NATIONAL GAY MARRIAGE BAN MAY BE OVERTURNED

The “Defense of Marriage Act” that prohibits federal recognition of gay marriages is under assault in the courts. The Obama administration has repudiated it and taken piecemeal steps to weaken its effects.  When DOMA was passed overwhelmingly by Congress in 1996 and signed by President Bill Clinton, it was a pre-emptive strike; there were no legally married same-sex couples in the United States.

COMMENTS:

Let me begin by saying that I am against gay marriage.  That having been said, let me also insist that the Federal Government has no business sticking its damned nose into the issue; these are states’ rights we are talking about and the Feds are exceeding their authority.  I said so when Clinton signed that bill and I will say so now.  I wish Thomas Jefferson was around to straighten Washington out. 

TODAY’S QUERIES & ANSWERS:

Q.  I thought that Congress had the sole authority to make laws, but I also hear that the White House is enacting laws when the Congress won’t do what Obama tells them to.  How can this be?  (Robert ~ Kent, WA)

A.  Congress makes law and the Executive Branch enacts regulations to implement and carry out those laws.  It’s been done before, but Obama is making an art out of enacting regulations that don’t have anything to do with established laws.  For example, Congress refused to enact legislation to stick the government’s nose into the Internet, but the FCC adopted a “net neutrality” type regulation to apply to the Internet.  They also enacted EPA rules to get around the Congressional decision not to enact Cap & Trade.  But, the House is fighting back, vowing to cut all funding to support that move. 

Q.  If AARP is making billions, how can it be a tax-exempt organization?  (Barry ~ Trinity, CA)

A.  GE also makes billions and pays no taxes.  It’s all done by making creative use of the tax laws.  To this extent, I believe that large firms and the rich do need to pay more taxes but, not by changing their rates.  The tax loopholes need to be closed.  In AARP’s case, they have operating subsidiaries and associations, such as United Health. 

Q.  Wisconsin, Indiana and Ohio are some of the states that are really facing financial problems.  They have no more stimulus money and the unions are doing everything they can not to cooperate with them.  What is going to happen?  (Sandie ~ Corte Madera, CA)

A.  Like sports stadiums, maybe they can get some corporate sponsors.  How about “Indiana, the Shell State,” or “Washington, the Microsoft State?”  Oh, and “California, the Prozac State.” 

TODAY’S QUOTE:

“We have the best government that money can buy.” ~ Mark Twain

TODAY’S VIDEO: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ocVj6UWiDI

BUDGET DEAL IS AN AMERICAN SHAM

The Democrats and Republicans have settled on a $38 billion reduction in the FY2011 budget.  The budget was originally supposed to have been passed last June and we are now into the fourth month of 2011.  The current rate of government spending is about $4 billion per day, meaning that the #38 billion represents about 9-1/2 days of savings. 

COMMENTS:

All of this arguing and bickering over the last six weeks to pass a $38 billion cut?  You and I both know that the Democrats will manage to tack that amount on as additional spending riders to at least three or four bills between now and October.  To my way of thinking, we should not bother to waste time and energy over 2012 or the Debt Ceiling.  Let’s just cave in and vote them all out, both Republicans and Democrats, in 2012.  The problem is that we mean business, and they don’t. 

TODAY’S QUERIES & ANSWERS:

Q.  With all of the bad news in the world today, I guess the fact that Israel is back in military action against Hamas is being lost in the shuffle.  (Eddie ~ Kanab, UT)

A.  That’s correct.  They are kicking Hamas in the ass and I really think that’s just practice for an invasion into Iran to take out nuclear facilities there. 

Q.  Is the problem finally over with Japan’s nuclear plant?  (Myra ~ Dunsmuir, CA)

A.  No.  They have just put a lid on what information they are releasing and other major news of the day is overwhelming what is going on there, anyway.  Radiation readings on our West Coast are still elevated.  Things can heat up at Fukushima at any moment.  There has been so much radiation spread around that it will take years just to get the plant to the point where they can start hauling away equipment and decommissioning the reactors.  I even think it will be several years before people can move back within the 12-mile evacuation zone. 

