GEARING TO A PEACETIME ECONOMY....
MYSTERY OF PERRY’S BRAIN FART AND DEBATE ‘OOPS’ ATTRIBUTED TO BACK SURGERY OVER THE SUMMER.... http://hotair.com/archives/2011/12/12/perry-yeah-my-back-has-been-a-big-problem-on-the-campaign-trail/
THAT HE DID NOT MENTION, BECAUSE HE DIDN’T WANT US TO PITY HIM, AND HE DIDN’T WANT TO LET US DOWN.
“THE SYNTHESIS” 12-13-2011 GEARING TO A PEACETIME ECONOMY, THIS EDITION CELEBRATES TWO YEARS IN PRINT TODAY:
THE GOP HAS A NEWTINY ON THEIR HANDS, THE TEA PARTY CHIEF TELLS CONGRESS HELL NO~ ON THEIR CHRISTMAS WISH LIST AND DISCUSSES EU SUMMIT PROGRESS WITH SARKOZY, THE DEBATES ON THE EVE OF THE PRIMARY TO PREPARE FOR THE LAST DEBATE, AND WHY THE GA TEA PARTY ENDORSES RICK PERRY AND RICK SANTORUM AS WORTHY OF NOMINATION: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xzQDvD8G7WCEpyi2FpUb5zPJkCQVcOgJ0J-3jUqJEfY/edit?hl=en_US
| “THE SYNTHESIS”, TWO YEARS IN PRINT, THE ONLY FREE WEEKLY NEWSLETTER POWERED BY TWITTER, FACEBOOK, AND TEA PARTY CONTRIBUTORS !!! ALSO HEREBY KNOWN AS “THE TEA PARTY RECORDER” -- ENJOY OUR TEA PARTY JOURNALS Tea Party Chief Speaker · Aug 2011 to present · Washington, District of Columbia front line communicator with Congress
 http://www.facebook.com/teapartychief  to see my library collection (what I’ve read and studied the past 10yrs. add me on Facebook) http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150377708318670.370366.773523669&type=3
NOW:  http://www.youtube.com/user/The2011Phoenix |
»
@GrahamBlog @SpeakerBoehner @SenatorReid @JohnKerry@JohnMcCain facebook.com/photo.php?fbid…pic.twitter.com/XbVSmRB
2011teaparty Tea Party Chief 
@GrahamBlog @JohnKerry @JohnMcCain God hides His face from us the longer we wait to burn H.R. 4872 Mami Wata Contract Obama crafted.
@GrahamBlog @SpeakerBoehner @SenatorReid @JohnKerry@JohnMcCain Congress' refusal to impeach Obama is the last straw.
@GrahamBlog @SpeakerBoehner @SenatorReid @JohnKerry@JohnMcCain I can't get past the lack of citizenship or justify the misappropriation.
@GrahamBlog @SpeakerBoehner @SenatorReid @JohnKerry@JohnMcCain Sen. Graham: I refuse to respect Obama as President any longer.
@GrahamBlog @SpeakerBoehner @SenatorReid @JohnKerry@JohnMcCain you may want to appoint McCain-Kerry as Interim leadership for the Office.
@SpeakerBoehner @BarackObama @SenatorReid @JohnKerry@JohnMcCain you may want to appoint McCain-Kerry as Interim leadership for the Office.
@SpeakerBoehner @BarackObama @SenatorReid Obama's lack of citizenship&H.R. 4872 Contract w/Mami Wata is why I don't respect him as President
@SpeakerBoehner @BarackObama @SenatorReid the longer we wait to burn H.R. 4872, Obama's Mami Wata Contract, God hides His face from us.
@SpeakerBoehner @BarackObama @SenatorReid@Senate_GOPs @JohnKerry I find Wasserman-Schultz just as repulsive as Obama in her own way.
@SpeakerBoehner @BarackObama @SenatorReid@Senate_GOPs @JohnKerry Kerry take your party back from partisan deal-making from Reid and Pelosi.
@SpeakerBoehner @BarackObama @SenatorReid@Senate_GOPs @JohnKerry Senator Kerry, you need to take over your party, I can't deal with Obama.
@SpeakerBoehner @BarackObama @SenatorReid@Senate_GOPs this #HR3630 is the BIG GOVERNMENT #2011WISHLIST #XMAS #PACKAGE
@jamiedupree Thank You Jesus, Justice Kagan is a smart woman, she may use the same assertion on H.R. 4872 hearing, as we defund it anyway.
Justice Kagan will be recused from Arizona SB 1070 case because of her earlier involvement as Solicitor General
@SpeakerBoehner @BarackObama @SenatorReid whatever he vetoes, whatever he signs, I don't give a fuck if we don't like it, it goes in #2012
.@DWSTweets spin fail: Unemployment has risen under President Obama from 7.8% in Jan 09 to 8.6% Now ow.ly/7Wx1u #tcot
@SpeakerBoehner @BarackObama @SenatorReid with no regard to budgetary law and misappropriation, I can't overlook the lack of citizenship.
@SpeakerBoehner @BarackObama @SenatorReid we are tired of waiting for Congress to do its job, and with the 5th scandal, Obama is dead weight
@SpeakerBoehner @BarackObama @SenatorReid Furthermore, yesterday's tirade I had with Sen. McConnell did it for me. I will draft impeachment.
@SpeakerBoehner @BarackObama @SenatorReid Where I come from respect is earned and not easily given-to respect the Office I can't respect him
@SpeakerBoehner @BarackObama @SenatorReid my reservations are even though I don't like him personally, he is not a citizen or worth respect.
@SpeakerBoehner @BarackObama @SenatorReid what we get done in 2wks. will set the entire tone for 2012; I can't work with Obama any longer.
Amazing Chart! Planned Parenthood Abortions vs. Adoptions Run About 99%-1% bit.ly/qRW3tc pro-life #prolife
Retweeted by 2011teaparty
The Dow is down about 1% in early trading following declines in European markets on.wsj.com/uBEcb8
Retweeted by 2011teaparty
“He is mistaken who thinks that the fast consists only in abstinence from food. True fasting is departing from evil.” St. John Chrysostom
Retweeted by 2011teaparty
@ajcpolitics @ajc @jimgalloway GA TEA PARTY NOW BOYCOTTS BUYING THE ATLANTA JOURNAL-WHOSE CALL BASE IS INDIA-STEALING JOBS/STATE TAX REVENUE
RICK PERRY OR RICK SANTORUM FOR GOP NOMINATION -- EITHER RICK, WE CAN'T LOSE, THEY ARE BOTH BETTER THAN NEWT ROMNEY !!!!!
@GovernorDeal @LaurieBailey @newtgingrich RURAL GA TEA PARTIES ARE SUPPORTING RICK PERRY OR RICK SANTORUM AS OF PRESENT DATE/DECLARED TODAY
@GovernorDeal @LaurieBailey @newtgingrich You can formally count on a HEARTY HELL NO OF A CAPITOL ANNOUNCEMENT OF NEWTINY !!!
@GovernorDeal @LaurieBailey @newtgingrich health insurance-since he's into mandates-as a revenue increaser with no real insurance like Obama
@GovernorDeal @LaurieBailey @newtgingrich or perhaps Newt is going to tell GA on repaying 2-3% lost revenue for 10yrs too insisting we have
@GovernorDeal @LaurieBailey @newtgingrich Newt just went in the po$itive for his campaign, would he like to be met with immigration fee suit
@GovernorDeal @LaurieBailey @newtgingrich Immigration Reform Act that Newt cost GA $20 million in immigration fees, to go into effect 1/1/12
@GovernorDeal @LaurieBailey @newtgingrich Newt has come for his Capitol Tea and Old Hat GOP endorsement, rural tea parties won't support him
2011teaparty Tea Party Chief @JohnCornyn I think Obama has challenged voter ID laws enough, with his 2008 election fraud, and it is time to draft that Impeachment Order!
You're more likely to find a unicorn than a Republican who'd make a worse president than Barack Obama. #UnicornDreams #caring
Retweeted by 2011teaparty
AMERICA --- WAKE UP: WANT THE IN-YOUR-FACE STUFF TO STOP -- THEN TELL PEOPLE IF THEY DON'T LIKE IT, LEAVE - THIS IS AMERICA!!!!
@FoxNewsSunday @GovernorPerry Freedom of Choice never meant right to choose to kill, as in the pro-choice argument, but to protect/preserve!
@FoxNewsSunday @GovernorPerry It's OKAY for a person to be gay and it's okay for a person to choose to pray: THAT'S WHY IT'S AMERICA -CHOICE
2011teaparty Tea Party Chief @FoxNewsSunday @GovernorPerry IT'S NOT RIGHT FOR GAY PEOPLE TO OPENLY SERVE, YET NO PRAYER IN SCHOOL-THIS IS AMERICA, ONE NATION UNDER GOD!!
@FoxNewsSunday @GovernorPerry EXACTLY OUR COUNTRY WILL NOT CHANGE UNTIL WE EXERCISE OUR RIGHTS: I'm not going to bow to it anymore.
@GovernorPerry says he would support amendment allowing kids 2 pray at school, believes it would pass “overwhelmingly”#Waronreligion
@FoxNewsSunday @GovernorPerry what about a new military policy that is FAIR for all: NANT -- NO ASS NO TAIL !!!!
"The Georgia Gang" was awesome: everyone took their turn, didn't argue, or interrupt each other-was it because all men, or no Alexis Scott?!
Weekly #GOP address highlights: Middle Class Tax Relief & Job Creation Act is good #4jobs & cuts deficits j.mp/viCwzr
Retweeted by 2011teaparty
Edwin Gravitt
sez:
The NAACP called on the UN to intervene in the United States ahead of the 2012 elections. The far left former rights group claims that new voting laws that require voters to present an ID are racist. FOX News reported:
Like · · Follow Post · Share · 4 hours ago
David Melton I say HELL NO!!!
Sherrie Sellers Only citizens should be allowed to vote.
NAACP Calls on UN to Intervene in US Elections
Posted by Jim Hoft on Tuesday, December 6, 2011, 7:22 PM
The NAACP called on the UN to intervene in the United States ahead of the 2012 elections. The far left former rights group claims that new voting laws that require voters to present an ID are racist.
FOX News reported:
The NAACP is calling on the United Nations to intervene as it claims state governments are colluding to “block the vote” for minority communities ahead of the 2012 election — a charge those governments vehemently deny.
The nation’s biggest civil rights organization this week released a report that claimed a raft of new voting laws at the state level would disenfranchise minority voters. The report said 14 states passed 25 measures “designed to restrict or limit the ballot access of voters of color.”
The report catalogued several categories of laws that have been passed largely by Republican-dominated legislatures and which Democrats have decried in recent months as tools of voter suppression. The new laws include requirements to present photo ID at the polls, voting restrictions on felons and limitations on registration and early voting periods.
Supporters of the laws describe them as common-sense measures meant to ensure the integrity of elections. In Tennessee, which is implementing a new photo ID law, elections coordinator Mark Goins dismissed the criticism and questioned why the NAACP would flag the United Nations over its concerns, calling that effort “a bit extreme.”
“I don’t know what the benefit of going to the U.N. would be,” he said. “I can’t imagine any authority whatsoever that they would have here in
2011teaparty Tea Party Chief
2011teaparty Tea Party Chief @GovernorPerry @RickSantorum we would like to congratulate you both on receiving our attention and favor for nomination facebook.com/GATeaParty
@newtgingrich @mittromney Y'ALL WILL HAVE TO BRING IT, TO THE NEXT TWO DEBATES, BECAUSE WE'RE ENDORSING RICK PERRY OR SANTORUM FOR NOMINEE!!
2011teaparty Tea Party Chief @GovernorPerry @RickSantorum We will make you campaign buttons and give them to friends --- KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK BOTH OF YOU !!!
@GovernorPerry @RickSantorum since GA Tea Party is considering both of you for nomination, and we don't want Newt Romney, I'll make buttons!
PROUD TO WEAR THE CAMPAIGN BUTTONS OF RICK PERRY OR RICK SANTORUM BUT I DON'T THINK SANTORUM HAS A CAMPAIGN BUTTON pic.twitter.com/fyacQVe
OKAY....
LIFE WITH BIG BROTHER
What you do in bedroom private? Not to Obama
Look what president now thinks is worthy of special treatment
Posted: December 11, 2011
6:14 pm Eastern
By Dave Tombers
© 2011 WND
 *Barack Obama |
Want a job with the federal government?
You may want to list your sexual orientation – preferably one of the alternative lifestyle choices – to enhance your chances.
That's after an executive order signed by President Obama makes it a goal to hire people who reflect his ideals of "diversity and inclusion."
Presidential Executive Order 13583, signed without fanfare on Main Street, has since been touted as an effort to strengthen America. It's described by the administration:
A commitment to equal opportunity, diversity, and inclusion is critical for the federal government as an employer.
By law, the federal government's recruitment policies should "endeavor to achieve a work force from all segments of society.
How did America get to this point? Find out in "The Marketing of Evil: How Radicals, Elitists, and Pseudo-Experts Sell Us Corruption Disguised as Freedom"
One federal executive praised the order, saying the "United States is at its strongest when we embrace all of our talents, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity."
(Story continues below)
In a nine-page strategic plan launched by Obama's signature, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, within the Office of Personnel Management, set a new bar for the recruiting, hiring, and retention of federal workers:
As the nation's largest employer, the federal government has an obligation to lead by example.
It goes on to say, "In order to cultivate high performing organizations for the 21st century, the federal government must tap into the rich resources of our global community and ensure fairness and justice in the workplace."
So now the federal government apparently will be going overseas to hunt for workers who meet Obama's ideals regarding sexual orientation or gender identity.
The policy aligns witha just-released reportthat the Obama administration intends to make the United States the global sex cop, with plans to try to intervene in the workings of other nations where homosexuality is not promoted as well as plans to create special provisions for homosexuals and those with other lifestyle choices to gain special admittance to the U.S.
Among the provisions is a specific call for the U.S. government to "enhance" its work to provide services to "LGBT refugees and asylum seekers."
"Who knew when Reagan was talking about being a shining city on the hill the city would turn out to be Sodom," said Peter LaBarbera, president ofAmericans for Truth,an Illinois organization active in revealing the truth of homosexuality.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton chimed in on the comprehensive, government-wide strategy regarding LGBT rights with a speech to the "global community" in honor of International Human Rights day.
"The Obama administration defends the human rights of LGBT people as part of our comprehensive human rights policy and as a priority of our foreign policy," she said.
Clinton then announced the formation of a Global Equality Fund to help advance the policies. The U.S. will start the fund with "more than $3 million," but Clinton urged all other countries to join in.
The White House website has a section devoted to informing the LGBT community of the "historic" efforts Obama has advanced for them: "The Obama administration has taken decisive actions and made historic strides to advance Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender equality and strengthen LGBT families and communities, and continues to do so."
On this White House blog, John Berry, director of the Office of Personnel Management, praises the efforts of the OPM and Obama to "institutionalize equality in the nation's largest workforce."
While recently visiting the LGBT center of Colorado, Berry said he has a strategy to "bring equality to the OPM, from dismantling the discriminatory policies of the past to actively encouraging lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals to work in and for our government."
In another White House blog, Hilda Solis, secretary of the Department of Labor, announces how she and Obama have redefined federal rules regarding hiring discrimination.
In April, I issued an order to change my department's equal employment opportunity policy to add gender identity as a protected category.
I did that because it was the right thing to do and because no one should be denied a job or a promotion because of their gender identity or how they choose to express it.
Solis also lists other achievements in her tenure as secretary of labor: "Last year, we announced that the Family and Medical Leave Act applies to loving families with two mothers or two fathers. If you act like a parent, do the work of a parent and raise a child like a parent, then you are a parent, as far as my agency is concerned."
The concerted efforts by Obama to advance the LGBT movement are evident throughout the federal government that promised to bring "change" to America.
Shaun Donovan, secretary of Housing and Urban Development, touted several more accomplishments at a recent "Transgender Equality" awards ceremony.
I was proud to represent an administration that has done remarkable work to advance equality for transgender people.
Indeed, whether it's the record number of transgender appointments President Obama has made to the federal government, the Office of Personnel Management's announcement prohibiting gender identity discrimination for federal employment, or passing a hate crimes bill that represents the first-ever federal civil rights legislation to include the words 'sexual orientation' and 'gender identity,' the Obama administration has treated the fight for equality for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community not as an issue, but as a priority.
The "change" that Obama brought with him to Washington also apparently is spreading. Just ask former Macy's employee Natalie Johnson of San Antonio.
She saw a man walking out of the fitting room reserved for women at the San Antonio, Texas, Macy's and "politely told him that he could not go back in because it was for women only."
