SZONE.US Forums - Personal Liberty

Athletic, Combat Brain Injuries Similar

@PersonalLiberty — Thu, 17 May 2012 21:00:56 GMT

05.17.12 12:47 PM

BOSTON (UPI) — U.S. scientists found similarities between a degenerative brain disease in athletes and combat veterans exposed to roadside bombs in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Dr. Lee E. Goldstein of Boston University’s School of Medicine said mice developed evidence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy two weeks after exposure to a single simulated blast.

“Our paper points out in a profound and definitive way that there is an organic, structural problem in the brain associated with blast exposure,” Goldstein told The New York Times. “Not long ago, people said NFL players with behavior problems were just having problems adjusting to retirement. Now it’s more or less settled that there is a disease associated with their problems. But we do not have that consensus in the military world yet.”

The military has confirmed traumatic brain injury — which many consider the precursor to chronic traumatic encephalopathy — in more than 220,000 of the 2.3 million troops that have served in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001.

There is no way to estimate how many combat veterans might develop the disease, Goldstein said.

Goldstein and his co-lead author, Dr. Ann McKee, co-director of the Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy at Boston University, said their findings — published in the journal Science Translational Medicine — indicate many combat veterans might have organic brain injuries and should be treated as well as awarded disability compensation.

http://personalliberty.com/2012/05/1...uries-similar/

Reducing Arthritis Exercise Barriers

@PersonalLiberty — Thu, 17 May 2012 21:00:56 GMT

05.17.12 12:47 PM

WASHINGTON (UPI) — Officials of the Arthritis Foundation said they have developed a resource for making physical activity convenient and accessible for adults with arthritis.

Dr. John H. Koppel, president of the Arthritis Foundation, said the Environmental and Policy Strategies to Increase Physical Activity Among Adults with Arthritis is a resource for making physical activity convenient and accessible.

The report outlines strategies in six key sectors, including: parks, recreation, fitness and sports; business and industry; community and public health; healthcare, and transportation, land use and community design in providing physical activity opportunities that meet the needs of people with arthritis.

Arthritis affects 50 million U.S. adults — more than 20 percent of the adult population — but high rates of arthritis among people with other chronic diseases, such as diabetes and heart disease, make physical activity an important component of chronic disease management.

People living with arthritis have disease-specific barriers to being physically active including pain, fear of making their arthritis worse, lack of knowledge about the best type and amount of exercise and fear of injury. However, physical activity has been proved to help decrease pain, delay the onset of disability, improve physical functioning and independence, and enhance mood and quality of life for adults with arthritis, Koppel said.

For more information on arthritis, including tools for promoting the initiative, visit http://www.arthritis.org/physical-activity.

http://personalliberty.com/2012/05/1...cise-barriers/

Study: Coffee May Lower Death Risk

@PersonalLiberty — Thu, 17 May 2012 21:00:56 GMT

05.17.12 12:46 PM

BETHESDA, Md., May 17 (UPI) — A study of 400,000 U.S. men and women ages 50-71 found those who drank coffee — caffeinated or decaffeinated — had a lower risk of death, researchers say.

The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, found those who drank coffee were less likely to die from heart disease, respiratory disease, stroke, injuries, accidents, diabetes and infections, although the association was not seen for cancer.

Neal Freedman of the National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, and colleagues at the NCI and AARP tracked the study participants from 1995-1996 until the date they died or Dec. 31, 2008, whichever came first.

The researchers also found the association between coffee and reduction in risk of death increased with the amount of coffee consumed — those who consumed three or more cups of coffee per day had approximately a 10 percent lower risk of death.

Coffee drinking was not associated with cancer mortality among women, but there was a slight and only marginally statistically significant association of heavier coffee intake with increased risk of cancer death among men, the researchers said.

“Although we cannot infer a causal relationship between coffee drinking and lower risk of death, we believe these results do provide some reassurance that coffee drinking does not adversely affect health,” Freedman said in a statement.

http://personalliberty.com/2012/05/1...er-death-risk/

Delinquent Mortgage Loans Drop

@PersonalLiberty — Thu, 17 May 2012 21:00:56 GMT

05.17.12 12:42 PM

WASHINGTON (UPI) — The delinquency rate for U.S. mortgage contracts dropped to 7.4 percent at the end of the first quarter of 2012, a national trade group said.

The Mortgage Bankers Association said the rate of homes with payments 30 days past due improved from 8.3 percent, the delinquency rate at the end of the January through March period of 2011.

Homes involved in foreclosure at the end of the quarter was 4.39 percent, up one basis point from the fourth quarter of 2011 and down 13 basis points from the first quarter a year earlier.

Contracts with payments 30 days late or in foreclosure came to 11.8 percent, down from 12.8 percent in the first three months of 2011 and down from 14.7 percent in the same period of 2010.

Homes in serious delinquency with mortgage payments 90 days or more past due was 7.44 percent in the quarter, the MBA said.

“Mortgage delinquencies normally fall during the first quarter of the year, but the declines we saw were even greater than the normal seasonal adjustments would predict, so delinquencies are clearly continuing to improve,” said Michael Fratantoni, MBA’s Vice President of Research and Economics.

“Newer delinquencies, loans one payment past due as of March 31, are down to the lowest level since the middle of 2007, indicating fewer new problems we will need to deal with in the future,” he said in a statement.

While delinquency rates are falling, foreclosure rates remain high, however, mostly due to a bottleneck of processing in states that require a court review of a foreclosure.

“The problem continues to be the slow-moving judicial foreclosure system in some of the largest states,” Fratantoni said.

Forty-one states had decreases in foreclosure starts and 22 states had declines in the percentage of loans in foreclosure. However, 4.4 percent of homes were involved in foreclosures at the end of the first quarter.

In addition, the MBA said loans originating at the peak of the housing boom “continue to comprise the majority of the problem loans.”

The peak of the housing boom correlates with the “low point in credit standards,” the MBA said.

http://personalliberty.com/2012/05/1...ge-loans-drop/

Foreclosures Hit Pre-Recession Level

@PersonalLiberty — Thu, 17 May 2012 21:00:56 GMT

05.17.12 12:42 PM

IRVINE, Calif. (UPI) — U.S. properties in foreclosure fell to their lowest total in April since before the recession, a private online marketplace for distressed properties said.

RealtyTrac said one in every 698 U.S. housing units was involved in foreclosures in April, a 5 percent decrease from March and a 14 percent decrease from April 2011.

In the month, 188,789 U.S. properties were involved in foreclosure proceedings, which include homes issued default notices, scheduled for auction or seized by the lender.

That was the lowest total since July 2007, the firm said.

“Rising foreclosure activity in many state and local markets � was masked at the national level by sizable decreases in hard-hit foreclosure states like California, Arizona and Nevada,” said Brandon Moore, RealtyTrac’s chief executive officer.

Echoing data assembled by the Mortgage Bankers Association, RealtyTrac noted a sharp delineation between states that mandate foreclosures undergo a court review and states that keep foreclosures out of the courtroom.

Although foreclosures declined overall, 26 states saw foreclosure starts rise from March to April and 27 states saw foreclosure activity rise from April 2011.

In New Jersey, foreclosure starts rose 180 percent. In Utah, they rose 179 percent. This was followed by Indiana, Pennsylvania and Florida with increases of 49 percent, 44 percent and 43 percent, respectively.

Bank repossessions across the country fell 7 percent from March, declining for the third consecutive month.

For the 18th consecutive month lenders completed fewer foreclosures than in the previous month. In April, 51,415 foreclosures were completed, a drop of 26 percent from April 2012.

http://personalliberty.com/2012/05/1...cession-level/

Jobless Claims Unchanged In Week

@PersonalLiberty — Thu, 17 May 2012 21:00:56 GMT

05.17.12 12:41 PM

WASHINGTON (UPI) — The number of first-time jobless claims was unchanged in the week ended Saturday, the U.S. Labor Department said

The four-week rolling average of first-time claims fell to 375,000, down 4,750 from the previous week, but the number of claims filed in the week, 370,000, was unchanged from the previous week’s revised figure.

The largest increases in initial benefits claims for the week ending May 5 were in Missouri (up by 2,569), New York (which gained 2,276), Pennsylvania (up 1,674) and California (up by 1,613). The largest decreases were in Florida (down by 2,599), Indiana (down 1,735), Connecticut (down 1,038) and New Hampshire (down 836).

The U.S. unemployment rate is 8.1 percent, falling 0.1 percentage points from March to April.

http://personalliberty.com/2012/05/1...anged-in-week/

Leading Economic Indicators Dipped In April

@PersonalLiberty — Thu, 17 May 2012 21:00:56 GMT

05.17.12 12:40 PM

NEW YORK (UPI) — The U.S. index of leading economic indicators fell 0.1 percent in April after six consecutive month of gains, the Conference Board said Thursday.

The Leading Economic Index fell to 95.5, following an increase of 0.3 percent in March and a 0.7 percent increase in February.

Economists had predicted a 0.1 percent gain.

The Leading Economic Index, which takes into account 10 economic components, is essentially a comparison with 2004, the year the Conference Board assigned a level of 100.

The declines in April “reflect an economy that’s still struggling to gain momentum. Growth is slow, but choppy, and consumers, executives and investors are looking for more progress,” said Conference Board economist Ken Goldstein.

The Conference Board said their Coincident Index, which measures current conditions, rose 0.2 percent in April to 104.3, following increases of 0.3 percent and 0.2 percent in March and February, respectively.

http://personalliberty.com/2012/05/1...pped-in-april/

Long-Term Mortgage Rates Hit New Lows

@PersonalLiberty — Thu, 17 May 2012 21:00:56 GMT

05.17.12 12:39 PM

WASHINGTON (UPI) — Average mortgage rates for long-term, fixed-rate loans fell to record lows for the third consecutive week, the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp. said.

In the week ending Thursday, average rates for 30-year contracts dropped from 3.83 percent to 3.79 percent with 0.7 points. Thirty-year mortgage rates averaged 4.61 percent the same week of 2011.

Average rates on 15-year contracts fell from 3.05 percent to 3.04 percent with 0.7 points, also setting a record low.

A year earlier, rates on 15-year contracts stood at 3.8 percent.

Five-year adjustable rate mortgages averaged 2.83 percent in the week with an average 0.6 points, up from 2.81 percent in the previous week.

A year earlier, five-year adjustable rate contracts averaged 3.48 percent.

Average rates on one-year treasury-indexed adjustable mortgages rose from 2.73 percent to 2.78 percent with 0.5 points. A year ago, rates for these loans averaged 3.15 percent.

http://personalliberty.com/2012/05/1...-hit-new-lows/

Chris Wallace Dominates �Jeopardy!�

@PersonalLiberty — Thu, 17 May 2012 21:00:56 GMT

05.17.12 10:52 AM

On Wednesday�s episode of �Jeopardy!� Chris Wallace from FOX News annihilated the competition.

