Euro falls to new 4-year low

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oy_vey
By Chavon Sutton and Julianne Pepitone

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The euro pared fragile gains Tuesday, touching a new 4-year low, amid new concerns about Europe's debt crisis.

What prices are doing: The euro plummeted 1.5% on the dollar at $1.220 on Tuesday, hitting a fresh 4-year low. The European currency had fallen to a four-year low Monday morning versus the dollar, crashing through the key technical level of $1.23 to $1.2234.

The dollar rose 1.0% versus the British pound to $1.4330. It was down 0.4% against the Japanese yen at ¥92.243.

What's moving the market: Earlier Tuesday the European Union's statistics bureau said consumer prices in the zone jumped 0.5% in April over the previous month, a 1.5% increase over April 2009. The results were in line with market expectations. Also, Greece received its first infusion of cash from the joint EU and International Monetary Fund rescue package.

Although the news helped push the euro to fragile gains earlier in the day, it did little to assuage investors and analysts.

"The acceleration of the price index is trivial," wrote Ian Shepherdson, an economist at High Frequency Economics, in a research note.

The euro plummeted in afternoon trading after Germany announced plans to ban short selling on some European banks and government bonds of debt-ladened euro zone countries. Traders saw this as an indication that the troubled nations are not yet out of the woods.

What experts are saying: Germany's announcement "powered the euro lower," said Tom Benfer, director of foreign exchange at Bank of Montreal in New York.

Germany's decision highlights the fact that fundamentals in some of the euro zone countries are really weak, said Benfer. "The authorities are trying to prevent speculators from putting more pressure on them (government debts)," he said. Shorting the bonds of troubled governments could push out borrowing prices further, exacerbating the debt crisis.

Still, some analysts have said that the market has been overly bearish, especially in the wake of Europe's efforts to stabilize the debt-laden countries and the shared currency.

"It doesn't take too much these days to push the euro lower," said Benfer.

But the bearish sentiment in the market is likely to persist as traders seek clearer signs that Europe's woes will not spread and choke off the global economic recover. This will likely push the euro lower.

"It's a moving locomotive right now," said Benfer. "It's very hard to stop because the market psychology is just so negative."

Rush Limbaugh seems to be incapable or unwilling to comply with the law when it comes to prescription drugs. On Friday, Rush was detained by ICE officials for possessing a bottle of Viagra without a prescription. The matter was turned over to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's office. Possessing a controlled drug such as Viagra without a prescription is a violation of the law. It is amazing that Rush would not obtain a prescription for his Viagra. The Sherrif's office will file with the State's Attorney. Limabugh's plea deal might well be in jeopardy.
http://web.archive.org/web/20080708082720/http://www.rushlimbaughonline.com/
RUSH THE BUSTED CHICKENHAWK!!!.
In spite of the fact that Rush Limbaugh dodged serving in Viet Nam due to a boil on his ass, Rush saw it fit to try to impugn the honorable Viet Nam service of John Kerry. Rush Limbaugh is a despicable demagogue. A listener managed to get onto the air and restore a bit of justice and knock the wind out of Rush's right wing smear campaign.

Oil companies such as BP Amoco and Exxon Mobil are scoring galactic profits for themselves by inflating prices and jeopardizing our economy in the process. Instead of acting on behalf of the people, Bush and the GOP power brokers enrich them even further with give aways and tax cuts. Apologists insist it is all supply demand and accounting for costs. But comparing pump price and surging profits shows a close trend. Before the hurricanes, supply of fuel has met demand. What fell short was the thirst for humongous profits... but the oil companies saw to that.

Bush talked endlessly on the campaing trail about "brining a new tone" and having the "cleanest administration". We know that idea holds about as much water as a spaghetti strainer when it comes to Bush's rhetoric. His team is no better. His most closest economic advisers regularly make misleading statements more suited to the Rush Limbaugh show. They are nothing more than mindless cheerleading at best. What they are is a blast of lies.

Don Evans : Commerce Secretary
"Consumers often lead the recovery, lead a recovery come out of recession. That’s clearly what’s been going on here."

But the very next morning, the Commerce Department, which Evans runs, released figures showing that retail spending fell. That’s right, fell by 1.2 percent. It was the biggest drop in a year.

Last year, in the wake of 9/11, Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neill boldly predicted new highs in our market in the foreseeable future. Instead, the Dow tanked, going from 9600 that September to 8,500 the next month to just over 8,000 today. O’Neill also called Enron’s collapse the genius of capitalism but changed his tune to support government bail outs of Argentina and Brazil.

Lawrence Lindsey, director of the National Economic Council
"A war with Iraq would cost at least $100 billion, but would not have any serious economic consequences."

This is pure, unadulterated nonsense. The uncertainty of war along with 100 billion is bound to have substantial and negative economic consequences. This was a few weeks after Dubya Bush threatened to veto $5 billion in spending on a homeland security bill saying... "Excessive spending will serve as a drag on economic growth."

The mixed messages, lies and spin is quite characteristic of this administration. It is profoundly unfortunate that we have a media eager and willing to let them get away with it.

Rush Limbaugh sells himself as the "great truth detector". Rush Limbaugh claims to be a great patriot and claims a high degree of moral behavior. Thing of it is, Rush Limbaugh evaded serving his country and has been stoned on prescription drugs for the past 5 years. Rush Limbaugh also routinely makes innacurate statements. Rush Limbaugh has nothing to do with truth and moralism, nor is he an example of patriotic behavior. Rush Limbaugh is self-serving demagogue who will say anything to enrich himself. If Rush's fans applied even a modicum of objective reason, they would realize Limbaugh is duping them for great personal gain. MEGADITTOS!!

MORE HERE, (IF YOU CAN STAND IT!),http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.rushlimbaughonlin

e.com

Political commentator, radio host, college drop-out, alleged closet homosexual, and, as recently revealed, synthetic heroin drug addict, Rush Hudson Limbaugh III is probably the best known neocon personality in American radio.

