The top news long-term, continues to be the following ISSUES:
* Financial Crisis
* Cultural War (between the left and right)
* Politics
Short-term top news centers on the following EVENTS:
* Final jockeying for election day Nov. 2
* Life’s Rich Pageant
Financial Crisis: We have another indicator of the multi-dimensional leverage China is building over the U.S., or more accurately leverage the U.S. is ceding to China through eroding financial and political dominance: “China's top diplomat, State Counselor Dai Bingguo, and Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi offered reassurances about the minerals used in products from iPhones to superconductors in separate meetings with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton” (China gives U.S. assurances on rare earth minerals).
The stock market had a good October but could see a major swing through elections Tuesday, Fed quantitative easing and third quarter earnings announcement season (Dow has best October since 2006).
People are willing to die in order to avoid estate and other tax raises expected Jan. 1 (Wyoming Rep. Lummis: Estate tax rise has some planning death) as “many ranchers and farmers in the state would rather pass along their businesses—‘their life's work’—to their children and grandchildren than see the federal government take a large chunk,” said U.S. Rep. Cynthia Lummis.
America is still competitive in at lease one regard—entrepreneurship—as a very enterprising former police officer prepares to take advantage of Proposition 19 if it passes (Ex-cop snatches up marijuana web domains). “‘Marijuana domain name values will fly off the charts once Prop 19 passes,’ said Faler, 49. ‘I'm hoping to make enough money to buy a condo in Morocco. That's how big it's going to be.’” At least he’s optimistic!
Cultural War: Global Information Systems, an intelligence network whose unclassified analysis is used by the U.S. government, in a report titled "The Gathering Storm around the Greater Eastern Mediterranean Region," describes the storm ominiously ('Islam at gates because of collapse of West'): “much of the West is experiencing political paralysis due to economic disarray, the U.S. economy is in decline and the U.S. dollar as a global currency is in retreat. Islam is expanding rapidly in regions where it had been a relatively minor factor. Further, Russia's dominance over Eurasian energy networks is rising and a global economic transformation is developing in the use of currency and credit.”
Colorado gubernatorial candidate Tom Tancredo explicitly described the Cultural War Tuesday in comments made while campaigning in Canon City, saying Obama posed a threat to the Constitution: “It's not Al Qaeda, it's the guy sitting in the White House” (Obama is a bigger threat to the U.S. than Al Qaeda, says Colorado governor candidate).
We leave that statement to the reader, but it sure appears Nick McDermott, the assignment editor, and several reporters for CBS Anchorage affiliate, KTVA, are actively engaged in the Cultural War when they “allegedly left a voicemail by mistake at the campaign of the state's Republican nominee for Senate, Joe Miller, in which the journalists can be heard plotting to ‘find’ a ‘child molester’ among the politician's supporters” (CBS reporters hope for violence against GOP candidate). In the apparently accidental voicemail message, left on the cell phone of Miller's spokesperson Randy DeSoto, “the reporters are also overheard hoping for violence against Miller so they can ‘send out a tweet’ and Facebook alert that ‘Miller got punched’ at the rally. DeSoto says the voicemail message was later authenticated by McDermott himself, who sent a text to the Miller spokesman stating, ‘D--- iPhone … I left you a long message. I thought I hung up. Sorry.’” As an editorial note, if it weren’t for the seriousness of the issue we would have reported this story under Life’s Rich Pageant for their inattentiveness, poor judgment, stupidity, gross misconduct (from a job perspective), breaking the law, et cetera.
We find it very interesting how Democrats can scream ‘separation of church and state’ on one hand, then try to legislate ‘control of church by state’ on the other: “The Federal government apparently has blinked in a standoff with private Christian colleges over a proposal that would bring the schools under the regulation of the political powers in their states” (Religious schools now expecting to be protected from political influence of Education Department).
Another long-term trend indicator of relativism in politics is the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights: "My view of civil rights is that the definition of civil rights is dynamic," said the commission's chairman, Gerald Reynolds, who spearheaded a conference in September that included a discussion about whether the agency should be dismantled. "I'm not devaluing discrimination or the importance of remaining vigilant. All I'm saying is, we have to do that and do other things" (Future of U.S. Civil Rights Commission questioned). In other words, they want to be able to stick their noses into any person’s or group’s business and make their own individual determination as to what constitutes denial of civil rights. We argue their task should be the opposite: take potential issues identified, research them and make recommendations to Congress for changes in the law.