Wallace finished with $22,800 and won $50,000 for his charity, Hope for the Warriors, an organization that seeks to improve the quality of life for members of the military who are injured or killed while serving the country. He competed against Dr. Oz and BBC�s Katty Kay.

Wallace�s victory followed the embarrassing failure of MSNBC�s Chris Matthews on Monday�s episode.

http://personalliberty.com/2012/05/1...ates-jeopardy/

12-Pound Baby Born Naturally In Britain

@PersonalLiberty — Thu, 17 May 2012 21:00:56 GMT

05.17.12 07:31 AM

MANCHESTER, England, (UPI) — British doctors who delivered a baby via water birth said the 12-pound, 6-ounce girl set a record for the hospital.

Doctors at North Manchester General Hospital said Bethany Jane Turner is the country’s third-largest baby girl to be delivered via natural birth and the largest ever born at the hospital. She was delivered at midnight May 11 after about 3 1/2 hours of labor, The Mirror reported Wednesday.

Parents Naomi Turner, 33, and husband Gavin, 32, said they had two previous children born weighing 8 pounds, 10 ounces and 8 pounds, 9 ounces.

Doctors said the average weight for a newborn girl is 7 pounds, 4 ounces.

http://personalliberty.com/2012/05/1...ly-in-britain/

Obama: From Magic Negro To Cult Of Personality

@PersonalLiberty — Thu, 17 May 2012 10:58:03 GMT

05.16.12 09:01 PM

Barack Obama, the President of the United States, has been accused by his critics of being a serial narcissist, addicted to fame and even of having a �messiah complex� — all charges Obama does little to defend himself against. And to be fair, becoming the President is a pretty impressive achievement. That said, Obama�s lack of humility is becoming frighteningly dictatorial.

In 2007, the Los Angeles Timesportrayed then-Senator Obama as a man working toward the goal of becoming America�s �Magic Negro.� The Magic Negro emerged as a figure in postmodern folklore, often portrayed in film and literature as a black character that has no past and shows up in the middle of the story to help the story�s white protagonist out of a troublesome situation. The Times� piece describes the existence of the Magic Negro character as a white attempt to assuage guilt for the historical oppression and discrimination against blacks in America.

Or as Rush Limbaugh put it: �The only thing that matters is he’s black and he sounds good and it allows you white racists to assuage your guilt. There is white racism out there, much of it is on the left where the plantation mentality still resides.�

Whether Americans would like to admit it, the excitement surrounding Obama�s first successful bid for President was largely due to the Magic Negro phenomenon. Charismatic, young and half black, Obama offered voters a long overdue alternative to the balding, older white men who had occupied the White House for more than two centuries. And the Magic Negro persona easily beat out Obama�s opponent John McCain, who appeared to be an older, more war-hungry version of George W. Bush.

Only after the election did Obama and his supporters begin to recognize the real problems associated with being the Magic Negro of the White House. By definition, the Magic Negro character enters the story with little or no background; he simply shows up to help the protagonist. Obama swept into the Presidential spotlight with Americans knowing little more than that he once taught Constitutional law, he was first a community organizer and then a Senator from Illinois, and he had an unconventional childhood and family history.

With little record upon which to base their criticisms, Obama�s detractors quickly focused on what they did know: There were many holes in the story of his past. Was he even eligible to be the President of the United States? Was he prepared for his political ambitions by people with radical and Communist ideologies? Was Obama himself a racist?

Obama offered partial answers to the questions, setting out with an ambitious plan to reshape the American psyche by playing upon racial and class tension in the United States. From his constant rhetoric about �millionaires paying their fair share� to getting involved in the media-fueled controversy of the shooting of black teenager Trayvon Martin (�If I had a son, he�d look like Trayvon�).

While Obama�s detractors asked questions about his background, his supporters began to ask some questions of their own. What about Obama�s promises regarding medical marijuana reform? Where are the �shovel-ready� jobs? Why are the perpetual wars becoming evermore perpetual? Why are civil liberties still being assaulted like they were under Bush?

The Magic Negro persona has worn thin, and now it is time for re-election. Enter Obama the Messiah, Obama the Dear Leader and Obama the man without whom Americans could not survive. Like any savvy despot, Obama and his re-election team have positioned the President to prey upon the weak in the upcoming election. Many people will not remember his failures, but will seize upon whatever information they hear about the President right before the election. The campaign is working feverishly to give the Magic Negro a larger role in the plot leading up to his insertion in the story.

Earlier this month, Vanity Fair brought Obama�s 1995 memoir �Dreams From My Father� back to national light, after it had been resigned for more than half a decade to gathering dust on the back shelves of bookstores. The magazine reported that Obama �compressed� several of his former girlfriends to shorten the book. A new biography written by Washington Post reporter David Maraniss focuses its attention on one woman in particular, Genevieve Cook, whom Obama dated when he was in his 20s. To tease the biography, Vanity Fair published excerpts from Cook�s diary that portray Obama as a thoughtful young man, desperately searching for an identity in a �Siddhartha�-type narrative. The biography also reportedly details Obama�s decision to identify himself as an American so that he could change the political landscape.

This Obama �coming of age� narrative that has recently been shoved down Americans� throats is all part of an attempt to give the President a background to re-endear him to those who voted for the Magic Negro and were then disappointed by his inability to actually accomplish anything once in office. The same liberal bleeding hearts who voted for Obama simply because it was time for a black President in America are also suckers for a good �finding oneself� story like the one currently being pushed.

Aside from re-engineering and re-marketing the story of his personal life, Obama is attempting to piggyback on the legislative achievements of nearly every President since Calvin Coolidge. The White House, in an attempt to broaden Obama�s cult of personality, has added to the Presidential biographies of former U.S. Presidents notes about things that Obama has done since taking office. For instance:

At the end of President Franklin D. Roosevelt�s biography, the Obama White House has added: “On August 14, 1935, President Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act. Today the Obama administration continues to protect seniors and ensure Social Security will be there for future generations.”
After learning about Lyndon Johnson�s tenure in the White House, visitors to the site are offered: “President Lyndon Johnson signed Medicare into law in 1965 — providing millions of elderly health care stability. President Obama’s historic health care reform law, the Affordable Care Act, strengthens Medicare, offers eligible seniors a range of preventive services with no cost-sharing, and provides discounts on drugs when in the coverage gap known as the ‘donut hole.’”
Dear Leader didn�t even spare the The Gipper: �President Reagan designated Martin Luther King Jr. Day a national holiday; today the Obama Administration honors this tradition, with the First and Second Families participating in service projects on this day.
�In a June 28, 1985 speech Reagan called for a fairer tax code, one where a multi-millionaire did not have a lower tax rate than his secretary. Today, President Obama is calling for the same with the Buffett Rule.�

Besides the President�s attempt to pad his own resume with the historical achievements of other men, he is also working toward making Americans believe that an Obama-less future is a hopeless one. The campaign demonstrated this by creating its �Life of Julia� website that gives visitors the opportunity to view propaganda about what a young woman�s life might be like with or without Obama.

The Obama transformation from Magic Negro to Dear Leader has taken place in just under four years. Given another term, who knows how far the Dear Leader may go.

http://personalliberty.com/2012/05/1...f-personality/

The Rotten Fruit Of Our Labor

@PersonalLiberty — Thu, 17 May 2012 10:58:03 GMT

05.16.12 09:01 PM

Should you ever enjoy a visit to — or suffer the fate of being required to visit — the U.S. Department of Labor, you�ll have the opportunity to gaze upon an image of the Labor Secretary during a march.

That is supposed to be an image that will deliver unto you a sense of pride, inspiration and belief that Americans can and do lead the world in — er — making stuff. Granted, President Barack Obama�s economic performance has left record numbers of Americans — er — not making stuff; but the picture is supposed to make up for little details like the hundreds of thousands of people who gave up even trying to find steady work last month alone.

However, perusal of the photo in question reveals an image that could inspire only someone who cheers little details like — well — the hundreds of thousands of people who gave up on even trying to find steady work last month alone. The centerpiece is none other than Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis. The Secretary, Obama-endorsed race pimp Al Sharpton, the increasingly irrelevant Jesse Jackson and a coterie of union thugs from the Service Employees International Unionand the AFL-CIO are marching together, arms linked. As if the idea of a Cabinet-level official playing protester with two of the bigger remoras ever to attach themselves to the soft underbelly of American society isn�t nauseating enough, their mouths are agape in indignation about Alabama�s immigration law. If that�s not offensive enough, that image is part of a poster Solis has ordered tacked up in the elevators in the Labor Department building in Washington.

View this document on Scribd

Isn�t a Cabinet Secretary sharing even a ZIP code with bottom-feeders like Sharpton and Jackson — not to mention Big Labor mouth breathers — a BIT inappropriate? For that matter, shouldn�t the Secretary of Labor spend more time addressing the issues her boss has created for Americans instead of joining up with Obama�s racist storm troopers in an effort to worsen the situation on behalf of non-Americans? For that matter, isn�t forcing anyone to look at a picture of government officials cavorting with such filth fairly cruel?

Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) seems to think so. On Tuesday, he began calling for investigations into Solis�s misdeeds. But let�s pull the proverbial hand brake here. Obama and his minions have become so smug and self-involved that they didn’t notice it leaned a bit toward the unseemly.

Of course, Solis�s participation in a march against border security is inappropriate. But inappropriate behavior and Obama-era Democrats go together like Occupy Wall Street protesters and body odor (or murder, rape, theft, child abuse or even litter). The President has presided over record-setting national debt, a twofold increase in the price of gasoline, a massive depression in American clout around the globe and a job market that even President Jimmy Carter couldn�t have managed on his most �malaise�-filled day. Obama has demonstrated an unwavering opposition to Constitutional dictates; and his racist, arrogant and far-too-frequent abrogations of executive restraint have divided the Nation as bitterly as the Hatfields and the McCoys or Michael Moore and Weight Watchers.

And of course Solis sees nothing inappropriate about festooning the halls of one of the Federal government�s least worthwhile departments with even less worthwhile posters proclaiming an even less worthwhile message. God forbid she spends a little less time marching through the streets of Selma, Ala., in support of criminals and a little more time in her office shepherding the citizenry through her boss�s wanton destruction of the economy. And heaven knows, should any of the Labor Department staffers not share Solis� sanctimony (not to mention her rather inflated self-image), then staring at an image of Solis with Sharpton and Jackson at a march to grant amnesty to illegal aliens would definitely qualify as a �hostile work environment.�

And of course, under the direction of people capable of such shocking arrogance and disdain for the rule of law and common decency, the entire country is rapidly turning into a hostile work environment.

–Ben Crystal

http://personalliberty.com/2012/05/1...-of-our-labor/

New Evidence Bolsters Zimmerman�s Claims

@PersonalLiberty — Thu, 17 May 2012 10:58:03 GMT

05.16.12 09:01 PM

New evidence has been discovered which adds credibility to George Zimmerman�s self-defense claim.