She pointed out that Macy's has a religious nondiscrimination policy and the actions violated her beliefs.
Macy's fired her.
Matt Staver, founder of the Liberty Counsel, says, "Macy's has essentially opened women's dressing rooms to every man."
In a related development, a White House statement called the "Presidential Memorandum – International Initiatives to Advance the Human Rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Persons" instructs federal agencies to promote "rights" of LGBT persons. .
"In order to improve protection for LGBT refugees and asylum seekers at all stages of displacement, the Departments of State and Homeland Security shall enhance their ongoing efforts to ensure that LGBT refugees and asylum seekers have equal access to protection and assistance," Obama wrote.
He explained that federal workers must be trained to help LGBT members in their desires
Read more:What you do in bedroom private? Not to Obamahttp://www.wnd.com/?pageId=375601#ixzz1gOSgkw00
Mathew Staver, Founder and Chairman
Liberty Counsel
12/13/2011
Here are some disturbing excerpts from a Presidential Memorandum signed by Barak Obama last week:
“…I declared before heads of state gathered at the United Nations, ‘no country should deny people their rights because of who they love, which is why we must stand up for the rights of gays and lesbians everywhere.”
“Under my Administration, agencies engaged abroad have already begun taking action to promote the fundamental human rights of LGBT [Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender] persons everywhere. Our deep commitment to advancing the human rights of all people is strengthened when we as the United States bring our tools to bear to vigorously advance this goal.”
See my extremely important message below – Mat.
+ + + + +thePhoenix,
Under the guise of promoting “human rights,” President Obama has issued a memorandum outlining seven specific actions that the Department of State and other federal agencies will be required to implement on a global scale “to ensure that U.S. diplomacy and foreign assistance promote and protect the human rights of LGBT persons.”
Under Obama’s mandate, federal agencies are directed to offer moral, legal, and financial support to national and international organizations which support LGBT advancement – while preferential expedition and asylum will be offered to LGBT people allegedly forced to flee persecution in their home countries.
There is already mounting international backlash and disapproval from leaders of countries where sodomy or homosexuality is banned by law, which includes most of the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and Oceania.
++Obama’s directive will use YOUR tax dollars to advance the LGBT agenda globally! Among Obama’s presidential mandates:
* “To combat discrimination, homophobia, and intolerance on the basis of LGBT status or conduct.” (Force acceptance of homosexuality whether a country wants to or not)
* “The Federal Government has the ability to identify and expedite resettlement of highly vulnerable [LGBT] persons with urgent protection needs.” (Grant preferential asylum to those who claim LGBT status)
* “Ensure the Federal Government's swift and meaningful response to serious incidents that threaten the human rights of LGBT persons abroad.” (Presumably, such a “response” could include U.S. military and/or police action)
* “Broaden the number of countries willing to support and defend LGBT issues in the multilateral arena.” (Using United States pressure to advance the LGBT agenda by recruiting core “allies” in the community of nations)
All federal agencies involved in Obama’s initiative are to file a report within 180 days of the December 6th announcement and submit subsequent annual reports to the Department of State, which will also be reviewed by the President.
In short, our President is dictating that government agencies with foreign operations direct their workers to advance the LGBT agenda and then submit regular reports to him on how the effort is progressing.
Under President Obama and his pro-homosexual administration, the forced reception of the radical LGBT agenda into our culture (including our military) – and now international society – is happening at unprecedented levels. And we, the American taxpayers, are shouldering the expense of all this pro-homosexual activism!
Our tax dollars have been hijacked to promote homosexuality around the globe whether the American people agree with such an outrageous program or not!
++The double standard in this international activism is mindboggling.This “human rights” zeal on the part of President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton is focused on a small, radical minority of the global population while vast numbers of people in this world are suffering persecution on an unimaginably large scale.
According to a December, 2010 report published by Charisma Magazine…
“Nearly all human-rights groups and Western government agencies that monitor the plight of Christians worldwide agree: Between 200 million and 230 million believers face daily threats of murder, beating, imprisonment and torture, and a further 350 million to 400 million encounter discrimination in areas such as jobs and housing. A conservative estimate of the number of Christians killed for their faith each year is around 150,000.”
Yet the federal government has defunded the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom this year, presumably due to budgetary limitations. And could you imagine President Barack Obama launching an initiative to end world-wide persecution of Christians with the same enthusiasm he has invested in this Presidential Memorandum on LGBT “human rights”?It is difficult to find a ballpark number of homosexuals who were actually persecuted or killed world-wide last year, although most reports indicate it would be a very small fraction of the number of Christians suffering the same fate. And as of May 2011, it is reported that seventy-five countries criminalize consensual sexual acts between adults of the same sex!
Internationally, churches are being bombed, Christians are denied the right to assemble, and believers are persecuted and put to death…while the Obama administration turns a blind eye to these catastrophic international events and initiates programs to promote the homosexual lifestyle!
++The Obama Administration has launched a full-scale global campaign to promote the LGBT agenda while continuing to push it in America.
thePhoenix, given the flood of new attacks empowered by the Obama administration’s pro-homosexual actions and manipulation of the legal system, we must continue fighting this cultural battle in both the courtroom and the court of public opinion.
That’s why I am asking for your support now. Liberty Counsel is engaged daily in fighting the attacks many people of faith are experiencing due to the rising tide of “homosexual empowerment” brought on by the Obama Administration.
We MUST band together to counter the advance of radical homosexual activists whose goals, among others, is to redefine marriage and family. This is perhaps the greatest “culture war” of our generation – and it’s escalating at a breathtaking pace!
Please click here now to offer your financial support and to read President Obama’s unbelievable memorandum:
http://www.libertyaction.org/2344/offer.asp
We are also very pleased to offer you a valuable resource when you financially support our ongoing efforts. For your gift of $30 or more, we will send you a free copy of the book the ultraliberal, anti-marriage ACLU says you should not read!
“Only One Mommy: A Woman’s Battle for Her Life, Her Daughter, and Her Freedom: The Lisa Miller Story” will equip you to help those struggling with same-sex attractions as it exposes the disturbing truth about the pro-homosexual agenda!
I am especially pleased to offer you this extraordinary book because its author, Rena Lindevaldsen, is a dear friend and a long-time colleague. I am not exaggerating when I say that Rena may well be the nation’s leading expert on the terrible legal and social consequences society faces when altering the natural order and sanctioning same-sex “marriage.”
But whether you chose to request this important book or not, please click here to support Liberty Counsel’s aggressive defense of marriage, the family, and pro-moral legislation:http://www.libertyaction.org/2344/offer.asp
++Liberty Counsel is resisting the pro-homosexual agenda!
Last week, I told you about Natalie Johnson. Natalie was fired by Macy’s for standing up for her religious convictions and for protecting female customers in their dressing areas by not permitting a cross-dressing young man from re-entering the women’s fitting room in Johnson’s area of responsibility. Johnson’s decision did not comply with Macy’s LGBT-friendly policies and she was dismissed. Liberty Counsel is representing Natalie. I joined her on national television yesterday as she told her story to the Fox News audience.
We have been deluged with messages of support for standing with this courageous Christian woman. And although Liberty Counsel did not call for a boycott of Macy’s, scores of concerned Americans informed us that they were cutting up their Macy’s cards over their misguided policy.
Further, several pro-moral Americans have contacted us to report that Natalie’s experience wasn’t all that unusual. One department store employee from a southern state shared that she experienced multiple situations every month in which cross-dressing males had to be escorted out of women’s dressing facilities.
Here’s what we’re up against: The pro-homosexual movement is not only getting more aggressive in their physical actions, but also in pushing ultraliberal legislation, bullying in the judicial system, and infiltrating the nation’s public school systems. And now President Obama and Hillary Clinton’s State Department have decided to use taxpayer funding to push the LGBT agenda on an unwilling world!
++Liberty Counsel is making a real difference in this battle for moral sanity!
It is despicable that right now in America, those of us who stand against the insanity of misguided policies catering to the radical LGBT community face employment penalties, lawsuits, physical attacks, and overt ridicule because of a small minority of activists with loud voices, an army of unrelenting lobbyists, and a large war chest.
Misguided activists are doing everything in their power to push their “alternative lifestyle” agenda while undermining the rights of every freedom loving, God-fearing American!
I am calling on my Liberty Counsel team to rise up against this anti-family activism! Please consider a gift right now which will enable us to confront the radical pro-homosexual agenda and also continue our work defending the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). We must also confront and expose the horrific deception and disinformation these radicals are spreading! The pro-homosexual advance is being paved with outright lies about the practice of homosexuality, misleading “facts” about their movement, and fraudulent use of taxpayer funds obtained by cynically presenting their cause as a “civil rights” or “human rights” movement!
thePhoenix, you can obtain an invaluable resource in fighting this battle in the pages of Only One Mommy – it is simply one of the best books yet written about the homosexual movement’s horrific social impact, written by one of marriage’s best friends and most courageous defenders. Please go here to contribute and learn more about this important book:http://www.libertyaction.org/2344/offer.asp
Thank you so much for your prayers and support as we stand against this radical movement fueled by our President – and as we defend marriage against the rising tide of legal attacks.
May God bless you!
Mathew Staver, Founder and Chairman
Liberty Counsel
P.S. Homosexual groups have been encouraged and empowered by Barack Obama’s outrageous pro-LGBT initiatives. This arrogant and condescending administration has taken up a “politically correct” cause while turning a blind eye on Christian persecution – truly one the most serious problems in the world!
We must work together to stop the onslaught of pro-homosexual attacks while also demanding that duly passed, pro-marriage laws like DOMA are enforced. Please click here to contribute to Liberty Counsel’s aggressive defense of natural marriage, the family, and a return to moral sanity in our nation:
http://www.libertyaction.org/2344/offer.asp
OBAMA SCANDAL RAP SHEET:
1) 2008 ELECTION FRAUD - FELONIOUS DONATIONS, NO CITIZENSHIP, MISREPRESENTATION AS A MODERATE CANDIDATE
2) ATTORNEY GENERAL HOLDER, STILL BEING CALLED TO RESIGN BY CONGRESS AND MAJOR SHERIFF’S ORGANIZATIONS OVER THE “FAST AND FURIOUS CARTEL GUN-PROVIDING SCANDAL”, STILL REFUSES TO DEPORT OBAMA OR HAVE THE DNC INVESTIGATE OBAMA’S LACK OF BIRTH CERTIFICATE
3) CHU LIES TO CONGRESS ABOUT SOLYNDRA, COSTING TAXPAYERS A $545 MILLION DOLLAR LOAN, CREATING ZERO JOBS, ONE OF MANY GREEN ENERGY SCAM INITIATIVES BY THE OBAMA ADMIN., GREEN ENERGY SCAMS FRONTED AS EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES, BY UNSUSPECTING TAXPAYERS --- CLIMATE CULTS:
-The treaty officially recognizes the Rights of Mother Earth declaring that “The recognition and defence of the rights of Mother Earth to ensure harmony between humanity and nature”. For people who are famously opposed to bestowing “personhood” on certain entities, this move seems to be sort of inconsistent.
-“Mother Earth” is being nonchalantly anthropomorphized in official UN treaties. Just thought I’d point out that such language is absolutely incompatible with a supposedly “science based” document. Referring to the environment as Mother Earth is either a marketing maneuver or an acknowledgement that we’re all uniting under some neopagan understanding of the universe. Either one aught to raise red flags.
-While we laugh at the “Right to Survive” as some kind of bastardization of the “Right to Life” found in our Bill of Rights, it’s much more odious than it might appear at first glance. Check out the wording contained in the document: “The rights of some Parties to survive are threatened by the adverse impacts of climate change, including sea level rise.” (emphasis added) What exactly constitutes “Parties” in international legalese? Does that definition extend beyond humans?
Is anyone in our UN delegation actually reading these documents?
4) TONY REZKO, OBAMA’S FRAUDULENT FUNDRAISER, GETS SENTENCED 10YRS. FOR QUESTIONABLE DONATIONS AND FOR LAND ADJACENT TO OBAMA’S HOUSE THAT WAS BOUGHT WITH COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT FUNDS, ALL COURT RECORDS ARE NOW PUBLIC, AS PLEA WAS SEALED BEFORE SENTENCING, UNTIL NOW.
5) BLAGO, WHO TRIED TO SELL OBAMA’S SENATE SEAT FOR CASH OVER THE PHONE, GETS 14YRS. FOR THE POLITICALLY CORRUPT STUNT
6) OBUMMERCARE/H.R. 4872 IS REALLY A CONTRACT WITH MAMI WATA: OBAMA WROTE LEGISLATION TO HONOR AN AFRICAN GODDESS OF WEALTH, APPEASED BY CHILD SACRIFICE, A FORM OF IDOLATRY WE KNOW TO BE VOODOO;
StevenErtelt Steven Ertelt
I’M AFRAID RON PAUL IS RIGHT --- THIS IS NOT A PLOY OF ‘LIVE IN FEAR IF YOU DO NOT VOTE FOR ME’: AS A DOCTOR, RON PAUL KNOWS AND I KNOW AS A CHEROKEE NATUROPATH, THAT IF YOU TAKE MORE THAN 5 PILLS, OR EVEN THE WRONG ONE, IT CAN BE SERIOUS, EVEN FATAL, ESPECIALLY FOR THE CHILDREN AND ELDERLY WHO ARE VULNERABLE TO MISGUIDED PARENTS AND WHOSE ELDERS ARE VICTIMS OF COMMERCIALIZED NURSING AND BIG PHARMACEUTICAL CONTRACTS:
« With growing public awareness of antidepressant risks: Pro-pill website Web MD does damage control
Are Nursing Homes Over-Drugging Their Residents? »
TeenScreen Expandiing Despite Concerns
More than 30,000 people have signed an online petition to stop using TeenScreen in schools.
More and more public schools are using TeenScreen, a controversial mental health screening diagnostic, despite public protests, myriad problems, and known conflicts of interest. According to TeenScreen deputy director Leslie McGuire, the program has expanded from 30 sites in 2003 to 600 sites in 46 states today. Requests for their screening questionnaires have almost tripled to 426,000 in 2010, according to the group.
One school district in Wisconsin has subjected its students to this dubious diagnostic for almost a decade. “Since 2002, we have been implementing TeenScreen mental health checkups throughout our system of 7,300 students,” wrote Fond du Lac High School principal Jon Wiltzius and district superintendent James Sebert in a letter urging fellow administrators to adopt the program.
A report authored by TeenScreen officials and published by the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in August said that nearly 20% of participating students attending Fond du Lac district high schools between 2005 and 2009 were deemed “at risk” for mental illness or suicide. The computerized 52-item survey screens for social phobia, anxiety, depression and other mental health issues using questions like these:
Has there been a time when you felt you couldn’t do anything well or that you weren’t as good-looking or smart as other people?
But what normal high-school student hasn’t experienced self-doubt or felt very nervous or been tired? Even TeenScreen creator David Shaffer of Columbia University conceded in a 2004 article that the test (also known as the Columbia SuicideScreen) “would result in 84 nonsuicidal teens being referred for further evaluation for every 16 youths correctly identified.” Still, maintained Shaffer, “many of these so-called false-positive cases may be experiencing painful depressive symptoms . . . and are likely to benefit from treatment.”
No Child Left Unmedicated?
Congressman Ron Paul has re-introduced The Parental Consent Act , A bill which prohibits federal funds from being used to establish or implement any universal or mandatory mental health, psychiatric, or socioemotional screening program.
Allen Jones, former investigator with the Pennsylvania Office of the Inspector General, charges that the translation of normal human emotions into symptoms of mental illness is driven not by genuine concern for kids, but by a profit motive. “TeenScreen was developed and promoted by persons with deep financial ties to makers of psychiatric drugs,” said Jones. Indeed, a stated priority of the TeenScreen program is to “connect” kids with mental health treatment – which all-too-often means prescribing psychotropic drugs. (Referrals to medical doctors who might diagnose physical problems are not part of the TeenScreen protocol.)
Jones’ claim is backed up by at least two watchdog groups who have noted TeenScreen leadership’s ties to pharmaceutical firms. David Shaffer has served as a paid consultant for Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline, and numerous other manufacturers of psychiatric drugs. Laurie Flynn, TeenScreen Director, previously served as executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, which receives about three quarters of its funding from drug companies, according to a 2009 investigation by The New York Times.
TeenScreen advisory board member Michael Hogan served in leadership roles for at least two entities that are heavily funded by drug company “educational grants.” As director of the Ohio Department of Mental Health, Hogan is largely responsible for making Ohio one of the first states to roll out and fund TeenScreen in 2002. Under Hogan’s watch, nearly 40,000 kids on Medicaid were taking drugs for anxiety, depression, delusions, hyperactivity and violent behavior by July of 2004. The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services spent $65.5 million for kids’ mental health drugs that year alone, according the Columbus Dispatch.