Q.  Will the radio observatory used in the search for extraterrestrial life become a victim of budget cuts?  (Mary Ann ~ Old Station, CA)

A.  Possibly.  The observatory, located near Hat Creek, is mainly funded through federal grants.  So, we may never know whether or not Obama came from outer space, although many of us think so. 

TODAY’S QUOTE:

"Mission control, we have a UFO pacing our position, request instructions." ~ Astronaut Cady Coleman

TODAY’S VIDEO: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEFAPOIDV8Q&playnext=1&videos=vH6lJjxaMUo&feature=mpt%253Atop_stories

SHUT DOWN AVERTED

Late last night, John Boehner announced that a budget deal had been reached and that a short term continuing resolution would be voted into place to avert a government shut down while the actual language of the bill is cobbled together.  Harry Reid, ever the gentleman who likes to spew venom, gloom and doom, has come out and said that the Tea Parties really wanted a government shutdown. 

COMMENTS:

He’s right.  He and his idiotic buddies have not gotten the message that we want budget cuts and we want a balanced budget.  Come hell or high water, we are bound and determined to get those things.  If the only way we can stop runaway government spending is to shut the government down, then by all means shut it down and keep it shut down until they get the message. Keep that thought in mind as they start to work on the FY2012 budget.  

TODAY’S QUERIES & ANSWERS:

Q.  Has Harry Reid ever said a nice word about anything to anyone?  (Cherie ~ Durango, CO)

A.  Yes.  He once said that Nancy Pelosi was the dumbest witch ever to work in Washington. 

Q.  I heard Google has just purchased an airline?  (Sean ~ Diamond Bar, CA)

A.  No.  But they did buy a software firm that makes the software used to book flights online.  If they had bought an airline, they would have become a fly-by-night search engine. 

Q.  Glenn Beck is leaving FOX.  What are his plans?  (Tammie ~ Redding, CA)

A.  He’s not saying, but I have the inside scoop.  Some of his shows have struck so many nerves that even FOX had to rein him in.  Because he feels so strongly about many issues, he has decided to package his own show which will be on the Internet for starters.  He’s also going to join a Buddhist monastery so he can sing and monkey around. 

TODAY’S QUOTE:

“I am convinced that I do not want to give up more power to the White House, whether it's George Bush or Barack Obama. And I'm going to fight as hard as I can against President Obama on these earmarks and my Republican colleagues who hate to vote for them, but love to get them.” ~ Harry Reid

TODAY’S VIDEO: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlftgFg1Y4o&feature=ytn%3Amptnews

BUDGET DEBACLE CONTINUES

We delayed this morning’s post in anticipation that we might have a budget deal for FY2011.  However, the morning drags on and we do not. 

COMMENTS:

The Democrats are trying to force the Republicans into making the majority of concessions.  The Republicans recognize that caving in is going to give them grief in 2012.  In this process, the Dems have made it clear that they don’t care whether or not the country goes into bankruptcy.  All they care is about is their own agenda, spend and tax and let the national debt go wherever it wants.  Many Americans are hoping the government WILL shut down; we’ll trim the budget expenses one way or another. 

TODAY’S QUERIES & ANSWERS:

Q.  Did Japan’s recent aftershock cause more damage to their nuclear reactor? (Wylie ~ Bieber, CA)

A.  More power went out across northern Japan.  Several reactors went off line and one temporarily lost cooling, but everything with those plants is back to normal.  Workers at Fukushima evacuated, but the latest word from the power company there is that no further damage was created.  The quake, 7.1 magnitude, would have caused major damage in any city in the U.S. 