Politics: Not only has Al Gore gaffed again from his global warming perspective, he broke the law doing it and so far has somehow avoided prosecution (A VERY inconvenient truth: Al Gore 'left car engine running during hour-long environment lecture') as, according to the Daily Mail, “Swedish law prohibits—for environmental reasons—any car engine being left running without its driver for more than 60 seconds. The fines for breaking that law are severe but it appears Gore has not been fined.”
Not to be outdone, President Obama will go to India next month with the largest airlift and entourage of any U.S. President, including his own visit to England right after the election that was largely criticized for its size (Forty planes and six armoured cars: Obama visit to India the 'biggest ever by a US President'). Apparently Obama’s kids haven’t had enough vacations this year (Obamas to begin sixth holiday of the year) as “Obama's daughters Sasha and Malia were not to be part of the trip. But Michelle's opinion prevailed and now the girls will accompany the first American couple to India, according to the paper.”
2010 election: The Telegraph reports “In the closing days of the campaign for Tuesday's midterm elections, he (Obama) is not wanted by the Democratic candidates in states like Kentucky, West Virginia or even Colorado, where there are knife-edge Senate battles” (US midterm elections: Barack Obama's world turned upside down as Democrats face electoral disaster). Daily Mail also makes the argument he’s feeling the pressure (Barack loses his cool: Angry Obama yells BACK at hecklers... as new poll shows his own party isn't sure he should be President in 2012).
Jon Stewart alluded to a salient point Saturday during his Rally to Restore Sanity in Washington regarding the 24-hour media establishment: “If we amplify everything, we hear nothing," he said. "The press is our immune system. If it overreacts to everything, we eventually get sicker" (Jon Stewart points finger at media). If you analyze his comment for implications you realize Americans in general don’t realize either the power of the media or their patent manipulation of citizens.
Support for Stewart’s thesis can be found immediately in Nina Totenberg’s comment on Inside Washington Friday: “I am already afraid, very afraid. I mean, it’s not like governance has been going great. I think we’ll, I don't know whether I should be afraid, but there will be gridlock.” It’s pretty apparent the media has reached the limits of sensationalism as the American legal affairs correspondent for National Public Radio actually tones down her comment midstream. Her co-panelist Evan Thomas of Newsweek continues with the limits of sensationalism in response to Gordon Peterson’s question of characterizing the 2010 election as a ‘catastrophe for America’: “No, but they might look on it as kind of a joke. There is sort of a circus aspect to it that people, it’s become comic and a kind of a dark way. You know, Krugman is a professional doomsayer. So, you have to take that with a grain of salt. But obviously the political system’s a mess.”
Sarah Palin predicted a "political earthquake" in Tuesday’s elections (Palin foresees 'political earthquake' on Tuesday). “‘The message has been sent [to Democrats] that they blew it,’ Mrs. Palin said on Fox News Sunday. ‘You blew it, President Obama. We gave you two years’ to improve the economy.”
It looks like abortion has broken the relationship between the Minnesota Democratic Party and Catholic Church (Democratic Ad: Catholic Church More Concerned About Abortion Than Poor).
In response to Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee’s accusations the controversial conservative group King Street Patriots say they're actually the victims and “Thursday afternoon, the group brought forward several poll watchers who say they found themselves intimidated by voters, county poll watchers and members of the Democratic Party” (King Street Patriots Say They're Not Intimidating Anyone). Things have gotten so bad they've written a letter to the U.S. Justice Department asking for an investigation, said Jonathan Saenz, the attorney for the organization. The New Black Panther Party in Harris County claims they will monitoring just like the Patriots. Standby for video Tuesday!
Life’s Rich Pageant: PETA demonstrated their idealism and naiveté recently through an offer to convicted recidivist drug user Lindsay Lohan (PETA to foot rehab bill if Lohan goes vegan). “‘As you know, a crucial part of any recovery is showing charity to others. One way to do this is to be kind to animals, the Earth, and your own body. You'll never regret it,’ writes PETA head Michelle Cho in a letter to the actress. The critter-loving group promises to pay up to $20,000 of Lohan's $50,000 bill for her three-month court-ordered stay. She'd get $10,000 up front for eschewing burgers and milkshakes while she's still receiving treatment at the center. If she wants the remaining $10,000, she'd have to go completely vegan for one year following her release on Jan. 3.”
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Why vote a bill already enacted?
Because we’re currently building our Voting Scorecard. This tool is effectively a report card and will list all your votes alongside your representative, senators, VP and President, where applicable. The bottom line number for each public servant will be a percentage indicating how each voted with or against your personal legislative desires. For example, 80% means the public servant, or potential public servant, voted with you 80% of your total votes. This is powerful information every American should have and use when making future election decisions. Though not live on the site yet, the database has been built and is current with all Roll Calls to-date.