Born in Cape Girardeau, MO, in 1951, Limbaugh spent many of his formative years pursuing a career in radio.

After using his pilonidal cyst - a congenital birth defect - to avoid military service in the Vietnam War, Limbaugh briefly worked for radio stations in Pittsburgh, PA and Kansas City, MO. Fired from both jobs, he worked as a wiener salesman for the KC Royals baseball franchise, eventually slithering back into the radio business.

In 1971 Limbaugh attended Southeastern Missouri University, where, according to reports, he had a brief but heated affair with Elliot Sanders. So gay is Limbaugh, guarantees Sanders, that, "none of his marriages was ever consummated."

Many of Limbaugh's fans staunchly deny the man's alleged homosexuality, and Limbaugh himself says the rumors are politically motivated lies. However, one is forced to doubt Limbaugh, who has a history of denying and balking at rumors that are later revealed to be true. His pilonidal cyst, his pseudonymous career in Pittsburgh radio, and his addiction to Oxycontin are all facts which Limbaugh initially denied or concealed.

After more failed stints with Missouri radio stations Limbaugh moved to Sacramento, CA, where he met and became "friends" with Norm Woodruff, a flamboyant, openly gay man with a great deal of influence in the local radio scene. Woodruff, who mentored Limbaugh in the ways of affluence and elitism (traits Rush mocks today), would later died of AIDS.

Through his ties to Woodruff Limbaugh was given Morton Downey, Jr.'s spot on KFBK News Talk 1530 a.m. Within twelve months Limbaugh had become the most popular radio personality in Sacramento. In 1988 he signed on with EFM Media Management, working from New York City.

For a short while Limbaugh plateaued, until the success and enormous popularity of a Democratic president provided him with a reason to whine.

The popularity and charisma of President Clinton enabled Limbaugh's hate-filled show to appeal to millions of bitter American conservatives. Limbaugh's unique combination of prevarication and histrionics provided a sense of unity for otherwise incompatible demographics, such as Klansmen and Wall Street stock brokers.




For years Limbaugh fooled his audiences into
believing his whining was something much more noble.


By the mid-90's Limbaugh's promoters had co-opted his show to enough nationwide syndicates to claim Limbaugh was the "most popular radio personality" in the country. Technically this was false. However, the free handout out of Limbaugh's show to any station that wanted it resulted in Limbaugh being the most listened-to man on a.m. radio.

Inspired by Clinton-induced vitriol, Limbaugh paid a ghostwriter to author for him See, I Told You So (1992), Nanny Nanny, Boo Boo (1993), and I'm Rubber. You're Glue. Whatever You Say Bounces off Me and Sticks to You (1994).

After miserably failing on television, Limbaugh spiraled into depression, eventually becoming addicted to pain pills prescribed to him for his pilonidal cyst (a.k.a. "Butt Boil"). For nearly eight years Limbaugh abused Hydrocodone, a synthetic, stronger version of heroin.

In effect, Limbaugh spent nearly a decade stoned off his bleeding backside, and ultimately built up his tolerance to levels requiring dozens of pills per day in order to, as Limbaugh once confided in his maid, "get my buzz on."

A textbook example of the damning effects of drug abuse, Limbaugh's addiction precipitated a swift drop in weight, deafness in both ears, and a marked decline in mental faculties. He also became increasingly paranoid - requiring his provider to meet him at night behind restaurants, next to dumpsters, where he'd hand over cigar boxes stuffed with "cabbage" (cash) in exchange for some "little baby blues" (pills). Limbaugh's desperation peaked in 2003, when he groped his provider in an attempt to check her for a wire tap.

By late 2003 the whole world knew of Limbaugh's drug addiction, though by virtue of their lack of character the majority of his fan base remained loyal listeners. Limbaugh's show remained popular, despite the rapid rise of Liberal Talk Show host Al Franken and the dogged attempts by the Bush administration to shut down long time talk show staple Howard Stern.

In May 2004 Rush's third wife, Marta, grew tired of never having sex with her allegedly closeted homosexual of a husband, and so asked for a divorce. Limbaugh complied after his desperate wife agreed to never reveal the true nature of Rush's sexual perversion.

In his statement this morning, Mark Souder said:

“It is with great regret I announce that I am resigning from the U.S. House of Representatives as well as resigning as the Republican nominee for Congress in this fall’s election.”

He continued: “I sinned against God, my wife and my family by having a mutual relationship with a part time member of my staff. I am so shamed to have hurt those I love.” (Fox)

Now who will replace Souder at the Ballot is still a big question. The State government gives liberty to Mitch Daniels, to decide whether to call or not to call a special election before the resignation. However, any sign of such an election before November looks dim.

Ind. GOP Rep. Souder says he'll resign over affair

By TOM DAVIES and DEANNA MARTIN, Associated Press Writers Tom Davies And Deanna Martin, Associated Press Writers 14 mins ago

INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana Rep. Mark Souder — an evangelical Christian who promoted abstinence education and was known for his outspoken views on religion — said Tuesday he will resign from Congress because of an extramarital affair with a part-time staff member.

The announcement by the eight-term Republican rocked party leaders, who had counted on keeping the Republican-leaning district in a year that many expect will favor the GOP nationally come November.

Souder's staff contacted the staff of House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, on Sunday to alert them to the situation. Boehner spoke on the phone with Souder on Monday.

Boehner spokesman Michael Steel said the minority leader "has been perfectly clear that he will hold our members to the highest ethical standards."

Rumors of Souder's infidelity had circulated in the northeastern Indiana district for months. Opponents reported receiving anonymous calls a few days before the May 4 primary with allegations of the affair.

But Souder's announcement that he would resign effective Friday and the confession of the affair stunned many voters who had backed his conservative support for family values and traditional marriage.

"I just think it's a crying shame," said Jean Tarner, who owns the Huntington Street Bar in downtown Syracuse. "He's supposed to be setting the values for the youth. It's just too bad."