Q.  You reported on the Ivory Coast the other day.  There’s simply just no news about it.  What’s going on now? (Velma - Houston, TX)

A.  Laurent Gbago, the ruling strongman dictator who has refused to step down after elections in November, is holed up in the Presidential Palace as U.N. forces have him surrounded.  The International Rescue Committee is warning that chaos is permeating this West African nation once split in two by a 2002-2003 civil war, citing an "explosive mix of political, economic and ethnic tension."  One can only wonder, if this continues where will we get ivory for piano keys? 

Q.  I heard yesterday a brief blip about Iran stepping up its nuclear program?  (Lana ~ Cottonwood, AZ)

A.  The news is that they have even more facilities than we knew about and that production in the centrifuges has picked up while the U.S. has been bogged down in other Middle East problems.  There is now no doubt, due to the volume of production, that Iran intends to produce nuclear weapons.  I sincerely doubt that Obama will intervene, but Israel might. 

TODAY’S QUOTE:

“All we're getting from the Democratic majority in Congress and from this White House is more bailouts, more spending, more planned stimulus, more deficits and debt, and the American people have had it.” ~ Mike Pence

TODAY’S VIDEO: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiy9wjHbQG0

DEMOCRATS FLUNK THE TEST

The Democrats in the House and Senate are refusing to pass the 2011 budget cuts proposed by the House Republicans.  The possibility of a government shutdown has morphed into being a probability.  Accusations, threats, name-calling and denigration have become the playbook of the day. 

COMMENTS:

The Democrats thought last year that they did not want to be on the hook for the budget at election time and that they could make hay with the subject matter this year if the Republicans made gains in November.  This is exactly what they are doing.  It’s not about what is right for America or what the citizens want; it’s just a political game, and the Democrats are keeping score.  In doing so, they threaten to throw the country into an economic abyss, but they don’t care.  This fact needs to be remembered in 2012 at the ballot box: they don’t care. They flunk.    

TODAY’S QUERIES & ANSWERS:

Q.  Will there be an agreement in time to avert a government shutdown?  (Thad ~ Riverside, CA)

A.  I think there will be a last minute “intervention” by Obama and the Democrats will concede to the GOP plan; this will make Obama look good and he just announced he’s running for reelection.  It will also set the stage for the Democrats to fight Paul Ryan’s budget tooth and nail.  They’ll be able to say that they conceded on this budget in good faith and that now it’s the Republican’s turn to show good faith.

Q.  What ever happened to ACORN?  (Cyndy ~ Colusa, CA)

A.  Well, they legally went bankrupt and closed down their operations. At the same time, dozens of new and similar organizations with varying names opened up in locations around the country and are being staffed by former ACORN personnel.  Funding formerly allocated to ACORN now goes to those organizations.  Do you get the picture?  In the meantime, ACORN did plead guilty to voter fraud in Nevada.  For some reason, the media has neglected to tell you that. 

Q.  I read something yesterday about a new element that has been discovered in a meteorite?  (Dennis ~ Tremonton, UT)

A.  Actually, it’s a mineral and it’s called wassonite.  It is formed from sulfur and titanium.  Although it sounds similar, it is not related to verbiage used by American males when they come home from work and sit down in front of the TV and say “Wassontonight?”

TODAY’S QUOTE:

“April is tax month. If you are having trouble filing your taxes, then you should hire an accountant. They'll give you the same advice that they've given hundreds of corporations - taxes are for douche bags.” ~ Ed Helms

TODAY’S VIDEO: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9eXBlJCdAw&feature=mpt%3Atop_stories&playnext=1&list=TLqIxtgk58WAM

FIERCE BATTLES RAGE IN COTE D’IVOIRE

Commonly known as The Ivory Coast in West Africa, the former French colony has been embroiled in an unheralded and unreported battle for power ever since the country elected a democratic leader, Alassane Ouattara, last November; strongman Laurent Gbagbo has refused to step down despite United Nations sanctions.  Fighters trying to topple Gbagbo had succeeded in taking nearly the entire countryside in just three days last week, but they faltered once they reached the country's largest city, where the presidential palace and residence are located.  He’s now rumored to be holed up in a bunker and under siege. 