Ohio is not alone in this record level of spending to medicate children. Nationally, the Medco 2010 Drug Trend Report found that the number of children taking antipsychotic drugs has doubled over the past nine years.
But the unnecessary expense isn’t the worst aspect of this trend. Antipsychotics can cause severe physiological and mental side effects, including apathy, obesity, diabetes and involuntary tremors. Robert Whitaker, author of Anatomy of an Epidemic, suggests that over-prescribed stimulants and antidepressants have contributed to the 40-fold increase in the number of children diagnosed as bipolar since 1995. Whitaker explains that stimulants can trigger periods of mania followed by sluggishness in children. These kids may then be re-diagnosed as bipolar, a disorder which only a few decades ago was considered to be an exclusively adult malady.
Many Problems, Few Benefits
There are still more problems with universal mental health screening. One of the major selling points for TeenScreen advocates is suicide prevention, but the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force found “no evidence” that screening for suicide risk reduces suicide attempts or mortality.
Furthermore, even authors of the Diagnostic and Statistics Manual (DSM), the bible of psychiatric diagnosis upon which TeenScreen questions are based, admit that the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for mental illness are vague and without “clear empirical data supporting . . . the diagnosis.”
Although the TeenScreen website explicitly states that questionnaire results are not linked to students’ academic records, a 2003 Illinois law illustrates that this is not necessarily true. The Illinois Children’s Mental Health Act calls for a statewide data-reporting system to track the results of periodic social-emotional development screens in kindergarten, 4th and 9th grades. It also calls for report cards on children’s social-emotional development. These records may be available to government officials and special interest groups without parental or child consent.
Even if the mental illness diagnosis is correct, the prescribed drug may not, in fact, be helpful. A September 2004 Food and Drug Administration (FDA) hearing revealed that more than two-thirds of the studies done on the efficacy of antidepressants for children found that prescription drugs were no more effective than placebos. The only positive trials were published by the pharmaceutical industry. That same month, the FDA issued its most severe Black Box Warning for some newer antidepressants found to increase suicidal thoughts and behavior in children.
Underlying all of these problems is the fact that mental health screening plans override parents’ rights to control the care of their children. Despite assurances that both parents and children must provide consent before TeenScreen or similar surveys are administered, schools and TeenScreen officials are not above using underhanded means. Kids have been bribed with movie passes or pizza parties if they participate. Schools sometimes require only “passive” consent from parents, meaning that if parents don’t sign a form explicitly opting their child out of the program, their consent is assumed.
Parents have also been coerced into putting their kids on unsafe psychiatric medications. Patricia Weathers, the Carrolls, Johnstons, and Salazars have all been charged or threatened with child abuse charges for resisting efforts to drug their children. Just recently, Detroit officials seized a mentally handicapped 13-year-old from mother Maryanne Godboldo’s home because Godboldo stopped injecting her child with Risperdal, a psychotic drug notorious for severe side effects including suicidal thoughts and an inability to control motor functions.
Congressman Ron Paul has noted the potential for universal or mandatory mental health screenings to be used for politically motivated purposes. One federally-funded violence prevention program already lists “intolerance” as a mental problem that may lead a child to commit violent acts at school, and there are efforts underway to add a diagnosis of “extreme intolerance” to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual. “Because ‘intolerance’ is often a code word for believing in traditional values, children who share their parents’ values could be labeled as having mental problems and a risk of causing violence,” said Paul as he reintroduced his Parental Consent Act before the House of Representatives in August.
First introduced in 2005, Paul’s bill would forbid the use of federal funds to establish or implement any universal or mandatory mental health screening program. The bill also states that no federal education funds may be paid to any local education agency that uses the refusal of a parent or guardian to consent to mental health screening as a basis of child abuse or neglect.
More than 30,000 people have signed an online petition to stop using TeenScreen in schools. Parents and other concerned citizens should also tell their Members of Congress to support Paul’s bill. They should oppose mental health screening at the school board and state legislature levels, and ask state representatives to pass Pupil Rights legislation to keep students from being subjected to nosy psychological or psychiatric questions without prior, informed, written parental consent. (Wall Street Journal, 8-30-11; blogs.ScientificAmerican. com, 9-2-11; RepublicMagazine.com, 8-31-11; cchrint.org, 8-26-09)
NOW THIS:
December 11, 2011 8:14pm9 Comments
US Navy paying $15/gallon for green fuel
byJoel Gehrke Commentary Staff Writer
Follow on Twitter:
With President Obama delaying the Keystone XL oil pipeline that would facilitate access to the estimated 1.7 trillion barrels of oil in North America, the United States Navy is reportedly slated to spend $12 million at a rate of $15 per gallon on a biofuel-gasoline blend -- a purchase justified by the proposition that dependence on oil is a national security threat.
"We are doing this for one simple reason: It makes us better fighters," Navy Secretary Ray Mabus said, according to a National Journal report last week. "Our use of fossil fuels is a very real threat to our national security and to the U.S. Navy ability to protect America and project power overseas."
The Institute for Energy Research (IER), an organization that "maintains that freely-functioning energy markets provide the most efficient and effective solutions to today’s global energy and environmental challenges," argues that Mabus' justification doesn't hold water.
"[Mabus'] statement is based on the myth that the United States and North America as a whole has very limited oil resources," IER says. "The reality is that North America, and the United States in particular, is awash in fossil fuels," claiming that the US has access to 1.4 trillion barrels of recoverable oil, a number that kicks up to 1.7 trillion when combined with recoverable oil in Mexico and Canada.
While Mabus spends millions to avert "a very real threat to national security," Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., tweeted Friday that the Republicans who continue to push for the Keystone XL oil pipeline between the US and Canada are "wasting valuable time b/c it will not pass the Senate."
"You won’t be surprised to learn that a member of Obama’s presidential transition team, T. J. Glauthier, is a “strategic advisor” at Solazyme, the California company that is selling a portion of the biofuel to the Navy," observes Hot Air's J.E. Dyer. "Glauthier worked – shock, shock – on the energy-sector portion of the 2009 stimulus bill."
BUT FIRST, THIS IS HOW IT REALLY IS, DESPITE THE MEDIA STILL STICKING BESIDE OBAMA AS WE’RE ON OUR ‘NTH’ SCANDAL,
LACK OF CITIZENSHIP, AND GLARING MISAPPROPRIATION: -$15,000,000,000,000 --- SO MUCH FOR THAT BBA !!!!
1) 2008 ELECTION FRAUD - FELONIOUS DONATIONS, NO CITIZENSHIP, MISREPRESENTATION AS A MODERATE CANDIDATE
2) ATTORNEY GENERAL HOLDER, STILL BEING CALLED TO RESIGN BY CONGRESS AND MAJOR SHERIFF’S ORGANIZATIONS OVER THE “FAST AND FURIOUS CARTEL GUN-PROVIDING SCANDAL”, STILL REFUSES TO DEPORT OBAMA OR HAVE THE DNC INVESTIGATE OBAMA’S LACK OF BIRTH CERTIFICATE
3) CHU LIES TO CONGRESS ABOUT SOLYNDRA, COSTING TAXPAYERS A $545 MILLION DOLLAR LOAN, CREATING ZERO JOBS, ONE OF MANY GREEN ENERGY SCAM INITIATIVES BY THE OBAMA ADMIN., GREEN ENERGY SCAMS FRONTED AS EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES, BY UNSUSPECTING TAXPAYERS --- CLIMATE CULTS:
ENVIRONMENTTHE RIGHTS OF NON-HUMANS AND NEOPAGANISM AT THE DURBAN CLIMATE CONFERENCE
- Posted on December 12, 2011 at 2:24pm by
Nick Rizzuto
- Email »
-The treaty officially recognizes the Rights of Mother Earth declaring that “The recognition and defence of the rights of Mother Earth to ensure harmony between humanity and nature”. For people who are famously opposed to bestowing “personhood” on certain entities, this move seems to be sort of inconsistent.
-“Mother Earth” is being nonchalantly anthropomorphized in official UN treaties. Just thought I’d point out that such language is absolutely incompatible with a supposedly “science based” document. Referring to the environment as Mother Earth is either a marketing maneuver or an acknowledgement that we’re all uniting under some neopagan understanding of the universe. Either one aught to raise red flags.
-While we laugh at the “Right to Survive” as some kind of bastardization of the “Right to Life” found in our Bill of Rights, it’s much more odious than it might appear at first glance. Check out the wording contained in the document: “The rights of some Parties to survive are threatened by the adverse impacts of climate change, including sea level rise.” (emphasis added) What exactly constitutes “Parties” in international legalese? Does that definition extend beyond humans?
Is anyone in our UN delegation actually reading these documents?
4) TONY REZKO, OBAMA’S FRAUDULENT FUNDRAISER, GETS SENTENCED 10YRS. FOR QUESTIONABLE DONATIONS AND FOR LAND ADJACENT TO OBAMA’S HOUSE THAT WAS BOUGHT WITH COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT FUNDS, ALL COURT RECORDS ARE NOW PUBLIC, AS PLEA WAS SEALED BEFORE SENTENCING, UNTIL NOW.
5) BLAGO, WHO TRIED TO SELL OBAMA’S SENATE SEAT FOR CASH OVER THE PHONE, GETS 14YRS. FOR THE POLITICALLY CORRUPT STUNT
6) OBUMMERCARE/H.R. 4872 IS REALLY A CONTRACT WITH MAMI WATA: OBAMA WROTE LEGISLATION TO HONOR AN AFRICAN GODDESS OF WEALTH, APPEASED BY CHILD SACRIFICE, A FORM OF IDOLATRY WE KNOW TO BE VOODOO;
StevenErtelt Steven Ertelt Marie Stopes Doc Loses License, Almost Killed Woman in Abortionbit.ly/ulKN6R pro-life #prolife #England
Retweeted by 2011teaparty
HE JUSTIFIED SELLING THE CARCASSES OF THE UNBORN TO STEM CELL RESEARCH COMPANIES FOR PROFIT, BY MASSIVELY EXPANDING FEDERAL FUNDS FOR ABORTION MILLS, PRISONS, AND PSYCHOTROPIC DRUGS---NOT GIVING ANY OF US HEALTH INSURANCE AS PROMISED:I’M AFRAID RON PAUL IS RIGHT --- THIS IS NOT A PLOY OF ‘LIVE IN FEAR IF YOU DO NOT VOTE FOR ME’: AS A DOCTOR, RON PAUL KNOWS AND I KNOW AS A CHEROKEE NATUROPATH, THAT IF YOU TAKE MORE THAN 5 PILLS, OR EVEN THE WRONG ONE, IT CAN BE SERIOUS, EVEN FATAL, ESPECIALLY FOR THE CHILDREN AND ELDERLY WHO ARE VULNERABLE TO MISGUIDED PARENTS AND WHOSE ELDERS ARE VICTIMS OF COMMERCIALIZED NURSING AND BIG PHARMACEUTICAL CONTRACTS:
« With growing public awareness of antidepressant risks: Pro-pill website Web MD does damage control
Are Nursing Homes Over-Drugging Their Residents? »
Ron Paul is right—Mental “screening” of school kids aims to Leave No Child Unmedicated
The Moral Liberal – October 24, 2011TeenScreen Expandiing Despite Concerns
More than 30,000 people have signed an online petition to stop using TeenScreen in schools.More and more public schools are using TeenScreen, a controversial mental health screening diagnostic, despite public protests, myriad problems, and known conflicts of interest. According to TeenScreen deputy director Leslie McGuire, the program has expanded from 30 sites in 2003 to 600 sites in 46 states today. Requests for their screening questionnaires have almost tripled to 426,000 in 2010, according to the group.
One school district in Wisconsin has subjected its students to this dubious diagnostic for almost a decade. “Since 2002, we have been implementing TeenScreen mental health checkups throughout our system of 7,300 students,” wrote Fond du Lac High School principal Jon Wiltzius and district superintendent James Sebert in a letter urging fellow administrators to adopt the program.
A report authored by TeenScreen officials and published by the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in August said that nearly 20% of participating students attending Fond du Lac district high schools between 2005 and 2009 were deemed “at risk” for mental illness or suicide. The computerized 52-item survey screens for social phobia, anxiety, depression and other mental health issues using questions like these:
Has there been a time when you felt you couldn’t do anything well or that you weren’t as good-looking or smart as other people?
- Have you often felt very nervous or uncomfortable when you have been with a group of children or young people, like in the lunchroom at school, or at a party?
- In the last year, has there been any situation when you had less energy than usual?
But what normal high-school student hasn’t experienced self-doubt or felt very nervous or been tired? Even TeenScreen creator David Shaffer of Columbia University conceded in a 2004 article that the test (also known as the Columbia SuicideScreen) “would result in 84 nonsuicidal teens being referred for further evaluation for every 16 youths correctly identified.” Still, maintained Shaffer, “many of these so-called false-positive cases may be experiencing painful depressive symptoms . . . and are likely to benefit from treatment.”
No Child Left Unmedicated?
Congressman Ron Paul has re-introduced The Parental Consent Act , A bill which prohibits federal funds from being used to establish or implement any universal or mandatory mental health, psychiatric, or socioemotional screening program.
Allen Jones, former investigator with the Pennsylvania Office of the Inspector General, charges that the translation of normal human emotions into symptoms of mental illness is driven not by genuine concern for kids, but by a profit motive. “TeenScreen was developed and promoted by persons with deep financial ties to makers of psychiatric drugs,” said Jones. Indeed, a stated priority of the TeenScreen program is to “connect” kids with mental health treatment – which all-too-often means prescribing psychotropic drugs. (Referrals to medical doctors who might diagnose physical problems are not part of the TeenScreen protocol.)
Jones’ claim is backed up by at least two watchdog groups who have noted TeenScreen leadership’s ties to pharmaceutical firms. David Shaffer has served as a paid consultant for Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline, and numerous other manufacturers of psychiatric drugs. Laurie Flynn, TeenScreen Director, previously served as executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, which receives about three quarters of its funding from drug companies, according to a 2009 investigation by The New York Times.
TeenScreen advisory board member Michael Hogan served in leadership roles for at least two entities that are heavily funded by drug company “educational grants.” As director of the Ohio Department of Mental Health, Hogan is largely responsible for making Ohio one of the first states to roll out and fund TeenScreen in 2002. Under Hogan’s watch, nearly 40,000 kids on Medicaid were taking drugs for anxiety, depression, delusions, hyperactivity and violent behavior by July of 2004. The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services spent $65.5 million for kids’ mental health drugs that year alone, according the Columbus Dispatch.
Ohio is not alone in this record level of spending to medicate children. Nationally, the Medco 2010 Drug Trend Report found that the number of children taking antipsychotic drugs has doubled over the past nine years.
But the unnecessary expense isn’t the worst aspect of this trend. Antipsychotics can cause severe physiological and mental side effects, including apathy, obesity, diabetes and involuntary tremors. Robert Whitaker, author of Anatomy of an Epidemic, suggests that over-prescribed stimulants and antidepressants have contributed to the 40-fold increase in the number of children diagnosed as bipolar since 1995. Whitaker explains that stimulants can trigger periods of mania followed by sluggishness in children. These kids may then be re-diagnosed as bipolar, a disorder which only a few decades ago was considered to be an exclusively adult malady.
Many Problems, Few Benefits
There are still more problems with universal mental health screening. One of the major selling points for TeenScreen advocates is suicide prevention, but the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force found “no evidence” that screening for suicide risk reduces suicide attempts or mortality.
Furthermore, even authors of the Diagnostic and Statistics Manual (DSM), the bible of psychiatric diagnosis upon which TeenScreen questions are based, admit that the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for mental illness are vague and without “clear empirical data supporting . . . the diagnosis.”
Although the TeenScreen website explicitly states that questionnaire results are not linked to students’ academic records, a 2003 Illinois law illustrates that this is not necessarily true. The Illinois Children’s Mental Health Act calls for a statewide data-reporting system to track the results of periodic social-emotional development screens in kindergarten, 4th and 9th grades. It also calls for report cards on children’s social-emotional development. These records may be available to government officials and special interest groups without parental or child consent.
Even if the mental illness diagnosis is correct, the prescribed drug may not, in fact, be helpful. A September 2004 Food and Drug Administration (FDA) hearing revealed that more than two-thirds of the studies done on the efficacy of antidepressants for children found that prescription drugs were no more effective than placebos. The only positive trials were published by the pharmaceutical industry. That same month, the FDA issued its most severe Black Box Warning for some newer antidepressants found to increase suicidal thoughts and behavior in children.
