tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1102078981720848132024-03-12T22:00:58.633-04:00Life in the Snark Lane. . . Turn Left to Be RightSIPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679227159519685785noreply@blogger.comBlogger700125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-110207898172084813.post-20564742530140534932014-09-28T06:31:00.000-04:002014-09-28T06:31:41.701-04:00The Clintons Welcome First Grandchild<center><a href="http://s182.photobucket.com/user/rattlesnakeroot/media/smileys/69060.gif.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x151/rattlesnakeroot/smileys/69060.gif" border="0" alt=" photo 69060.gif"/></a><br />
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Chelsea Clinton gave birth to her first child this weekend, so President Clinton and Hillary are now proud grandparents! And the baby's name is Charlotte - which happens to be my own daughter's name, and not that common. My girl was always the only Charlotte in her school, so they will enjoy that distinction too. Although this may start a new Age of Charlottes, which can only be good.<br />
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Congratulations to the Clintons and the Mezvinskys!<br />
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<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Marc and I are full of love, awe and gratitude as we celebrate the birth of our daughter, Charlotte Clinton Mezvinsky.</p>— Chelsea Clinton (@ChelseaClinton) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChelseaClinton/status/515720633150619648">September 27, 2014</a></blockquote><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>At 7:03 PM on September 26th, we finally met Charlotte. We’re in love. <a href="http://t.co/9ZCkoa6BPU">pic.twitter.com/9ZCkoa6BPU</a></p>— Chelsea Clinton (@ChelseaClinton) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChelseaClinton/status/515946379559333889">September 27, 2014</a></blockquote><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>"Charlotte's life is off to a good start," Bill and Hillary Clinton say of their granddaughter <a href="http://t.co/BuaXOo6CsE">http://t.co/BuaXOo6CsE</a> <a href="http://t.co/CtfbNcS0G3">pic.twitter.com/CtfbNcS0G3</a></p>— CBS News (@CBSNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/CBSNews/status/516049690430017538">September 28, 2014</a></blockquote><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
</center>SIPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679227159519685785noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-110207898172084813.post-13860072494440680462014-09-28T06:17:00.001-04:002014-09-28T06:21:45.539-04:00Volcanoes in the News: From Bardarbunga to Ontakesan<center><a href="http://s182.photobucket.com/user/rattlesnakeroot/media/nature/Bykn_2aCMAAS011.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo Bykn_2aCMAAS011.jpg" border="0" src="http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x151/rattlesnakeroot/nature/Bykn_2aCMAAS011.jpg" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Ontakesan Volcano</span><br />
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There are so many active volcanoes around the world right now it is hard to keep track of them. <br />
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Yesterday, Mt. Ontakesan in Japan blew up without warning, and it has been a tragedy for hikers and climbers who were on the mountain. Searchers have rushed to the area to try and rescue people in the area, now covered in volcanic ash. But the volcano remains dangerous and is still erupting. I hope they find some survivors, but it's a grim situation.<br />
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<a href="http://www.kaidakogen.jp/livecamera/">Ontakesan Live Webcam</a><br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">Webcam footage of pyroclastic flows from Mt <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ontake?src=hash">#Ontake</a> eruption. (In Japanese). <a href="http://t.co/I2BwwpiW2V">http://t.co/I2BwwpiW2V</a> <a href="http://t.co/csCVrrqUhY">pic.twitter.com/csCVrrqUhY</a><br />
— Epic Cosmos (@EpicCosmos) <a href="https://twitter.com/EpicCosmos/status/515888125613060097">September 27, 2014</a></blockquote><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">Grim news from Reuters about Mt <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ontake?src=hash">#Ontake</a>. "Over 30 feared dead after Japan volcano spews ash and rock". <a href="http://t.co/g5y2bE1lQM">http://t.co/g5y2bE1lQM</a><br />
— Dave McGarvie (@subglacial) <a href="https://twitter.com/subglacial/status/516138619787296768">September 28, 2014</a></blockquote><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">Rescue efforts resume on Japan's Mount <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ontake?src=hash">#Ontake</a> <a href="http://t.co/Q93fujq7jh">http://t.co/Q93fujq7jh</a> <a href="http://t.co/AqMkXMCGh5">pic.twitter.com/AqMkXMCGh5</a><br />
— BBC News Asia (@BBCNewsAsia) <a href="https://twitter.com/BBCNewsAsia/status/516087142678663168">September 28, 2014</a></blockquote><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">Nagano Pref: 10 with serious injuries, 17 with lighter injuries, and 32 missing after the eruption of Mt. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ontake?src=hash">#Ontake</a>. <a href="http://t.co/BApRfXJFm6">http://t.co/BApRfXJFm6</a><br />