COMMENTS:

I never knew there was a war going on there, either.  I never knew they had a leadership struggle.  I guess tidbits like this get easily lost in the more important news of the day, such as Obama’s reelection campaign.  But, there are U.N and French forces on the ground there.  Hmmm… I wonder if we are there, too? 

TODAY’S QUERIES & ANSWERS:

Q.  Wow!  The news on FOX yesterday that Southwest Airlines has its maintenance done in El Salvador is astonishing.  (Clyde ~ Little Rock, AR)

A.  Sometimes I think that I am the only one on the face of the earth, including FOX, who pays attention to the news.  It was over the weekend when FOX had a guy on a morning show who said that Southwest has its maintenance done in El Salvador. Now, several days later and after another network carried it, FOX suddenly “discovers” this “astonishing” news.  Yes, it’s another one of those situations where the unions got their pay and benefits up so high that the airlines, and Southwest is not the only one, have been forced to go offshore to get their maintenance done. 

Q.  Holder sure tore Congress and Military Tribunals a new asshole when he announced that the terrorist trials will be in GITMO after all.  (Lanny ~ El Cajon, CA)

A.  That would make you think he might sabotage the trials, wouldn’t it?  He should be removed from office, immediately.  We can’t trust him any more than we trust Obama. 

Q.  The Democrats are trying to blame the Republicans for the imminent shutdown of government over the budget.  They had a meeting yesterday with the President and Boehner came out and said that the Republicans will NOT be pushed into caving in.  What in the hell are the Demos trying to do, anyway?  (Mary ~ Santa Fe, NM)

A.  Instead of listening to the American people and the demand for reduced spending, they are playing politics with the issue.  If they don’t come to the table in an honest effort to get a new and good budget for this year, and if they continue to play their politics over $61 billion in cuts, they are going to pay the price in 2012.  The plain fact is that $61 billion is less than one tenth of one percent of the $14 trillion in debt we have; it’s not even chump change.  This farce is just one more in a litany of examples of their intent to ignore the American will. 

TODAY’S QUOTE:

“Have we not come to such an impasse in the modern world that we must love our enemies - or else? The chain reaction of evil - hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars - must be broken, or else we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation.” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

TODAY’S VIDEO: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOaMabHQHDM

KHALID SHEIK MOHAMED NOT COMING TO NEW YORK!!!

Attorney General Eric Holder announced yesterday that he will be tried in Guantanamo in a Military Tribunal.  This reverses an Obama Administration plan to have him tried in New York City in what would have been a circus civilian trial.  That announcement, made a few months after Obama took office, caused a national uproar and forced Obama and Holder to insist that they had made up their minds and that was going to be that.   

COMMENTS:

Now that Obama has to run for reelection, Holder and Obama seem to have had a change of heart and mind.  This just proves that the people do have a voice, whether Obama wants them to or not. 

TODAY’S QUERIES & ANSWERS:

Q.  I agree with you that Obama is the worst President this country has ever had.  Where does he get the gall to run for reelection?  (Tyrone ~ Atlanta, GA)

A.  It’s not only the gall he has… It’s the $1 billion George Soros and friends collected for him to run with.  Besides, he certainly can’t run the White House or the country, so he might as well occupy his time by running for reelection, right? 

Q.  Will they ever repeal ObamaCare?  (Justine ~ Marshall, TX)

A.  Not until Obama is out of office and can’t veto a repeal.  Hopefully, the Supreme Court will rule it to be unconstitutional. 

Q.  If Obama violated the limits of his power by taking us into Libya, why isn’t he being impeached?  (Jerry ~ Woodland, CA)

A.  For the same reason his health care is not being repealed.  The House could vote articles of impeachment against him, but he would never be tried in the Democratic controlled Senate.  If you think he’s bad now, just wait until he gets reelected and has no reason whatsoever to listen to the will of the people during his second term. 

