Associated Press: 'Today in History For September 11th- Remembering 9/11, 2001'

Source:Associated Press- New York City: September 11th, 2001.

Source:The Daily Review   

"Sights and sounds of this day in 2001, when America suffered the worst terrorist attack on its soil. (Sept. 11)

Highlights of the day in history - a retrospective view on political events, historic battles, and life changing decisions. More:Today in History." 

From the Associated Press

Just to give you a personal reflection about 9/11: I was working at a movie theater and not happy about it and working the nightshift and disliked that even more. Except for the people I worked with and for and met. I believe I closed the night before and slept in that morning knowing I would be closing again on that Tuesday night the night of 9/11.

I woke up early that afternoon and turned on the news and saw I believe ABC News breaking in from ABC's afternoon soap operas to cover these explosions that were happening in New York City and the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. And to paraphrase what Jack Buck said during the 1988 World Series: "I don't believe what my eyes just saw." I can't believe what I just saw on TV. It must have felt like the way people in Hawaii felt during Pearl Harbor in 1941. That the nation was under attack and what's the next horrible attack that we'll be doing with.

I get ready for work and get there I guess about 4 o'clock that afternoon and find out that the theater is close because of the attacks and I had the night off.

There are only two moments during the George W. Bush presidency where I was proud of President Bush and I don't say that lightly or proudly. It's just the way I feel about this President as President.

The first one is where President Bush goes to New York City to look at the destruction caused by the attacks and he's giving a speech there and talking to firefighters there. And some people in the audience yell out essentially how angry they are at the people of these attacks. And President Bush literally breaks in with a megaphone and says: "we hear you, the Americas people hears you and the people responsible for knocking down these buildings will hear from all of us very shortly."

It was the perfect thing that President Bush  said at that point and I believe reflected how most Americans were feeling at that very moment regardless of their politics and party affiliation. Those last four months of 2001 starting unfortunately with 9/11, you could argue was the last time America was united as a country. And President Bush deserves credit for that. Regardless of what you think of him.

I don't live in New York City and I never had. So I can't give you an eyewitness account of what happened in New York during those horrific attacks. But what I can do as an American is tell you how I feel about people responsible for attacking one of America's great cities and one of the great cities in the world. America felt under attack during 9/11.

Before 9/11 we felt invincible as a country and believe no one would attack us period. Even if they could, because we would destroy them if they did and they knew that. 9/11 changed and changed the national makeup of this country.

What goes on in the Middle East and South Asia, can now happen here. Not from another country sending in a plane and hitting us with missiles and bombs, because they would get shot down. But from terrorist hijackers so warped out of their mind and hating America and our foreign policy, that they would hijack a private plane and use it as their suicide attack. Even with innocent passengers on board simply flying to New York, with no say in the matter.

And America has never gotten back to pre-9/11 and the few months after that when we were one country even for that short period.

Associated Press: Lynne Hollander-Savio- Berkley's Campus Free Speech Movement at 50

Source:The Daily Review

The Millennial's today who are still in college, the so-called Social Justice Warriors who want to establish their form of political correctness on the entire country who believe that minority Americans, are entitled to never having to hear anything that offends them, could learn so much from the Baby Boomers of the 1960s. The Hippies, who weren't fighting for collectivism and censorship, political correctness, but instead were fighting for individual freedom and Freedom of Speech. The right for Free Americans to express exactly how they feel about issues. On and off campus.

The Hippies, the long beards of the 1960s, the Baby Boomers, were fighting against the right-wing establishment who believe America was still in the 1950s. When individualism and individuality, were still not common and if anything looked down upon. Where people were told how to think, instead of taught how to learn and then base their own views on what they just learned. Where individual freedom and free speech were only tolerated if people were doing, saying and believing what the establishment approved of.

Again, free speech is exactly that. Take it for what its worth, because it by itself is not designed to make you feel good or bad, but to express how someone feels and when done right inform people as well. 'This is where you're doing well and this is where you need improvement. This is what you should do less of if not stop all together. This is what you should be doing more of.' And these are just some examples of what free speech is. Which is something the long beards of today, the Millennial's who are in college simply don't understand and approve of.

It means that you have the constitutional right to express how you feel about someone, or some group, or something, but that person next to you and everyone else not only have the constitutional right to not only tell you what they think about what you have to say, but express their own views on the same subject, or any other subject that they want to talk about. And you have the same constitutional right to express how you feel about what they have to say about whatever they're talking about as well.