Souder was alone during an emotional news conference at his Fort Wayne office during which he apologized for his actions but provided no details, including the name of the staffer. He said his wife and family were "more than willing" to stand with him, but "the error is mine and I should bear the responsibility," Souder said.

"I am so ashamed to have hurt the ones I love," he said as he battled tears. "I am sorry to have let so many friends down, people who have worked so hard for me."

Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels said he was surprised and disappointed by Souder's announcement but supported his decision to leave office.

"He did a wrong thing but now he's done the right thing," Daniels said.

A spokeswoman from Daniels' office said a special election will be held to fill the vacancy. The winner would complete the remainder of Souder's term that ends in January.

Throughout his time in Congress, Souder made his evangelical Christianity a centerpiece of his public persona. It was an image that played well in the 3rd District, which has a strong base of religious conservatives. Souder was known for his outspoken views on religion and his uncompromising conservative positions on social issues such as abortion.

He said after a 2008 hearing on abstinence-only education that the only fully reliable way young people can protect themselves from pregnancy and STDs is by "abstaining from sex until in a committed, faithful relationship."

Around the same time, he also recorded a video interview with a staff member in which he stressed the importance of abstinence education.

As a lawmaker, Souder was best known for his work on drug enforcement issues and his opposition to online gambling. Souder played an important role in 2006 legislation that targeted methamphetamine dealers.

"To serve has been a blessing and a responsibility given from God. I wish I could have been a better example," Souder said. "I sinned against God, my wife and my family by having a mutual relationship with a part-time member of my staff."

He said he chose to resign rather than subject his family to a "painful, drawn-out process" in what he called "the poisonous environment of Washington, D.C."

"I'm sick of politicians who drag their spouses in front of the cameras rather than confronting the problems that they've caused," he said.

Souder, 59, has been married to Diane since 1974, according to the biography on his office website. They have three adult children and two grandchildren.

He was seeking a ninth term after winning the May 4 Republican primary with 48 percent of the vote. His GOP opponent, car dealer Bob Thomas, spent much of his own money on television commercials portraying Souder as a career politician who wasn't a true fiscal conservative. Souder countered by emphasizing his A-plus marks from the National Rifle Association and 100 percent rating from the National Right to Life Committee.

Nate Bullock, a campaign spokesman for Thomas, said he received anonymous phone calls about Souder's affair shortly before the primary but wanted to run a campaign on the issues.

"We're not going to spend our time digging through the mud looking for every dirty little secret we can find on somebody," Bullock said.

In November, Souder was to face Democrat Tom Hayhurst, a former Fort Wayne city councilman who got 46 percent of the vote against Souder in 2006 — the toughest challenge since Souder was first elected in 1994.

Hayhurst said in statement that his thoughts and prayers were with Souder and his family.

"I'm not running for Congress to run against anyone, but I'm running because I think I can help change Washington and that will not change not matter who is in the race," Hayhurst said.

Republicans hope the GOP tendencies will prevail in November in the district that John McCain carried by more than 10 points in the 2008 presidential election.

Republican and Democratic precinct committeemen in the district will choose nominees for the special election, and GOP precinct officials will choose a candidate for the November ballot. The special election cannot be held until for at least 60 days.

One possible Republican replacement for Souder is state Sen. Marlin Stutzman of Howe, who finished second to former Sen. Dan Coats in this month's GOP primary for the U.S. Senate. Thomas and state GOP Rep. Randy Borror of Fort Wayne are also among those interested.

Souder's resignation continues a significant turnover among Indiana's congressional delegation this year.

Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh announced in February he wouldn't seek re-election, saying he had tired of Congress. Democratic Rep. Brad Ellsworth is leaving his southern Indiana seat to run for Bayh's position.

Republican Rep. Steve Buyer, who had been under fire over a foundation he'd set up to award college scholarships, said he wouldn't seek a 10th term in the House after his wife was diagnosed with an incurable autoimmune disease. The Office of Congressional Ethics took no action on a complaint filed by the Washington-based Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics.

___

Associated Press writers Henry C. Jackson in Washington and Rick Callahan in Indianapolis contributed to this report.