TODAY’S QUOTE:

“One way to make sure crime doesn't pay would be to let the government run it.” ~ Ronald Reagan

TODAY’S VIDEO: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwb2XoFabOM&feature=ytn%3Amptnews

BRITISH PETROLEUM WANTS TO RESUME DRILLING IN THE GULF

BP is asking for permission to drill ten new exploratory wells in the area where Deepwater Horizon exploded last year.  In return for the permits, BP says it will let government officials have access to its rigs 24/7. 

 
COMMENTS:

I wouldn’t let BP drill for anything, anywhere in this country under any circumstances now or forever.  Furthermore, the government inspecting BP oil rigs is about as big a farce as I have ever heard of; the same government that awarded BP a special safety award just 30 days before the blast?  The same government that proved its total incompetence when it comes to dealing with an oil disaster?  BP has now, and has always had, the worst safety record in the oil and mining business.  Check it out.  BP is in the process of selling its operations to Russia; check that out.  And the Obama Administration is actually considering this? 

TODAY’S QUERIES & ANSWERS:

Q.  I don’t hear much about the housing market these days.  How come?  (Lorraine ~ Sand Point, ID)

A.  Because it’s bad news and they don’t want you to hear it.  Since they control the news, you’re not hearing anything. But the fact is that between foreclosed houses, houses that are in the foreclosure process and houses seriously underwater or with delinquent loans, there is a 2.2 year supply of homes right now, with a total of 7.3 million homes in deep doo doo.  And we’re not even talking about vacant commercial space here…

Q.  The National Traffic Safety Board has found cracks in three more Southwest airplanes.  What is your reaction to that?  (Arnie ~ San Rafael, CA)

A.  Fly Northwest. 

Q.  What would you do about the Mexican immigration problem?  (Terry ~ Anaheim, CA)

A.  Bring home troops from overseas and put lots of patrols on both of our borders.  Why do we need to have so many troops stationed overseas when we can plant an A-Bomb anywhere on this planet from any missile silo in the U.S.? 

TODAY’S QUOTE:

“Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired, signifies in the final sense a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed.” ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

TODAY’S VIDEO: 

http://www.youtube.com/user/BPplc?v=25_LICFMgMI&feature=pyv&ad=6932173453&kw=news%20politics

Isn't it all about el toro poo poo?

CHINA CLOSING 50% OF DAIRIES

Some 533 Chinese dairies have been ordered to close after flunking a safety audit.  The announcement comes as China tries to build up its milk industry after a baby milk health scandal in 2008.  At least six babies died at that time and another 300,000 were made ill by drinking infant formula tainted with melamine.

COMMENTS:

Can’t the Chinese do anything right?  The next thing you know, they’ll discover that marbles used in Chinese Checkers were colored with rat poison.  

TODAY’S QUERIES & ANSWERS:

Q.  You don’t hear much about what’s going on in Israel with all of the other news from the Middle East.  (Myrna ~ Pompano Beach, FL)

A.  Hamas has been bombing and is also threatening Israelis in the Sinai Peninsula; Israel has ordered them to leave immediately.  There is growing concern that Iran or even Syria might join Hamas in a coordinated assault on Israel and there is the possibility that Israeli may order a preemptive attack.  I would not want to be on the receiving end of that. 

Q.  What is the skinny on Japan’s nuclear site?  (Byron ~ Red Bluff, CA)

A.  Nasty, nasty, nasty.  Workers there have discovered a crack that appears to be responsible for the radioactive leak into seawater.  Japanese officials are poo-pooing the danger, insisting there is none, (tell that to the fish).  Radiation continues to get into the atmosphere.  International pressure is trying to force the Japanese to expand the evacuation zone.  U.S. officials are sending special concrete equipment to seal off the site when the time comes.  Mixed and contradictory messages continue to emanate from Japan nuclear officials.   