Just because America has a history of racial and ethnic discrimination, which is the worst part of our national history, doesn't protect ethnic, racial and religious minorities from having to hear anything critical about themselves or their group in the future. Especially when the criticism is accurate. There's nothing bigoted about the truth and even when someone delivers half-truths about people perhaps to make partisan points and even racial or ethnic points to make a group seem worst than they actually are, you can always present the rest of the story and point out whatever hypocrisy the commentator is making.

There's nothing bigoted about saying that women and gays are treated like second-class citizens and slaves, or risk death if they try to convert from Islam in the Arab and broader Muslim World, since those things are actually true. Just like gays and women are treated like second-class citizens in the Bible Belt in America. Free speech, is free and facts don't lie and when someone is actually offended by the truth, then they have a real problem with dealing with reality. And have real self-improvement issues to deal with beyond whatever negative facts that have already come out about them. But that is no reason from censoring the truth and free speech. Especially in a liberal democracy like America.

Associated Press: Today in History For January 26th

Source:The New Democrat

1998 the year that could’ve been for President Bill Clinton that instead turned out to be the year that wasn’t. Because a fifty-year old man couldn’t get enough of a White House intern. A year where he wanted to reform and shore up entitlement programs, expand pensions and health insurance. He had a very big agenda going into 1998, but that all gone because of an affair he had with an intern. Just goes to show how stupid he was to have this affair and everything that he cost himself and his party as. A result that again going into 1998 probably had an opportunity to win back the House of Representatives. Bill Clinton similar to Richard Nixon had more than his share of enemies in the opposition party. People who were simply looking to bring them down. Where Nixon and Clinton made mistakes was to give them the hammers to hit them with their own personal behavior.

Bill Clinton, I don’t want to say is the Jack Kennedy of his generation when it came to his sexual appetite. Because lets face it, JFK was a morbidly obese man when it came to sexual activity. Had he not had this little job as President of the United States, perhaps the only thing he would’ve had done was to have sex. And maybe there would be a hundred little JFK’s running around today with perhaps a hundred different mothers, with the Jack being the father of all of them. Bill Clinton (at least as far as we know) didn’t have sex with a different women every time he was out-of-town on his own, or when Hillary went out-of-town on her own. But when President Clinton saw a women and in Monica Lewinski’s case, a teenage girl as far as how cute she was and maturity level that he liked, he made his move.

And without the Paula Jones bogus lawsuit, I mean seriously why would a man as handsome, charming, funny and intelligent as Bill Clinton, want anything to do with Paula Jones. Especially when he already had Jennifer Flowers which was a real affair. But putting that all aside for a minute, without her lawsuit against the President, Monica Lewinski’s name is probably never famous. She didn’t want this story to come out. And President Clinton for obvious as water is wet reasons didn’t want this story to come out either. The whole Monica affair just reminds me of how stupid even the most brightest and politically gifted people can be when they don’t have discipline. And that is one thing that Bill Clinton will always have in common with Jack Kennedy.

Associated Press: NY Yankees 3B Alex Rodriguez Out For Entire 2014 Season

Source:The New Democrat. 

Is anyone surprised by this. We knew A-Rod was going to get hit big for use of drugs that are illegal in Major League Baseball. And what A-Rod has been doing what the last six months or so is trying to buy time in hope that he would be bailed out. And have some shot of playing in 2014. If you are dumb enough to illegal drugs in MLB, then you’re dumb enough to get caught and more than deserve the time that you get for them. He knows about his physical health and the state of his playing career better than anyone. And what a one year suspension could do to him in his late thirties. Especially since his career has been in decline the last few years anyway. And yet he takes this big risk with the rest of his career and will now pay the price for getting caught.

Associated Press: Tim Maguire- 'Moscow Court Frees 1 of 3 Pussy Riot Members'

Source:Associated Press- one of the members of the Russia punk band (yes, there's such a thing) being freed from jail.

"A Moscow appeals court has freed one of the jailed Pussy Riot members but upheld the two-year prison sentence for the two others." 

From the Associated Press

Perhaps a lot of people in America (especially on the Far-Left and Atheist-Left) like to think and even argue that the Religious-Right is only a problem, only in existence in America. And perhaps have never heard of the Islamic Republic of Iran, or the Islamic Kingdom of Saudi, or the Russian Orthodox Church in the Russian Federation, that has a big influence of President Vladimir Putin's regime in Russia. All these other countries have at least theocratic influences over their national government's. And in Iran and Saudi Arabia case, they hav theocratic, national government's there. 