Underlying all of these problems is the fact that mental health screening plans override parents’ rights to control the care of their children. Despite assurances that both parents and children must provide consent before TeenScreen or similar surveys are administered, schools and TeenScreen officials are not above using underhanded means. Kids have been bribed with movie passes or pizza parties if they participate. Schools sometimes require only “passive” consent from parents, meaning that if parents don’t sign a form explicitly opting their child out of the program, their consent is assumed.
Parents have also been coerced into putting their kids on unsafe psychiatric medications. Patricia Weathers, the Carrolls, Johnstons, and Salazars have all been charged or threatened with child abuse charges for resisting efforts to drug their children. Just recently, Detroit officials seized a mentally handicapped 13-year-old from mother Maryanne Godboldo’s home because Godboldo stopped injecting her child with Risperdal, a psychotic drug notorious for severe side effects including suicidal thoughts and an inability to control motor functions.
Congressman Ron Paul has noted the potential for universal or mandatory mental health screenings to be used for politically motivated purposes. One federally-funded violence prevention program already lists “intolerance” as a mental problem that may lead a child to commit violent acts at school, and there are efforts underway to add a diagnosis of “extreme intolerance” to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual. “Because ‘intolerance’ is often a code word for believing in traditional values, children who share their parents’ values could be labeled as having mental problems and a risk of causing violence,” said Paul as he reintroduced his Parental Consent Act before the House of Representatives in August.
First introduced in 2005, Paul’s bill would forbid the use of federal funds to establish or implement any universal or mandatory mental health screening program. The bill also states that no federal education funds may be paid to any local education agency that uses the refusal of a parent or guardian to consent to mental health screening as a basis of child abuse or neglect.
More than 30,000 people have signed an online petition to stop using TeenScreen in schools. Parents and other concerned citizens should also tell their Members of Congress to support Paul’s bill. They should oppose mental health screening at the school board and state legislature levels, and ask state representatives to pass Pupil Rights legislation to keep students from being subjected to nosy psychological or psychiatric questions without prior, informed, written parental consent. (Wall Street Journal, 8-30-11; blogs.ScientificAmerican. com, 9-2-11; RepublicMagazine.com, 8-31-11; cchrint.org, 8-26-09)
NOW THIS:
@thehill @JHerbTheHill I believe it, have you seen the H.R. 3630 Legislation Tree, that is the Congress' Christmas #WISHLIST for XMAS?
Dem senator says House Defense bill has $834M in earmarks (@JHerbTheHill) thehill.com/blogs/defcon-h…
Retweeted by 2011teaparty
December 11, 2011 8:14pm9 Comments
US Navy paying $15/gallon for green fuel
byJoel Gehrke Commentary Staff Writer
Follow on Twitter:
With President Obama delaying the Keystone XL oil pipeline that would facilitate access to the estimated 1.7 trillion barrels of oil in North America, the United States Navy is reportedly slated to spend $12 million at a rate of $15 per gallon on a biofuel-gasoline blend -- a purchase justified by the proposition that dependence on oil is a national security threat.
"We are doing this for one simple reason: It makes us better fighters," Navy Secretary Ray Mabus said, according to a National Journal report last week. "Our use of fossil fuels is a very real threat to our national security and to the U.S. Navy ability to protect America and project power overseas."
The Institute for Energy Research (IER), an organization that "maintains that freely-functioning energy markets provide the most efficient and effective solutions to today’s global energy and environmental challenges," argues that Mabus' justification doesn't hold water.
"[Mabus'] statement is based on the myth that the United States and North America as a whole has very limited oil resources," IER says. "The reality is that North America, and the United States in particular, is awash in fossil fuels," claiming that the US has access to 1.4 trillion barrels of recoverable oil, a number that kicks up to 1.7 trillion when combined with recoverable oil in Mexico and Canada.
While Mabus spends millions to avert "a very real threat to national security," Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., tweeted Friday that the Republicans who continue to push for the Keystone XL oil pipeline between the US and Canada are "wasting valuable time b/c it will not pass the Senate."
"You won’t be surprised to learn that a member of Obama’s presidential transition team, T. J. Glauthier, is a “strategic advisor” at Solazyme, the California company that is selling a portion of the biofuel to the Navy," observes Hot Air's J.E. Dyer. "Glauthier worked – shock, shock – on the energy-sector portion of the 2009 stimulus bill."
BUT FIRST, THIS IS HOW IT REALLY IS, DESPITE THE MEDIA STILL STICKING BESIDE OBAMA AS WE’RE ON OUR ‘NTH’ SCANDAL,
LACK OF CITIZENSHIP, AND GLARING MISAPPROPRIATION: -$15,000,000,000,000 --- SO MUCH FOR THAT BBA !!!!
»
CBS NEWS POLL *For release: Friday, December 9, 2011*
6:30 pm (ET)
The Obama Presidency: A Year Before the 2012 Presidential Election
December 5-7, 2011
• President Barack Obama’s approval rating remains in the mid-40s (as it has for most of
the last year and a half), pulled down by the poor marks he receives on the economy.
Just a third approves of his handling of the economy (a new low) or job creation, and
only 28% think he has made progress fixing the economy. Just 37% think his policies
prevented a deeper recession.
• President Obama is viewed as down-to-earth (59%) and a strong leader (57%). Most
think he has worked hard to bring change (57%) and fought hard for his policies (64%),
and Americans don’t blame him for gridlock in Washington.
• However, the poll finds negative assessments of the President too. 54% say he does
not share the public’s priorities (a new high), and the poll suggests his presidency has
divided the country (48%) instead of uniting it (37%).
• 51% disapprove of the President’s signature accomplishment in office, health care
reform. Just 13% think it will help them – and 32% think it will hurt them. 50% think the
President should have focused on something other than health care during his first term
in office.
Approval Ratings
44% of Americans approve of the job Barack Obama is doing as president – similar to his rating
last month. About as many – 46% - now disapprove. Aside from an uptick after the Navy Seal
operation that killed Osama bin Laden earlier this year, the President’s approval rating has
remained steady, but below 50%, since the spring of 2010.
Last month, the President’s approval rating was 43%, matching the lowest rating of his
presidency. His highest approval rating since taking office (68%) occurred in April 2009, as he
marked 100 days in office.
President Obama’s Overall Job Rating
Approve Disapprove
Now 44% 46
11/2011 (Lowest) 43% 47
9/2011 (Lowest) 43% 50
8/2011 48% 47
5/2011 (Post Bin-Laden Death) 57% 37
4/2010 51% 39
4/2009 (Highest) 68% 23
2011teaparty Tea Party Chief @DianeSawyer does everything have to be historic because Obama's in Office still? How about historically bad-let this be the monument stone.
UPDATED POSTS
Jimmy Norman
Based only on: character, political philosophy, opinions, records, strategies & beliefs . . . Not on: appearance, style, electability, image, wealth, popularity, endorsements, etc. . . . Which Republican would you like to see as our next President? Please ask your friends to vote too.
Like · · Unfollow Post · 17 minutes ago
Renee Brown Gerrell None of the above.
14 minutes ago · Like
Jimmy Norman Renee Brown Gerrell, did you see that you have to click "5 More" to see the rest of the Republicans?
12 minutes ago · Like
Renee Brown Gerrell Yep! Not impressed with any of them. The Republican Party better find some fresh options soon!
9 minutes ago · Like
Ben M Johnson Doubt that's going to happen.
7 minutes ago · Like
Ben M Johnson Unless Trump decides to run.
7 minutes ago · Like
Jimmy Norman I left out: Fred Karger, Andy Martin, Jimmy McMillan, Tom Miller, Buddy Roemer, Matt Snyder & Vern Wuensche, all of whom are declared candidates.
5 minutes ago · Like
Jimmy Norman I thought we could ask others to vote too but I don't see a link to do that so I guess this is going to be just for we Georgians For Constitutional Government.
2 minutes ago · Like
Aja Brooks Only Rick Perry and Rick Santorum possess the Conservative Values, Tax, Monetary, Job Creation Policies, and strength on Foreign Policy that is soft pillow to sleep on. Newt is too effusive; fine as Speaker but he'll get us blown up - conversely, Ron Paul is an ostrich, and this could pose havoc on our own soil. Ron Paul's philosophies that sound good on paper are terrible in practice to restoring our credit rating; dissolution of the federal reserve and liquidation of debt makes us less safe from those we owe, until we REALLY DEAL with Obama's misappropriation. Romney is not a real Conservative, believes in gay marriage for votes and Bachmann is a subsidy Queen. She works the tax system for her benefit, she knows all the loopholes, and she has not hatched the egg of the repeal bill we gave her August 2010. She has politicized Conservatism for votes and money, her day in the sun was because she was the only female candidate after Palin refused to run. Huntsman, while he may be fluent, is too much of an ass kisser.
2 seconds ago · Like
REAL UNEMPLOYMENT HAS NOT CHANGED,
IT IS AT 11% --
Comments
Wonkbook: The real unemployment rate is 11 percent
Posted by Ezra Klein at 07:51 AM ET, 12/12/2011
- Share:
Remember that the unemployment rate is not "how many people don't have jobs?", but "how many people don't have jobs and are actively looking for them?" Let's say you've been looking fruitlessly for five months and realize you've exhausted every job listing in your area. Discouraged, you stop looking, at least for the moment. According to the government, you're no longer unemployed. Congratulations?
Since 2007, the percent of the population that either has a job or is actively looking for one has fallen from 62.7 percent to 58.5 percent. That's millions of workers leaving the workforce, and it's not because they've become sick or old or infirm. It's because they can't find a job, and so they've stopped trying. That's where Luce's calculation comes from. If 62.7 percent of the country was still counted as in the workforce, unemployment would be 11 percent. In that sense, the real unemployment rate -- the apples-to-apples unemployment rate -- is probably 11 percent. And the real un- and underemployed rate -- the so-called "U6" -- is near 20 percent.
There were some celebrations when the unemployment rate dropped last month. But much of that drop was people leaving the labor force. The surprising truth is that when the labor market really recovers, the unemployment rate will actually rise, albeit only temporarily, as discouraged workers start searching for jobs again.
Top stories
1) Congress is close to a spending deal, reports Rosalind Helderman: "Put this in the 'small accomplishments' category for an especially gridlocked Congress: It appears increasingly likely that, with little fuss, lawmakers will approve a bipartisan compromise in coming days that will keep government running past Friday, when a short-term funding measure that has kept the lights on expires. Partisan clashes have brought the government to the brink of a shutdown three times in the past year. But this time, appropriators from the House and Senate have been quietly working toward the unveiling, expected late Monday, of a compromise spending measure that would outline how government agencies should spend nearly $1 trillion through Sept. 30, 2012...It’s also helped that Congress agreed to an overall spending level for the year -- often the most contentious issue -- as part of the August debt deal."
2) The payroll tax cut may be financed through Fannie and Freddie, report Nick Timiraos and Alan Zibel: "Congress and the Obama administration are turning to an unlikely source to pay for the proposed extension of the payroll-tax cut: mortgage-finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The revenue source proposed by both Senate Democrats and House Republicans would boost fees that Fannie and Freddie collect from lenders. But that is raising hackles in the real-estate industry. Builders, Realtors and lenders say it would amount to a tax that would be passed on to mortgage borrowers. Fannie and Freddie don't issue mortgages, but instead buy them from lenders. They bundle those loans into securities that are sold to investors, and promise to make investors whole if the loans default. To cover any defaults, Fannie and Freddie charge 'guarantee' fees to lenders when they buy the loans."
3) Experts doubt Europe's deal is a real cure, write Steven Erlanger and Liz Alderman: "The deal on Friday in Brussels to reformulate the rules of the euro zone has probably saved the shared currency for now -- but there may be less to it than meets the eye. At least four major issues still need to be resolved: how much money is needed to protect Italy now from speculative attack; whether banks will stumble because of the crisis; the isolation of Britain, which does not belong to the euro zone; and not least, whether the Brussels cure, prescribed by Germany, fits the disease. With mounds of European debt due to be refinanced early next year, the crisis is far from over. 'More tests will obviously come, and soon,' perhaps as early as the opening of financial markets on Monday, said Joschka Fischer, the former German foreign minister."
4) The Durban climate conference ended in a deal, reports Juliet Eilperin: "Even as representatives from nearly 200 countries celebrated the last-minute compromise they fashioned at U.N. climate talks Sunday in Durban, South Africa, it became clear that its real-world outcome will be largely determined in Asia, rather than in Africa or the West. Broad in scope but short on details, the Durban Platform aims to break down the firewall that has divided the historic big emitters of greenhouse gases -- industrialized nations -- from the major developing countries whose emissions, scientists say, are now driving future climate change. The existing climate treaty, the Kyoto Protocol, did not require developing nations to reduce emissions. The Durban Platform starts a new process whose goal is to complete, by 2015, a global climate pact with legal force, applying to all nations. This will mean major developing nations will be required to make cuts."
Top op-eds
1) The US labor market may never fully recover, writes Edward Luce: "If there is an explanation as to why middle-class incomes have stagnated in the past generation, this is it: whatever jobs the US is able to create are in the least efficient sectors – the types that neither computers nor China have yet found a way of eliminating. That trend is starting to lap at the feet of more highly educated American workers. And, as the shift continues, higher-paying jobs are also increasingly at risk, argue Prof Spence and Ms Hlatshwayo. What, then, can be done to revitalise the increasingly sclerotic jobs market? If the answer were simple, it would have been on everyone’s lips a long time ago. Unfortunately, there is no precedent for the challenges America faces, and thus little consensus among economists or policymakers on the best remedies. However, almost everyone agrees on how to ensure the situation does not deteriorate."
2) We can learn from how doctors die, writes Ken Murray: "Doctors die, too. And they don’t die like the rest of us. What’s unusual about them is not how much treatment they get compared to most Americans, but how little. For all the time they spend fending off the deaths of others, they tend to be fairly serene when faced with death themselves. They know exactly what is going to happen, they know the choices, and they generally have access to any sort of medical care they could want. But they go gently.Of course, doctors don’t want to die; they want to live. But they know enough about modern medicine to know its limits. And they know enough about death to know what all people fear most: dying in pain, and dying alone. They’ve talked about this with their families. They want to be sure, when the time comes, that no heroic measures will happen--that they will never experience, during their last moments on earth, someone breaking their ribs in an attempt to resuscitate them with CPR (that’s what happens if CPR is done right)."
Wonkbook asks: Is this true? Do we have any good data on end-of-life spending for doctors? Or their medical directives?
3) The Euro crisis is a direct threat to democracy, writes Paul Krugman: "In at least one nation, Hungary, democratic institutions are being undermined as we speak. One of Hungary’s major parties, Jobbik, is a nightmare out of the 1930s: it’s anti-Roma (Gypsy), it’s anti-Semitic, and it even had a paramilitary arm. But the immediate threat comes from Fidesz, the governing center-right party. Fidesz won an overwhelming Parliamentary majority last year, at least partly for economic reasons; Hungary isn’t on the euro, but it suffered severely because of large-scale borrowing in foreign currencies and also, to be frank, thanks to mismanagement and corruption on the part of the then-governing left-liberal parties. Now Fidesz, which rammed through a new Constitution last spring on a party-line vote, seems bent on establishing a permanent hold on power."
4) 2012 will be a year of muddling through, writes Barry Eichengreen: "Nowadays there is no shortage of pundits, economic or otherwise, warning of impending disaster. If right, they are hailed as seers; if wrong, chances are that no one will remember. So here’s a forecast: there will be no shortage of predictions that 2012 is shaping up as a disastrous year. My view is different: 2012 will not be a year of crisis, but nor will it bring an end to our current economic troubles. Rather, it will be a year of muddling through."
Choir interlude: They Might Be Giants and The AV Club play "Tubthumping" by Chumbawumba live.
Got tips, additions, or comments? E-mail me.
Still to come: The Fed may start forecasting its decisions as a matter of course; a Medicare doc fix may not pass in time; the defense spending bill is rife with earmarks; Durban negotiators reached a climate deal; and Ice Cube talks about architecture.
Economy
The Fed may start forecasting its decisions as a regular practice, reports Binyamin Appelbaum: "The Federal Reserve’s decision three years ago to reduce short-term interest rates to nearly zero made a splash, both because the Fed had never pushed rates so low and because it said that it planned to keep rates near zero 'for some time.' Predicting its own future actions was a new step, an experiment in a time of crisis that the Fed has since repeated several times, most recently in August, when it said that it planned to keep interest rates near zero until at least the summer of 2013. Now the technique looks increasingly likely to become a permanent method for influencing economic growth. When the Fed’s policy-making committee convenes on Tuesday, it will consider the idea of publishing a regular forecast of its future decisions on interest rates. Any such plan would most likely be announced no sooner than its next meeting, in January, when it is already scheduled to publish economic projections."