Zimmerman admits that he*shot and killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin on Feb. 26. Zimmerman was charged with second-degree murder, but he claims he acted in self-defense.

Medical records obtained by ABC News reveal Zimmerman suffered a broken nose, two black eyes and two lacerations on the back of the head. Furthermore, the record shows that Zimmerman had a bruised upper lip and cheek. He also suffered back pain.

The prosecution will likely emphasize that Zimmerman did not suffer a concussion, he did not need hospitalization, and he declined to make follow-up appointments with either a psychologist or an ear, nose and throat doctor, although he was advised to do so.

New information has also surfaced about Martin. WFTV in Sanford, Fla., obtained autopsy results which reveal the only injuries suffered by Martin, other than the gunshot wound, were to his knuckles.

Legal analysts note that the new evidence is in favor of the defense.

http://personalliberty.com/2012/05/1...ermans-claims/

Did Obama Just Lose To A Prison Inmate?

@PersonalLiberty — Thu, 17 May 2012 10:58:03 GMT

05.16.12 09:01 PM

West Virginia, where a prison inmate on the Democratic Primary ballot won 10 counties against a sitting President, is symbolic of Barack Obama’s unpopularity in vast swaths of the country. Obama is in trouble, and his popularity is as low as it can get among much of the population. Wayne Allyn Root shares the remarkable details and explains what it means for Obama.

http://personalliberty.com/2012/05/1...prison-inmate/

Still Separate And Unequal

@PersonalLiberty — Thu, 17 May 2012 10:58:03 GMT

05.16.12 09:01 PM

Fifty-eight years ago today, the United States Supreme Court decided Brown v. the Board of Education of Topeka and ruled that separate but equal school facilities stamped an inherent badge of inferiority on black students and public school systems were required to integrate �with all deliberate speed.�

Did integration accomplish what the court sought to accomplish? Hardly. Today, thanks to the Department of Education, children are required to attend a school near their home, with few exceptions. Most minorities now live in cities, while most white students now live in the suburbs and rural areas.

Studies show that students at inner city schools are less likely to graduate than students at suburban schools. A report by the Editorial Projects in Education Research Center*in 2008 found that 75 percent of students at suburban districts received their diplomas, but only 58 percent of students in urban districts did. The main school districts of Detroit, Indianapolis, Cleveland and Baltimore had the lowest graduations rates in the country. All were below 40 percent. Detroit�s was 25 percent.

In Baltimore, suburban students graduated at an 82 percent clip. But only 35 percent of urban students graduated.

According to U.S. Department of Education statistics, most public school classrooms are either mostly white or all white or they are mostly or all minority. More than half of all public school 12th graders are in classrooms where either more than 90 percent or fewer than 10 percent are minorities.

Contrast that with private schools, which more accurately reflect the nation�s racial mix. Private schools draw students from across neighborhoods and consistently score better on standardized tests and have higher graduation rates.

Brown v. the Board of Education of Topeka has done nothing to enhance the educational opportunities of minority students because of the policies of the Department of Education and the teachers unions, which have fought tooth and nail against school choice.

Giving parents the freedom to select the school they want their children to attend will improve the educational opportunities for all children. Failing schools would go the way of the dodo bird, and with them would go failing kids.

http://personalliberty.com/2012/05/1...e-and-unequal/

Clowns Plan To Protest With Pies At NATO Summit

@PersonalLiberty — Thu, 17 May 2012 10:58:03 GMT

05.16.12 09:01 PM

Some people think that those involved with the Occupy movement are a bunch of clowns. They are correct.

ClownBloq is a group that calls itself �the new BlackBlok� — likely a reference to black bloc, a protesting technique that has become popular within the Occupy movement. Black bloc protesters wear the same clothing and may even cover their faces so that police cannot identify them.

But instead of black hoodies, ClownBloq will be wearing red noses and makeup.

Thousands of people associated with different groups are preparing to protest the upcoming NATO Summit in Chicago with hopes that leaders from around the world will see their displeasure with war and global economies.

With a presence on Twitter and a site for donations, ClownBloq has developed a presence on the Web.

Instead of protesting violently, the group is planning to throw pies.

�I think it will be very telling of the violence of this state to see the response of the police officers to a pie,� said one member.

The groups Twitter page touts that many things are worse than getting hit by a pie. Such as:

�A government who defends the right to assemble overseas but does not at home.�
�Getting forced into illegal search and seizures.�
�US drone technology.�
�Getting sprayed with pepper spray.�

According to reports, the group plans on bringing 1,000 pies to the NATO Summit, which will take place May 20-21.

http://personalliberty.com/2012/05/1...t-nato-summit/

Asthma Triggered By More Than Pollen

@PersonalLiberty — Wed, 16 May 2012 23:58:33 GMT

05.16.12 11:37 AM

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. (UPI) — People with asthma have to watch out for more than pollen — fruit, campfires, weather changes or insect bites can all trigger attacks, U.S. allergists warn.

Dr. James Sublett, chairman of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Public Relations Committee, said by planning ahead, seeing an allergist and knowing the causes of allergy and asthma, even those with the most sensitive noses and lungs can enjoy summer fun.

“Although symptoms may not always be severe, summertime allergies and asthma are serious and, in some cases, deadly,” Sublett said in a statement.

Sublett said some surprising asthma triggers include:

– An otherwise healthy snack can mean an oral allergy syndrome for people whose lips begin to tingle after sinking their teeth into a peach, melon, apple, celery, and other fresh fruits and vegetables.

– Sudden changes in the weather can trigger an asthma attack.

– Smoke is a common asthma trigger. Sit upwind of the smoke and avoid getting too close.

– Stinging insects. It is possible to develop a life-threatening allergic reaction to the sting of yellow jackets, honey bees, wasps, hornets and fire ants. Cover up when outdoors, avoid brightly colored clothing, forget perfume and take caution when eating or drinking anything sweet.

– Although not an allergen, the smell of chlorine from pools or hot tubs can be an irritant and cause flare-ups of either allergy-like eye and nose symptoms or asthma in some people.

http://personalliberty.com/2012/05/1...than-pollen-2/

Flaxseed, Walnut Oils Highest In Omega-3

@PersonalLiberty — Wed, 16 May 2012 23:58:33 GMT

05.16.12 11:36 AM

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (UPI) — Nut, fruit and seed oils have some of the highest amounts of omega-3s, an essential fatty acid believed to be good for heart health, a U.S. food expert says.

Phil Lempert, a food industry analyst, trend watcher and creator of supermarketguru.com, said flaxseed and walnut oils have the highest amounts of omega-3s.

However, coconut oil is a wonderful source of medium chain fatty acids, used by the body for energy, he said.

Different oils fit better with different foods. Lempert advises:

– For salads use unrefined avocado oil; hazelnut, almond or walnut oil; use sesame or flaxseed sparingly to add nuttiness.

– For light sauteing, or in sauces, use coconut, peanut or dark-toasted sesame oils.

– For baking, can use apricot kernel oil, coconut, hazelnut, macadamia, peanut, light un-toasted sesame or refined walnut and almond oils. These also work well in roasted dishes.

– For grilling or high-heat frying, peanut oil is the best, or choose refined almond, avocado, sesame, apricot kernel, or coconut oil because they have high burning points and considerable flavor.

– Add a few drops of toasted sesame oil in Asian inspired dishes.

“These are luxury oils. A little goes a long way,” Lempert said in a statement. “Oils that are packaged in dark-colored bottles or tins will last longer. All oils will spoil over time, so it’s best to buy the quantity that you will use in a reasonable amount of time — up to three months.”

http://personalliberty.com/2012/05/1...st-in-omega-3/

Learning To Do New Things Helps Aging

@PersonalLiberty — Wed, 16 May 2012 23:58:33 GMT

05.16.12 11:36 AM

ST. LOUIS (UPI) — Aging adults are often advised to work crosswords or other puzzles to keep their brain sharp but U.S. researchers found learning new things was most beneficial.

Josh Jackson of Washington University in St. Louis looked at data on people with an average age of 73 who had 16 weeks of training, including figuring out patterns and doing Sudoku and crossword puzzles.

Jackson said the important finding was the elderly did better because they learned to do new things.

“It looks like those things are positive. So to the extent that people can get out in the world, try new things, exercise their minds — that’s all for the best,” Jackson said in a statement. “Older people trained in thinking on how to use skills to solve puzzles then felt more open to other experiences.”

The study was published in the journal Psychology and Aging.

http://personalliberty.com/2012/05/1...s-helps-aging/

Fructose Diet Hampers Learning, Memory

@PersonalLiberty — Wed, 16 May 2012 23:58:33 GMT

05.16.12 11:35 AM

LOS ANGELES (UPI) — A diet steadily high in fructose slows the brain and hampers memory and learning, researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, said.

Fernando Gomez-Pinilla of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, said high-fructose corn syrup — an inexpensive liquid six times sweeter than cane sugar — is commonly added to processed foods, including soft drinks, condiments and baby food.

Gomez-Pinilla and study co-author Rahul Agrawal, a UCLA visiting postdoctoral fellow from India, studied two groups of rats that each consumed a fructose solution as drinking water for six weeks. The second group also received omega-3 fatty acids in the form of flaxseed oil and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which protects against damage to the synapses — the chemical connections between brain cells that enable memory and learning.

The animals were fed standard rat chow and trained on a maze twice daily for five days before starting the experimental diet. The scientists placed visual landmarks in the maze to help the rats learn and remember the way.

Six weeks later, the researchers tested the rats’ ability to recall the route and escape the maze.

“The second group of rats navigated the maze much faster than the rats that did not receive omega-3 fatty acids,” Gomez-Pinilla said. “The DHA-deprived animals were slower, and their brains showed a decline in synaptic activity. Their brain cells had trouble signaling each other, disrupting the rats’ ability to think clearly and recall the route they’d learned six weeks earlier.”

The findings were published in the Journal of Physiology.

http://personalliberty.com/2012/05/1...arning-memory/

Those With Dementia Apt To Die At Home

@PersonalLiberty — Wed, 16 May 2012 23:58:33 GMT

05.16.12 11:34 AM

INDIANAPOLIS (UPI) — People with dementia are more likely to live in their family’s home than in a nursing home, U.S. researchers said.

Dr. Christopher Callahan of Indiana University School of Medicine, who is also Regenstrief Institute investigator, said the finding challenges the commonly held view that most individuals with dementia in the United States eventually move to nursing homes and die there.

“This is a study on what it is like to live with dementia over a five- to 10-year period,” Callahan said in a statement. “You probably won’t proceed on a straight line from home to hospital to nursing home. You will experience multiple transitions as you progress from mild to moderate to advanced dementia.”

Most people with dementia, even advanced dementia, die of a physical condition such as heart disease, cancer or pneumonia, Callahan said.

People with dementia go to a nursing home after hospitalization 74 percent of the time but they don’t remain there. Approximately one-quarter will return to the hospital in less than a month and many of the remainder will return home, Callahan said.