So when the Russian punk rock band Pussy Riot is arrested in Russia simply for giving a performance that is anti-religion or speaks out against the Putin Regime there, but then one of their members are released from jail, it means there's still some degree of free speech and personal freedom in Vladimir Putin's Russia. Not much, but at least there's some check left on his dictatorial power in that huge country.

Associated Press: Raw Video- 'Judge Denies Request to Stop Anti-Muslim Trailer'

Source:Associated Press- actress Cindy Lee Garcia filed this lawsuit and loss.

Source:FRS FreeState 

“A judge has denied a request seeking to force YouTube to remove an anti-Muslim film trailer that has been blamed for causing deadly violence in the Muslim World. The actress who filed the lawsuit calls the film ‘degrading’.”

From the Associated Press

If this actress in this movie was misled about this movie that she was in, then she probably has a good case, that she should take to court and sue the makers of this movie over that and be rewarded compensation for that. Assuming she didn’t know that she was going to be part of an Islamaphobic film and I don’t know if she was misled or not. But as far as getting the movie shut down, over that, that simply won’t happen.

We have a First Amendment in this country that protects Freedom of Speech, which movies would clearly come under, because they clearly have speech in them. And when they are in documentary form, they are delivering a message and perhaps intended to inform people about the subject matter that the film is covering.

Seeing speech that you love or hate, is part of sharing and living in a liberal democracy of three-hundred and fifteen million people. We can control what we see and hear, but can’t shut people up on our own.

Suing people might be part of the American Way in America, but free speech is clearly the American Way and has to be protected. Whether its peaceful speech, hate speech, accurate speech or inaccurate speech. It’s not the job of government to protect us from what they may see as dangerous speech. We have the freedom to make these decisions for ourselves.

Associated Press: Warren Levinson- 'Occupy Wall Street: One Year Later

Source:Associated Press- Pete Dietro used to be one of the activists for Occupy Wall Street.

Source:FRS FreeState

“To mark the one-year-anniversary of the Occupy movement on September 17th , current and former members talk to the Associated Press about the changes they see in the organization.”

From the Associated Press 

Occupy Wall Street started off as a I guess left-wing social democratic (even though there are Communists who part of OWS) movement a year ago, that was pissed off at Wall Street and corporate America as a whole. And seeing them get bail outs while they saw the rest of the country as they put it got austerity and decided that they were: “Mad as Hell and weren’t going to take it anymore.” Or perhaps even stronger language than that)

OWS was a very focused and fairly disciplined movement, especially for Socialists who aren’t known for discipline or even believing in it. And that’s how they were successful in its first few months: “This is what’s bad, we have the people with us and we need to stop this.”

And then OWS could go about fixing the problems, instead of making them worst and were successful in not only getting attention from the national media, but getting people behind them as well. Even Democrats not so much the leadership, but some Congressional Democrats in both the House and Senate who are so far to the Left as they are and also have a hard time seeing the center and perhaps center-left with a telescope, such as OWS. And they even managed to not only communicate what they believe is wrong with the country, as far as the economy, but we’re able to start to put together their own social democratic agenda.

OWS moves from talking about what they don’t like about capitalism and corporate America, to preserving social insurance programs, especially Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. But what they would do about the “too big to fail banks”, breaking them up or nationalizing them. As well as things like universal higher education, protecting organize labor and debt forgiveness for students and other things.

But now OWS seems to be about complaining about ever society ill that the country seems to be going through. Jump from one problem to another without any real focus or discipline and living up to one of the negative stereotypes that Socialists have. They’ve become like kids who when they get a new toy, they see something else that they want and now have lost all interest in their first toy. They’ve become like children.

That’s how Occupy Wall Street started out, but by the late spring and summer they had already lost whatever momentum they were able to build up from the fall and winter of 2011-12 and started looking more like rioters or anarchists and with all the arrests they started piling up. They were like fireworks that are lighted on July Fourth, that burn out with in minutes. And started piling up arrests at their rallies and events. And once a movement gets to that point, its hard for Americans who unless they are die-hard supporters of you, to take you seriously: “Why should I pay attention to them. They are just some whacked-out fringe: why should I take them seriously.”

And because of this, the Democratic Leadership, has never really gotten behind them. Because unlike Republicans, Democrats understand that there’s a certain responsibility to being part of a major political party. That you can’t afford to look like you are part of a fringe movement, because you are supposed to be the adults in the room.