http://souder.house.gov/

http://www.souderforcongress.com/

http://herndon1.sdrdc.com/cgi-bin/can_give/H4IN04099

http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?CID=N00003844

DYE, BRUCE FORT WAYNE,IN 46814	HERITAGE COMPANIES/OWNER	9/28/09	$4,800	Souder, Mark E (R)
CRAWFORD, JOHN FORT WAYNE,IN 46815	FW RADIOLOGY/PHYSICIAN	11/30/09	$2,400	Souder, Mark E (R)
CRAWFORD, MARCIA FORT WAYNE,IN 46815	SELF-EMPLOYED/DIETITION	4/7/10	$2,400	Souder, Mark E (R)
DEISTER, CYNTHIA FORT WAYNE,IN 46814	HOMEMAKER/HOMEMAKER	9/28/09	$2,400	Souder, Mark E (R)
DYE, BRUCE FORT WAYNE,IN 46814	HERITAGE COMPANIES/OWNER	9/28/09	$2,400	Souder, Mark E (R)
HANNING, RHONDA FORT WAYNE,IN 46804	BILL'S BISTRO INC./MANAGER	3/14/10	$2,400	Souder, Mark E (R)
SCHLOSS, MESHELL FORT WAYNE,IN 46804	LIGONIER TELEPHONE/PRESIDENT	4/8/10	$2,400	Souder, Mark E (R)
SCHROCK, H DOUGLAS SYRACUSE,IN 46567	SMOKER CRAFT, INC./PRES. & CEO	12/29/09	$2,400	Souder, Mark E (R)
STRINGER, STEPHEN FORT WAYNE,IN 46804	KROUSE, KERN, & CO. INC./CPA	8/12/09	$2,400	Souder, Mark E (R)
DEISTER, E MARK FORT WAYNE,IN 46814	DEISTER MACHINE/PRESIDENT	9/28/09	$2,300	Souder, Mark E (R)
WOLF, VIRGINIA FORT WAYNE,IN 46845	RETIRED/RETIRED	3/11/09	$2,300	Souder, Mark E (R)
HALDEWANG, WILLIAM SYRACUSE,IN 46567	INDIAN COATED FABRICS/OWNER	3/15/10	$2,000	Souder, Mark E (R)
KELLEY, THOMAS FORT WAYNE,IN 46804	KELLEY CHEVROLET/PRESIDENT	8/26/09	$2,000	Souder, Mark E (R)
TAYLOR, ROBERT FORT WAYNE,IN 46814	DO IT BEST CORP./PRESIDENT	10/15/09	$2,000	Souder, Mark E (R)
WOLF, DON FORT WAYNE,IN 46845	RETIRED/RETIRED	3/11/09	$1,700	Souder, Mark E (R)
BUCK, TOBIAS WARSAW,IN 46580	PARAGON MEDICAL, INC./PRESIDENT AND	3/15/10	$1,500	Souder, Mark E (R)
SHEA, JAMES MISHAWAKA,IN 46544	FAIRMOUNT HOMES INC/BUSINESS EXECUT	12/29/09	$1,500	Souder, Mark E (R)
BAER, ANDREW MIDDLEBURY,IN 46540	K-Z RV, INC./VP SALES & MARKETING	2/1/10	$1,000	Souder, Mark E (R)
BONTRAGER, DERALD MIDDLEBURY,IN 46540	JAYCO/MFG EXEC AND OWNER	1/28/10	$1,000	Souder, Mark E (R)
BONTRAGER, WILBUR MIDDLEBURY,IN 46540	JAYCO INC./CEO	2/17/10	$1,000	Souder, Mark E (R)
CHAMPAGNE, RENE MARCO ISLAND,FL 34145	CAREER COLLEGE ASSOCIATION/CHAIRMAN	9/14/09	$1,000	Souder, Mark E (R)
CHAPMAN, HOWARD FORT WAYNE,IN 46804	RETIRED/RETIRED	12/16/09	$1,000	Souder, Mark E (R)
DEPUTY, ROBERT J ELKHART,IN 46514	RETIRED/RETIRED	2/1/10	$1,000	Souder, Mark E (R)
EMERICK, SONYA COLUMBIA CITY,IN 46725	MICROPULSE, INC./OWNER	10/19/09	$1,000	Souder, Mark E (R)
EVANS, RICHARD FORT WAYNE,IN 46808	EVANS TOYOTA/EXECUTIVE	9/10/09	$1,000	Souder, Mark E (R)
EVANS, RICHARD FORT WAYNE,IN 46808	EVANS TOYOTA/EXECUTIVE	3/31/10	$1,000	Souder, Mark E (R)
FENECH, WILLIAM ELKHART,IN 46516	DAMON MOTOR COACH/PRESIDENT	2/17/10	$1,000	Souder, Mark E (R)
FERRELL, KELLY FORT WAYNE,IN 46804	FW RADIOLOGY/PHYSICIAN	10/26/09	$1,000	Souder, Mark E (R)
FORE, GREGG MIDDLEBURY,IN 46540	PRESIDENT/DICOR CORP	2/5/10	$1,000	Souder, Mark E (R)
FRITZ, CASSIDY C ELKHART,IN 46515	CASSIDY C. FRITZ, P.C./ATTORNEY	2/5/10	$1,000	Souder, Mark E (R)
GAEDDERT, DOUGLAS ELKHART,IN 46517	FOREST RIVER INC/GENERAL MANAGER	2/17/10	$1,000	Souder, Mark E (R)
GUNDEN, DONALD GOSHEN,IN 46526	FOREST RIVER, INC./DIVISION G.M.	2/22/10	$1,000	Souder, Mark E (R)
GUNDEN, DONALD GOSHEN,IN 46526	FOREST RIVER, INC./DIVISION G.M.	6/1/09	$1,000	Souder, Mark E (R)
GUNDEN, DONALD GOSHEN,IN 46526	FOREST RIVER, INC./DIVISION G.M.	8/19/09	$1,000	Souder, Mark E (R)
HAIST, DAVID GRABILL,IN 46741	DO IT BEST CORP./EX. VICE PRES.	7/1/09	$1,000	Souder, Mark E (R)
HAIST, DAVID GRABILL,IN 46741	DO IT BEST CORP./EX. VICE PRES.	10/5/09	$1,000	Souder, Mark E (R)
HAIST, DAVID GRABILL,IN 46741	DO IT BEST CORP./EX. VICE PRES.	3/10/10	$1,000	Souder, Mark E (R)
HALDEWANG, WILLIAM SYRACUSE,IN 46567	INDIAN COATED FABRICS/OWNER	10/20/09	$1,000	Souder, Mark E (R)
HALDEWANG, WILLIAM SYRACUSE,IN 46567	INDIAN COATED FABRICS/OWNER	12/16/09	$1,000	Souder, Mark E (R)
HAMMOND, JOHN INDIANAPOLIS,IN 46202	ICE MILLER LLP/ATTORNEY	9/15/09	$1,000	Souder, Mark E (R)
KONESCO, KENNETH FISHERS,IN 46037	INDIANA BUSINESS COLLEGE/PRESIDENT	9/14/09	$1,000	Souder, Mark E (R)
KUBACKI, MICHAEL SYRACUSE,IN 46567	LAKE CITY BANK/PRESIDENT	1/13/10	$1,000	Souder, Mark E (R)
LEETZ, BRUCE VALPARAISO,IN 46383	NORTH COAST DISTRUBUTING/BEER DISTR	12/17/09	$1,000	Souder, Mark E (R)
MANTRAVADI, R V FORT WAYNE,IN 46814	RADIATION ONCOLOGY ASSOC. P.C./PHYS	12/10/09	$1,000	Souder, Mark E (R)
MAZER, ROBERT CHICAGO,IL 60611	SELF/WHITE SOX OWNER	10/19/09	$1,000	Souder, Mark E (R)
MAZER, ROBERT CHICAGO,IL 60611	SELF/WHITE SOX OWNER	9/10/09	$1,000	Souder, Mark E (R)
MILLER, MATT BREMEN,IN 46506	NEWMAR CORPORATION/PRESIDENT	2/8/10	$1,000	Souder, Mark E (R)
MOSSEY, DONALD ELKHART,IN 46514	SELF-EMPLOYED/BUSINESSMAN	2/1/10	$1,000	Souder, Mark E (R)
MYERS, R NEAL MIDDLEBURY,IN 46540	MAX MYERS MOTORS/PRESIDENT	3/23/10	$1,000	Souder, Mark E (R)
NIBLOCK, RICHARD BRISTOL,IN 46507	NIBLOCK EXCAVATING/BUSINESS OWNER	2/17/10	$1,000	Souder, Mark E (R)