The researchers determined a majority of care for those with dementia, even advanced dementia, is provided in the community by families, the study said.

The findings were published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

http://personalliberty.com/2012/05/1...o-die-at-home/

Cosmic Dust Rings No Guarantee Of Planets

@PersonalLiberty — Wed, 16 May 2012 23:58:33 GMT

05.16.12 11:33 AM

PASADENA, Calif. (UPI) — Dust rings around distant stars, considered by many as “smoking gun” evidence of orbiting planets, can form on their own, U.S. research suggests.

The finding is possible bad news for those who use the structures to guide them to stars in their search for distant planets, and may raise questions about the existence of a controversial candidate exoplanet.

Sharply defined or elongated rings seen in the disk of dust and gas around stars had been assumed to be caused by unseen planets carving paths through the disk.

“I call it the dark matter argument,” Wladimir Lyra at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., told NewScientist.com. “There is something you are seeing that you cannot explain, and you blame the gravity of something you cannot see.”

Now Lyra, with NASA colleagues, has shown interactions between dust and gas alone can account for the rings.

Dust concentrates in regions of high-pressure gas that when heated by the star expands, creating higher pressure which then concentrates more dust, the researchers said.

Lyra and his colleagues simulated this feedback process and, with no planets in their computer model, created several types of structure, including elongated rings and clumps.

The work calls into question a bright dot in the disc around the star Fomalhaut thought to be a planet, but which could be due to the dynamics of dust and gas alone, the researchers said.

Markus Janson of Princeton University in New Jersey, who has studied the Fomalhaut system, says it’s still too soon to tell what the bright dot is and why the nearby dust ring appears so sculpted.

“I’m now more open to the idea that maybe there are no planets [around Fomalhaut] at all,” he said.

http://personalliberty.com/2012/05/1...-of-planets-2/

Satellite Takes Most Detailed Earth Photo

@PersonalLiberty — Wed, 16 May 2012 23:58:33 GMT

05.16.12 11:33 AM

MOSCOW (UPI) — A Russian weather satellite has taken the highest-resolution photograph ever captured of Earth in its entirety, astronomers say.

The Elektro-L is orbiting Earth on a geostationary orbit more than 22,000 miles above the equator, sending photographs of the entire planet every 30 minutes, Gizmodo.com reported.

The images combine multiple light wavelengths, both visible and infrared.

“The images posted … are a combination of visible and near-infrared wavelengths, so they show the Earth in a way not visible to human eyes,” Robert Simmon, a scientist at the NASA Earth Observatory at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., said.

The highest resolution image of our home planet consists of 121 megapixels, a resolution of 0.62 miles per pixel, Gizmodo reported.

The Elektro-L is similar to NASA’s GOES satellites, but Elektro-L uses three bands in reflected light — red and two near infrared bands — while GOES does not scan in near-infrared.

http://personalliberty.com/2012/05/1...d-earth-photo/

Turtles� Epic Long-Distance Journeys Eyed

@PersonalLiberty — Wed, 16 May 2012 23:58:33 GMT

05.16.12 11:32 AM

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (UPI) — U.S. scientists say they’ve been studying how baby loggerhead sea turtles embark alone on a migration that takes them around the entire North Atlantic basin.

After emerging from their underground nests on the beaches of eastern Florida, the turtles begin an epic migration that eventually returns then to North American coastal waters.

Researchers looking at precisely how young loggerheads navigate their transoceanic migration say the 2-inch-long hatchlings likely advance along their open-sea routes through a combination of strategic swimming interspersed with passive drifting on favorable ocean currents that allow the young turtles to migrate long distances on limited energy stores.

“Young turtles probably rely on a strategy of ‘smart swimming’ to optimize their energy use during migrations,” University of North Carolina marine biologist Kenneth J. Lohmann said. “The new results tell us that a surprisingly small amount of directional swimming in just the right places has a profound effect on the migratory paths that turtles follow and on whether they reach habitats favorable for survival.”

Once in the open ocean, rafts of plants often provide young loggerheads with food, resting places and camouflage from large fish and birds, the scientists said.

“Most researchers have assumed that, because ocean currents in some places move faster than young turtles can swim, the turtles cannot control their migratory paths,” Lohmann said. “This study shows otherwise.”

http://personalliberty.com/2012/05/1...journeys-eyed/

Baby Galaxies Grew Quickly To Sustain Life

@PersonalLiberty — Wed, 16 May 2012 23:58:33 GMT

05.16.12 11:32 AM

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (UPI) — Galaxies in the young universe evolved faster than previously thought, offering the potential for early planet formation and life, Danish researchers say.

Astrophysicists at the University of Copenhagen’s Niels Bohr Institute said up until now it was thought it had taken billions of years for stars to form and create galaxies with a high content of elements heavier than hydrogen and helium — like carbon and oxygen — necessary for the formation of planets and life as we know it.

But this process went surprisingly quickly in some galaxies, they said.

“We have studied 10 galaxies in the early universe and analyzed their light spectra. We are observing light from the galaxies that has been on a 10-12 billion year journey to Earth, so we see the galaxies as they were then,” Johan Fynbo from the Dark Cosmology Center at the Niels Bohr Institute said.

“Our expectation was that they would be relatively primitive and poor in heavier elements, but we discovered somewhat to our surprise that the gas in some of the galaxies and thus the stars in them had a very high content of heavier elements,” he said.

“The gas was just as enriched as our own sun.”

The findings suggest galaxies from the very early universe had a surprisingly large quantity of heavier elements, researchers said, noting one of the galaxies studied was especially interesting.

“For one of the galaxies, we observed the outer regions and here there was also a high element content. This suggests that large parts of the galaxy are enriched with a high content of heavier elements and that means that already in the early history of the universe there was potential for planet formation and life,” Fynbo said.

http://personalliberty.com/2012/05/1...-sustain-life/

People More Truthful In Text Messages

@PersonalLiberty — Wed, 16 May 2012 23:58:33 GMT

05.16.12 11:31 AM

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (UPI) — Text messaging can reveal more truthful responses to sensitive questions as people are more candid in them than in voice interviews, U.S. researchers say.

That is the conclusion of a study to be presented this week at the annual meeting of the American Association for Public Opinion Research.

“The preliminary results of our study suggest that people are more likely to disclose sensitive information via text messages than in voice interviews,” said Fred Conrad, a cognitive psychologist at the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research.

“This is sort of surprising,” Conrad said, “since many people thought that texting would decrease the likelihood of disclosing sensitive information because it creates a persistent, visual record of questions and answers that others might see on your phone and in the cloud.”

Researchers conducted the study to see whether responses to the same questions varied depending on whether the questions were asked via text or voice, whether a human or a computer asked the questions, and whether the environment, including the presence of other people and the likelihood of multitasking, affected the answers.

“We’re in the early stages of analyzing our findings,” psychology Professor Michael Schober said.

“But so far it seems that texting may reduce some respondents’ tendency to shade the truth or to present themselves in the best possible light in an interview — even when they know it’s a human interviewer they are communicating with via text.”

http://personalliberty.com/2012/05/1...text-messages/

So Simple A Caveman Would Own It

@PersonalLiberty — Wed, 16 May 2012 12:27:13 GMT

05.15.12 09:01 PM

The arrogance on Wall Street always amazes me. I have lived through three stock market crashes, one rolling recession, near hyperinflation and what was almost an economic depression. In all those cases, Wall Street was caught unaware. People who manage financial institutions were incredulous as the events transpired.

The Street�s ignorance was on full display this month when Warren Buffett�s top investment adviser Charles Munger explained that gold is a useless relic.

On May 4, the eve of the Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting, Munger, age 88, said: �Gold is a great thing to sew into your garments if you�re a Jewish family in Vienna in 1939, but I think civilized people don�t buy gold, they invest in productive businesses.�

Munger thinks people should either be facing a Nazi occupation or else be as stupid as cavemen in order to purchase gold. If this reminds you of the Geico cavemen commercials, you won�t be surprised that Munger is big on investing in that company.

Munger said he loves Berkshire Hathaway�s portfolio, which includes Burlington Northern railroad, specialty chemicals firm Lubrizol and insurance giant Geico.

“We just have a wonderful portfolio in business, if you average them out,” Munger said. “By and large they’re doing productive, useful work.�

So confident are Buffett and his associates on Burlington Northern that in 2009, Berkshire Hathaway bought the company for $34 billion. This is just one example of Buffett�s showing faith in Barack Obama�s management of America�s economy.

Buffett and Munger forgot to consider that Berkshire Hathaway�s portfolio is mostly traded in U.S. dollars. Perhaps Munger slept through the past decade. Only that would explain how he missed the worst bear market ever for the U.S. dollar and one of the biggest bull markets for gold.

When I began as the editor for Outstanding Investments in the autumn of 2000, I urged subscribers to load up on gold. Bullion was then trading for less than $280 per ounce. Today, it trades at about $1,600 per ounce.

During those same years, the value of the dollar has gone to hell. The evidence in the graph below shows the greenback�s dreadful decline.

Munger doesn�t seem to understand that when the dollar declines, even against other currencies, the purchasing power of the dollar declines. Even if we accept the Federal government�s cooked books on the Consumer Price Index, what cost $100 in 2000 costs $133 today.

Burlington Northern stock has gone from $25 per share in 2000 to $100 per share now (in large part because of the spike caused by the Berkshire Hathaway purchase). But you have to discount one-third of that increase because of the declining worth of the dollar.

Another Obama Term Will Send Bullion Soaring

Munger does not understand what the dollar will face if Obama is re-elected.

In the 1970s, dollar inflation decimated Big Board stocks. The Dow Jones industrial average hit 996 in 1966. That index stood at 742 in 1980, a loss of 25 percent. If you factor in the decline of the dollar�s purchasing power, the DJIA was really 321 in 1966 dollars. Over those 14 years, the DJIA lost more than two-thirds of its value.

Uncivilized people like my father got his subscribers into gold starting in 1970 at $35 per ounce; that investment climbed to $850 by January 1980. Using the same inflation calculator, the 1980 price of that gold was $428 per ounce in 1970 dollars. So even in real terms, the price of bullion, bought by cavemen, increased twelvefold.

The Wall Street establishment wouldn�t listen to a word the �gold bugs� said. In fact, my dad, Vern, was a guest on PBS�s �Wall $treet Week with Louis Rukeyser� in the mid-1970s. Rukeyser and his panel openly laughed at my dad�s suggestions that investors should buy gold. One came right out and said such advice was un-American.

While Wall Street investors were losing their shirts, gold investors who followed people like James Dines, Harry Schultz and C.V. Myers made themselves tidy fortunes.

You would think an experienced man such as Munger would remember those times. And given the unprecedented increase in the U.S. money supply over the past three years, men like Buffett and Munger might even think it prudent to put some assets into gold.

Perhaps such men cannot think outside the box. I don�t know. What I do know is that modern money changers refuse to believe that anyone other than a caveman would even consider investing in gold.