— Yuri Hiranuma (@YuriHiranuma) <a href="https://twitter.com/YuriHiranuma/status/516012054033870848">September 27, 2014</a></blockquote><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Eruption?src=hash">#Eruption</a> Mt <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ontakesan?src=hash">#Ontakesan</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/volcano?src=hash">#volcano</a> (Japan) claims at least 31 lives! - <a href="http://t.co/fNgMXvww2Z">http://t.co/fNgMXvww2Z</a> <a href="http://t.co/azVYAYzTcF">pic.twitter.com/azVYAYzTcF</a><br />
— Earthquake Report (@Quake_Tracker) <a href="https://twitter.com/Quake_Tracker/status/516143590314348544">September 28, 2014</a></blockquote><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><br />
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The past few months, I've become addicted to the Iceland livecam for Bardarbunga, a significant volcano that is close enough to Europe to really cause trouble if it were to blow up suddenly. Bardarbunga is still significant for it's immense cloud of deadly sulfur dioxide that is already causing health concerns there in Iceland. And the Holuhraun lava field is growing by leaps and bounds. At night you can see the hot lava glowing as it streams away towards the sea. The main caldera of Bardarbunga seems to be sinking with every earthquake, and at night glows like the Eye of Sauron from Tolkien's tales - inspired by the old Icelandic sagas.<br />
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<a href="http://www.livefromiceland.is/webcams/bardarbunga/">Bardarbunga Cam 1</a><br />
<a href="http://www.livefromiceland.is/webcams/bardarbunga-2/">Bardarbunga Cam 2</a><br />
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This video shows a volcano called Mt. Tavurvur that recently exploded in Papua New Guinea. Brace yourself for the boom! You can almost see the sound wave, and certainly can see the large boulders hitting the water. The people who caught this on camera were lucky not to be closer.<br />
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A report came out this weekend that Mt. Saint Helens in Washington State is possibly coming back to life. In fact, scientists don't really know why it ever stopped erupting. <br />
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<a href="http://www.king5.com/story/news/local/2014/09/26/mount-st-helens-shows-signs-of-reawakening/16291993/">From King5 News</a><br />
<blockquote>Geologists were surprised that the mountain stopped erupting in 1986. "Many of us were expecting it to continue a while," said USGS seismologist Seth Moran.<br />
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The second lava dome, which started appearing in 2004, appeared at a different spot in the crater. Lava that appeared from 2004-08 was much more solid than during the earlier phase.<br />
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Even though the lava dome hasn't erupted since 2008, its shape still is changing.<br />
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"As it cools, it fractures and settles and falls apart," said Dan Dzurisin, a USGS geologist. Rockfall has also been changing the shape of the crater rim.<br />
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And 5 miles below the volcano, there are signs that the magma chamber that fueled both eruptions is recharging. Dzurisin said the USGS is focusing on the rate of recharging and whether the magma can compress in the chamber, rather than flowing toward an outlet to the earth's surface.</blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Mt. Saint Helens in Washington</span></div><center><a href="http://s182.photobucket.com/user/rattlesnakeroot/media/nature/b3811693-557c-4fe1-9415-6c7c71894774.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo b3811693-557c-4fe1-9415-6c7c71894774.jpg" border="0" src="http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x151/rattlesnakeroot/nature/b3811693-557c-4fe1-9415-6c7c71894774.jpg" /></a><br />
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Then there was an earthquake swarm this weekend under Mammoth Lakes, an ancient dormant volcano near the California/Nevada border. The USGS put out a warning that the movement had volcanic traits, while other experts believe it is merely shaking due to pressure from hot springs. (Of course hot springs go along with volcanoes, so....)<br />
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<a href="http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2014/09/26/Californias-Mammoth-Lakes-region-experiences-volcanic-unrest/3871411786009/">From UPI</a><br />
<blockquote>The quakes struck the region between 9 a.m. Thursday and 1:49 a.m. Friday.<br />
The USGS said it's because Mammoth Mountain, a lava-dome complex, lies along the rim of the Long Valley Caldera.<br />
