the artillery exchange between the Korea's on Monday were sparked by the United States. According to an MSNBC report, the North Korean’s said, “Washington should thoroughly control South Korea to ensure they won't continue adventurous military provocations."

South Korea had been conducting military exercises on Yeonpyeong Island off the coast of North Korea prior to the artillery exchange that killed four, wounded more than a dozen others, and set civilian homes ablaze. However, the North Korean response came several hours after the exercises had ended, prompting claims by South Korea that the attack was premeditated and had little to do with the military training.

“The North has threatened further military action if South Korea continues on what it called a "path of military provocation", the North's official KCNA news agency reported,” according to the BBC. “After holding an emergency cabinet meeting, South Korea announced it would dramatically increase its troop levels and overhaul the way it acts in the face of threats from the North.”

The Obama Administration has been trying to defuse the tension between the Korea’s through diplomatic channels and has publicly suggested that influence from China is a crucial ingredient in successful of diplomacy.

China has been supportive of diplomatic measures to calm the situation, but Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has not send any signs of encouragement on diffusing threats of further escalation, calling the situation "grim." 

Despite international condemnation of the artillery exchange between North and South Korea, tensions are heating up as both nations continue to boast about their military might and shoot escalating threats at each other.

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North Korea fires artillery on South Korea

Image via WikipediaA deadly artillery exchange between North Korea and South Korea has alarmed leaders worldwide. The attacks took place during military exercises being conducted by South Korea on the Yeonpyeong Island.

Reports suggest that the battle was initiated by Kim Jong-un, North Korea's newly appointed successor to current dictator, Kim Jung-il, as a show of muscle. In addition to demands for independence from the South, North Korea wants to be recognized as a nuclear power.

Civilian homes on Yeonpyeong Island, off the coast of North Korea, are in flames as black smoke billows into the sky. The death toll from the shelling has not been officially established among the civilian population. However, The Sydney Morning Herald is reporting that two South Korean marines are dead and 12 have been wounded.

Japan called the attack "unforgivable." France, China, Australia and the United States have also condemned the military action.

An emergency session of the United Nations Security council will attempt to diplomatically contain tensions between the two rival nations.

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Privatizing TSA raises threat to national security

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When it comes to government administration, the republican solution to just about every issue is, ‘turn it over to private industry.’ However to some, letting a sub-contractor who may be more interested in profits than safety is the equivalent of letting a privately run, for-profit company take over the military.

What a private company is likely to do is what they have done in the past; hire people at $8.00 an hour and make them work 10 hour days under the threat of firing them if they don’t like it.

How much do you think an underpaid, over worked employee will really care about what someone brings on a plane? And now many of them will only take the job because it’s the only work they can find?

Putting national security in the hands of private industry not only increases the threat to America, but also to the world.

In our new austere America, cost cutting by way of giving the United States government to Wall Street, is not new. Nor is the concept of prioritizing the bottom line over all else. Just ask the families of the eleven men who were killed when the Deepwater Horizon exploded. Safety comes in second to profits in America. Now the GOP is making their pitch to sell our national security for what amounts to $8.00 an hour. Something is wrong with this picture.

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Lame Duck Democrats cave on defense of middle class

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People who vote for democrats expect them to act like democrats. That means they stand up for the middle class and protect the programs that help the middle class. After winning control of the House of Representatives in the 2010 midterm elections, the republicans took their victory as a mandate from voters to fight any democrat who dared to act like a democrat defending the middle class.

In the midst of what continues to be what economists have dubbed the Second Great Depression, the GOP is doing what they do best, which is to fight for the wealthy and special interest groups that funded their campaigns, and defeat democrats who try to protect the middle class.

On their path to waging their war on the democrats, the republicans have stated clearly that they want a balanced budget. However, here is where blatant hypocrisy walks in. The GOP insists that the Bush tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires be exempt from their budget balancing efforts, although none of them have actually validated justification for spending borrowed money and tax breaks for the people with the most money – including themselves.

“In this time of emergency, President Obama needs to add a word to his working vocabulary: sacrifice. Sacrifice is an important American tradition that embraces the virtues of patriotism, puts national interest ahead of self-interest, and encourages everyone to share the burden in perilous times,” according to the Huffington Post.

Lame Duck democrats need to act like democrats and expose the republican schemes of hypocrisy for what they really are; a double standard that works better for special interests than it does for the electorate.

2010 Gulf oil spill aftermath: Millions of dead fish floating to surface

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The oil flow may have stopped flowing but the environmental disaster lives on. Environmental expert Rick Steiner believes that the oil spilled into the Gulf during the Deepwater Horizon disaster may have caused permanent damage to the ecosystem. Steiner and top NOAA official David Kennedy believe sheer volume of oil spilled is at the heart of the grim prognosis.

Approximately 4 million barrels of oil were poured into the Gulf of Mexico during the four month long gusher. Many scientists believe that BP’s heavy use of the chemical dispersant, made long term ecosystem damage worse.

Senior Washington Correspondent for the Huffington Post, Dan Froomkin said, “The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is hoarding vast amounts of raw data that independent marine researchers say could help both the public and scientists better understand the extent of the damage being caused by the massive BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico”

BP has been hiding data since the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded on April 20, 2010. Just days after the disaster took eleven lives, BP officials persuaded an unknown number of scientists with lucrative contracts designed to block the public release of environmental and public health and safety data.

In a recent Fox 8 News interview, Louisiana Plaquemines Parish President, Billy Nungesser said he was demanding federal involvement when it comes to testing the waters in the parish hit by heavy oil. “We’ve never seen so many species floating in so many different areas. I’m begging the E.P.A., or somebody,” he said, “I’m begging them to do their job, get out there and let’s test and see what the hell is going on in the water.” 

P.J. Hahn, the Director the Plaquemines Parish Coastal Zone Management Department, is also deeply concerned about the implications from the numbers of dead fish now floating to the surface in Louisiana waters.

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