Most people listen to the investment establishment. I have a friend who is an accountant. He knows several multimillionaires in Alberta�s oil patch. I asked him not long ago if he thought any of them owned gold. He told me he didn�t believe even one owned a single ounce. That tells me there is a lot of upside to gold prices even though bullion is undergoing a correction right now.

Unfortunately, I think Obama is going to be re-elected. After he is, he will move forward with socialist policies, which will mean even larger Federal deficits. More debt means more dollars, and that means the continued decline of the greenback. If successful people ever get a taste of stagflation (a stagnant economy and higher prices), I think investors are going to invest in precious metals. The gold market is so thin that it won�t take much buying to push the price of bullion to $2,500 per ounce.

They Thought My Mother Was Crazy

There are legions of men and women like Munger in the world. I still remember when I first met one.

It was 1970, and it was legal for Canadians to buy gold. My dad was heavily invested in gold along with his subscribers, and my mother had about $3,000 in savings. I went with her to the Bank of Nova Scotia one day.

The main branch in downtown Calgary had a trading desk. She told the man at the desk that she wanted to take the money out of her savings account and buy 1-ounce gold South African Krugerrand coins.

Gold was trading at $35 an ounce back then. Most people who worked in the financial industry believed that once the United States freed up, the price of gold would fall.

The man at the gold desk looked at my mother as if she were crazy. He tried to convince her that she was speculating with her life savings and that it would be much better if she left it in her account. When my mother insisted she wanted to buy the gold, we were escorted into the branch manager�s office. The manager urged my mother to reconsider her recklessness. When she wouldn�t, he said the bank would not accept the transaction. She then asked the manager to phone my father, who had a much more sizable account with the bank and a much more forceful personality.

I don�t know what my dad said to that bank manager that day; but after a very brief phone call, the manager was happy to help my mother purchase her gold.

I guess it is true what the kid said to me more than four decades ago on the playground: �Myers, you�re a caveman!�

Yours in good times and bad,

–John Myers
Editor, Myers� Energy & Gold Report

http://personalliberty.com/2012/05/1...-would-own-it/

Hackers Taking Over

@PersonalLiberty — Wed, 16 May 2012 12:27:13 GMT

05.15.12 09:01 PM

According to news reports, the loose-knit hacktivist group Anonymous may be becoming one of the most powerful organizations on the planet.

“The entire world right now is run by information,� Anonymous hacker Chris Doyon tells Postmedia News from an undisclosed location in Canada. �Our entire world is being controlled and operated by tiny invisible 1s and 0s that are flashing through the air and flashing through the wires around us. So if that�s what controls our world, ask yourself who controls the 1s and the 0s. It�s the geeks and computer hackers of the world.�

Doyon claims that code crackers like those in Anonymous are in possession of some of the most powerful knowledge known to man. The hacker, reported to be in his late 40s, was charged last year for partaking in a Distributed Denial of Service attack on the website for the county of Santa Cruz, Calif., according to RT. Since February, the source reports, he has resided in Canada after using what he called the new �underground railroad� to escape persecution for alleged computer crimes in the States.

Doyon explains how organizations like Anonymous easily access government systems:

You know how we got access? We didn�t hack them. The access was given to us by the people who run the systems. The five-star general (and) the Secretary of Defense who sit in the cushy plush offices at the top of the Pentagon don�t run anything anymore. It�s the pimply-faced kid in the basement who controls the whole game, and Bradley Manning proved that. The fact he had the 250,000 cables that were released effectively cut the power of the US State Department in half. The Afghan war diaries and the Iran war diaries effectively cut the political clout of the US Department of Defense in half. All because of one guy who had enough balls to slip a CD in an envelope and mail it to somebody.

Doyon told RT that groups like Anonymous are currently seeking a European country that would be willing to offer them asylum.

http://personalliberty.com/2012/05/1...s-taking-over/

Romney�s Big Government Military Budget

@PersonalLiberty — Wed, 16 May 2012 12:27:13 GMT

05.15.12 09:01 PM

Neoconservatives love big government.

If you are among the Americans who have continually said things like �We need to unite to back Romney� or �I�m not voting for Romney, I�m voting against Obama� throughout the Republican Presidential primaries, you are simply saying �I love big government.�

Throughout his campaign, Romney has claimed that his platform is based upon less spending, smaller deficits and a renewed fiscal responsibility that would slow the United States� inevitable economic collapse. But Romney�s budget proposal greatly grows the size of government in the name of �safety.�

Romney�s plan for defense spending includes adding in excess of $2 trillion to the U.S. deficit over the next decade, according to an analysis conducted by CNNMoney�sTravis Sharp. The plan would allow for the Pentagon to spend $4 for every $100 the American economy produces.

Romney�s plan to grow the military budget is likely indicative of his plan for a continuation of the world policing and war-happy foreign policies of both the Administrations of George Bush and Barack Obama.

An article from the CATO Institute in 2011 states: �Cutting military spending without changing our foreign policies will put additional burdens on a force strained by a decade of war. Sticking with the status quo will translate into heavier burdens on U.S. taxpayers. If the powers-that-be inside the Beltway decide that we should continue to discourage wealthy allies from defending themselves, then they should explain that to the American people.�

The campaign of GOP candidate Ron Paul, who is no longer campaigning in primary States but is still seeking delegates, released a statement regarding Romney�s military budget saying that Romney and Obama will both increase deficits:

� Americans are stuck with two presumed presidential candidates who will essentially spend an equal amount of money, thus racking up further deficits and debt.

Ron Paul has stressed time and again that to seriously tackle big government and debt we have to reduce both domestic and foreign spending. Paul�s Restore America Now plan allows for the strongest military force on earth, but within the confines of the Constitution and our budget.

Romney�s willingness to spend far more than our national deficit on just military alone does not bode well for anyone wanting to save this country from imminent bankruptcy.

Americans who now reject Obama also do not want to return to George W. Bush. Romney�s military budget alone spends more than Obama or Bush.

The Romney campaign lists as a top priority reversing military cuts put into place by the Obama Administration. For that, the candidate has received a large amount of support from conservative lawmakers from districts with military installations.

http://personalliberty.com/2012/05/1...litary-budget/

Arrested For Taking Pictures; Tortured For Being �A Teabagger�

@PersonalLiberty — Wed, 16 May 2012 12:27:13 GMT

05.15.12 09:01 PM

Nancy Genovese was arrested in New York for taking pictures. She was imprisoned and tortured over several days to send a message to �Teabaggers.�

Genovese�s ordeal began when she noticed a helicopter on display in front of the Gabreski Airport in Suffolk County and decided to take a picture to post on her personal �Support Our Troops� Web page. In doing so, she parked across the street from the airport on a public road. She crossed the street to the airport entrance, another public road.

After taking a few pictures she crossed the street again and got into her car to drive away. As she did, Southampton Town Police Lt. Robert Iberger stopped her and demanded to know why she was taking photographs.

Iberger took her camera. Genovese got a hold of the camera and removed the memory card. Iberger confiscated it. Iberger then notified the Suffolk County Sherriff�s Office and airport authorities that he had a potential terrorist detained. Before long, officers from other local departments and agents from the FBI and Department of Homeland Security were on the scene.

Genovese�s car was searched without her consent. Officers found an unloaded rifle in a locked case in her trunk (she had been target shooting that morning, and it is perfectly legal to keep an unloaded rifle in the trunk of a car). For the next five or six hours, Genovese was interrogated, taunted, harangued, threatened, belittled, abused, humiliated and harassed by members of the Sheriff�s Office. During this time, officers noticed she was limping from an ankle injury she had received earlier in the day. Officers made her show them the injury, which was bleeding, then threatened to charge her for not reporting a knife wound. Deputy Robert Carlock repeatedly called her a �right winger� and a �teabagger,� and he threatened to charge her with terrorism to make an example of her for other �right wingers� and �teabaggers.�

Sometime around midnight, airport officials and Federal agents determined Genovese posed no terrorist or security threat and left. But Carlock ordered Genovese handcuffed. When Genovese�s children tried to get her purse, which contained a large amount of cash, deputies threatened them with arrest.

Genovese was then taken to a holding cell at the Sheriff�s Office. On the way there, Carlock continued to taunt Genovese, telling her she would pay and admitting they had nothing to charge her with, but that he would �find something in order to teach all right wingers and teabaggers a lesson.�

In the holding cell, she was interrogated without being Mirandized. Her requests for a lawyer were ignored. She was told she was being charged with terrorism.

She was finally taken to a nearby medical center for treatment of her leg wound. She was handcuffed to a bed. The treatment required her to disrobe, and male deputies insisted on watching the procedure. She was discharged with antibiotics and treatment instructions, and was then taken back to the cell. But deputies denied her access to the antibiotics, and she developed a staph infection.

The next morning, Genovese was questioned again by FBI, but not charged. She was transported to court, where she said she was not secured by a seatbelt in the back of the patrol car, but had her hands cuffed behind her back. On the trip to the courthouse, deputies drove recklessly, making repeated violent and sudden turns that caused her to be flung about the back seat. Deputies seemed to get a kick out of it.

She was again denied access to an attorney at the courthouse and for her arraignment. She was charged with one misdemeanor count of criminal trespass in the third degree. She was finally assigned a legal aid attorney by the judge. But Carlock and another deputy told the judge her car contained surveillance equipment (a point-and-shoot camera) and that they believed she was a terrorist, so her bail was set at $50,000.

Once back at the jail, the legal aid attorney spoke to Carlock and Undersheriff Joseph Caracappa. After the conversation, the legal aid attorney told Genovese he would not represent her and he was going to request she be put on a suicide watch. She was photographed, fingerprinted, eye scanned and issued prison �greens� to wear. She was interviewed by a woman in civilian clothes. During the interview, two men wearing jackets bearing the words �Suffolk County Emergency Response Team� entered the room. One of them led Genovese from the room and held her in the hall. She said she could hear the other man arguing with the woman, and she heard the woman say, �She is not suicidal.�

The two men then moved Genovese to another room. There, a woman who claimed to be a nurse gave Genovese two injections without Genovese�s consent. One of the men held her arm still while the other kept her head turned away so she could not see what was being done. She was forced to disrobe and made to wear a �suicide gown� that was a heavy, jacket-type blanket that fastens with Velcro. She was not permitted to wear undergarments under the suicide gown, and was made to wear it for three days. Finally, a psychiatrist interviewed her, determined she wasn�t suicidal and had her removed from suicide watch. Later that day, her bail was posted and she was released. The charges against her were dropped.

The Sheriff�s Office issued a press release in response to media inquiries. It called Genovese a terrorist and a right-wing extremist and falsely stated she had been taking pictures of the airport and surrounding security and that she had 500 rounds of ammunition and �scary weapons� in her car. It also falsely stated she had previously been removed from the airport for trespassing and had been warned to stay away.