Right now in America again unless you are a big supporter of Occupy Wall Street, they look like some whacked-out Far-Left socialist party, that are champions of big government and high taxes, which hasn’t played well in this country for a long time.

And even worst, OWS looks like anarchists people who are so out of their minds they aren’t capable of having an adult conversation, which is why they are struggling to be taken seriously.Even fringe movements need ties and have a base with reality and how the world works, so they can be as successful as possible. Even if it comes off as stale or old school to their supporters. 

Associated Press: Raw Video- ‘New York Debates Proposed Ban on Sugary Drinks’

Source:Associated Press- Shira Gans works for the Manhattan, New York Borough President.

Source:FRS FreeState 

“New York faced the next step in a bitter battle over large sugary drinks Tuesday, with the soft drink and restaurant industries protesting the mayor’s proposed ban and the public lining up to have its say.”

From the Associated Press 

NYPD: “Son, you need to put that slurpy before it eventually kills you or rots out your teeth.” No, I don’t know if that cop in this cartoon actually said that to this little boy, but that’s the attitude that nanny statists on the Far-Left represent in America: “Big Government knows what’s best for the people. The people are too dumb to make their own decisions.”

Source:FRS FreeState- welcome to Mayor Mike Bloomberg's New York Nanny City.

Another example of blogging on a slow news day, I’m probably just a step away from bloggers block. (If there’s such a thing. And if there isn’t, I just invented it.)

I know I covered this back in June (but like I said, it’s a slow news day) but New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg apparently has had some vision that he knows how New Yorker’s and perhaps Americans in general, how they should live better than the people themselves. He has the classic one- size fits all to governing, that if this works for him or other people, that it must work for everyone.

In 2008 the prospect of Mike Bloomberg running for President as an Independent, didn’t bother me. He seemed like a classical Northeastern Republican: “keep big government out of our wallets and bedrooms” Republican. But now he seems not only believe that big government should be in our wallets, like calling for all the Bush tax cuts to expire on everyone, including the middle class, but Mayor Bloomberg also wants big government down our throats. Telling us what we can drink and how much we can drink, he’s becoming a hero in today’s so-called progressive (communist, in actuality) politics.

What New York is attempting to do with soft drinks is another example of prohibition. If New Yorker’s can’t get large sodas in the city, then they go to Long Island, North Jersey or Connecticut, someplace where people have the freedom to decide how much they can drink and eat. Of course as long as they have the money to pay for it and then if that jurisdiction has a sales tax, they’ll end up paying taxes on those products that they buy. Which will go to help that jurisdiction pay for schools, roads, hospitals, everything that communities need to be vibrant.

Tax money that could’ve otherwise been spent in New York is now helping local jurisdictions outside of New York, pay for those services. That’s what leftists and religious fundamentalists  have never figured out about prohibition, that just because you tell people they can’t do something, doesn’t mean they stop doing it. It’s just done in other ways and in other areas.

If you think people are living unhealthy and you believe that this unhealthy living is somehow negatively affects the rest of society as a whole and you want to correct that bad behavior, what you should do is incentivize people to correct that behavior. Have them pay a price for living unhealthy, short of putting them in jail. And have them pay a financial cost for living unhealthy. Like taxing soft drinks extra than what you would tax water or milk. 

Associated Press: 'USA Elects Sigourney Weaver to Political Show'

Source:Associated Press- Hollywood Goddess Sigourney Weaver.

“Sigourney Weaver and Carla Gugino on the strong women they play as Secretary of State and journalist in USA Network’s new ‘Political Animals’ miniseries.” 

From the Associated Press 

I saw the premier of the new USA mini-series Political Animals last Sunday night and I liked the show. Much different from NBC’s The West Wing, with a lot more humor. The West Wing was also a funny show, but Political Animals to me looks like a political satire. Not completely based, but definitely inspired by real-life political stories.

The Elaine Barish character (played by the still gorgeous, sexy, and funny Sigourney Weaver) is divorced from the former President of the United States. Her relationship with her ex-husband, looks a hell of a lot like the relationship between Bill and Hillary Clinton, a couple who obviously loves politics and is deeply involved in politics.

This show looks like 2008 all over again with the Barack Obama/Hillary Clinton Democratic presidential race, where of course then Senator Obama not only wins the Democratic nomination but is elected President.

Senator Hillary Clinton who loses the Democratic nomination in 2008, but comes out of it strong and is able to form a good relationship with President Elect Obama in late 2008 and early 2009 and is nominated by President Obama to be his Secretary of State and obviously gets confirmed by the Senate.