I WANT TO KNOW..., IF..., KAGAN IS..., WELL, YOU KNOW?! A CARPET MUNCHING DYKE!!!
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-05-18/put-a-lesbian-on-supreme-court-even-if-kagan-isn-t-ann-woolner.html














LOSER...........................................!

Loser...........................................................................!!



OY VEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Specter rejected by Pa. Dems in bid for 6th term

PHILADELPHIA — U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter has been defeated in a Pennsylvania primary in his bid for a sixth term after taking the risky step of switching to the Democratic Party.

Voters Tuesday picked U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak as the party's nominee and rejected the 80-year-old Specter in his first Democratic campaign.

With 65 percent of precincts reporting, Sestak received 339,402 votes, nearly 53 percent. Specter received 304,179 votes, about 47 percent.

The vote also was a defeat for President Barack Obama, who supported Specter when he abandoned the Republican Party last year.

The moderate Specter cast his switch as a decision of principle after inflaming the GOP by voting for Obama's economic stimulus bill. But many Democratic voters questioned his motives.

Sestak faces Republican Pat Toomey in the fall election.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/top/all/7011475.html

Blumenthal Can Be Thankful Vietnam Is a Generational Issue

http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/thegaggle/archive/2010/05/18/blumenthal-can-be-thankful-vietnam-is-a-generational-issue.aspx



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Onorato
http://www.alleghenycounty.us/welcome/
http://voteonorato.com/splash



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arlen_Specter

Political views

According to the National Journal, Specter voted with Democrats 90% of the time since he switched parties, while as a Republican Specter split his votes between both parties.^[48] According to fivethirtyeight.com, between January-March 2009 Specter voted with the Democrats 58% of the time. Following the support of the stimulus package and the entrance of Pat Toomey in the Republican primary, Specter began to vote 16% with Democrats. When switching to become a Democrat, he voted 69% with his new party initially, until Joe Sestak entered the Democratic primary and Specter started to vote 97% of the time.^[49]

[edit] Abortion

Specter states that he is "personally opposed to abortion", but is "a supporter of a woman's right to choose".^[50][51] He received a 20 percent rating from NARAL Pro-Choice America in 2005 based on certain votes related to the regulation of abortion; in 2008, he received 100 percent ^[52][53]

[edit] Gay rights

Specter supports LGBT rights. He voted to prohibit job discrimination based on sexual orientation, and was a co-sponsor of the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act.^[54] Specter is opposed to same-sex marriage, but is also opposed to a federal ban and supports civil unions.^[55]

[edit] Gun control

Specter strongly opposes most gun control, voting against the Brady Bill, background checks at gun shows, the ban on assault weapons, and trigger locks for handguns.^[56] His work has included numerous articles on the deterring effect the death penalty has on future crimes.

[edit] Affirmative action

He supports affirmative action and voted for the Civil Rights Act of 1991, receiving a 76 percent rating from the NAACP in 2008.^[57] He was one of only four Republicans to vote against the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act and in recent years has been less enthusiastic about weakening consumer protection laws than many members of his party. In 1995 he was the only Republican to vote to limit tax cuts to individuals with incomes of less than one million dollars. He voted against CAFTA. Specter also supports an increase in the federal minimum wage. He is a leading supporter of the U.S. Public Service Academy.

[edit] Illegal immigration

On immigration, Specter supports a "pathway to citizenship" and a "guest worker program" which opponents call amnesty. He introduced Senate bill S. 2611 (the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006) on 6 April 2006, which was passed by the Senate on May 25, 2006 before reaching a stalemate in the House.^[58]

[edit] Health care reform

[edit] Public option

On May 3rd, 2009 Specter went on Meet the Press and was asked "Would you support health care reform that puts up a government run public plan to compete with a private plan issued by a private insurance company?" Specter said no straight up.^[59][60] Two months later, he changed his position and he now supports it.^[61]

[edit] Single payer

Specter believes single payer healthcare should not be "taken off the table" in an interview he had with John King on CNN.

[edit] Votes

On health care reform, Specter was a cosponsor of the Healthy Americans Act, a proposal he supported during both the 110th and 111th Congresses. Specter voted for the Affordable Health Care for America Act, the healthcare bill passed through the Senate by every Democratic senator.^[62]

[edit] Card check

Specter has received a 61 percent rating from AFL-CIO.^[63] He voted for cloture on the Employee Free Choice Act in 2007. In early 2009, Specter announced that he would not be voting for cloture on the same act in the 111th Congress.^[64] After Specter switched parties, he changed his position on the issue again and wrote a letter to the unions that he supported card check legislation.