Her camera memory card was not returned to her. More than $5,000 in cash was missing from her purse. The contents of her car�s glove box were removed.

Genovese has filed a $70 million lawsuit against the Town of Southampton, Suffolk County, Iberger, Caracappa, Carlock and other members of the Sheriff�s Office. The lawsuit is ongoing.

On May 1, Iberger retired from the Sheriff�s Office. He got a $215,483 payout, a full pension and lifetime medical benefits. It pays to be a government terrorist.

This case began more than a year ago. I�ll bet you haven�t heard about this on ABC News, CNN or Fox, et al., or read about it in The New York Times or any other newspaper of record. It doesn�t jibe with their agenda.

Iberger came out smelling like a rose. Genovese is still awaiting justice. This is the police state in which we now live.

http://personalliberty.com/2012/05/1...g-a-teabagger/

Ann Barnhardt: All the �Rat Bastards� in DC Know Obama is Not Eligible

@PersonalLiberty — Wed, 16 May 2012 12:27:13 GMT

05.15.12 09:01 PM

Ann Barnhardt: All the “Rat Bastards” in DC Know Obama is Not Eligible

May 16, 2012 by Bob Livingston

Rate this:

i

6 Votes

Rand Paul Weighs In On Obama�s View Of Marriage

@PersonalLiberty — Wed, 16 May 2012 12:27:13 GMT

05.15.12 09:01 PM

Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has come under scrutiny for saying he did not believe President Barack Obama�s views on marriage �could get any gayer.�

During a speech at Iowa�s Faith and Freedom Coalition meeting, Paul said: �The President recently weighed in on marriage and you know he said his views were evolving on marriage. Call me cynical, but I wasn�t sure his views on marriage could get any gayer.

�He said the biblical golden rule caused him to be for gay marriage. And I�m like, what version of the Bible is he reading?� Paul continued.

�That doesn�t mean we have to be harsh and mean and hate people. � We are not out there preaching some sort of hateful dogma against people, but that doesn�t mean that we have to go ahead and give up our traditions. We�ve got 6,000 years of tradition. There�s a lot of stability, even beyond religion, there�s stability in the family unit. Just from an anthropological point of view, the family is a really important thing. We shouldn�t just give up on it.�

Paul also addressed abortion during his speech. He said he has helped introduce the Life at Conception Act, the Pro-Life Act, the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act, the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act and the Human Life Amendment.

For a proper understanding of abortion and government, Paul recommended Abortion and Liberty, a book written by his father, Republican Presidential candidate Ron Paul.

Rand Paul added that the 1st Amendment is about keeping government out of religion, not about keeping religious people out of government.

http://personalliberty.com/2012/05/1...w-of-marriage/

With This Ring�

@PersonalLiberty — Wed, 16 May 2012 12:27:13 GMT

05.15.12 09:01 PM

Nate Beeler, The Washington Examiner

http://personalliberty.com/2012/05/16/with-this-ring/

Liberal Chris Matthews Flops On Jeopardy

@PersonalLiberty — Wed, 16 May 2012 12:27:13 GMT

05.15.12 09:01 PM

On �Jeopardy!�Chris Matthews, host of MSNBC�s leftist �Hardball,� showed the world his intellect. Matthews faced off against CNN�s Lizzie O�Leary and former White House press secretary Robert Gibbs during a special episode of the show. The �Hardball� host swung and missed at some softball questions lobbed by host Alec Trebek.

The botched evening began when Matthews requested a category in the form of a �Jeopardy!� answer. �What is �Crossword Clues E?�� was Matthews’ failed attempt at selecting a category.

Matthews� counting skills came into question. Trebek asked a question and reminded Matthews the answer was four letters. �At ease, soldier,� Matthews answered. Later in the show, Matthews responded, �Istanbul,� when the category was �6-Letter World Capitals.�

Matthews confidently answered that D.C. in U.S.D.C. stands for �attorney.� The correct answer was district court.

Another question was “Full name of the U2 pilot shot down over the Soviet Union in 1960.” Matthews responded �Gary Powers.� When he was informed that this was incorrect and given another chance, Matthews assertively said, �Gary Powers.�

Matthews finished last with about $10,000 less than O�Leary and about $8,000 less than Gibbs.

The irony exists in the fact that on at least four occasions, the pundit has lambasted Sarah Palin, saying she would look like a fool on �Jeopardy!�:

�Is this [Vice Presidential debate] about her brain power?… Do you think cute will beat brains?…Do you think she�d do better on the questions on �Jeopardy!� or the interview they do during a half-time?…My suspicion is that she has the same lack of intellectual curiosity that the President of the United States has right now and that is scary.� — Oct. 2, 2008

�They find these empty vessels who know nothing about the world! Nothing about foreign policy! Who immediately begin to spout the neo-con line. I read her book � it�s full of that crap….It�s unbelievable how little this woman knows!…Don�t put her on �Jeopardy!�� — Jan. 12, 2010

�Senator, do you think Sarah Palin is qualified to be President of the United States?…If she were on �Jeopardy!� right now and the topic was national government, American government generally defined, would she look like an imbecile, or would she look okay? Does she know anything?” � Nov. 2, 2010

�I�d like to see her on just a couple of episodes of �Celebrity Jeopardy!� � just see if she knows anything.� � Jan. 19, 2011

http://personalliberty.com/2012/05/1...s-on-jeopardy/

About 30 Percent Sleepwalked At Least Once

@PersonalLiberty — Wed, 16 May 2012 12:27:13 GMT

05.15.12 02:05 PM

STANFORD, Calif. (UPI) — U.S. researchers determined almost 30 percent of Americans had an episode of sleepwalking during their lifetime.

Lead author Dr. Maurice Ohayon, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Stanford University School of Medicine, found about 3.6 percent of U.S. adults — or upward of 8.4 million — are prone to sleepwalking.

Ohayon and colleagues used phones surveys of 19,136 individuals from 15 states involving mental health, medical history and medication use.

Participants were asked specific questions related to sleepwalking, including frequency of episodes during sleep, duration of the sleep disorder and any inappropriate or potentially dangerous behaviors during sleep.

The researchers determined as much as 3.6 percent of the sample reported at least one episode of sleepwalking in the previous year, with 1 percent saying they had two or more episodes in a month.

“There is no doubt an association between nocturnal wanderings and certain conditions, but we don’t know the direction of the causality,” Ohayon said in a statement. “Are the medical conditions provoking sleepwalking, or is it vice versa? Or perhaps it’s the treatment that is responsible.”

The study published in the journal Neurology also found the duration of sleepwalking was mostly chronic, with just over 80 percent of those who have sleepwalked reporting they’ve done so for more than five years.

http://personalliberty.com/2012/05/1...at-least-once/

Study: Marijuana May Help With MS Symptoms

@PersonalLiberty — Wed, 16 May 2012 12:27:13 GMT

05.15.12 02:01 PM

SAN DIEGO (UPI) — Smoking marijuana may be an effective treatment for spasticity — a common and disabling symptom of multiple sclerosis, U.S. researchers suggest.

Principal investigator Dr. Jody Corey-Bloom, professor of neurosciences and director of the Multiple Sclerosis Center at the University of California, San Diego, and colleagues randomly assigned 30 study participants to either the intervention group — which smoked marijuana once daily for three days — or the control group. After an 11-day interval, the participants crossed over to the other group.

“We found that smoked cannabis was superior to placebo in reducing symptoms and pain in patients with treatment-resistant spasticity, or excessive muscle contractions,” Corey-Bloom said in a statement.

The researchers used a modified Ashford scale to grade the intensity of muscle tone by measuring such things as resistance in range of motion and rigidity. The researchers also looked at physical performance — using a timed walk — and cognitive function. Patients were also asked assess their feeling of “highness.”

The study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal found the marijuana was generally well tolerated, but it has mild effects on attention and concentration.

The researchers noted that larger, long-term studies were needed to confirm their findings.

http://personalliberty.com/2012/05/1...h-ms-symptoms/

�Free Hugs� Help Man With Asperger�s

@PersonalLiberty — Tue, 15 May 2012 20:08:37 GMT

05.15.12 06:00 AM

SAN ANTONIO, (UPI) — A San Antonio man who can often be seen offering free hugs across from Alamo Plaza said the project is helping him with his difficulty interacting with others.

Christopher Webster, 27, who has spent many of his weekends during the past six years holding his “free hugs” sign on the streets of the city, said the scheme was born from his desire to counteract his Asperger’s syndrome, which makes it difficult for him to interact with others, the San Antonio Express News reported Monday.

“It was stepping out of my comfort zone,” he said. “Once I started, it became natural. Sometimes its boom, boom, boom; it’s mind-boggling.”

Mark Stoeltje, executive director of San Antonio Clubhouse, a non-profit prevocational program for adults with severe mental illness, said Webster, who has also been diagnosed as bipolar, was withdrawn before he began his hugging project.

“He brought in a personal DVD player and watched Tim Burton movies,” Stoeltje said. “There’s a part of him that knew [the landing] is where he needed to be, and he started coming out of his shell, more and more.”

Webster said he averages about 22 hugs for each Saturday he stands at his post, but he received a record 81 hugs in 45 minutes on St. Patrick’s Day.

“I do it to make the world a better place,” Webster said. “One hug at a time.”

http://personalliberty.com/2012/05/1...ith-aspergers/

Son-In-Law Finds Lost Ring After 43 Years

@PersonalLiberty — Tue, 15 May 2012 20:08:37 GMT

05.15.12 05:58 AM

CHAPMAN, Ala., (UPI) — An Alabama woman who lost her class ring more than 40 years ago said she was shocked when her son-in-law found it after less than 10 minutes of searching.

Betty Black said she thought she would never see the Georgiana High School class ring again after she lost it while playing softball in Chapman 43 years ago, but her son-in-law, Wendell Watkins, decided to take another look at the plot of land, which he now owns, WSFA-TV, Montgomery, Ala., reported Monday.

“I walked out on the land and tried to figure out how the softball field was laid out,” Watkins said. “I found the pitchers mound and then figured out where the backstop was. I was out there for 10 minutes and I saw something that looked out of place in the dirt. I yelled to my kids, I found it. They were like, ‘no way, not that fast.’”

However, Watkins said he brushed the dirt off the ring and soon positively identified it as his mother-in-law’s long-lost keepsake.

“He put his fingers in his pocket, and brought out the ring, I almost had a seizure and I was crying,” Black said of when Watkins gave her the ring back

http://personalliberty.com/2012/05/1...fter-43-years/

Man Returns Stolen Plants After 54 Years

@PersonalLiberty — Tue, 15 May 2012 20:08:37 GMT

05.15.12 05:57 AM

NASHVILLE, May 14 (UPI) — A Kentucky man has returned two potted hydrangeas he stole from a Nashville park to give to his mom for Mother’s Day in 1958.

Bill Teitleff, 72, who now lives in western Kentucky, said he was 18 and unable to afford a Mother’s Day gift when he took the plants from Centennial Park and sent them to his mom in Kentucky, WSMV-TV, Nashville, reported Monday.