"Recent volcanic unrest, including seismicity, gas emission, and tree kill, is thought to be related to a dike intrusion beneath Mammoth Mountain in 1989," the USGS website said. "Both Long Valley Caldera and Mammoth Mountain have experienced episodes of heightened unrest over the last few decades (earthquakes, ground uplift, and/or volcanic gas emissions). As a result, the USGS manages a dense array of field sensors providing the real-time data needed to track unrest and assess hazards."</blockquote><br />
<a href="http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-quakes-mammoth-lakes-volcanoes-20140926-story.html">LA Times</a><br />
<blockquote>The earthquakes may have been triggered by water pressure from area hot springs shifting through the ground surface, stressing tectonic plates. Scientists, Shelly said, are closely watching the earthquake swarm, but don’t believe it's connected to any magmatic activity.<br />
Shelly said seismic analysts plan to review the swarm and update locations and magnitudes of the quakes, but the activity is not nearly on the size and scale of what was measured in the 1980s and 1990s.<br />
. . . The Long Valley caldera is one of the most seismically active regions in the state, and is part of a quiet network of 17 volcanoes throughout California. Many of the older volcanoes haven't been active for thousands of years.<br />
The last time the Long Valley caldera erupted was 50,000 years ago.</blockquote><br />
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</center>SIPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679227159519685785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-110207898172084813.post-48740562327540890392014-09-28T05:14:00.001-04:002014-09-28T05:14:57.664-04:00The People's Climate March Makes History<center><a href="http://s182.photobucket.com/user/rattlesnakeroot/media/98bba55f-589e-4a87-bb4d-b7f222bfbcbe.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x151/rattlesnakeroot/98bba55f-589e-4a87-bb4d-b7f222bfbcbe.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 98bba55f-589e-4a87-bb4d-b7f222bfbcbe.jpg"/></a><br />
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The People's Climate March on September 21, 2014, was one of the best days for the environmental movement in history. Thousands turned out to march all over the world, including over 400,000 marchers in New York City. <br />
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Listen to the roar of the crowd after the moment of silence! We are the future, hear us roar! :) <br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Jane Goodall, Al Gore and Bill de Blasio marched together during the “People’s Climate March.” Getty Images <a href="http://t.co/zgwHDMNEF5">pic.twitter.com/zgwHDMNEF5</a></p>— Rebecca Leahy (@rlbrasket) <a href="https://twitter.com/rlbrasket/status/513852021758099456">September 22, 2014</a></blockquote><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PeopleClimateMarch?src=hash">#PeopleClimateMarch</a> <a href="http://t.co/rFOD9nIV9Z">http://t.co/rFOD9nIV9Z</a> display their beautiful hand-painted banner at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ClimateMarch?src=hash">#ClimateMarch</a> <a href="http://t.co/IARKJS0ryk">pic.twitter.com/IARKJS0ryk</a></p>— john zangas (@johnzangas) <a href="https://twitter.com/johnzangas/status/513751036851650560">September 21, 2014</a></blockquote><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Indigenous?src=hash">#Indigenous</a> resistance <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FloodWallStreet?src=hash">#FloodWallStreet</a> <a href="http://t.co/tVhnTSsY35">pic.twitter.com/tVhnTSsY35</a> via <a href="https://twitter.com/democracynow">@democracynow</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/firstnations?src=hash">#firstnations</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/climatemarch?src=hash">#climatemarch</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ClimateJustice?src=hash">#ClimateJustice</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Climate2014?src=hash">#Climate2014</a></p>— #Munduruku (@PersonalEscrito) <a href="https://twitter.com/PersonalEscrito/status/514164835748425728">September 22, 2014</a></blockquote><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
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</center>SIPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679227159519685785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-110207898172084813.post-31808508179891016672014-06-14T02:42:00.000-04:002014-06-14T14:38:39.111-04:00The NRA's "Open Carry" Movement Doesn't Work in Civilization<center><a href="http://s182.photobucket.com/user/rattlesnakeroot/media/Blogger%203/BpiA3ugCUAAWvX8.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo BpiA3ugCUAAWvX8.jpg" border="0" src="http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x151/rattlesnakeroot/Blogger%203/BpiA3ugCUAAWvX8.jpg" /></a><br />
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President Obama has been in office for six years and in all that time he has never implemented the dreaded "Gun Grab" that rightwing nutjobs obsess about. In spite of all the school shootings and mass public shootings, people have more guns than ever, and Congress is owned by the Gun Lobby so they do NOTHING about it. And the school shootings continue. <br />