Fannie and Freddie's inspector general is getting aggressive, reports Nick Timiraos: "When Steve Linick first met senior managers at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac early this year, he told them he would be no ordinary Washington regulator. His office has the power to make arrests, issue subpoenas and conduct searches, and some of his employees carry badges and guns. He hasn't hesitated to deploy those resources as the inspector general of the mortgage-finance companies' regulator, the Federal Housing Financing Agency. Mr. Linick, who is set to brief Congress on his oversight on Tuesday, has 48 investigations under way and dispatched federal agents to the homes of several Fannie employees in October as part of an investigation related to defaulted commercial mortgages. Fannie and Freddie were taken over by the government three years ago and have cost taxpayers nearly $151 billion since then."
<The era of "anything goes" mergers is finally over, writes Steven Pearlstein:"Maybe you’ve noticed that companies that are already at the top of their industries have become rather brazen about trying to increase their profits and share prices by buying up their nearest competitors. Who can blame them? For years now, the courts and regulators have turned a blind eye as industry after industry consolidates into two or three dominant firms...That 'anything goes' mentality took a hit recently when the Justice Department dared to challenge the purchase of T-Mobile by AT&T. Now its stepsister, the Federal Trade Commission, has the opportunity to definitively usher in a new era in antitrust by blocking the $29 billion merger between Express Scripts and Medco, two of the biggest pharmacy benefit managers -- the companies that handle the prescription drug portion of your health insurance."
Architecture interlude: Ice Cube examines the Eames House.
Health Care
A Medicare doc fix may not get passed in time, reports Lester Feder: "If Congress can’t finish its homework before it goes on recess, it might be able to get an extension -- but only if it’s willing to trim its winter break. At least, that’s the case with the “doc fix” -- a temporary change to Medicare’s troubled provider payment formula that Congress must pass to prevent a deep cut to physicians. They face a 27 percent payment cut that starts Jan. 1 unless Congress acts. But Jan. 1 isn’t a do-or-die deadline. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services can buy Congress a little breathing room -- as it has done before -- by holding physician payments for a brief period in the new year if it looks as though Congress will move quickly to update the fee schedule. Just don’t expect it to be easy -- for either CMS or the doctors."
The Obama administration broke its promise on Plan B, writes Susan Wood: "It was a proud moment, in the East Room of the White House, on a beautiful spring day in March 2009. In the room were leading scientists, Nobel laureates, the president’s science adviser and heads of organizations that had fought in support of scientific integrity in research and in government. I was excited to have been invited to watch President Obama sign a memorandum on scientific integrity. The directive signaled that decisions about public health would no longer be blocked for reasons beyond scientific and medical evidence...That promise was betrayed this past week when Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius overruled the FDA commissioner -- and all of the physicians and scientists at the FDA -- in blocking the agency’s decision to allow an emergency contraceptive to be available over the counter for all who need it."
Domestic Policy
The defense spending bill has almost $1 billion in earmarks, reports Kimberly Kindy: "A six-month study of this year’s defense authorization bill has identified 115 spending proposals as earmarks worth $834 million, including 20 by Republican freshmen who campaigned against the pet projects, according to a copy of the report provided to The Washington Post. Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), whose staff produced the study, called the behavior a “bold flaunting” of the GOP-led moratorium on earmarks. She chastised Republican House members for removing documents about earmarks from their Web sites that would have made it easier to identify the practice...In the analysis, McCaskill’s staff said it found 40 earmark requests from House Republicans and 75 from House Democrats, the report shows."
Federal spending cuts are endangering affordable housing projects, reports Debbie Cenziper: "Charlotte is a case study of a city facing the fallout of delayed affordable-housing projects promised to neighborhoods badly in need of new homes. Dozens of cities are in similar straits, trying to right troubled construction deals that failed to produce housing despite millions in HUD funding. Local housing officials will have to do it with less to spend: Congress last month cut the HOME program’s budget by $600 million -- nearly 38 percent -- citing mismanagement. Housing advocates criticized the move, estimating that the program will produce 31,000 fewer homes this fiscal year than in 2010...HUD officials declined to comment for this report. In the past, the agency has repeatedly defended the HOME program, saying that it has produced more than 1 million units of housing over two decades."
Lobbying has led to for-profit college rules being watered down, reports Eric Lichtblau: "Last year, the Obama administration vowed to stop for-profit colleges from luring students with false promises. In an opening volley that shook the $30 billion industry, officials proposed new restrictions to cut off the huge flow of federal aid to unfit programs. But after a ferocious response that administration officials called one of the most intense they had seen, the Education Department produced a much-weakened final plan that almost certainly will have far less impact as it goes into effect next year...'The haranguing had zero effect,' said Cass R. Sunstein, the White House official who oversees rule making. Rather, he and other administration officials said they listened to what they viewed as reasonable arguments and decided to narrow the scope of the original plan."
Everyone should be in favor of pushing government to work better, writes Robert Frank: "If government is inevitable, why not try to create the most effective one possible? Success requires focus and hard work, which in turn require dedicated and competent public servants. But experience shows that it’s possible. Annual surveys by Transparency International, a nonprofit group based in Berlin, consistently place the same nations -- New Zealand, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Canada and the Scandinavian countries among them -- atop the list of those whose own citizens think most highly of their governments. The United States does not rank in the top 20. Antigovernment rhetoric is surely not the only reason for our low ranking. But incessant government bashing isn’t making it any easier to recruit the kind of people who make good government, and short lines at the D.M.V., possible for the rest of us."
Gingrich gets it on immigration, writes Bill Keller: "The most scrupulous study I’ve seen of the economic impact of illegal immigration -- by Gordon Hanson, an economist at the University of California, San Diego -- weighed the costs to society (schools, health care, etc.) against the benefits (tax revenues, labor productivity, etc.) and concluded that the difference was 'close enough to zero to be essentially a wash.' The idea that illegal immigrants are dragging down the economy is just wrong...On major points Gingrich is consistent with the best proposals compiled by serious students of this subject, who aim to build a reform based not on what makes you feel good but on what’s best for the country...There are plenty of reasons the thought of President Newt Gingrich makes me shudder. But on this hard, defining American issue, he’s shown a combination of brains, heart and guts that puts the rest of his party to shame."
Adorable animals enjoying cinema interlude: The cat-only premiere of "Puss in Boots".
Energy
Animal welfare rules are hurting wind power, reports Ryan Tracy: "New federal rules on how wind-power operators must manage threats to wildlife could create another challenge for the fast-growing industry as it seeks more footholds in the U.S. energy landscape. The death of an endangered bat in September at a wind farm in Pennsylvania was the latest in a series of incidents that have caught the attention of regulators and conservation-minded scientists, who worry that large numbers of bats, bald eagles and other birds are being killed by wind turbines' spinning blades. In January, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is set to publish new guidelines telling wind-farm operators how to measure the danger to wildlife at new sites and how to monitor existing sites. The guidelines are voluntary, but those who don't follow them are more likely to face fines or penalties if their turbines kill an animal protected by federal law."
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's internal conflict has gone public, reports Matthew Wald: "Another chapter is out in the continuing and very public story of conflict within the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which has now taken the form of a battle of snail mail. A letter addressed to the White House chief of staff and signed by four of the five commission members was circulated Friday criticizing the fifth member, Gregory B. Jaczko, its chairman, and expressing 'grave concerns' that his deficiencies as a leader could compromise nuclear safety. It was dated Oct. 13. A similar letter was sent directly to Dr. Jaczko. And this week, a rebuttal letter from Dr. Jaczko, also addressed to William M. Daley, President Obama’s chief of staff, said the other four members were improperly trying to involve themselves in management affairs, which in a reorganization of the commission in 1980 became the chairman’s sole responsibility."
Wonkbook is compiled and produced with help from Dylan Matthews and Michelle Williams.
@thehill unless the Keystone comes with buffalo preserves, it is not shovel ready, it is bad sandwich policy and GOP meandering on budget
MY EDITORIAL ON HOW CURRENT POLITICS AND POLICIES ARE AFFECTING THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE REMAINING AT 11% FOR THREE YEARS:
Aja Brooks
If Obama hated Bush so much, why did he continue all of this disastrous policies? For the past 3 years, the government has operated on a 'continuing resolution', unable to pay it's bills with a -$15,000,000,000,000 deficit. Folks: don't you think it's time that you FIRE Obama? The Tea Party Chief already fired him shortly before Thanksgiving, as he has done no work, except haranguing me from a Blackberry! We are working on our 5th scandal (Holder Fast&Furious, Tony Rezko his Fundraiser sentenced to 10yrs. in jail, Blago got 14yrs. for trying to sell Obama's Senate Seat, and Solyndra 'GREEN ENERGY JOBS' did not create a single job for the $535 million dollar loan! Now we assess MF Global and Corzine, who doesn't know where the money is!!) Furthermore, you can view the Tea Party's analysis of the budget, and how Obama has misspent this money and areas of the government we need to audit/do away with: http://lnk.ms/Wb6nV The GA Tea Party is also committed to bringing you job opportunities: GA Tea Party bringing you the Metro Area job postings, from last week's searching, I had discovered many of us have to go to Atlanta to work, and this poses a serious personal cost of transportation of $200-$400 a month, not including a car payment or paying to take Marta. http://explorer.dol.state.ga.us/jobfeeds/ TO VIEW OUR SIFTING OF SITES: please check Mondays and Fridays, or ask to be added to our Facebook groups: http://lnk.ms/XBfth and http://lnk.ms/XBftk
— with Antoniette D Walker, Jason Brooks, Luis Daniel Amaro-Ortiz, Debbie Ross Fallaw Redd, Augie McLamb Ramos, Bonnie Lindsey Veach, Andrea Archer, John Carey, Chemtrails Hurt, HAkeem Patrick Blackburn, Zoe Adeline Byers, Stephen Aaron, Barbara Wilkinson, Awake AndAlert, FlowerMound TeaParty, Amy Broich, Michael Feltman, Tracey Edenfield Wrighter, Jo Anne Letourneau, David Beverage, Conservatives Rising, Richard A. Stoneking Sr., Adrian Palmerson, H Michael Doss, Brandy Danyelle Agee, Savage America, Jeremiah Behr, D.j. LetsgetF'dup Briggs, Atticus Alberts, Autumn Sullivan, Barbara Mullis, Jamie Conner, Carl Swensson, Veronica Elle Ingram,Bryan Kurt Weber, Ateeq Rasheed, Alonzo M. Borja, Joseph Emerson Brown, Jacob-delgodis Sims, Amanda Stone, Wendy Murphy Fahrion, James Daniel Swayngim, Allissa Nielsen, Anthony Cox and Alan Wolfe at GA Tea Party.
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2011teaparty Tea Party Chief
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THE ONLY GOOD NEWS IS THAT WE DID NOT HAVE ANY NEW FORECLOSURES IN GEORGIA, BUT IF WE DON’T FIX THE BUDGET AND UNEMPLOYMENT, WE WILL BE LIKE THE GREAT DEPRESSION REALLY WAS!!
FOR FULL MEGA DEBATE TWEETS AND VIEWER ANALYSES: http://www.facebook.com/events/149232365180117/
TEA PARTY ON THE MONEY WITH PRESIDENT SARKOZY OF FRANCE, ON THE EUROZONE, EU SUMMIT:
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
December 12, 2011
SECRETARY CLINTON: Good afternoon, and let me again welcome the foreign secretary here to Washington and to the State Department. It is a special pleasure to see him at the end of a year in which we cooperated so closely and constructively together. We’ve had a very robust shared calendar as we’ve tackled these global challenges every single day of this entire year, it seems. And we’ve met on many previous occasions, both bilaterally and then through a multitude of multilateral engagements. So it’s good to review and look forward at this time of year.
We will be meeting again, we’ve already concluded, numerous times in the first half of next year. And obviously, we have a lot to talk about whenever we do meet. Our meeting today reflected a wide array of shared concerns and challenges, including the economic crisis in Europe, the embassy – attack on the UK Embassy in Iran, the transition in Afghanistan, the situation in Pakistan, the evolving situations in Burma, North Africa, the Middle East, the Balkans, and so much more. We lost track of all of the matters which we went over today.
We naturally discussed the decisions regarding Europe’s debt crisis, and we have a – as we’ve said many times, a great stake in a speedy resolution. We support efforts to enact pro-growth reforms, and we will continue to work closely with our European partners. We discussed the ongoing efforts to press the Iranian Government to meet all of its international obligations. The attack on the British Embassy was an affront not only to the British people, but to the international community. Governments owe a duty to protect diplomatic lives and property, and we expect the Government of Iran to do just that both inside and outside of Iran. That is why we strongly supported the UN General Assembly’s resolution deploring the plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador here in Washington. And we’re working together on additional sanctions, and the great work that the foreign minister and the Government of the UK has done with us at the IAEA to express nearly unanimous concern about Iran’s nuclear program.
Afghanistan was a big part of the discussion today, following up on our meetings in Bonn and the ISAF meeting in Brussels at NATO. The British and American men and women of our armed forces have literally stood and fought side by side and have reversed the Taliban momentum on the battlefields. And our diplomats and development experts have likewise stood shoulder-to-shoulder to try to help the people of Afghanistan realize a better future. As we talk about transitioning security, we look very clearly at the goal that was set at the Lisbon summit. This transition is a new phase of support for Afghanistan, not the end of our commitment, and we will stay very closely connected as we move through this period as well.
I welcomed the news that the foreign secretary will be going to Burma. I think we have a real opportunity through sustained diplomacy to test the new government and to work toward the resolution of outstanding problems that prevent that country from achieving its rightful place in the community of nations for the 21st century. And there’s a very clear path forward if they wish to follow it. We of course discussed the Middle East and, in particular, Syria. We’ve worked closely together to increase the pressure on the Asad regime. We welcomed the recent action by the Arab League. I met with members of the Syrian opposition last week. We encourage other Arab leaders to meet with them as well and continue our support for peaceful protest and reform inside Syria.
And we compared notes on the parliamentary elections in Egypt. The Egyptian people are justifiably proud to begin the process of choosing their new leaders. We urge the Egyptian authorities to ensure that free and fair voting continues through the next election rounds, and that there be a steady transition toward a new civilian government. And at the same time, we call upon the continued protection of peaceful protestors and holding those accountable for previous incidents of violence.
So this is just a snapshot of our very lengthy and substantive conversation. So again, Foreign Secretary, welcome back to Washington.
FOREIGN SECRETARY HAGUE: Well, thank you very much indeed. Ladies and gentlemen, it’s a great pleasure as always to be here in Washington with Secretary Clinton. The United States of America is our closest and our indispensible ally in foreign policy. And as ever, we’ve had a good meeting of minds as we discussed this very broad range of challenges that we face. As everyone knows, we’ve had in 2011 a momentous year in world affairs, and I think we’ve risen to these challenges with confidence. Our joint efforts in Libya, for instance, to save lives benefitted from the seamless cooperation in diplomacy and in defense, which is one of the distinctive hallmarks of the relationship between the United Kingdom and the United States of America.
2012 is set to throw up challenges in foreign policy that could be more demanding and complex still, and we must be ready for those. Britain is determined to play its full part alongside the United States, standing shoulder to shoulder and building on our shared values, our sense of common purpose, our mutual resolve.
As you’ve heard from Secretary Clinton, our discussions today have ranged over a very wide range of subjects. We’ve discussed the economic situation in Europe, in particular in the Eurozone. And in the United Kingdom, as our prime minister has said in parliament today, we want to see the Eurozone stabilized. That involves far more than simply greater medium-term fiscal integration. Important though that is, the markets wants to be assured that the firewall is big enough for the Eurozone and that banks are adequately recapitalized, that the – that countries like Greece have adequately dealt with the problems.
We cannot sign a European treaty that does not give adequate protection to the single market in Europe, but we’re not changing our relationship with the European Union, and we will work with our European partners over the coming months on the need for the EU to remove barriers to trade, to complete the single market, to conclude free trade agreements around the world. These remain the most important way for Europe to compete and address economic problems and generate essential growth.
As you’ve heard, we share a growing concern with the United States about the situation in Syria and the deplorable violence orchestrated by the regime. We welcome the continued efforts of the Arab League and call on the international community to unite in its condemnation of events in Syria.
Our talks reaffirmed our countries’ close understanding of the threat posed by Iran’s nuclear program. I particularly thanked Secretary Clinton for her robust support over the recent attacks on our embassy in Tehran, and we shared our latest thinking on the expansion of sanctions against Iran. This includes European Union consideration of measures against the Iranian energy sector as part of the pressure on Iran to return to negotiations over its nuclear ambitions.