Q.  The Southwest Airlines plane that had a gap rip open in the fuselage must have scared the hell out of the passengers.  Was anyone hurt?  (Quint ~ Round Mountain, CA)

A.  No one was hurt.  One lady said the air sucked her vibrator out of her hand, but she’s not filing a claim. 

TODAY’S QUOTE:

“Women would rather be right than reasonable.” ~ Ogden Nash

TODAY’S VIDEO: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYNGxWWG6K4&feature=ytn%3Amptnews

KEYSTONE COPS IN CHARGE OF JAPANESE NUCLEAR DISASTER?

From day one of the Japanese catastrophe, the news coming out of the nuclear plant has been confusing and contradictory.  It was recently learned that the plant personnel had no or little communication with upper management during the initial days because lines were down.  Since then, however, the Japanese have communicated enormously high radioactive levels and then said they were in error.  They have reported radioactive cows and milk and now say that is a "miscalculation."   

COMMENTS:

It could be an old trick used by governments everywhere when they get in trouble; confuse the public so that they don’t know what to believe.  Whatever the reason, this issue is so vital that there is simply no excuse for putting out wrong information; lives depend on it.  When it comes to the subject of radioactivity, you can't trust anybody. 

TODAY’S QUERIES & ANSWERS:

Q.  Why is AARP under scrutiny?  (Hilda ~ Bethesda, MD)

A.  Because they deserve it.  They are flaunting the law and displaying a total lack of ethics. 

Q.  Obama is proclaiming the economy to be solved and back on the right track.  The stats seem to back him up, with unemployment down and new jobs up.  But, I don’t know of anyone who has gone back to work where I live and housing foreclosures are sky high.  Gas prices are going up and inflation is really starting to skyrocket.  What is the truth?  (Ben ~ Reno, NV)

A.  Don’t expect to hear the truth from Obama.  Real unemployment is much higher, because people who are dropping off the unemployment rolls are not counted.  With inflation, higher interest rates and rising gas prices, the bottom is due to fall out soon. 

Q.  The Libyan rebels are in trouble.  Does that mean we are going to get more involved?  (Kris, Redding, CA)

A.  Obama wants to win reelection.  Now that he has stuck his neck out and not informed Congress of what he was doing, he cannot afford to lose this war.  But, his left-wing buddies don’t like being at war, either.  Look for NATO to ask member nations for ground troops, supplies and training and for the U.S. to comply so that Obama can pass the buck... and duck.   

TODAY’S QUOTE:

“An economist is an expert who will know tomorrow why the things he predicted yesterday didn't happen today.” ~ Laurence J. Peter

TODAY’S VIDEO: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MognnB0g56Y&feature=ytn%3Amptnews

OBAMA TO RESIGN!!!

Barack Hussein Obama, the 44^th President of the United States, announced this morning that he will resign the Presidency, effective immediately.  The President cited his continuing remorse for foisting the Health Care Bill on the American public and his compulsive behavior in taking America into war in Libya without Congressional approval as being the primary reasons for his resignation.  “I just don’t know what gets into me,” he sobbed, “I can’t help myself.” 

Golf legend Tiger Woods was quick to invite Obama to move in with him.  “We both have our burdens to bear,” he said. 

COMMENTS:

Vice President Joe Biden will be sworn in at a special White House ceremony tonight.  He has already announced that he is nominating Rush Limbaugh to be the new Vice President. 

TODAY’S QUERIES & ANSWERS:

Q.  What will NASA do after their last space flight?  (Brad ~ Redding, CA)

A.  They’re signing up for “Dancing With The Stars.” 

Q.  Do you think they will legalize pot in the U.S.?  (Lynda ~ Bakersfield, CA)

A.  Not until the pot growers start contributing to political campaigns. 

Q.  New that she doesn’t have a free Air Force plane any more, how does Nancy Pelosi get back and forth between Washington and San Francisco?  (Al ~ Tremonton, UT)

A.  She rides her broom. 

TODAY’S QUOTE:

“When I go to a bar, I don't go looking for a girl who knows the capital of Maine.” ~ David Brenner

TODAY’S VIDEO: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wNK1Jt4JLg