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Last Week President Obama once again spoke out on the issue in an interview with Tumblr, trying to get through to Congress that something must be done:<br />
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<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">If Congress refuses to act, then we need a new Congress. <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23RHShooting&src=hash">#RHShooting</a> <a href="http://t.co/rNyaDSpwKh">pic.twitter.com/rNyaDSpwKh</a><br />
— Everytown (@Everytown) <a href="https://twitter.com/Everytown/statuses/476508170475819009">June 10, 2014</a></blockquote><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><br />
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<a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/06/10/remarks-president-qa-david-karp-ceo-tumblr">Full Transcript on WhiteHouse.Gov</a><br />
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<blockquote>I have to say that people often ask me how has it been being President, and what am I proudest of and what are my biggest disappointments. And I’ve got two and a half years left. My biggest frustration so far is the fact that this society has not been willing to take some basic steps to keep guns out of the hands of people who can do just unbelievable damage.<br />
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We’re the only developed country on Earth where this happens. And it happens now once a week. And it’s a one-day story. There’s no place else like this. A couple of decades ago, Australia had a mass shooting similar to Columbine or Newtown. And Australia just said, well, that's it -- we’re not seeing that again. And basically imposed very severe, tough gun laws. And they haven’t had a mass shooting since.<br />
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<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">.<a href="https://twitter.com/NRA">@NRA</a> .<a href="https://twitter.com/nranews">@nranews</a> .<a href="https://twitter.com/EndNRA">@EndNRA</a> .<a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse">@WhiteHouse</a> .<a href="https://twitter.com/WHLive">@WHLive</a> RT <a href="http://t.co/OF6CkDkvHf">pic.twitter.com/OF6CkDkvHf</a><br />
— ab terra, ad terram (@revjoe3) <a href="https://twitter.com/revjoe3/statuses/477669518802558977">June 14, 2014</a></blockquote><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Our levels of gun violence are off the charts. There’s no advanced, developed country on Earth that would put up with this. Now, we have a different tradition. We have a Second Amendment. We have historically respected gun rights. I respect gun rights. But the idea that, for example, we couldn’t even get a background check bill in to make sure that if you’re going to buy a weapon you have to actually go through a fairly rigorous process so that we know who you are, so you can't just walk up to a store and buy a semiautomatic weapon -- it makes no sense. </span><br />
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And I don't know if anybody saw the brief press conference from the father of the young man who had been killed at Santa Barbara. And as a father myself, I just could not understand the pain he must be going through and just the primal scream that he gave out -- why aren’t we doing something about this? <br />
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And I will tell you, I have been in Washington for a while now and most things don’t surprise me. The fact that 20 six-year-olds were gunned down in the most violent fashion possible and this town couldn’t do anything about it was stunning to me. And so the question then becomes what can we do about it. The only thing that is going to change is public opinion. If public opinion does not demand change in Congress, it will not change. </blockquote><br />
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<blockquote>I’ve initiated over 20 executive actions to try to tighten up some of the rules in the laws, but the bottom line is, is that we don’t have enough tools right now to really make as big of a dent as we need to. <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">And most members of Congress -- and I have to say, to some degree, this is bipartisan -- are terrified of the NRA. <br />
</span> <span style="font-size: x-large;">. . . The last thing I’ll say: A lot of people will say that, well, this is a mental health problem, it’s not a gun problem. The United States does not have a monopoly on crazy people. (Laughter.) It’s not the only country that has psychosis. And yet, we kill each other in these mass shootings at rates that are exponentially higher than anyplace else. Well, what’s the difference? The difference is, is that these guys can stack up a bunch of ammunition in their houses and that’s sort of par for the course.</span><br />
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So the country has to do some soul searching about this. This is becoming the norm, and we take it for granted in ways that, as a parent, are terrifying to me. And I am prepared to work with anybody, including responsible sportsmen and gun owners, to craft some solutions. But right now, it’s not even possible to get even the mildest restrictions through Congress, and we should be ashamed of that.</blockquote><br />