We discussed the Middle East peace process and the need for a return to negotiations. That cannot safely be delayed. I briefed Secretary Clinton on our preparations for the London conference on Somalia in February. We need a stronger international approach to the crisis there and to seize the opportunity now to address the root causes of terrorism, instability, piracy. We will spend a lot of time and attention on this in the early months of 2012, and see it as a key priority for next year, and I look forward to continuing to work with Secretary Clinton on this.
We reviewed progress on Afghanistan in the light of the Bonn conference, which we both attended last week. Ten years on, great strides have been made. Our goal now is to consolidate them so that the Afghan people can take control of their own security from 2014. And Britain will continue to work closely with the U.S. and with our other partners in Afghanistan as we work towards the very important Chicago summit to be held in May.
We’ve discussed the protests that we’ve seen in recent days in Moscow. It’s clearly important that the Russian Government investigates the allegations of alleged abuses, and we welcome the commitment of President Medvedev to do so.
We also agreed the international community must show strategic patience in the Western Balkans, which Secretary Clinton has rightly described as unfinished business. And we strongly support that region’s integration within Euro-Atlantic structures and the resolution of outstanding issues. We share a common commitment to the territorial integrity of Bosnia-Herzegovina as a single, sovereign state. And we discussed ways in which we can intensify our efforts, working with the Office of the High Representative, the European Union, and other nations to help that country turn a new page in 2012.
We’ve discussed our diplomacy in the Asia Pacific region and the United States announcements about that region in recent weeks, and in that regard, I particularly welcome Secretary Clinton’s recent visit to Burma. Our common objective is to see political freedom in Burma, and constructive engagement which helps further that goal is very important. I will visit Burma in early January, and we will remain in close contact with the U.S. on this issue, as on all the other issues that I’ve mentioned in the coming months.
In all of these areas, Britain doesn’t have a more important ally than the United States, and I look forward to all our work together over the coming year that is as effective and durable in its consequences as it has been this year and in so many other years before it.
Thank you very much indeed.
SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you.
MODERATOR: Okay. Four questions today, first one from BBC (inaudible).
QUESTION: Thank you. Two questions for you: First, Secretary Hague, I know you’ve just said that the UK’s not changing its relationship with the EU. But do you believe that the British Government’s decision on the Eurozone diminishes Britain’s influence in Europe and perhaps in the world?
And a question for both of you: Secretary Hague, you’ve also just said that you welcome the investigation into the allegations of fraud in the elections in Russia. Do you trust – do you both trust that the results will be what is required, and will it allay the concerns of the protesters? What do you think the Russian authorities should do beyond an investigation to address those concerns?
FOREIGN SECRETARY HAGUE: Well, on the – taking the second question first, of course, that will depend on the investigation and what it produces and how it is conducted. It’s important that such investigations take place, so I think it is right, as I’ve said, to welcome the willingness of the Russian Government to do that. Clearly, as nations that believe in democracy and freedom of speech and political freedom, we want to see such investigations take place as transparently and as fully as possible, but I think that it’s impossible to judge them in advance.
On the question of the European Union, no, I don’t agree with the thrust of your question. On all of the issues that we’ve just been describing, all the foreign policy issues in dealing with Iran, pressure on Syria, on how to take forward the Middle East peace process, the European Union is an important player – very important player in the world and in those – and determining the European Union attitude on all of those issues, the United Kingdom plays an absolutely central and leading role.
We also do so in pushing forward the single market in Europe, in championing free trade agreements such as the one we signed with South Korea earlier this year. And all of that continues; that doesn’t change because we choose not to participate in one set of arrangements which are not adequate for us. That’s not a new thing to do. The United Kingdom did not join the euro, and we’re pleased we did not join the euro. We’re not part of the Schengen border arrangements, and we’re very satisfied that we’re not. Europe can develop in a way in which there are overlapping circles of decision-making. And not every nation has to participate in everything.
But that doesn’t alter our central role in driving forward European policy on the whole range of subjects that I’ve just described.
SECRETARY CLINTON: I would just add to what William already said about Russia. We were pleased that the protests yesterday were peaceful. We think that’s a very good sign. There were dozens of them across the country. And the fact that the government has announced that it is willing to investigate allegations of fraud and manipulation associated with the December 4th Duma elections is a good sign and a reassuring position for the Russian people.
But the proof is in the pudding. We’ll wait and see how they conduct such an investigation, what the consequences are. They have a good roadmap coming from the OSCE which has set forth a number of recommendations. So we’re supportive of the announcement of investigations, and now we hope that it will be followed through on.
MODERATOR: Next question, (inaudible) of the London Times.
QUESTION: (Inaudible) from the Times. Last week an American general in Baghdad said that he wasn’t sure what would happen in Iraq after the last American troops have left. After December the 31st, your own Department, Madam Secretary, will be, as it were, in charge of American interests in Baghdad and in Iraq. How confident are you that Iraq is going to turn into the sort of country perhaps you had in mind when this all began?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, we have been having very intensive discussions with President – with Prime Minister Maliki and various ministers of his government starting last night, going through into the morning in the Oval Office with the President, and we certainly are looking forward to a normal relationship between two sovereign countries.
The outline for our actions was set prior to this Administration coming into office in 2008, when the Bush Administration agreed that our military presence would end at the end of this year. That is going to happen. We hope, in fact, that our troops will be out in time for Christmas. And then we will be taking, on a case-by-case basis, requests for additional assistance, of which there are many coming from the Iraqis. Certainly in the security and the military training arena, there is quite a long list of requests, and we are looking forward to evaluating those and fulfilling them wherever possible.
We are going to be working on police training, which is getting underway. We have a number of agreements that have been worked on under the strategic framework that was adopted back in 2008. So we’re on the path to meet our commitment to withdraw all U.S. military personnel even as we maintain a robust civilian presence under State Department leadership that’ll include diplomats, business and development experts, security assistance experts, law enforcement officers, and others from civilian agencies across the United States Government. They will be working out of our Embassy in Baghdad, out of our consulates general in Erbil and Basra, our diplomatic presence in Kirkuk, and they will be protected, as our civilians are in many places in the world, by contracted security personnel. That’s a very common practice.
So again last night and today, our Iraqi partners made clear that they want a relationship that is deeper and broader than a military relationship, and we are working to achieve that.
MODERATOR: (Off-mike.)
QUESTION: Thank you. Madam Secretary, if I could follow up on Iraq, was there any resolution in your meetings about the fate of the last detainee in --
SECRETARY CLINTON: Steve, I can’t hear you.
QUESTION: I’m sorry. I’ll repeat it. Was there any resolution in your meetings with the Iraq – with the fate of the last detainee, Ali Musa Daqduq?
And if I could ask you both on Iran, with the drone crash, the attack on the embassy, the various assassinations, the explosion at a missile factory recently with the IAEA findings, is there a risk now that the – that our countries are lurching towards some sort of confrontation with Iran? And specifically, Madam Secretary, the Senate has voted to expand U.S. sanctions to include the Iranian Central Bank. Where do you stand on the negotiations? Thank you.
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, Steven, first, with respect to actions regarding Iran, we are very clearly making known our concerns. We submitted a formal request for the return of our lost equipment, as we would in any situation to any government around the world. Given Iran’s behavior to date, we do not expect them to comply, but we are dealing with all of these provocations and concerning actions taken by Iran in close concert with our closest allies and partners, starting with the UK. We obviously believe strongly in a diplomatic approach. We want to see the Iranians engage, and as you know, we have attempted to bring about that engagement over the course of the last three-plus years. It has not proven effective, but we’re not giving up on it.
And with respect to any actions on further sanctions, we have been very tough, and not only did we work hard to get international sanctions through the United Nations, but we, along with close partners like the UK, like the EU, and others, have applied additional sanctions, and we will continue to do so. I’m not going to telegraph where, when, and how, but our view is that the path that Iran seems to be going down is a dangerous one for themselves and for the region. And the danger is compounded, on top of their provocation, their deliberate support for terrorism in many places, by their continuing pursuit of a nuclear weapon. So it’s something that the world has to respond to, and I think we’ve been quite effective in doing so.
With respect to your first question, that is still a matter of discussion between us and the Iraqis.
FOREIGN SECRETARY HAGUE: And on Iran, as Hillary says, we are not giving up on engagement with Iran, but on a number of occasions, Iran has behaved in a way, in recent weeks and months, which have intensified confrontation with the rest of the world. We have seen – in the plots to assassinate the Saudi ambassador here and the invasion of the British Embassy compounds in Tehran, we’ve seen an increasing predilection for dangerous and illegal adventures on the part of at least parts of the Iranian regime. It may not be the work of a united Iranian regime, but from at least parts of the Iranian regime, such actions have been sanctioned.
And so we will increase the peaceful, legitimate pressure on Iran. We see that not as confrontation, but as a necessary response to the – in particular, to the nuclear program. We adopted in the European Union, ten days ago, sanctions on an additional 180 individuals and entities, and we will expand those sanctions further – or we intend to do so at the end of January – with tougher sanctions on the financial sector, on the energy and transport sectors from the European Union as a whole, and so we will continue to intensify that pressure while Iran’s nuclear program continues with no adequate explanation of a peaceful purpose.
MODERATOR: Last question comes (inaudible).
QUESTION: Madam Secretary, could I just ask you, does Britain’s new position in Europe concern you, especially given the historic bridge that the UK has offered between Europe and the U.S.?
SECRETARY CLINTON: I have to say it does not. I think that the role that the UK has played in Europe will continue. And we, of course, welcome that. And our concern has not been over the position that the UK has taken, it’s whether the decisions made by other members of the Eurozone countries within the EU will work, and we want to encourage that. We are very hopeful and supportive that this latest set of actions will send the right signals and have the results that are being sought. So I separate out the economic issues – which, as William said, the UK has never been a party to the euro, so that’s not something that’s particularly going to change – from the political work that we do almost every day with the UK and with the EU. So I don’t see any spillover there at my view.
Thank you.
OMG -- SOMEONE PLEASE TELL NEWT GINGRICH THAT WE’RE NOT LIVING IN 1998 ANYMORE, AND WE DO NOT WANT ANOTHER REIGN OF BUSH’S POLICIES OR THE GOP LIKE WE HAD IN 1996-2006, WHO THINK THE RULES DON’T APPLY TO THEM, WHO CAN SAY WHATEVER THEY WANT, WITHOUT CONSEQUENCE:
2011teaparty Tea Party Chief
Aja Brooks
If Obama hated Bush so much, why did he continue all of this disastrous policies? For the past 3 years, the government has operated on a 'continuing resolution', unable to pay it's bills with a -$15,000,000,000,000 deficit. Folks: don't you think it's time that you FIRE Obama? The Tea Party Chief already fired him shortly before Thanksgiving, as he has done no work, except haranguing me from a Blackberry! We are working on our 5th scandal (Holder Fast&Furious, Tony Rezko his Fundraiser sentenced to 10yrs. in jail, Blago got 14yrs. for trying to sell Obama's Senate Seat, and Solyndra 'GREEN ENERGY JOBS' did not create a single job for the $535 million dollar loan! Now we assess MF Global and Corzine, who doesn't know where the money is!!) Furthermore, you can view the Tea Party's analysis of the budget, and how Obama has misspent this money and areas of the government we need to audit/do away with: http://lnk.ms/Wb6nV The GA Tea Party is also committed to bringing you job opportunities: GA Tea Party bringing you the Metro Area job postings, from last week's searching, I had discovered many of us have to go to Atlanta to work, and this poses a serious personal cost of transportation of $200-$400 a month, not including a car payment or paying to take Marta. http://explorer.dol.state.ga.us/jobfeeds/ TO VIEW OUR SIFTING OF SITES: please check Mondays and Fridays, or ask to be added to our Facebook groups: http://lnk.ms/XBfth and http://lnk.ms/XBftk
— with Antoniette D Walker, Jason Brooks, Luis Daniel Amaro-Ortiz, Debbie Ross Fallaw Redd, Augie McLamb Ramos, Bonnie Lindsey Veach, Andrea Archer, John Carey, Chemtrails Hurt, HAkeem Patrick Blackburn, Zoe Adeline Byers, Stephen Aaron, Barbara Wilkinson, Awake AndAlert, FlowerMound TeaParty, Amy Broich, Michael Feltman, Tracey Edenfield Wrighter, Jo Anne Letourneau, David Beverage, Conservatives Rising, Richard A. Stoneking Sr., Adrian Palmerson, H Michael Doss, Brandy Danyelle Agee, Savage America, Jeremiah Behr, D.j. LetsgetF'dup Briggs, Atticus Alberts, Autumn Sullivan, Barbara Mullis, Jamie Conner, Carl Swensson, Veronica Elle Ingram,Bryan Kurt Weber, Ateeq Rasheed, Alonzo M. Borja, Joseph Emerson Brown, Jacob-delgodis Sims, Amanda Stone, Wendy Murphy Fahrion, James Daniel Swayngim, Allissa Nielsen, Anthony Cox and Alan Wolfe at GA Tea Party.
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- Roxann Rao likes this.
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Really @geemann790? The fact that people keep asking me whether I'll support the GOP candidate over Obama is MY fault?
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I did get retweeted by Buddy Roemer today, so there's that.
RT @AceofSpadesHQ: Perry's state created 45% of all jobs created in America the last two years. That's not just ideology. That's tangible.
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2011teaparty Tea Party Chief @davidgregory You want to give an editorial-then say your piece, you waste too much time getting to the quirks, this is not Russert's legacy
@davidgregory you need to report and repeat not perceptualize and indoctrinate by your opinion, dammnit David, I get sick of that and MSNBC
@davidgregory when you and MSNBC get out of the political business and reclaim the Press business, then maybe we'll take this paltry serious
@RepPaulRyan Try me, I'm in the mood today, I will dump out the drawers of the GOP, no one will be exempt from a year of my wrath
@RepPaulRyan , and EVERYONE will get charged with misappropriation
@RepPaulRyan I'm dead serious, that Impeachment Order will be written by me whether Obama signs it or not
@RepPaulRyan STOP letting them paint you a rodeo clown: no votes on anything until they fix the budget, or I draft Impeachment Order.
The federal budget process is broken. To restore fiscal sanity in Washington, consider these 10 common-sense reforms:ow.ly/7ULYL
#headdesk it's going to be a long week, and a long 3 weeks until Iowa, Lord Jesus help them before I rip off their heads #Obama #Congress
@USATODAY Obama doesn't have us convinced, and Congress doesn't have us convinced that they are serious about the budget and cuts !!!!
@Senate_GOPs @StewSays @BarackObama @SenatorReid I'll read McConnell's bill, and I will tell you if it worth the mustard, dry sandwich bills
@DomenicoNBC Gingrich fizzled last night-he was like a brick wall, but he made no new impressions and the Tea Party never will support him
@Senate_GOPs @StewSays @BarackObama @SenatorReidSPEND ALL YOUR FREE TIME WRITING LEGISLATION INSTEAD OF TWEAKING YOUR GODDAMN PORTFOLIOS!!!
@Senate_GOPs @StewSays @BarackObama @SenatorReid GET YOUR HANDS DIRTY: GO TO THE LIBRARY ON SATURDAYS, NOT THE GOLF COURSE!!!!
@Senate_GOPs @StewSays @BarackObama @SenatorReid You can rip on the Tea Party all you want, but I have done your dirty work LONG ENOUGH!!!!
@Senate_GOPs @StewSays @BarackObama @SenatorReid ALL OF YOU GET PAID HANDSOMELY, I HAVE TO DO YOUR JOB, GET STUCK WITH THE MESS !!!!!
@Senate_GOPs @StewSays @BarackObama @SenatorReid I HAVE A LIFE: I PAY TAXES, PAID THEM 13YRS. I DON'T GET PAID TO WRITE BILLS BUT I DO !!!!
@Senate_GOPs @StewSays @BarackObama @SenatorReid I'M TIRED OF SHIT SWEEPING CONGRESS ALL OF THE TIME, THEN DOING YOUR JOBS TO BOOT !!!!!!!!!
@Senate_GOPs @StewSays @BarackObama @SenatorReidGODDAMNIT GET TO WORK.... DO I HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING??
@Senate_GOPs @StewSays @BarackObama @SenatorReidBOTH PARTIES ARE TO BLAME FOR CONGRESS-THE ONLY THING TEA PARTY IS GUILTY OF IS FREE SPEECH
2011teaparty Tea Party Chief @Senate_GOPs @StewSays @BarackObama @SenatorReid IF REPUBS WOULD STOP WRITING LUMPY SANDWICH BILLS-CLEAR FOCUS/FUNDING, GRIDLOCK WOULD EASE
@Senate_GOPs @StewSays @BarackObama @SenatorReid IF DEMS AGREED TO A DEBT PAYMENT PLAN, FIXED THE BUDGET IN THE SENATE, GRIDLOCK WOULD EASE.