[edit] Other

The Jewish daily The Forward reported in the wake of the July 2009 organ trafficking scandal in the U.S. involving Rabbi Levy Izhak Rosenbaum of Brooklyn that an Organ Trafficking Prohibition Act of 2009, sponsored by Specter, has yet to be officially introduced in the U.S., the preliminary reports cites Israel as a model of a country that has enacted a law providing benefits for organ donors.^[65]

Specter criticized the federal government's policy on cancer, stating the day after Jack Kemp—the 1996 Republican vice presidential nominee and former congressman—died of cancer, that Kemp would still be alive if the federal government had done a better job funding cancer research.^[66]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Sestak

Political positions

[edit] Abortion

Sestak is pro-choice, holding a 0% rating from the National Right to Life Committee and a 100% rating from NARAL Pro-Choice America.^[13] NARAL has endorsed Sestak in the Democratic primary over Specter because of Sestak's opposition to a ban on Partial-Birth Abortion.^[14]

[edit] Economy

He voted for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (the Stimulus) and the Tax Extenders and Alternative Minimum Tax Relief Act of 2008.^[15]

[edit] Education

Sestak voted for the Improving Head Start Act and the College Cost Reduction and Access Act.

[edit] Environment

Sestak voted for the Waxman Markey American Clean Energy and Security Act (Cap and Trade) program.^[16] He is the only Pennsylvanian congressman to have a 100% rating from the League of Conservation Voters and PennEnvironment. He was also endorsed by the Sierra Club in his 2008 Congressional re-election. He voted for the Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Tax Act of 2007 and the New Direction for Energy Independence, National Security and Consumer Protection Act. He was also an original co-sponsor of the Climate Stewardship Act (H.R. 620) and the Safe Climate Act.^[17]

[edit] Gun rights

Sestak supports gun control and has a 100% rating from the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence^[18] and an F rating from the National Rifle Association.^[19]

Sestak has called for the reinstatement of the federal ban on assault weapons.^[20]

[edit] Healthcare

Sestak credits his support for health care reform as to "pay back" the country that provided him and his family health care while he was in the Navy (the TRICARE program), especially for treating his daughter's brain tumor.^[21] He supports state-provided preventive care and voted for the CHAMP Act. Sestak originally co-sponsored the Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiations Act, the Caroline Pryce Walker Conquer Childhood Cancer Act and co-sponsored H.R. 3800, which establishes a public-private Partnership for Health Care Improvement. He also announced the Pediatric Cancer Caucus, which he will co-chair.^{[22][dead link]} He is also a member of the Autism Caucus, Diabetes Caucus, 21st Century Health Care Caucus, Congressional Mental Health Caucus, Nursing Caucus, and Cystic Fibrosis Caucus.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Labor

Sestak is an original co-sponsor of the Employee Free Choice Act and supports the original version that includes card check. He created the Labor Advisory Committee to address the challenges facing working families in his district.^[23]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Senate


http://www.politicspa.com/tags/anthony-williams-for-governor/
http://www.williams4governor.com/index.html
If you cant trust a Jew, who can you trust?
Attorney General Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut is running for a seat in the Senate.
By RAYMOND HERNANDEZ
Published: May 17, 2010


At a ceremony honoring veterans and senior citizens who sent presents to soldiers overseas, Attorney General Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut rose and spoke of an earlier time in his life.


AN ASSISTANT IN THE NIXON WHITE HOUSE In 1969, Richard Blumenthal was hired by Daniel Patrick Moynihan, presidential urban affairs adviser.


“We have learned something important since the days that I served in Vietnam,” Mr. Blumenthal said to the group gathered in Norwalk in March 2008. “And you exemplify it. Whatever we think about the war, whatever we call it — Afghanistan or Iraq — we owe our military men and women unconditional support.”

There was one problem: Mr. Blumenthal, a Democrat now running for the United States Senate, never served in Vietnam. He obtained at least five military deferments from 1965 to 1970 and took repeated steps that enabled him to avoid going to war, according to records.

The deferments allowed Mr. Blumenthal to complete his studies at Harvard; pursue a graduate fellowship in England; serve as a special assistant to The Washington Post’s publisher, Katharine Graham; and ultimately take a job in the Nixon White House.

In 1970, with his last deferment in jeopardy, he landed a coveted spot in the Marine Reserve, which virtually guaranteed that he would not be sent to Vietnam. He joined a unit in Washington that conducted drills and other exercises and focused on local projects, like fixing a campground and organizing a Toys for Tots drive.

Many politicians have faced questions over their decisions during the Vietnam War, and Mr. Blumenthal, who is seeking the seat being vacated by Senator Christopher J. Dodd, is not alone in staying out of the war.

But what is striking about Mr. Blumenthal’s record is the contrast between the many steps he took that allowed him to avoid Vietnam, and the misleading way he often speaks about that period of his life now, especially when he is speaking at veterans’ ceremonies or other patriotic events.

Sometimes his remarks have been plainly untrue, as in his speech to the group in Norwalk. At other times, he has used more ambiguous language, but the impression left on audiences can be similar.

In an interview on Monday, the attorney general said that he had misspoken about his service during the Norwalk event and might have misspoken on other occasions. “My intention has always been to be completely clear and accurate and straightforward, out of respect to the veterans who served in Vietnam,” he said.

But an examination of his remarks at the ceremonies shows that he does not volunteer that his service never took him overseas. And he describes the hostile reaction directed at veterans coming back from Vietnam, intimating that he was among them.

In 2003, he addressed a rally in Bridgeport, where about 100 military families gathered to express support for American troops overseas. “When we returned, we saw nothing like this,” Mr. Blumenthal said. “Let us do better by this generation of men and women.”

At a 2008 ceremony in front of the Veterans War Memorial Building in Shelton, he praised the audience for paying tribute to troops fighting abroad, noting that America had not always done so.

“I served during the Vietnam era,” he said. “I remember the taunts, the insults, sometimes even physical abuse.”

Mr. Blumenthal, 64, is known as a brilliant lawyer who likes to argue cases in court and uses language with power and precision. He is also savvy about the news media and attentive to how he is portrayed in the press.

But the way he speaks about his military service has led to confusion and frequent mischaracterizations of his biography in his home state newspapers. In at least eight newspaper articles published in Connecticut from 2003 to 2009, he is described as having served in Vietnam.