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The President is telling the truth. If he wanted to confiscate weapons he would do that, but the reality is that anyone can buy a gun any day of the week. It is easy in America. You can buy guns at Gun Shows and Swap Meets. You can buy them at sporting goods stores. You can buy them online. You can buy guns at Walmart. You can buy guns at Target down the aisle from the diapers and baby food. <br />
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And now gun nuts want to parade around with loaded guns in the restaurants and stores! And far-right conservative <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/05/07/1297485/-Stephen-Colbert-looks-at-Georgia-s-guns-everywhere-law">state legislatures have helped them with their Old West Fantasy by passing "Guns Everywhere" laws.</a> <br />
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But what about the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for those who don't want to see guns, especially while they are eating or shopping? Why do we have to live in a world where everyone is armed to the teeth? <br />
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Well, the NRA says "good guys" should be armed to stop the "bad guys" with guns. But as we often see, even trained policemen are shot, <a href="http://snarkamendment.blogspot.com/2014/06/call-sign-joker-vegas-shooting-inspired.html">as they were recently in Las Vegas</a> - shot in the head while eating lunch at a Cici's Pizza. And a person with a concealed weapon who tried to stop the shooters was shot dead by the the same two sociopaths. <br />
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<center><a href="http://s182.photobucket.com/user/rattlesnakeroot/media/Blogger%203/VegasShootingVictims.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo VegasShootingVictims.jpg" border="0" src="http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x151/rattlesnakeroot/Blogger%203/VegasShootingVictims.jpg" /></a><br />
Fallen Las Vegas Officers<br />
Alyn Beck and Igor Soldo<br />
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The man who shot the cops, Jerad Miller, was a convicted felon who wasn't supposed to have guns, but he asked his friends and family for guns on Facebook. Then he bragged about going to Bundy Ranch where he paraded around with an assault rifle. In fact, <a href="http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/06/10/jerad-miller-cried-hysterically-when-he-was-asked-to-leave-bundy-ranch-candidate-says/">he was told to leave Bundy ranch BECAUSE he was a felon!</a> His wife legally bought the guns they used in the attack, but she gave them to her husband, which is a crime. These two thugs weren't patriots, but criminals who wanted to "Start the Revolution." They bragged to all the neighbors what they were going to do, but <a href="http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/las-vegas/shooters-carried-arsenal-supplies-sunday-rampage">either no one believed them, or were too intimidated to call 911.</a><br />
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<center><a href="http://s182.photobucket.com/user/rattlesnakeroot/media/Blogger%203/image-1.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo image-1.jpg" border="0" src="http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x151/rattlesnakeroot/Blogger%203/image-1.jpg" /></a><br />
More About Jerad and Amanda Miller:<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://snarkamendment.blogspot.com/2014/06/call-sign-joker-vegas-shooting-inspired.html">Snark Amendment: Vegas Shooting <br />
Inspired by Alex Jones and Bundy Ranch</a></span> </center><br />
A small faction of our populace has an obsession with guns and perceived glory as they fight against the very government that has held this country together for 250 years. Why do they want another Civil War? Why are they so hell-bent on everyone being just as bloodthirsty as they are? How can we possibly know when a person with a gun walks towards us in a store or restaurant whether they are a "good guy" just proud of the 2nd Amendment or a horrible monster who want's to mow us down to make a point?<br />
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A friend of one of the dead policemen wrote this essay: <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://journalofamadman.com/killing-cop-doesnt-make-revolutionary/">Killing Cops Doesn't Make You a Revolutionary</a></span><br />
<blockquote>Two wackos walked into a fast food restaurant, ambushed my friend Alyn and his partner, Igor Soldo, shooting them point blank as they ate their lunch. They then turned and yelled something about it being the “start of the revolution”, killed one other person and then themselves.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">These two idiots didn’t start a revolution. They just ripped the life from two heroes as they ate. They took fathers from their children. They brought darkness into the lives of those who loved these two men. They traumatized people who witnessed the tragedy, probably for the rest of their lives. They left a horrific scene for dozens of police workers to have to process emotionally and mentally. And the greatest irony of this infuriating act of horrific stupidity and delusion is that if they were truly acting out of some kind of perverse revolutionary intent, they only hurt their own cause — whatever that is.</span><br />