He said the the plans were the most beautiful, perfectly formed hydrangeas he had ever seen. “They were just perfect in rows and pots,” Teitleff said of the plants he scooped up from the park.

“I knew it was wrong. I thought all along that I was borrowing them. But this stayed with me all this time,” Teitleff said. “Now it’s been 54 years, and I’ve got the root and same flowers that they have accepted back now. This doesn’t clear what I did. That’s between me and him (points to the sky). But this is between me and the people here at the park, and they’ve accepted wholeheartedly.”

Teitleff said he was glad when park officials accepted the plants and his apology.

“Sometimes it hurts when we go back and ask somebody for forgiveness, but when we do, we feel better inside and that person thinks a lot more of us,” Teitleff said.

http://personalliberty.com/2012/05/1...fter-54-years/

Student Graduates With Quadruple Major

@PersonalLiberty — Tue, 15 May 2012 20:08:37 GMT

05.15.12 05:55 AM

DULUTH, Minn., (UPI) — A student at the College of St. Scholastica in Minnesota has graduated with a quadruple major and a 4.0 grade point average in just four years.

Brock Erdahl, who graduated Sunday from the school in Duluth, said careful planning allowed him to finish bachelor’s degrees in history, political science, global culture/language studies and Catholic studies with a French minor in only four years with perfect grades, the Duluth News Tribune reported Monday.

“I tried to carefully manage my time from the get-go,” Erdahl said. “I plotted out what I wanted to accomplish, what courses I needed, and how they would lead to a certain degree, instead of taking classes willy nilly.”

Erdahl said his original plan was to graduate in just two years with a double major in history and political science, but his experiences at the school convinced him to stay for the quadruple major.

“I enjoyed school so thoroughly, I didn’t want to rush and leave prematurely,” he said.

Randall Poole, an associate professor of history at St. Scholastica, said Erdahl was one of the college’s most remarkable graduates.

“I’ve not had a better student in my career than Brock Erdahl,” he said.

http://personalliberty.com/2012/05/1...adruple-major/

Dog Custody Battle Costs Man $60,000

@PersonalLiberty — Tue, 15 May 2012 20:08:37 GMT

05.15.12 05:54 AM

NEW YORK, (UPI) — A New York man said he is trying to raise funds online after spending more than $60,000 on a legal battle to get his dog back from his ex-girlfriend.

Craig Dershowitz, 34, said in court papers his ex-girlfriend, Sarah Brega, “took unilateral control of Knuckles and kidnapped him” to California after they broke up, the New York Post reported Monday.

Dershowitz said he initially won a default judgment for the return of the puggle, a mix between a pug and a beagle, but Brega has now retained legal council and is fighting him in court, causing him to incur more than $60,000 in legal bills.

“Unfortunately, I don’t have the money to keep it going. Not too many attorneys are working pro bono,” he said.

Dershowitz said he started a Web site, indiegogo.com/rescueknux, to raise funds for the legal efforts to get his “son” back and artist friends have offered “perks” for contributors including a “Free Knux” T-shirt for $25, a YouTube video and song for $50, a professional portrait of the dog for $200 and $250 for a game of fetch with the dog when he “hopefully” returns to New York.

http://personalliberty.com/2012/05/1...sts-man-60000/

Lawsuit Blames Prison For Tot�s Death

@PersonalLiberty — Tue, 15 May 2012 20:08:37 GMT

05.15.12 05:52 AM

OKLAHOMA CITY, (UPI) — The father of a 3-year-old girl found beheaded in 2001 says the Oklahoma Department of Corrections is responsible for his daughter’s death.

Erica Green was born May 15, 1997, to Michelle Johnson, who at the time, had been in prison for five weeks. Convicted for larceny, Johnson had a history of run-ins with the law for drug abuse and child abuse.

In 2001, the headless body of a 3-year-old was discovered in the woods near Kansas City. The body went unidentified for four years, referred to in the media as “Precious Doe,” The Oklahoman reported.

In 2005, the body was identified to be Erica Green.

Harrell Johnson, Michelle Johnson’s boyfriend at the time, was sentenced in 2008 to 25 years in a Missouri prison for second-degree murder. Police said Harrell admitted to beating Erica while under the influence of alcohol and PCP. She died as he kicked her and threw her to the ground, after which Harrell said he used hedge clippers to sever her head and then dumped the body in the woods.

Erica’s father, Larry Green filed a two-page handwritten lawsuit in federal court in Tulsa in April 2010. The lawsuit says his daughter’s death could have been prevented if the Oklahoma Department of Corrections had contacted the Oklahoma Department of Human Services when Erica was born.

When Erica was born, Michelle was allowed to place her in the care of a friend, Betty Brown. Erica was eventually returned to Michelle’s care.

Green’s lawsuit says prison officials “performed no background check whatsoever on Ms. Brown and failed to provide Ms. Brown with any guidance or standards as to the care, custody and possible future reunification of Erica Green with her” parents. The lawsuit also alleges officials were aware of Michelle’s drug use while pregnant, citing the 1995 birth of Michelle’s fourth child who tested positive for cocaine as evidence she should not be permitted to care for Erica.

Green also wants both agencies to adopt better policies for dealing with babies born to inmates.

U.S. District Judge Gregory Frizzell allowed the case to proceed in April.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Human Services, Sheree Powell, told The Oklahoman: “It’s not really a DHS issue. It’s a DOC issue � If a female enters prison and she’s pregnant, then DOC � their social services department will work with the mother to identify a family member or someone to take custody of the baby.”

http://personalliberty.com/2012/05/1...or-tots-death/

Bloody Syringes Found In Stores� Clothes

@PersonalLiberty — Tue, 15 May 2012 20:08:37 GMT

05.15.12 05:50 AM

SHERBROOKE, Quebec, (UPI) — Police in Sherbrooke, Quebec, are urging shoppers to be very careful when handling clothes after the 20th bloody syringe turned up in pants pockets.

At a news conference in the city east of Montreal Monday, Police Chief Gaetan Labbe told reporters the most recent discovery was made in a clothing store during the weekend.

Eight people have been pricked by syringes since they began appearing Jan. 20, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported.

Labbe said he couldn’t comment on the victims’ health because of privacy.

However, he didn’t mince words about the person or people responsible for hiding the syringes needle side up in pockets.

“We have a sick person who is in the Sherbrooke area right now who is creating a certain amount of panic in all the shopping centers,” he said.

So far, DNA testing on three of the syringes shows the blood came from the same person, but police couldn’t find a match in national databases, the report said.

The chief said there two officers working exclusively on the investigation and more officers are patrolling malls and shopping centers.

http://personalliberty.com/2012/05/1...tores-clothes/

Obama: DOMA Is A Bad Idea

@PersonalLiberty — Tue, 15 May 2012 20:08:37 GMT

05.15.12 05:48 AM

NEW YORK, (UPI) — U.S. President Barack Obama Monday told ABC’s Barbara Walters he supports gay marriage but declined to say he would seek to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act.

Speaking during a recording of the ABC program “The View” for broadcast Tuesday, Obama said he believes same-sex couples should have the right to marry but added “this is something that historically has been determined at the state level.”

When pressed, Obama declined to say he would push for the repeal of DOMA, the Clinton-era law defining marriage as the legal union of one man and one woman, saying, “Congress is clearly on notice that I think it’s a bad idea.”

Obama nonetheless said there is a clear distinction between himself and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, the likely Republican presidential nominee.

“This is going to be a big contrast in the campaign because you’ve got Governor Romney saying we should actually have a constitutional amendment installing the notion that you can’t have same-sex marriages,” Obama added.

“We don’t think the Defense of Marriage Act is constitutional,” he said.

Obama publicly declared his support for same-sex marriage last week in an exclusive interview with ABC News after opposing marriage equality for years.

http://personalliberty.com/2012/05/1...is-a-bad-idea/

Ron Paul Ends His Primary Campaigns

@PersonalLiberty — Tue, 15 May 2012 20:08:37 GMT

05.15.12 05:47 AM

WASHINGTON, (UPI) — U.S. Rep. Ron Paul said Monday he will stop actively campaigning in state primaries for the Republican presidential nomination.

The libertarian Texas lawmaker, however, said he will continue to seek delegates, Roll Call reported.

“Our campaign will continue to work in the state convention process,” Paul told supporters. “We will continue to take leadership positions, win delegates and carry a strong message to the Republican National Convention that liberty is the way of the future.”

Roll Call said Paul told supporters he would provide an update on the campaign’s delegate strategy.

His son, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., last week said his father is not trying to engineer a nomination coup at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla.

Rand Paul said Mitt Romney, the likely GOP presidential nominee, is a good candidate who will be “head and shoulders above (President Barack) Obama.”

http://personalliberty.com/2012/05/1...ary-campaigns/

In Barnard Speech, Obama Targets Young, Female Voters

@PersonalLiberty — Tue, 15 May 2012 20:08:37 GMT

05.15.12 05:46 AM

NEW YORK, (UPI) — President Obama Monday said the battles fought for women’s rights, voters’ rights and gay rights have helped make the United States a great nation.

Obama, giving the commencement address at Barnard College, the all-women’s institution that is a sister school to his alma matter Columbia University, urged the graduates to “fight for your seat at the table — better yet, fight for a seat at the head of the table.”

The graduation ceremony was held on the quad at Columbia University in New York City.

Obama said many workplaces still have outdated policies because women only account for 3 percent of the chief executives at Fortune 500 companies. He urged the young women to run for office.

“One reason we’re actually refighting long-settled battles over women’s rights is because women occupy fewer than 1-in-5 seats in Congress,” the president said.

“But if you — if you decide not to sit yourself at the table, at the very least, you’ve got to make sure you have a say in who does. It matters.”

He cited the influence female lawmakers have had in Congress over the past four decades.

“So don’t accept somebody else’s construction of the way things ought to be. It’s up to you to right wrongs. It’s up to you to point out injustice. It’s up to you to hold the system accountable, and sometimes upend it entirely.”

He said more women are now graduating from college than men because earlier generations of women “shattered the myth that you couldn’t or shouldn’t be where you are.”

The president, who voiced support last week for same-sex marriage, urged the graduates to take inspiration from previous generations.

“Young folks who marched and mobilized and stood up and sat in, from Seneca Falls to Selma to Stonewall, didn’t just do it for themselves. They did it for other people. That’s how we achieve women’s rights. That’s how we achieved voting rights. That’s how we achieved workers’ rights. That’s how we achieve gay rights. That’s how we’ve made this union more perfect.

“If you’re willing to do your part now, if you’re willing to reach up and close that gap between what America is and what America should be, I want you to know that I will be right there with you.”

http://personalliberty.com/2012/05/1...female-voters/

Barack Obama: The First Gay President?