I haven’t figured out if Elaine Barish was in Congress at all (House or Senate) but she goes from being a former presidential candidate who loses the nomination to her opponent who is elected President in the same year and then nominates his former opponent in the Democratic race, to be his Secretary of State. This looks like the third installment of the Bill and Hillary Show, the real-life Bill and Hillary Show, the Primary Colors version of the Bill and Hillary Show.

The latest installment of the Bill and Hillary Show with Hillary as Secretary of State and we get to see how Bill and Hillary interact with each other as Secretary of State. But instead of Bill making Hillary’s career all about him, plays more of a counselor to Hillary and tries to steer her on the right course.

There are some added new twists to the Bill and Hillary Show. With how they interact with their kids and struggles that their kids are going through as well, as well as Hillary’s relationship with the media. This looks like a very funny and entertaining show, with the new Bill Clinton doing an excellent job of playing a horny bastard who not only cheats on his wife, but mistress’s as well, similar to Bill, but the new Bill is not as Yankee or yuppie as Bill. More of a redneck, but someone who is also highly intelligent and knows and how to play the game of politics and someone who has been very successful at it. 

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Associated Press: Terry Caffey- 'New Show Recounts Crimes From Victim's View'

Source:Associated Press- Crime victim Terry Caffey, talking about his experience.

"Terry Caffey of Texas shares the horrific story of his family's murder and how he came to forgive his daughter who helped plot the attack in the new ABC crime show 'Final Witness.' It tells true crime stories from the victim's perspective."

Source:Associated Press

Discovery ID which is definitely one of my favorite cable networks, especially as a true crime junky. And for anyone who’s really into reality TV instead of celebrity TV, is a channel that anyone of this genre should checkout. Because they mostly cover stories that happened in real-life. Crimes that made the headlines, but also interesting stories that were either underplayed by the media, or have been forgotten, but are still very important. And they cover the people who made these stories either happen, like the criminals and victims and their friends and families.

But also the people who deal with the aftermath of these stories. Law enforcement, lawyers, the media and others, people who covered these stories. They cover murderers, especially serial murderers, rapists, gangsters and others and many times they even cover these stories from the vantage point of the offenders. Not to take their side, but just to hear what their side is, as well as cover the people who brought them justice. And many times what you hear from these offenders is a lot of truth. They admit to what they had done and layout, without getting themselves into further trouble with what they had done.

Discovery ID broadcasts a lot of programming from other media organizations. Like CBS News which has a lot of programming on DID, like 48 Hours. But also ABC News shows 20/20 on DID and NBC News shows Dateline on DID as well. But DID also produces a lot of their own programming. Like I Almost Got Away With It, one of my favorite shows on anywhere right now, that’s about criminals on the run, life on the run and cover criminals who’ve actually escaped from both prison and jail. And in sometimes from both.

DID has a show that covers mob wives, undercover cops, as well as people who have been stalked and many others. And now they are about to release a show that covers what life is like for people who are victims of crimes, how they have dealt with it, what it was like to go through the crimes that were committed against them. And how they are dealing with the aftermath of those crimes. So if you are actually interested in what happens in real-life, Discovery ID is a good channel for you. Especially if you’re also interested in true crime.

So if you are interested in shows like this and are convinced that there is nothing to watch anymore, or perhaps want a break from prime time talking heads, or celebrity TV, or whatever you might be looking for a break from, I suggest you checkout Discovery ID. You’ll find it interesting, you’ll learn about true stories you’ve never heard of, as well as learn new info about true stories, you might think you know everything about.  

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Associated Press: Raw Video- Mitt Romney: ‘To Small Businesses: ‘Add More Jobs’

Source:Associated Press- Governor Mitt Romney (Republican, Massachusetts) and Governor Rick Snyder (Republican, Michigan) campaigning in Michigan.

Source:FRS FreeState 

“Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney held a small business roundtable in Frankenmuth, Mich. Tuesday morning. The state is his final stop on a five-day, six-state Midwestern tour. Earlier he said he thinks Michigan is a state he can win.”  

From the Associated Press 

Telling someone to hire people, won’t create jobs. Mitt Romney and Barack Obama says it’s time to hire new employees: “Well, just because of that alone, we are going to start hiring more people right way, because they know with their vast experience in running small business’s on how best to run our business’s, then we the people who are keeping these business’s, well in business”. It doesn’t work that way. What creates jobs in either small or big business, is the need to hire new employees. It’s as simple as that.