The New Haven Register on July 20, 2006, described him as “a veteran of the Vietnam War,” and on April 6, 2007, said that the attorney general had “served in the Marines in Vietnam.” On May 26, 2009, The Connecticut Post, a Bridgeport newspaper that is the state’s third-largest daily, described Mr. Blumenthal as “a Vietnam veteran.” The Shelton Weekly reported on May 23, 2008, that Mr. Blumenthal “was met with applause when he spoke about his experience as a Marine sergeant in Vietnam.”

And the idea that he served in Vietnam has become such an accepted part of his public biography that when a national outlet, Slate magazine, produced a profile of Mr. Blumenthal in 2000, it said he had “enlisted in the Marines rather than duck the Vietnam draft.”

The Single Bullet Theory (or Magic Bullet Theory, as it is commonly called by its critics) was introduced by the Warren Commission to explain how three shots fired by Lee Harvey Oswald resulted in the assassination of United States President John F. Kennedy. The theory, generally credited to Warren Commission staffer Arlen Specter^[1] (now a United States Senator from Pennsylvania), posits that a single bullet, known as "Warren Commission Exhibit 399" (also known as "CE 399"), caused all of the non-fatal wounds in both President Kennedy and Texas Governor John Connally. (The fatal head wound to the President was caused by a bullet other than this so-called "Single Bullet").
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single_bullet_theory

Theorized path of the bullet CE399

The following description assumes that bullet CE 399 hit high, at the sixth cervical vertebra rather than the third thoracic vertebra: The 6.5 millimeter, 161 grain, round nose military style full metal jacket bullet, which was manufactured by the "Western Case Cartridge Company" and later stored nearly whole in the U.S. National Archives, was first theorized by the Warren Commission to have:

• ballistically arced very slightly while traveling 189 ft (58 m) in a downward net angle of 25 degrees (allowing for the 3 degrees downward of Elm Street), after an initial supersonic rifle exit muzzle velocity of 1,850 to 2,000 feet per second (560 to 610 m/s), then entered President Kennedy's rear suit coat at about 1,700 feet per second (518 m/s),

• impacted, then entered President Kennedy 2 inches (51 mm)] to the right of his spine, creating a wound documented size of 4 millimeters by 7 millimeters in the rear of his upper back with a red-brown to black area of skin surrounding the wound, forming what is called an abrasion collar. This abrasion collar was caused by the bullet's scraping the margins of the skin on penetration and is characteristic of a gunshot wound of entrance. This abrasion collar was photographically documented to be larger at the lower margin half of the wound, which is strong evidence that the bullet's long-axis orientation at the instant of penetration was slightly upward in relation to the plane of the skin immediately surrounding the wound; however, the skin of Kennedy's upper back slopes inward, and the Croft photo (taken at Zapruder frame 162, shortly before Kennedy was hit) shows the President slumped forward. This would suggest that a shooting position above and to the rear of Kennedy was possible

• damaged the President's first thoracic vertebra.^[61] (There is debate whether the bullet itself struck the vertebra and caused this damage, or whether a pressure cavity wave created by the bullet's passage was responsible),

• passed through his neck. Warren Exhibit CE 386^[62] reported contusion (bruise) of the apex of the right lung in the region where it rises above the clavicle, and noted that, although the apex of the right lung and the parietal pleural membrane over it had been bruised, they were not penetrated. This is consistent with a bullet passing through the neck, immediately over the top tip of the right lung (the pressure wave causing bruising to both pleural membrane and apex of lung), but without penetrating the thoracic cavity, or the lung beneath.

• After passing through the neck, the bullet exited President Kennedy's throat, at the centerline below the President's Adam's apple. Within three hours of the assassination, this neck frontal wound was described in an afternoon press conference by the Parkland trauma room #1 emergency physician, Doctor Malcolm Perry, after he attended to the frontal throat wound, as being an "entrance wound". Doctor Perry stated the neck frontal wound "appeared to be" an entrance wound three times during his press conference. However, medical researchers have found that ER doctors frequently make mistakes with regard to entrance and exit wounds, and both Perry and Dr. Carrico, the other attending ER doctor, later testified at the Warren hearing that with a full jacketed bullet the wound in the front of the throat could have been either an entrance or exit wound.^[63] Within nineteen hours of his press conference statement (but after the autopsy had already been completed), Doctor Perry also described via telephone to Doctor Humes, one of the three U.S. Navy Bethesda Hospital military autopsists, that the neck front wound was originally only "3 to 5 millimeters" in circular width before doctor Perry attended to the front throat wound (Humes documented Perry's "3 to 5 millimeters" wound size by writing it down during the phone conversation),

• passed through both sides of his shirt collar-front in alignment with the collar button buttoned, about 7/8 inch below the center top collar button and collar button hole, in line with the throat wound, and with the threads in both bullet-slits forced outward, showing this to be an exit wound,^[64]

• nicked President Kennedy's tie-knot on its upper left side. Upon clearing the tie-knot the bullet had slowed to about 1,500 feet per second (457 m/s) and had started to tumble,

• traveled the 25.5 inches (650 mm) between President Kennedy and Governor Connally,

• impacted and entered Connally's back just below and behind his right armpit creating an 8 millimeter by 15 millimeter elliptical wound, indicating that bullet was fired from an acute angle to the entrance wound point, or that the bullet was tumbling, having hit something (presumably Kennedy); according to Connally, the impact of the bullet was very forceful. In terms of the physics of this impact, this means that the bullet imparted part of its momentum to Connally's body and therefore the bullet's momentum changed (in speed or direction or both) upon entering his body;

• completely destroyed 127 millimeters (5 in) of Connally's fifth right rib bone as it smashed through his chest interior at a documented 10-degree anatomically downward angle, (post-operative x-rays document that some of the metal fragments remained in Connally's wrist for life and were buried with him many years later. There were no fragments seen in any chest x-rays)^[65]

• exited slightly below his right nipple, creating a 50 millimeter, sucking-air, blowout chest wound,