Retweeted by 2011teaparty
@Senate_GOPs @StewSays @BarackObama @SenatorReid I took a chainsaw to the Democrats' bills and they can't pass them for lack of funds!!
@Senate_GOPs @StewSays @BarackObama @SenatorReid the GOP SANDWICH BILLS HAVE TO FUCKING STOP-have you no integrity when coming to the floor?
@Senate_GOPs @StewSays @BarackObama @SenatorReidpayroll tax cut ext. Bush tax cut ext. with the budget not attended to -- hell no!!!!
@Senate_GOPs @StewSays @BarackObama @SenatorReidgoddamnit why can't y'all do it right - Keystone+Buffalo Preserve one bill, up or down vote
RT @StewSays: Sen. McConnell on Fox News Sunday: "So far, we haven't gotten straight answers" from the Justice Department on #FastAndFurious
Retweeted by 2011teaparty
@BarackObama @SenatorReid the Keystone Pipeline may eek, and squeeze through the Senate, but I know you won't sign it Obama.
@BarackObama @SenatorReid while the House may pass McConnell's Montage, they are notorious for sandwich bills as you are for b.s. long bills
@BarackObama @SenatorReid we don't support Payroll tax ext or Bush tax cuts, because they were a part of the base budget/15 trillion in debt
@BarackObama @SenatorReid we will support the Keystone Pipeline, if there is a provision for buffalo reserves along the pipeline
@Senate_GOPs The problem that I have with the payroll tax and Bush Tax Cuts-they are a part of the base budgeting, we $15 trillion in debt
@Senate_GOPs Okay the problem that I have with the Keystone Pipeline: NO BUFFALO PRESERVES/REIMBURSAL FOR NATIVE STANDARDS OF LIFE WITH IT
McConnell on AG Holder and Fast & Furious: "Clearly they haven't been forthcoming."
Retweeted by 2011teaparty
@BarackObama What justification have you in giving ALL of our enemies the upperhand on the Keystone Pipeline Initiative, the EPA's sanctity?
@BarackObama START LOADING THE INK INTO THE QUILL, WRITE YOUR OWN IMPEACHMENT ORDER, AND SIGN YOUR NAME IN RESIGNATION AT THE BOTTOM!!!!
@BarackObama Let me tell you something, you veto this Keystone Pipeline initiative, get people to vote against it, you sign your own removal
@BarackObama AFTER FOUR SCANDALS TYING YOU TO THE ELECTION FRAUD OF 2008, YOU WILL SIGN YOUR FATE VETOING THE KEYSTONE PIPELINE !!!!!
@PoliticalTicker yeah Bachmann aimed for the stars, got a repeal bill out of me, sat on it over a year, and she'll be lucky to get the moon
@WRITEC @truthzone @THEHermanCain @CainStaff@Catholics4Cain why so your concubines can write you in.... c'mon Cain you bowed out on morals!
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@RonPaul_2012 yeah last night, to me it was a tie between Rick and Rick, but the people have spoken on Facebook: Paul a fav Perry up 4 votes
THIS CAME AFTER MY SUNDAY TIRADE ON SENATOR MCCONNELL, FOR HIS SUGAR-COATED SHIT SANDWICH OF A CHRISTMAS WISH LIST PACKAGE:2011teaparty Tea Party Chief @newtgingrinch @JonHuntsman there is so much from the MEGA DEBATE, Congress Christmas WISH LIST #HR3630gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILL… don't have room
2011teaparty Tea Party Chief 
@Senate_GOPs @WaysandMeansGOP you're trying to turn Obama's Kwanza tree into a FULLY DECORATED tree.... omyLord... with this bill
@Senate_GOPs @WaysandMeansGOP Okay I see how you're trying to force Obama to pass this MONSTROUS SANDWICH OF A BILL: TANF provision funding
2011teaparty Tea Party Chief @Senate_GOPs @WaysandMeansGOP STRIKE #1 NO UNEMPLOYMENT EXTENSION STRIKE #2 Medicare needs to be reformed separately
@Senate_GOPs @WaysandMeansGOP not really interested in funding solvent programs, programs dissolve for a reason over time; funding mainly
@Senate_GOPs @WaysandMeansGOP what is 2161 exactly? Improved work search for long-term unemployed?? I have searched sites for nearly 3 YEARS
@Senate_GOPs @WaysandMeansGOP Unemployment is dependent upon what you have paid in, not unjustified spending/creative financing mechanism
@Senate_GOPs @WaysandMeansGOP Unemployment extension is the GOP conceding to give candy to the Democrats to pass out, deal-making
@Senate_GOPs @WaysandMeansGOP Where we have 10-15% unemployment, government should be reduced by that percentage and cut back as well.
@Senate_GOPs @WaysandMeansGOP Issue #1 we're still using government to fix the unemployment problems, rather than reducing govt.
@Senate_GOPs @WaysandMeansGOP if you really want to encourage responsible use of tax dollars, then bring Social Sec. statement-no drug tests
@WaysandMeansGOP I am reading it now
@WaysandMeansGOP H.R. 3630 gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILL… #Keystone bill is not on McConnell's or Speaker's page or basic google hit searches
@Senate_GOPs H.R. 3630 gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILL… #Keystone bill is not on McConnell's or Speaker's page or basic google hit searches
GOOD MORNIN ATL-my list 1) Read Sen. McConnell's #KeystonePipeline/feedback 2) Read Sarkozy's list of obligations 3) write newsletter/bills
@BBCWorld Putin and Obama should run together, that way neither of them will lose.... weren't we told that? Oh yeah dead and mickey legit...
Retweeted by 2011teaparty
@astrosofista @CRKARLA @JoseeRMWFC @nebulosa21@EagleVern Tea Party Chief sings "The Big Government Christmas Carol" youtube.com/watch?v=kYB-DD…
THE ONLY GOOD NEWS IS THAT WE DID NOT HAVE ANY NEW FORECLOSURES IN GEORGIA, BUT IF WE DON’T FIX THE BUDGET AND UNEMPLOYMENT, WE WILL BE LIKE THE GREAT DEPRESSION REALLY WAS!!
FOR FULL MEGA DEBATE TWEETS AND VIEWER ANALYSES: http://www.facebook.com/events/149232365180117/
Emmanuelle Levert
Those two moderators are horrible!!!!
Unlike · · Saturday at 10:12pm
Aja Brooks agreed
Mike Merker I quit watching the debates! I am sick and tired of these left wing radicals moderating the debates and trying to influence who gets the nomination!
Dan Wenzel Typical liberals, George will defend Clinton to his death !!
Dan Wenzel
Anyone here what the UN is wanting to do with the enviroment... to create a enviromentalist court to get all 184 member cou tries to following the Green agenda and would be subject to the UN court if they didnt but the UN needs to have all 184 countries to commit to such a court.......
Like · · Saturday at 10:09pmDan Wenzel
If there on the Govt dole or have any criminal background they get deported period. If there just here to exist and are. ot a upstanding member of there community with a good job and paying taxes they get deported everyone !! Theres no difference between a illegal going to prisonor being deported is there ?
Like · · Saturday at 10:05pm
Emmanuelle Levert
It seems Perry is doing much better in this debate so far....
Unlike · · Saturday at 10:03pmYou like this.
Dan Wenzel
What was the theme for this debate alittle bit of everything or just to regurgitate whats been debated ?
Unlike · · Saturday at 9:56pm
Susan Lincks
And that is a big HeLL NO I don't trust you Newt!!
Unlike · · Saturday at 9:55pmYou like this.
Dan Wenzel
Here we are 54 minutes in and we've had what 5 questions ???
Like · · Saturday at 9:54pmDan Wenzel
Pauls spot on with that
Like · · Saturday at 9:52pmRussell Flowers
Could the Republicans make it any easier to kill any chance of replacing Obama? So far, Dems and ABC wins!
Like · · Saturday at 9:48pmDan Wenzel If they wanted to dodge a debate this one was it not the Trump debate, these people need to get there heads outta there Asses and start dissing these liberal circus shows and go where the debates are more fair and balanced with no gotcha questions.
Aja Brooks well this debate is a little nauseous but that was 1 hr of verigo with Diane Sawyer
Saturday at 9:54pm · Like
Yerushalayimshelzahav Yeliab
Michelle Bachmann, right on you make us proud:)
Unlike · · Saturday at 9:45pmYou like this.
Aja Brooks EXCEPT WE COULD HAVE ALREADY REPEALED OBAMACARE, LAST YEAR, SHE HAS SAT ON MY BILL !!!https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jK6-kGCB_Dbb5K98YSS9o9kSNBwLJsSb7XQ5GQSvTks/edit?authkey=CIS_je8I&hl=en_US
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jK6-kGCB_Dbb5K98YSS9o9kSNBwLJsSb7XQ5GQSvTks/edit?authkey=CIS_je8
accounts.google.com
Saturday at 9:47pm · Like · 
Yerushalayimshelzahav Yeliab You did that?
Saturday at 9:49pm · Like
Aja Brooks YEAH
7 minutes ago · Like
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@AriFleischer especially when the drone looks to be of Russian Construction, is it really ours or did we pay Russia to make the drone? OMG!!
Which statement is most worthy of ridicule? Romney to Perry on the $10k bet, or Obama to Iran, asking them to return our drone?
Retweeted by 2011teaparty
TEA PARTY ON THE MONEY WITH PRESIDENT SARKOZY OF FRANCE, ON THE EUROZONE, EU SUMMIT:
- ECONOMICS
ECONOMICS-MARKET
trends
A golden rule required to reduce deficits
- Keywords: GOLDEN RULE , BUDGET , DEBT , EUROPE
- By Cyril LACHEVREPublishedon 09/12/2011 at 22:23 Reactions ( 269 )
- Flags of European countries outside the entrance of the European Parliament. Photo credits: GERARD CERLE / AFP
- Subscribe to Figaro.fr
The agreement between 26 of the 27 member countries of the EU takes most of the Franco-German proposals set Monday.
- The discussion paper issued after the summit significantly strengthens the union budget between European countries.
- Sanctions against a state that exceed the ceiling of 3% of GDP for public deficits will be automatic
- • A golden rule for all constitutional
- Each Member State shall ensure that its structural deficit (excluding interest on debt) do not exceed 0.5% of GDP. In other words, all states should adopt a rule of thumb . "The European Court of Justice will verify that each country will implement this golden rule in its own Constitution or equivalent level," the statement said. Automatic mechanisms for correcting budgetary trajectories are planned in case of deviation. This golden rule is less severe than that to be implemented in Germany in 2016-which provides a deficit limit of 0.35% of GDP, but more than one time considered by the French government.
- • automatic sanctions in case of excessive deficits
- Sanctions against a state that exceed the ceiling of 3% of GDP for public deficits will be automatic, but "if a qualified majority of members opposed to" their nature remains unclear. So far, the sanctions could not be launched only if a qualified majority of States were in favor. In other words, they were never called. However, the fact of exceeding a debt ratio of 60% of GDP-the second pillar of the Maastricht Treaty - will not be grounds for sanction. Too many states are concerned.
- • The private sector will not be put to
- The private sector (banks, insurance ...) will not be put to use in case of debt restructuring of a state as was the case with Greece. The commitment will be confirmed "clearly in the preamble of the Treaty." Standard clauses for collective action will be included in future emissions, so that the private sector will be treated on a par with the public sector. This clause is intended to encourage investors to start lending money to the states in difficulty.
- • A streamlined governance for relief fund
- The future European Stability Mechanism (MES) will advance its implementation in mid-2012, a year earlier than expected. It will be managed according to the rule of qualified majority voting, that is to say that a decision to be valid must collect at least 85% of the voting rights. So far, it was expected that the MES is managed according to the rule of unanimity.Specifically, a small country can no longer object to an emergency when the MES will fly to the rescue of another country. In fact, only Germany, France and Italy, which each have more than 15% of the vote, retain a veto.However, this raises many misgivings among some member states, especially Finland continues to make its opposition.
- • A summit of Heads of State of the euro area every month
- Paris and Berlin had proposed earlier this week that the crisis would last as long as the heads of state in the euro area meet every month to define between them an economic policy to stimulate activity. This proposal is not in black and white, in a statement released Friday conclusion, but Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy have both indicated that this proposal had been accepted by their partners
- ALSO READ:
- "The five major points of the agreement signed in Brussels
- "No agreement on the amount of future bailout fund
- "GRAPHICS - The euro area strengthens fiscal discipline
@SARKOZY_2012 et bonne chance a semaine's proposition. :D
@SARKOZY_2012 et l'opposition de Finlande
@SARKOZY_2012 Je te reviens pour Greece's economie, aussi aci: $2.5 trillion annual budget docs.google.com/spreadsheet/cc…
@SARKOZY_2012 2016 est trop tard pour regle d'or, aci necessaire maintenant.
@SARKOZY_2012 Sarkozy est necessaire que tu me parles pour Moody's n'aime pas solutions. Si'l te plait.
Moody's Warns of Possible Downgrade to Some Euro Zone Economies nyti.ms/uq62AM
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SECRETARY OF STATE, HILLARY CLINTON, FINALLY HAS HER CROWNING POLITICAL MOMENT EQUAL TO THAT OF HER HUSBAND’S PRESIDENCY, WHEREIN EVERYONE SAID SHE WAS PRESIDENT DURING HIS TERM, HE JUST WORE THE SIGN AND TITLE ON HIS DESK:
Remarks With U.K. Foreign Secretary William Hague After Their Meeting
Remarks
Hillary Rodham ClintonSecretary of State
Washington, DC
December 12, 2011
SECRETARY CLINTON: Good afternoon, and let me again welcome the foreign secretary here to Washington and to the State Department. It is a special pleasure to see him at the end of a year in which we cooperated so closely and constructively together. We’ve had a very robust shared calendar as we’ve tackled these global challenges every single day of this entire year, it seems. And we’ve met on many previous occasions, both bilaterally and then through a multitude of multilateral engagements. So it’s good to review and look forward at this time of year.
We will be meeting again, we’ve already concluded, numerous times in the first half of next year. And obviously, we have a lot to talk about whenever we do meet. Our meeting today reflected a wide array of shared concerns and challenges, including the economic crisis in Europe, the embassy – attack on the UK Embassy in Iran, the transition in Afghanistan, the situation in Pakistan, the evolving situations in Burma, North Africa, the Middle East, the Balkans, and so much more. We lost track of all of the matters which we went over today.
We naturally discussed the decisions regarding Europe’s debt crisis, and we have a – as we’ve said many times, a great stake in a speedy resolution. We support efforts to enact pro-growth reforms, and we will continue to work closely with our European partners. We discussed the ongoing efforts to press the Iranian Government to meet all of its international obligations. The attack on the British Embassy was an affront not only to the British people, but to the international community. Governments owe a duty to protect diplomatic lives and property, and we expect the Government of Iran to do just that both inside and outside of Iran. That is why we strongly supported the UN General Assembly’s resolution deploring the plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador here in Washington. And we’re working together on additional sanctions, and the great work that the foreign minister and the Government of the UK has done with us at the IAEA to express nearly unanimous concern about Iran’s nuclear program.
Afghanistan was a big part of the discussion today, following up on our meetings in Bonn and the ISAF meeting in Brussels at NATO. The British and American men and women of our armed forces have literally stood and fought side by side and have reversed the Taliban momentum on the battlefields. And our diplomats and development experts have likewise stood shoulder-to-shoulder to try to help the people of Afghanistan realize a better future. As we talk about transitioning security, we look very clearly at the goal that was set at the Lisbon summit. This transition is a new phase of support for Afghanistan, not the end of our commitment, and we will stay very closely connected as we move through this period as well.
I welcomed the news that the foreign secretary will be going to Burma. I think we have a real opportunity through sustained diplomacy to test the new government and to work toward the resolution of outstanding problems that prevent that country from achieving its rightful place in the community of nations for the 21st century. And there’s a very clear path forward if they wish to follow it. We of course discussed the Middle East and, in particular, Syria. We’ve worked closely together to increase the pressure on the Asad regime. We welcomed the recent action by the Arab League. I met with members of the Syrian opposition last week. We encourage other Arab leaders to meet with them as well and continue our support for peaceful protest and reform inside Syria.
And we compared notes on the parliamentary elections in Egypt. The Egyptian people are justifiably proud to begin the process of choosing their new leaders. We urge the Egyptian authorities to ensure that free and fair voting continues through the next election rounds, and that there be a steady transition toward a new civilian government. And at the same time, we call upon the continued protection of peaceful protestors and holding those accountable for previous incidents of violence.