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<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">LIVE: Remembering Officer Alyn Beck: <a href="http://t.co/ikF7hdUP4S">http://t.co/ikF7hdUP4S</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23RIPBeck&src=hash">#RIPBeck</a> <a href="http://t.co/onYls6HIjl">pic.twitter.com/onYls6HIjl</a><br />
— 8 News NOW (@8NewsNow) <a href="https://twitter.com/8NewsNow/statuses/477846502925410304">June 14, 2014</a></blockquote><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><br />
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. . . These weren’t policy makers. They weren’t “Obama’s henchmen.” They weren’t hired drones of the “evil Koch Brothers.” These were two of the good guys.<br />
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. . . If you’re frustrated with government, if you’re worried about the republic, if you’re convinced black helicopters are watching you in the night, if you think Obama is a reptile alien sent to destroy the human race, or whatever is under your skin, do us all a favor: start a blog, write a book, go to a protest, join a cause, call a senator, call a talk show, run for office, do what people in a free society do, not what people in the Lord of the Flies would. And if you just can’t restrain yourself from going on a murderous rampage followed by your own cowardly suicide, do the rest of us a favor and do it in reverse order.<br />
Shooting a cop doesn’t make you a revolutionary. It just makes things worse…for everyone.</blockquote><br />
<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">Please RT <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23StandWithLasVegas&src=hash">#StandWithLasVegas</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23NotOneMore&src=hash">#NotOneMore</a> <a href="http://t.co/9qmdFEUj1w">pic.twitter.com/9qmdFEUj1w</a><br />
— Newtown Action (@NewtownAction) <a href="https://twitter.com/NewtownAction/statuses/475960956787638272">June 9, 2014</a></blockquote><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">Well said! <a href="http://t.co/ssYASNfrnx">pic.twitter.com/ssYASNfrnx</a><br />
— Jeffrey Levin (@jilevin) <a href="https://twitter.com/jilevin/statuses/477859915391074305">June 14, 2014</a></blockquote><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">The 74 school shootings since Newtown. Map via <a href="https://twitter.com/voxdotcom">@voxdotcom</a>: <a href="http://t.co/fct9svsNEP">http://t.co/fct9svsNEP</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23RHShooting&src=hash">#RHShooting</a> <a href="http://t.co/qiwENwIqJP">pic.twitter.com/qiwENwIqJP</a><br />
— Everytown (@Everytown) <a href="https://twitter.com/Everytown/statuses/476446781614870528">June 10, 2014</a></blockquote><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">The end of America - <a href="https://twitter.com/NRA">@NRA</a> terrorists forcing kids to cower under bulletproof blankets <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23gunsense&src=hash">#gunsense</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23notonemore&src=hash">#notonemore</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23p2&src=hash">#p2</a> <a href="http://t.co/lRo57b69Ss">pic.twitter.com/lRo57b69Ss</a><br />
— US Gun Violence (@usgunviolence6) <a href="https://twitter.com/usgunviolence6/statuses/477502734577324032">June 13, 2014</a></blockquote><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">Dear NRA: Can you please answer this question for us? <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23NotOneMore&src=hash">#NotOneMore</a> <a href="http://t.co/R5M1fxt7PB">pic.twitter.com/R5M1fxt7PB</a><br />
— Kennett Area Dems (@KennettDems) <a href="https://twitter.com/KennettDems/statuses/477484468064620544">June 13, 2014</a></blockquote><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">Dear <a href="https://twitter.com/Target">@Target</a> My child wants an icee, so they have to wait in line behind this? I think not! <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23MomsDemand&src=hash">#MomsDemand</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23OffTarget&src=hash">#OffTarget</a> <a href="http://t.co/z1KIAvjXxw">pic.twitter.com/z1KIAvjXxw</a><br />
— Kim Valverde (@klvalverde) <a href="https://twitter.com/klvalverde/statuses/474077842800533505">June 4, 2014</a></blockquote><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">What are these guys doing in <a href="https://twitter.com/Target">@Target</a>'s baby aisles? Tell their CEO this is <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23OffTarget&src=hash">#OffTarget</a> → <a href="http://t.co/wSogPNgxXD">http://t.co/wSogPNgxXD</a> <a href="http://t.co/PNHwNDGsS0">pic.twitter.com/PNHwNDGsS0</a><br />