• passed through Connally's shirt and suit coat front, seen in commission photos five inches (127 mm) to the right of the suit coat right lapel, and even with the lowest point of the right lapel,

• slowed to 900 feet per second (274 m/s) (subsonic), and entered through Connally's right upper (outside) wrist, but missed his suit coat sleeve. It penetrated the doubled French cuff shirt sleeve at the wrist area but did not penetrate the cuff on exit (in 2003 Nellie Connally described in her book “From Love Field” that Connally's right hand solid-gold “Mexican peso” cufflink was struck with a bullet, and the cufflink was completely shot off during the attack. This is not evident from the physical appearance of the shirt which bears no mark, tear or hole at the cufflink area. Connally’s cufflink was apparently never found — thus never entered — into the assassination evidence),

• broke his right radius wrist bone at its widest point, depositing metal fragments, (post-operative x-rays document that some of the metal fragments are still buried with him),

• exited the palm (inner) side of Connally's wrist,

• slowed to 400 feet per second (122 m/s) and entered the front side of his left thigh, creating a documented 10-millimeter nearly round wound,

• buried itself shallowly into Connally's left thigh muscles,

• then fell out at Parkland Hospital, perhaps when Connally was undressed,

• landed on a Connally's gurney,

• was discovered by hospital engineer Darrell C. Tomlinson on one of two gurneys on the ground floor of the hospital. Although Tomlinson testified to the Warren Commission in 1964 that he was not sure on whose gurney he found the bullet,^[66] he has gone on record independent of the Warren Report, stating that he found the bullet on the gurney next to the one that transported Connally to an operating room table on the second floor of the hospital.^{[citation needed]}

Regarding the bullet that he remembered impacting his back, Connally stated, "...the most curious discovery of all took place when they rolled me off the stretcher and onto the examining table. A metal object fell to the floor, with a click no louder than a wedding band. The nurse picked it up and slipped it into her pocket. It was the bullet from my body, the one that passed through my back, chest, and wrist, and worked itself loose from my thigh."

The Warren Commission's "single bullet," according to all documentation:

• had no thread striations (fine lines etched onto a copper encased bullet tip and/or bullet side casing by clothing threads when the bullet first penetrates clothing threads),

• was marked with no blood,

• was marked with no human tissue,

• had no pieces of clothing attached,

• had lost only 1.5% of its original average weight,

• had a composition that was consistent with the composition of the metal fragments recovered from Connally (see section on neutron activation analysis).

This "single bullet," which was full metal jacketed and specifically designed to pass through the human body, was deformed and not in a pristine state as some detractors claim. Though a side view seems to show no visible damage, a view from the end of the bullet shows a significant flattening which occurred when, according to the theory, the bullet struck Connally's wrist, butt end first. The metallurgical composition of the bullet fragments in the wrist was compared to the composition of the samples taken from the base of CE 399.

Several of the same type 6.5 millimeter test bullets were test-fired by the Warren Commission investigators. The test bullet that most matched the slight side flattening and nearly pristine, still rounded impact tip of CE 399 was a bullet that had only been fired into a long tube containing a thick layer of cotton. Later tests show that such bullets survive intact when fired into solid wood and multiple layers of skin and ballistic gel, as well.

CE 399 is stored out of the public's view in the National Archives and Records Administration, though numerous pictures of the bullet are available on the NARA website.

Ballistics experts have performed test shots through animal flesh and bones with cloth covering. Under the assumption of an adjusted relative position of President Kennedy and Governor Connally within the car, some, but not all, of the Warren Commission ballistics experts considered it possible that the same bullet that passed through the President's neck may have caused all of the governor's wounds. The Warren Commission as a whole wrote that it was persuaded that the President's neck wound and all of the governor's wounds were caused by a single bullet, although three of the seven members, Sen. Richard Russell, Rep. Hale Boggs, and Sen. John Cooper, have stated that they did not support the theory because it did not fit the evidence.

Kennedy Assassination Home Page: The Single Bullet Theory
http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/sbt.htm
http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/home.htm

TOO MANY HEBREWS ON THE US SUPREME COURT!

Buchanan complains that with Kagan, Supreme Court will have too many Jews

Indeed, of the last seven justices nominated by Democrats JFK, LBJ, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, one was black, Marshall; one was Puerto Rican, Sonia Sotomayor. The other five were Jews: Arthur Goldberg, Abe Fortas, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Stephen Breyer and Elena Kagan. 6

Who Are These People?

If Kagan is confirmed, Jews, who represent less than 2 percent of the U.S. population, will have 33 percent of the Supreme Court seats.

Is this the Democrats' idea of diversity?


How About An Irish, Italian, Or Polish Judge?

But while leaders in the black community may be upset, the folks who look more like the real targets of liberal bias are white Protestants and Catholics, who still constitute well over half of the U.S. population.

Not in living memory has a Democratic president nominated an Irish, Italian or Polish Catholic, though these ethnic communities once gave the party its greatest victories in the cities and states of the North.

What happened to the party of the Daleys, Rizzos and Rostenkowskis?


What About A White Protestant Woman?

And not in nearly half a century has a Democratic president nominated a white Protestant or white Catholic man or woman.

If Kagan is confirmed, the Court will consist of three Jews and six Catholics (who represent not quite a fourth of the country), but not a single Protestant, though Protestants remain half the nation and our founding faith.


What About The Crypto Jews?

Sonia Sotomayor has a Jewish mother.


Sameul Alito Has Zionist Blood

Samuel Anthony Alito, Jr. was educated at Princeton University and Yale Law School, Alito is married to Martha-Ann Alito (nee Bomgardner). He has Jewish blood.
Guns And Freedom Of Speech

Have no doubt the gun laws will become more restrictive, and Freedom of Speech will be history. Some day you will go to jail in America if you deny the holocaust. But, rest assured they will be cracking down on conspiracy, and naturally anti Semitic sites.
http://judicial.coolpage.biz/34rbuchanan_complains_that_with_kag.htm