Mitt Romney and Barack Obama waving their magic economic wands, won’t get small business’s to hire more people right now if profits are down or flat or you are worried about just staying in business. Perhaps trying to figure out how to obtain a loan, just to stay in business. You aren’t going to look for way to increase your payroll, if anything you are going to look for ways to cut payroll, to save money.

Small business’s aren’t hiring right now, because economic growth is low, job growth is also low because of weak economic growth now three years into the economic recovery from the Great Recession of 2008-09. Economic growth is low because consumer demand is low. Consumer demand is low, because people simply aren’t spending money right now.

If reading any of this makes you dizzy, I completely understand. I’m dizzy just from writing it. Americans are spending just to meet their basic needs and are struggling just to do that. One reason why it’s a bad time to pass tax hikes. Sorry Socialists, tax hikes and tax increases are not always a good thing a cure to any disease, economic or otherwise. But all these things in the economy are linked together and are holding our economy down. So the way to create jobs and get small business’s to start hiring again, is by giving them more customers. Give them more demand so they need more employees to meet the new consumer demand.

You don’t create new jobs by making small businesses jobs tougher by taking more of their money from them to feed Uncle Sam, who needs a diet anyway. The way you create more jobs, is to create more demand and need for new workers. That is how we get the economy going again. Sounds simple, now we need policies to encourage that. So first, let’s not pass tax hikes right now, the payroll tax or anything else. Consumers need that money in their pockets and for jobs to be created, they need to spend that money.

One way to do that is to create jobs for small business like with infrastructure investment, passing an infrastructure bill out of Congress in the hundreds of billions of dollars over two years. By giving construction companies more work to do, they’ll end up needing new employees to do that work, which will create more and new jobs, hiring unemployed construction workers.

Economics 101: to create new jobs, you first need to work and business to do. These people will now have some money to spend with their new jobs and would add to our consumer spending, which will lead to new consumer demand, which will lead to new economic growth, which will lead to more job growth.

All of these things are linked together and when they are all doing well, like just as little as 5-6 years ago or in the 1990s economic and job growth are high. But when they are down, our whole economy as far as consumer demand, consumer spending, economic and job growth are all down. Which is the situation right now. So to fix these problems we need to encourage people to spend money again. You don’t fix the economy with politician’s saying: “Now it’s time to hire for the good of the country!” Business’s need good reasons to hire that will help their business’s first. 

Associated Press: Karen Sloan- 'Greek Far-right Man Launches TV Assault'

Source:Associated Press- covering the Greek heavyweight championship match, also known as their political debate.

"A far-right extremist Greek politician slapped a left-wing Communist party official live on TV Thursday. The incident shocked the country, with some people expressing the hope that it would cost Golden Dawn votes."

From the Associated Press

If I was living in any country and the choice for the head of state was either a Communist or Nazi, I would probably sue the election board (or whatever the election authority is called) and demand for a legitimate choice. 

The choice between a Nazi or Communist, is like tying to decide between gasoline or oil as far as what you're going to drink with dinner. It's like being asked would you like to die through electrocution or would like to be set on fire and burn to death. My choice would be neither and I would look for other options, like perhaps a stay of execution, especially if I'm innocent. That is sort of the choice that political outdoor insane asylum (also known as the Hellenic Republic of Greece) is facing right now. 

Associated Press: ''General Hospital''s Laura Wright On Show's Extension'

Source:Associated Press- ABC's General Hospital actress Laura Wright.

"The cast of ABC's 'General Hospital' is breathing easier now that the network has opted to renew the show to likely see its 50th anniversary in 2013. Actress Laura Wright talks about the renewal, 'GH"s writing and her character, Carly." 

From the Associated Press

I don't watch a lot of broadcast network TV very often anymore, except for news news and sports, including from ABC. I don't watch a lot of cable TV anymore either, other than classic TV, movies, sports and documentaries. So don't take this as a shot against the broadcast networks. NBC's Law & Order was really the last network TV show, other than General Hospital today, that I watched on a regular basis. But General Hospital is one of those shows that I could watch everyday (thanks to Soap Net) because as Laura Wright pointed out herself in this interview, you never know what's going to happen on this show from day to day, let alone week to week.  

If the number one job of any TV show is to keep their followers not just interested, but excited about what's to come next and even keep them guessing, then General Hospital might be the best show at that. The name General Hospital suggests that this show is about, well as hospital. (Hopefully that's obvious enough) But the hospital is really just sort of the base of the show where the whole town known as Port Charles sort of gets together to deal with the latest scandals and drama going on in the town. 