— Everytown (@Everytown) <a href="https://twitter.com/Everytown/statuses/474253024731602944">June 4, 2014</a></blockquote><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Tennessee&src=hash">#Tennessee</a> Moms deliver petitions <a href="https://twitter.com/Target">@Target</a> ... open carry in stores is <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23OffTarget&src=hash">#OffTarget</a> <a href="http://t.co/6Mlz8GiXeN">http://t.co/6Mlz8GiXeN</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23momsdemand&src=hash">#momsdemand</a> <a href="http://t.co/uhwMnQ8FTf">pic.twitter.com/uhwMnQ8FTf</a><br />
— Moms Demand Action (@MomsDemand) <a href="https://twitter.com/MomsDemand/statuses/477239084922834944">June 13, 2014</a></blockquote><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">.<a href="https://twitter.com/HomeDepot">@HomeDepot</a> I will not do my Father's Day shopping at a store that allows this. <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23FathersNotFirearms&src=hash">#FathersNotFirearms</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23GrillsNotGuns&src=hash">#GrillsNotGuns</a> <a href="http://t.co/kfW9sX4OiY">pic.twitter.com/kfW9sX4OiY</a><br />
— Shannon (@shannonrwatts) <a href="https://twitter.com/shannonrwatts/statuses/473657424214114305">June 3, 2014</a></blockquote><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><br />
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SIPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679227159519685785noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-110207898172084813.post-68978898097651158732014-06-14T01:43:00.002-04:002014-06-14T01:43:53.935-04:00Amazing Idea - Solar Roads<center><a href="http://s182.photobucket.com/user/rattlesnakeroot/media/smileys/72e4f61409ba9acab96e71b024f4366d.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x151/rattlesnakeroot/smileys/72e4f61409ba9acab96e71b024f4366d.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 72e4f61409ba9acab96e71b024f4366d.jpg"/></a><br />
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I love the idea of useless heat-producing asphalt replaced by miles of solar panels that can light up the world. I hope I live long enough to see it! In northern climes, the solar panels could melt the snow and ice on the roads, making them safe for travel all year round. And with wires running under the roads, there would be no need for powerlines. Not to mention all the jobs this idea would create. Really the possibilities are endless! <br />
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<center><iframe width="500" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/qlTA3rnpgzU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
</center>SIPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679227159519685785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-110207898172084813.post-60699864050097503612014-05-23T13:38:00.000-04:002014-06-14T03:26:54.748-04:00President Obama Takes a Walk - Surprises the Heck Out of People<center><a href="http://s182.photobucket.com/user/rattlesnakeroot/media/Blogger%203/ObamaWalk.png.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x151/rattlesnakeroot/Blogger%203/ObamaWalk.png" border="0" alt=" photo ObamaWalk.png"/></a><br />
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President Obama took a Springtime Stroll on the Washington Mall and surprised the heck out of tourists who kept asking him if he was real, and not made of wax, LOL. And now the video has gone viral with almost a million views on YouTube.<br />
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"The Bear is Loose!"<br />
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SIPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679227159519685785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-110207898172084813.post-36070557926515812702014-04-26T13:28:00.001-04:002014-06-14T01:32:58.154-04:00No KXL Pipeline ~ Native Americans and First Nations March on Washington <center>
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Some amazing Native Americans and First Nations from Canada marching on the Washington DC Mall against the Keystone XL Pipeline. My heart is with them, and I hope President Obama is watching (he's traveling in Korea today). According to Rolling Stone, the President has decided to reject the pipeline and is merely waiting for a good time to announce it. I hope and pray that is true. If it is, I'm actually glad he didn't undercut this great show of solidarity by the Cowboy and Indian Alliance and every Native and Conservation Group. There will be other fights and this just brings everyone closer together. There are battles to come because Big Oil never sleeps.<br />
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<a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23rejectandprotect&src=hash">#rejectandprotect</a> <a href="https://t.co/WV17zE92fi">https://t.co/WV17zE92fi</a><br />
— Andrew Nazdin (@andrewnazdin) <a href="https://twitter.com/andrewnazdin/statuses/460098339162574849">April 26, 2014</a></blockquote>
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<a href="http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/obamas-last-shot-20140423">Rolling Stone</a><br />
<blockquote>