@PersonalLiberty — Tue, 15 May 2012 09:26:41 GMT

05.14.12 09:01 PM

A Newsweek cover may herald more truth than the magazine knows. The cover touts President Barack Obama as �The First Gay President,� complete with a rainbow halo.

The cover story�s author, Andrew Sullivan, is openly gay. The title, no doubt, is meant as an attention-getter and is not overly surprising following TIME�S recent cover photo.

Sullivan (and Newsweek, for that matter) is likely unaware of Obama�s gay past, which the mainstream media have attempted to keep locked in the closet.

In 2010, investigative reporter Wayne Madsen wrote an article on his subscription-only site, the Wayne Madsen Report (WMR) which unveiled his discovery that Obama frequented a raunchy Chicago gay club, Man�s Country. The report also claims that then-Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel is also a member. You didn�t see that on CNN, did you?

Madsen is not some lunatic blogging over a bowl of Lucky Charms; he is a highly touted journalist and former U.S. Naval Officer. Reportedly, sources close to Man�s Country told WMR that Obama and Emmanuel are on file as members. Man�s Country goes to great extremes to maintain privacy and confidentiality due to the nature of the club. It is believed that the U.S. Secret Service has destroyed any evidence of the two men being on the club�s files. Allegedly, Obama and Emmanuel have ID cards which are required for admission into the club�s facilities. Sources within Chicago�s gay community report Obama would frequent the club on Wednesdays.

Furthermore, sources told WMR that Obama went to Man�s Country because he enjoyed receiving sexual favors from white men. This would lend credence to Larry Sinclair�s claims in 2008 that he and Obama had engaged in sexual acts on two occasions. Shortly after making the allegations, a warrant for Sinclair�s arrest was issued by Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden. Beau Biden is Vice President Joe Biden�s son.

Hillary Clinton�s 2008 campaign reportedly discovered information that would add credibility to WMR�s findings. �During the 2008 election, I campaigned for Hillary Clinton in the Democrat primaries. Repeatedly, I heard over and over here in Chicago that Barack Obama is gay and that his marriage to Michelle is one of mutual convenience,� wrote Kevin DuJan. Photos reveal that Obama has been wearing a wedding ring long before he was married. Why might that be?

The marriage between Barack Obama and Michelle LaVaughn Robinson was performed by the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Reportedly, Wright ran the Down Low Club, commonly referred to as DLC, in Chicago. Sources in Chicago�s gay community report that Wright and the club functioned as a matchmaker for gay black men. Allegedly, the DLC�s purpose was to keep gay black men from frequenting bars or posting ads online.

Reportedly, Obama and Trinity United Church of Christ choir director Donald Young were among the members of DLC. Two other gay black men were members of DLC and TUCC: Larry Bland and Nate Spencer. Mysteriously, all three died in late 2007 as Obama campaigned for the Presidency. Where was MSNBC for that story?

Rumors have swirled that Reggie Love, Obama�s friend and personal trainer, has been involved in a homosexual relationship with Obama. Obama referred to Love as his �body man� and frequently had 15-minute personal training appointments. Love announced in 2011 he would be stepping down from the position. WMR reported that, at the same time, evidence surfaced which suggested Love was involved in gay sex parties at Duke University and the University of North Carolina.

There has also been suspicion that Obama and Kal Penn, a gay actor who was appointed associate director of the White House Office of Public Engagement, had a sexual relationship. Penn left in April 2010 and was robbed at gunpoint shortly thereafter. His two government-issued cellphones were stolen. Some have speculated that the Obama regime stole the phones in order to cover up evidence of the alleged gay relationship.

Sources have also come forward and accused Obama of having homosexual relationships with politicians Artur Davis, Deval Patrick and Bill Frist.

�They know how to quash a story,� said James Manning, a Harlem pastor who has vocally disproved of Obama since his election, referring to Obama and the mainstream media. Manning claims he has evidence that will undeniably prove that Obama has a homosexual past, but that it must be released at the right time. He believes he must wait for the proper time, or the evidence will be destroyed. Manning has said that, in Chicago, Obama�s gay past is public knowledge among the gay community.

Rush Limbaugh has posed a worthwhile question: �Where are Obama�s former girlfriends?� One would think that women would come forward and provide evidence of a past relationship with the President, but so far no woman has.

Perhaps a Newsweek title is completely true for a change.

http://personalliberty.com/2012/05/1...gay-president/

NYPD Touts Success Of �Stop And Frisk�

@PersonalLiberty — Tue, 15 May 2012 09:26:41 GMT

05.14.12 09:01 PM

The New York Police Department is touting the success of its totalitarian �stop and frisk� police state tactics saying that policies implementation has yielded a spike in the number of firearms confiscated coinciding with a historically low murder rate in the city.

According to CNN, comparing numbers from the first three months of 2012 to the same period last year, the number of such stops increased 10 percent and the number of illicit guns taken away went up 31 percent. The report also says that the city�s murder rate has dropped by 21 percent in the same period.

“New York City continues to be the safest big city in America, and one of the safest of any size, with significantly less crime per capita … than even small cities,” NYPD said.

Critics of the tactic say that only about 6 percent of stops lead to arrests. But the stops usually lead to officers writing summonses for minor infractions like disorderly conduct. The NYPD issues more than 500,000 summonses a year, most not arising from street stops but as part of a �quality of life� campaign the department embarked on in the 1990s. Critics also claim that blacks and Latinos are disproportionately targeted to be stopped and frisked by the police.

http://personalliberty.com/2012/05/1...top-and-frisk/

Ron Paul Re-Strategizes, Establishment Continues To Fight Him

@PersonalLiberty — Tue, 15 May 2012 09:26:41 GMT

05.14.12 09:01 PM

�Mayhem,� �ruckus� and �insanity� are all words that are being used in the most recent news reports about Republican Presidential candidate Ron Paul�s performance last weekend.

In Oklahoma, Paul supporters and those of Mitt Romney reportedly came to blows over the nominating process, necessitating police intervention.

Paul supporters, who numbered about 600 and made up about 40 percent of the convention, used various parliamentary procedures to contest rules. The Paul side fell short of electing their slate of delegates amid allegations of foul play.

In Arizona, where Mitt�s son Josh Romney was booed for pushing his father�s approved slate, the convention began relatively peacefully, but deteriorated once Romney supporters realized how many Paul backers were in attendance.

Policymic reports: �First, the convention�s leaders attempted to confuse voters by yo-yoing them back and forth between convention halls and the main floor. In that time, several cases of ballot stuffing were reported, as well as physical assaults on two Ron Paul delegates; but it was not enough.�

When it became evident that Paul was garnering impressive delegate support, the party chair reportedly shut down the convention.

The Paul campaign announced yesterday that it would no longer focus resources on campaign in States that have yet to hold primary votes, but would continue to focus on groundwork to grab delegates throughout the country.

It still remains unclear what power Paul will have at the Republican National Convention, but the option remains that his supporters will secure enough delegate seats to put him in a role of prominence.

A Rasmussen poll last week showed that Paul polls better against President Barack Obama in a head-to-head matchup than establishment-choice moderate Romney. Paul edges out Obama by 1 percentage point, 44 to 43 percent. The survey also noted that in a hypothetical 2012 head-to-head, Obama and Romney are tied at 45 percent.

http://personalliberty.com/2012/05/1...-to-fight-him/

Looks Can Be Deceiving

@PersonalLiberty — Tue, 15 May 2012 09:26:41 GMT

05.14.12 09:01 PM

At first glance, it seemed like a brilliant idea. President Barack Obama, faced with a campaign sinking like CNN�s primetime ratings, abruptly threw his social policy in reverse and �endorsed� same-sex marriage. Within moments, his remarkable economic ineptitude, the abandonment of the labor pool by hundreds of thousands of citizens, the stratospheric national debt, the unstable-and-getting-worse situation in the Mideast, his unapologetic racism and even the fact that Attorney General Eric Holder is neck-deep in the Operation Fast and Furious scandal all became afterthoughts. Granted, the sycophants in the corporate media would actually have to acknowledge the aforementioned Obama benchmarks in order to stop acknowledging them, but the message was clear.

With one well-timed blurb, Obama turned around his campaign. The corporate media, always willing to hail Obama as a hero, fell over each other to present the President�s flip-flop as a brave and principled stand by an ever-evolving man of deep thought and deeper conviction. The Washington Post and other liberal organs proffered fawning profiles. The tattered remnants of Newsweek, completing its dive into the used bathwater of left-wing tabloid �journalism,� even leaked a copy of its next cover, featuring a �hero� angle shot of Obama with a rainbow-hued halo hovering above his head. It was a moment of absolute brilliance from the man whom the media has already taken to calling the Nation�s �First Gay President.�

But that first glance was as wrong as Bill Maher�s stand-up routine.

First of all, Obama had no intention of reversing himself on gay marriage — at least, not now. Were it not for the verbal diarrhea that poured out of Vice President Joe Biden�s piehole on May 6, Obama would likely have waited until October to deploy his rainbow parachute. While it is possible that Biden was tasked with floating the gay marriage test balloon, it seems unlikely that Obama would waste such a theoretically momentous move so early in the campaign season. It seems even less likely that Obama would use Biden as a stalking horse in place of someone who doesn�t remind Americans of the crazy uncle they can�t leave alone with the kids.

Secondly, Obama didn�t actually reverse himself on gay marriage. In fact, he moved from opposing the idea in 2008 to offering only lukewarm acceptance in 2012. During his now-infamous game of rhetorical softball with ABC sock puppet Robin Roberts: �The president stressed that this is a personal position, and that he still supports the concept of states deciding the issue on their own.� Translation: He supports gay marriage, just as long as no one expects him to do anything other than pay it lip service.

Americans tend to take a jaundiced view of overt political moves masquerading as principle. Granted, liberals tend to be more pliable on that front, considering that they define themselves by politics and generally eschew principle. But Obama has already made it clear that he won�t be adding same-sex marriage to his electoral platform. Without a clear statement of intent, the President�s supposedly era-defining statement is nothing more than political smoke and mirrors, more hype standing in for meaningful hope. By pandering to voters who consider same-sex marriage a defining issue, he�s preaching to the choir — albeit in an exceptionally patronizing manner.

Moreover, Obama�s decision to �come out� may well have been a terminal miscalculation. An increasing number of Americans realize that Obama is a Presidential magic act: long on show, short on substance. This is a President whose endeavors have been so shrouded by scandal and failure that his latest campaign pitch involves reminding people that Seal Team 6 killed Osama bin Laden last year. Polling indicates that his gay marriage ploy has alienated voters either opposed to the concept or merely offended by his latest duplicitous distraction from the dire circumstances into which he has plunged the rest of us.

Regardless of your opinion of same-sex marriage, Obama�s attempt to draw our collective gaze away from his lack of accomplishment and toward meaningless theatrics stinks worse than an Occupy Wall Street rally on a summer day. But America has already seen this show, and we didn�t really enjoy it that much the first time around.

–Ben Crystal

http://personalliberty.com/2012/05/1...-be-deceiving/