I wouldn't say that General Hospital is a 21st Century film noir, but it's not a pure soap opera either. It's 5 hours a week of crime stories, mixed in with a lot of comedy, to go along with the constant backstabbing and scandals that you get on any good soap opera. I mean the two main crime families in the show the Corinthos's and the Zacchara's, are just as important to the show as Port Charles General Hospital.

I'm someone who loves mob movies: Casino, Goodfellas, Donnie Brasco are three of my favorite movies of all time because they are all based on true stories and played accurately so, as well as all being very funny. With Sunny Corinthos reminding me of the Lucky character from Donnie Brasco. 

General Hospital is not a scandal driven soap opera, of who slept with who and is trying to screw the other over, which is what you get from what's called reality TV today. (Even though there's almost nothing real about what's called reality TV) But more like a mob Movie and a TV drama that has a lot more flare, creativity and character to it, as well as being more realistic. And if you are a fan of Sopranos, you should also check out General Hospital.

AP: Raw Video- 'U.S. House Rejects Sex-Selection Abortion Ban'

Source:Associated Press- U.S. Representative Phil Gingrey (Republican, Georgia) presiding over the House of Representatives.

Source:FRS FreeState 

“The House on Thursday fell short in an effort to ban abortions based on the sex of the fetus as Republicans and Democrats made an election-year appeal for women’s votes.”  

From the Associated Press 

I would never get an abortion myself (and not just because I’m a man, which makes that biologically impossible) because even if I didn’t want the baby, I prefer options like adoption over aborting potential human lives.

And I sure as hell would never abort a fetus because I didn’t like the gender of the baby. If gender equality (which is what leftists used to claim to care about) means anything, you don’t abort fetuses simply because of the fetuses gender.

But to pass a law out of Congress (even if it’s just in the House) banning abortions because the parents don’t like the gender of the baby, I mean you can say that they’re stupid for doing that, crazy even, but to put them in prison for simply being crazy idiots and perhaps their crazy idiot doctor for doing that, looks like Big Government with way too much free time on his hands, living such a boring life that he feels the need to tell other people what to do, to fill his time and days. 

Associated Press: 'Nato Protestors Target Boeing'

Source:Associated Press- Occupy Wall Street, vs Boeing.

Source:FRS FreeState 

"Demonstrators launched another round of protests Monday in the final hours of the NATO summit, targeting Boeing headquarters and a suburban community that could become the site of a detention facility to hold illegal immigrants."

From the Associated Press 

There have been really dumb political slogans in America. I guess that’s what we get for electing and reelecting career politicians over and over as a people. Democracy isn’t always intelligent. But the OWS slogan Eat The Rich is about as dumb of a political slogan that I’ve ever heard. Tax the rich, soak rich, outlaw the rich, I don’t agree with any of them, but at least there’s some thinking going on there.

Source:Occupy Wall Street- these Occupy Wall Street protestors apparently were so hungry on this day, that they were going to try cannibalism to try to cure income inequality. LOL

Occupy Wall Street announced last week or a few weeks ago, that they were planning I guess what would be a spring offensive. And we’ve seen evidence of that already with their marches in Chicago this weekend, not just going after Wall Street, but now Boeing. They are mad as hell at corporate America and perhaps American capitalism all together and aren’t going to take it anymore. To paraphrase one of my favorite movies.

It’s not just Wall Street that they are pissed off at, but now corporate America as a whole and perhaps anyone who’s wealthy and part of the 1% in America. That they don’t see as progressive, but my question is what do they expect to get out off all of this other than venting on American capitalism. Do they believe any of the marches where their members get arrested for holding up traffic and disturbing the peace, do you think that comes across well with anyone, who can make a difference. And what they are trying to accomplish, putting a freeze on American capitalism, in order to buy time for them to install whatever they want to replace it with in the future. 

Leftists lets say, people who are further left than FDR Progressives and JFK liberal New Democrats, like to complain and bitch. And a lot of times only seem happier, or not as depressed when they have something to bitch about. There is a term for people like this and Democrats like this that was popular in the 1980s. Doom and Gloom or Doom and Gloomers, people who can only see the empty part of any glass that is not completely full that they try to drink out of. That is what OWS looks like to me. Mental patients that are never happy, always depressed and don’t want to go home. 