So this is just a snapshot of our very lengthy and substantive conversation. So again, Foreign Secretary, welcome back to Washington.
FOREIGN SECRETARY HAGUE: Well, thank you very much indeed. Ladies and gentlemen, it’s a great pleasure as always to be here in Washington with Secretary Clinton. The United States of America is our closest and our indispensible ally in foreign policy. And as ever, we’ve had a good meeting of minds as we discussed this very broad range of challenges that we face. As everyone knows, we’ve had in 2011 a momentous year in world affairs, and I think we’ve risen to these challenges with confidence. Our joint efforts in Libya, for instance, to save lives benefitted from the seamless cooperation in diplomacy and in defense, which is one of the distinctive hallmarks of the relationship between the United Kingdom and the United States of America.
2012 is set to throw up challenges in foreign policy that could be more demanding and complex still, and we must be ready for those. Britain is determined to play its full part alongside the United States, standing shoulder to shoulder and building on our shared values, our sense of common purpose, our mutual resolve.
As you’ve heard from Secretary Clinton, our discussions today have ranged over a very wide range of subjects. We’ve discussed the economic situation in Europe, in particular in the Eurozone. And in the United Kingdom, as our prime minister has said in parliament today, we want to see the Eurozone stabilized. That involves far more than simply greater medium-term fiscal integration. Important though that is, the markets wants to be assured that the firewall is big enough for the Eurozone and that banks are adequately recapitalized, that the – that countries like Greece have adequately dealt with the problems.
We cannot sign a European treaty that does not give adequate protection to the single market in Europe, but we’re not changing our relationship with the European Union, and we will work with our European partners over the coming months on the need for the EU to remove barriers to trade, to complete the single market, to conclude free trade agreements around the world. These remain the most important way for Europe to compete and address economic problems and generate essential growth.
As you’ve heard, we share a growing concern with the United States about the situation in Syria and the deplorable violence orchestrated by the regime. We welcome the continued efforts of the Arab League and call on the international community to unite in its condemnation of events in Syria.
Our talks reaffirmed our countries’ close understanding of the threat posed by Iran’s nuclear program. I particularly thanked Secretary Clinton for her robust support over the recent attacks on our embassy in Tehran, and we shared our latest thinking on the expansion of sanctions against Iran. This includes European Union consideration of measures against the Iranian energy sector as part of the pressure on Iran to return to negotiations over its nuclear ambitions.
We discussed the Middle East peace process and the need for a return to negotiations. That cannot safely be delayed. I briefed Secretary Clinton on our preparations for the London conference on Somalia in February. We need a stronger international approach to the crisis there and to seize the opportunity now to address the root causes of terrorism, instability, piracy. We will spend a lot of time and attention on this in the early months of 2012, and see it as a key priority for next year, and I look forward to continuing to work with Secretary Clinton on this.
We reviewed progress on Afghanistan in the light of the Bonn conference, which we both attended last week. Ten years on, great strides have been made. Our goal now is to consolidate them so that the Afghan people can take control of their own security from 2014. And Britain will continue to work closely with the U.S. and with our other partners in Afghanistan as we work towards the very important Chicago summit to be held in May.
We’ve discussed the protests that we’ve seen in recent days in Moscow. It’s clearly important that the Russian Government investigates the allegations of alleged abuses, and we welcome the commitment of President Medvedev to do so.
We also agreed the international community must show strategic patience in the Western Balkans, which Secretary Clinton has rightly described as unfinished business. And we strongly support that region’s integration within Euro-Atlantic structures and the resolution of outstanding issues. We share a common commitment to the territorial integrity of Bosnia-Herzegovina as a single, sovereign state. And we discussed ways in which we can intensify our efforts, working with the Office of the High Representative, the European Union, and other nations to help that country turn a new page in 2012.
We’ve discussed our diplomacy in the Asia Pacific region and the United States announcements about that region in recent weeks, and in that regard, I particularly welcome Secretary Clinton’s recent visit to Burma. Our common objective is to see political freedom in Burma, and constructive engagement which helps further that goal is very important. I will visit Burma in early January, and we will remain in close contact with the U.S. on this issue, as on all the other issues that I’ve mentioned in the coming months.
In all of these areas, Britain doesn’t have a more important ally than the United States, and I look forward to all our work together over the coming year that is as effective and durable in its consequences as it has been this year and in so many other years before it.
Thank you very much indeed.
SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you.
MODERATOR: Okay. Four questions today, first one from BBC (inaudible).
QUESTION: Thank you. Two questions for you: First, Secretary Hague, I know you’ve just said that the UK’s not changing its relationship with the EU. But do you believe that the British Government’s decision on the Eurozone diminishes Britain’s influence in Europe and perhaps in the world?
And a question for both of you: Secretary Hague, you’ve also just said that you welcome the investigation into the allegations of fraud in the elections in Russia. Do you trust – do you both trust that the results will be what is required, and will it allay the concerns of the protesters? What do you think the Russian authorities should do beyond an investigation to address those concerns?
FOREIGN SECRETARY HAGUE: Well, on the – taking the second question first, of course, that will depend on the investigation and what it produces and how it is conducted. It’s important that such investigations take place, so I think it is right, as I’ve said, to welcome the willingness of the Russian Government to do that. Clearly, as nations that believe in democracy and freedom of speech and political freedom, we want to see such investigations take place as transparently and as fully as possible, but I think that it’s impossible to judge them in advance.
On the question of the European Union, no, I don’t agree with the thrust of your question. On all of the issues that we’ve just been describing, all the foreign policy issues in dealing with Iran, pressure on Syria, on how to take forward the Middle East peace process, the European Union is an important player – very important player in the world and in those – and determining the European Union attitude on all of those issues, the United Kingdom plays an absolutely central and leading role.
We also do so in pushing forward the single market in Europe, in championing free trade agreements such as the one we signed with South Korea earlier this year. And all of that continues; that doesn’t change because we choose not to participate in one set of arrangements which are not adequate for us. That’s not a new thing to do. The United Kingdom did not join the euro, and we’re pleased we did not join the euro. We’re not part of the Schengen border arrangements, and we’re very satisfied that we’re not. Europe can develop in a way in which there are overlapping circles of decision-making. And not every nation has to participate in everything.
But that doesn’t alter our central role in driving forward European policy on the whole range of subjects that I’ve just described.
SECRETARY CLINTON: I would just add to what William already said about Russia. We were pleased that the protests yesterday were peaceful. We think that’s a very good sign. There were dozens of them across the country. And the fact that the government has announced that it is willing to investigate allegations of fraud and manipulation associated with the December 4th Duma elections is a good sign and a reassuring position for the Russian people.
But the proof is in the pudding. We’ll wait and see how they conduct such an investigation, what the consequences are. They have a good roadmap coming from the OSCE which has set forth a number of recommendations. So we’re supportive of the announcement of investigations, and now we hope that it will be followed through on.
MODERATOR: Next question, (inaudible) of the London Times.
QUESTION: (Inaudible) from the Times. Last week an American general in Baghdad said that he wasn’t sure what would happen in Iraq after the last American troops have left. After December the 31st, your own Department, Madam Secretary, will be, as it were, in charge of American interests in Baghdad and in Iraq. How confident are you that Iraq is going to turn into the sort of country perhaps you had in mind when this all began?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, we have been having very intensive discussions with President – with Prime Minister Maliki and various ministers of his government starting last night, going through into the morning in the Oval Office with the President, and we certainly are looking forward to a normal relationship between two sovereign countries.
The outline for our actions was set prior to this Administration coming into office in 2008, when the Bush Administration agreed that our military presence would end at the end of this year. That is going to happen. We hope, in fact, that our troops will be out in time for Christmas. And then we will be taking, on a case-by-case basis, requests for additional assistance, of which there are many coming from the Iraqis. Certainly in the security and the military training arena, there is quite a long list of requests, and we are looking forward to evaluating those and fulfilling them wherever possible.
We are going to be working on police training, which is getting underway. We have a number of agreements that have been worked on under the strategic framework that was adopted back in 2008. So we’re on the path to meet our commitment to withdraw all U.S. military personnel even as we maintain a robust civilian presence under State Department leadership that’ll include diplomats, business and development experts, security assistance experts, law enforcement officers, and others from civilian agencies across the United States Government. They will be working out of our Embassy in Baghdad, out of our consulates general in Erbil and Basra, our diplomatic presence in Kirkuk, and they will be protected, as our civilians are in many places in the world, by contracted security personnel. That’s a very common practice.
So again last night and today, our Iraqi partners made clear that they want a relationship that is deeper and broader than a military relationship, and we are working to achieve that.
MODERATOR: (Off-mike.)
QUESTION: Thank you. Madam Secretary, if I could follow up on Iraq, was there any resolution in your meetings about the fate of the last detainee in --
SECRETARY CLINTON: Steve, I can’t hear you.
QUESTION: I’m sorry. I’ll repeat it. Was there any resolution in your meetings with the Iraq – with the fate of the last detainee, Ali Musa Daqduq?
And if I could ask you both on Iran, with the drone crash, the attack on the embassy, the various assassinations, the explosion at a missile factory recently with the IAEA findings, is there a risk now that the – that our countries are lurching towards some sort of confrontation with Iran? And specifically, Madam Secretary, the Senate has voted to expand U.S. sanctions to include the Iranian Central Bank. Where do you stand on the negotiations? Thank you.
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, Steven, first, with respect to actions regarding Iran, we are very clearly making known our concerns. We submitted a formal request for the return of our lost equipment, as we would in any situation to any government around the world. Given Iran’s behavior to date, we do not expect them to comply, but we are dealing with all of these provocations and concerning actions taken by Iran in close concert with our closest allies and partners, starting with the UK. We obviously believe strongly in a diplomatic approach. We want to see the Iranians engage, and as you know, we have attempted to bring about that engagement over the course of the last three-plus years. It has not proven effective, but we’re not giving up on it.
And with respect to any actions on further sanctions, we have been very tough, and not only did we work hard to get international sanctions through the United Nations, but we, along with close partners like the UK, like the EU, and others, have applied additional sanctions, and we will continue to do so. I’m not going to telegraph where, when, and how, but our view is that the path that Iran seems to be going down is a dangerous one for themselves and for the region. And the danger is compounded, on top of their provocation, their deliberate support for terrorism in many places, by their continuing pursuit of a nuclear weapon. So it’s something that the world has to respond to, and I think we’ve been quite effective in doing so.
With respect to your first question, that is still a matter of discussion between us and the Iraqis.
FOREIGN SECRETARY HAGUE: And on Iran, as Hillary says, we are not giving up on engagement with Iran, but on a number of occasions, Iran has behaved in a way, in recent weeks and months, which have intensified confrontation with the rest of the world. We have seen – in the plots to assassinate the Saudi ambassador here and the invasion of the British Embassy compounds in Tehran, we’ve seen an increasing predilection for dangerous and illegal adventures on the part of at least parts of the Iranian regime. It may not be the work of a united Iranian regime, but from at least parts of the Iranian regime, such actions have been sanctioned.
And so we will increase the peaceful, legitimate pressure on Iran. We see that not as confrontation, but as a necessary response to the – in particular, to the nuclear program. We adopted in the European Union, ten days ago, sanctions on an additional 180 individuals and entities, and we will expand those sanctions further – or we intend to do so at the end of January – with tougher sanctions on the financial sector, on the energy and transport sectors from the European Union as a whole, and so we will continue to intensify that pressure while Iran’s nuclear program continues with no adequate explanation of a peaceful purpose.
MODERATOR: Last question comes (inaudible).
QUESTION: Madam Secretary, could I just ask you, does Britain’s new position in Europe concern you, especially given the historic bridge that the UK has offered between Europe and the U.S.?
SECRETARY CLINTON: I have to say it does not. I think that the role that the UK has played in Europe will continue. And we, of course, welcome that. And our concern has not been over the position that the UK has taken, it’s whether the decisions made by other members of the Eurozone countries within the EU will work, and we want to encourage that. We are very hopeful and supportive that this latest set of actions will send the right signals and have the results that are being sought. So I separate out the economic issues – which, as William said, the UK has never been a party to the euro, so that’s not something that’s particularly going to change – from the political work that we do almost every day with the UK and with the EU. So I don’t see any spillover there at my view.
Thank you.
OMG -- SOMEONE PLEASE TELL NEWT GINGRICH THAT WE’RE NOT LIVING IN 1998 ANYMORE, AND WE DO NOT WANT ANOTHER REIGN OF BUSH’S POLICIES OR THE GOP LIKE WE HAD IN 1996-2006, WHO THINK THE RULES DON’T APPLY TO THEM, WHO CAN SAY WHATEVER THEY WANT, WITHOUT CONSEQUENCE:
@politico Newt the fat man, is fading fast....
Perry backs constitutional change for school prayer -wp.me/p4HKM-S96
Retweeted by 2011teaparty
2011teaparty Tea Party Chief
@tedlieu goddamnit, the people of CA did not hire you to legislate morality through religion, we boycott YOU!! foxnews.com/politics/2011/…
RESPONSE: THE TEA PARTY FORMALLY, AND HEREBY DUTIFULLY DECLARES A BOYCOTT ON CA SENATOR TED LIEU, FOR HIS "ALL THINGS MUSLIM" MENTALITY!!!!
2011teaparty Tea Party Chief WTF BILL GATES IS PARTNERING WITH CHINA FOR A NUCLEAR REACTOR.... THOUGHTS?? After logging in and seeing microchip in my face haha China :P
@cspan @cspanvl @newtgingrich @BarackObama@JonHuntsman @RickSantorum OMG NEWT HATES THE SAUDIS, AND SAYING THAT THE SUNNIS PERPETUATE HATE.
@cspan @cspanvl @newtgingrich @BarackObama@JonHuntsman @RickSantorum Arsenal of Democracy... oh God Newt, and saying we tie it to mfg.ing?
#Obama2012slogans: “We refuse to call our class warfare – class warfare!”
@cspan @cspanvl @newtgingrich @BarackObama@JonHuntsman very interesting that Huntsman views the idea that China does not want involvement.
@cspan @cspanvl @newtgingrich @BarackObama@JonHuntsman Huntsman has done his studies, being Ambassador has helped, and he explains it well.
@cspan @cspanvl @newtgingrich @BarackObama@JonHuntsman if we are a Nation of peace, unless provoked, we can't have Newt Gingrich for Pres.
@cspan @cspanvl @newtgingrich @BarackObama@JonHuntsman but worse.... if we go beyond waterboarding or perpetuate unwelcome occupation, eesh
@cspan @cspanvl @newtgingrich @BarackObama@JonHuntsman NEWT WANTS TO TOTALLY OVERHAUL OUR FOREIGN POLICY UNDER OBAMA, SIMILAR TO BUSH'S
@cspan @cspanvl @newtgingrich @BarackObama if you did not say it, Newt is using blood libel. I don't like you or agree with you, but damn.
@cspan @cspanvl @newtgingrich @BarackObama Newt just accused you of saying that you can not say RADICAL ISLAMISTS in terror training... WTF
@cspan @cspanvl The Tea Party spent a lot of time talking to groups online to address Pakistan's citizens, that we did not blame them.
It is the Liberal notions of not measuring & rewarding success & not addressing non-performers that forces Post Office costs ever higher!
@newtgingrich <you're putting me to sleep droning on>
@cspan @cspanvl Newt is too hotheaded and effusive to be President for a peace time economy, which is why he made a better Speaker !!!!
@cspanroadwh @cspan okay I will be tweeting and your featured debate will go into the newsletter, "The Synthesis", for both debates.
Watch #LDdebate w/Gingrich & Huntsman cs.pn/sHZhL2 Airs on@cspan at approx. 9:40p ET after U.S. House session.
Retweeted by 2011teaparty
@EWErickson @MittRomney @newtgingrich unlike y'all, we can take Rick Perry and Rick Santorum at their word-we don't need A CONTRACT or shake
@EWErickson @MittRomney Newt signing the anti-adultery pledge was to keep him accountable, because you can't take him at his word!!!
@EWErickson @MittRomney @BarackObama for Newt, who has been accused of infidelity and multiple marriages, needed to rededicate publicly.
@EWErickson @MittRomney @BarackObama Texas having an influx of HPV and HPV vaccine mandate, was no different than swine flu, not insurance !
@EWErickson @MittRomney @BarackObama a mandate is a mandate; federal or state, want to appropriate for the uninsured, GODDAMNIT, PAY FOR IT
OBAMA -- THE SOCK MONKEY PRESIDENT!!!!
to continue reading the blog, to see all of Newt's dirty laundry PUBLICLY aired out, read: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xzQDvD8G7WCEpyi2FpUb5zPJkCQVcOgJ0J-3jUqJEfY/edit?hl=en_US
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