Then Candidate Obama when he was still a U.S. Senator and running for President in 2008, early went for lets say New-Left or even Far-Left McGovernite Democrats for their support. Which might make up the majority of OWS, to go along with some Progressives and perhaps Libertarians who are pissed off as crony capitalism, but aren’t on board with what Socialists would replace it with. Because then Senator Obama believed that would be the easiest way to the Democratic nomination and to overcome Hillary Clinton, who had the backing of the Democratic Leadership.

But after Candidate Obama secured the Democratic nomination, quickly pivoted to the center and ran as a center-left Liberal or Progressive Democrat in the general election. Like the smart or even slick politician that he is, get Far-Left on board to win the presidential nomination. And then run to the middle so you don’t look crazy yourself and can appeal to Independents. And its pretty obvious he didn’t want to be seen as closely linked to the Far-Left in the Democratic Party who look like nuts or aliens from another planet frankly to Independents as well as Democrats such as myself.

People who live on communes, share a bedroom and perhaps even a bed with complete stranger so everyone has a place to stay and don’t fit in with the country. I have no problem with people being different, hell I’m pretty different myself. But it’s another thing to look like, or even be serious about trying to take down something thats worked very well in this country. Which is private enterprise and education so people have what they need to do well in that economic system.

One thing that OWS is against, a lot of people actually agree with them, which is crony capitalism. But only a fringe of the country wants to replace American capitalism, with democratic socialism. We don’t want to as a country, take apart companies that are very profitable and have produced a lot of good in this country, or nationalize private companies as well. And because of this OWS is just speaking amongst themselves and looking nutty compared with the rest of the country.

AP: Raw Video: U.S. Representative Anthony Weiner- 'Resigns in Wake of Sexting Scandal'

Source:Associated Press- U.S. Representative Anthony Weiner (Democrat, New York City) resigning from office because of his sexting habit.

Source:FRS FreeState 

"Embattled New York Rep. Anthony Weiner is resigning from Congress, saying he cannot continue in office amid the intense controversy surrounding sexually explicit messages he sent online to several women. (June 16)"  

From the Associated Press 

Today U.S. Representative Anthony Weiner, Democrat from New York, New York City to be specific, stepped up to the plate and hit a home Run. (Sorry for the baseball analogy for you non-sports fans) And did the right thing by resigning his seat in the House of Representatives. 

As I’ve said before it’s not what Representative Weiner did that was wrong with his own private time, (well, his wife might disagree with that) and yes members of Congress do have private time, they are not always at work, just look at the U.S. Senate, (I rest my case: when do they ever work.)

It’s not what Representative Weiner did with his free time that’s the problem with me and a lot of other people. As a Liberal I could care less with what people do with their free time. With what Representative Weiner did is between him and his wife and their family if they have one yet. 

It’s the consequences of the Weiner's (you will excuse me) actions that are the problem, the fact of how public he alone made them by sharing them on Twitter and professional status that’s the problem. We are not talking about Joe Jones truck driver. (Not that there’s anything wrong with Joe Jones truck driver) 

We are talking about a U.S. Representative and a member of Congress, a constitutional officer and a public official. The fact in today’s information age, what people do in public especially public officials, the whole world literally gets to see it. And in a way is all of our business whether that’s the right thing or not. 

Because of the fact that we all have the ability to weigh in on it. As I’m doing now by blogging about it, but blogging is not the only way to weigh in on stories like this. WordPress, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace go down the line. And that’s enough plugs on my part, no wait I forgot my personal favorite Blogger.

Because of Representative Weiner’s irresponsible actions to post in public his affairs so to speak, the U.S. House especially the Democratic Leadership and the rest of the Democratic Caucus, are forced to deal with it in one way or the other. Either take questions about it, or take official actions, which is apparently what the House as a whole was preparing to do. Which is to file and investigation into the Weiner story. (The Big Weiner story) Politically this would be bad for everyone, House Democrats for having to deal with this story with hearings and investigations as well as the House GOP.

But it would be a huge distraction especially for the House Democratic Leadership who as of right now are in good position of retaking the majority in the House in 2012. And pushing their own agenda once they were to retake the majority. Thanks to House GOP mishandling of Medicare back in April, but the House Democratic Leadership were already breaking records in fundraising and recruiting candidates to take on the 62 Republican freshmen from 2010.

And the House GOP Medicare fiasco just reinforced that, but with the Weiner story, instead of concentrating on their own agenda they have to concentrate on Representative Weiner instead. So I’m glad Representative Weiner stepped up to the plate today and did the right thing and stepped down from office. Which I hope will bring and end to this story, which I think will continue, but at least he did his part to close this ugly chapter.