. . . the president is likely to announce his decision on the northern leg of the Keystone XL, the hugely controversial 1,179-mile-long pipeline that would bring tar-sands oil down from Alberta to Gulf Coast refineries. Although no final decision has been made, two high-level sources in the Obama administration told me recently that the president has all but decided to deny the permit for the pipeline – a dramatic move that would light up Democratic voters and donors while further provoking the wrath of Big Oil. Finally, Obama is positioning the U.S. to play a key role in negotiations on a new global-climate treaty that will begin next year, establishing American leadership on climate issues and giving him one last chance to lead the world to a cooler future before he leaves the Oval Office.<br />
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EDITOR'S NOTE: On Friday April 18th, after the print version of this story had closed, the State Department announced that the decision on the Keystone XL Pipeline would be delayed due to legal challenges to the pipeline's route, effectively putting off resolution of this controversial issue until after the election. The text has been updated to reflect these latest developments.</blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
A beautiful song is leading our march <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23nokxl&src=hash">#nokxl</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23rejectandprotect&src=hash">#rejectandprotect</a> <a href="https://t.co/gw9bsYRAh3">https://t.co/gw9bsYRAh3</a><br />
— Greenpeace USA (@greenpeaceusa) <a href="https://twitter.com/greenpeaceusa/statuses/460096917616480257">April 26, 2014</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
"Hey, Obama, we don't want that pipeline drama!" <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23RejectAndProtect&src=hash">#RejectAndProtect</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23NoKXL&src=hash">#NoKXL</a> <a href="http://t.co/Vu5kkxuoUR">pic.twitter.com/Vu5kkxuoUR</a><br />
— Friends of the Earth (@foe_us) <a href="https://twitter.com/foe_us/statuses/460099963020926976">April 26, 2014</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
Heroes ~ Native Americans and First Nations in Canada fighting against <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23KeystoneXL&src=hash">#KeystoneXL</a> Pipeline <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23edshow&src=hash">#edshow</a> <a href="http://t.co/921d5e3C48">pic.twitter.com/921d5e3C48</a><br />
— Jeanne K. (@SnarkAmendment) <a href="https://twitter.com/SnarkAmendment/statuses/459086451569725440">April 23, 2014</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23RejectAndProtect&src=hash">#RejectAndProtect</a> is writing new history this week to say <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23noKXL&src=hash">#noKXL</a> -- read all about it: <a href="http://t.co/OF5Esr916d">http://t.co/OF5Esr916d</a> <a href="http://t.co/F2f73cVAC8">pic.twitter.com/F2f73cVAC8</a><br />
— Greenpeace USA (@greenpeaceusa) <a href="https://twitter.com/greenpeaceusa/statuses/459736258915627008">April 25, 2014</a></blockquote>
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There's alot of people here <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23nokxl&src=hash">#nokxl</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23rejectandprotect&src=hash">#rejectandprotect</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23xldissent&src=hash">#xldissent</a> <a href="http://t.co/UsXD3aobMS">pic.twitter.com/UsXD3aobMS</a><br />
— David Goodner (@davidgoodner) <a href="https://twitter.com/davidgoodner/statuses/460098590904700928">April 26, 2014</a></blockquote>
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"Make the decision for future generations" <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23NoXL&src=hash">#NoXL</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23KeystoneXL&src=hash">#KeystoneXL</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23StopXL&src=hash">#StopXL</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23FirstNations&src=hash">#FirstNations</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23RejectAndProtect&src=hash">#RejectAndProtect</a> <a href="http://t.co/sBtgo7UlzY">pic.twitter.com/sBtgo7UlzY</a><br />
— Jeanne K. (@SnarkAmendment) <a href="https://twitter.com/SnarkAmendment/statuses/460094733742653440">April 26, 2014</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
Stop <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23KeystoneXL&src=hash">#KeystoneXL</a> : Reject & Protect: Opening Ceremony (Video) <a href="http://t.co/afWjAT3uA5">http://t.co/afWjAT3uA5</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23tcot&src=hash">#tcot</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23p2&src=hash">#p2</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23RejectAndProtect&src=hash">#RejectAndProtect</a> <a href="http://t.co/fANnJYGjkR">pic.twitter.com/fANnJYGjkR</a><br />
— Blue DuPage (@BlueDuPage) <a href="https://twitter.com/BlueDuPage/statuses/460049285917446144">April 26, 2014</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
Neil Young, pipeline fighter, is here at <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23RejectAndProtect&src=hash">#RejectAndProtect</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23NoKXL&src=hash">#NoKXL</a> <a href="http://t.co/p91XVRDXM4">pic.twitter.com/p91XVRDXM4</a><br />
— 350 dot org (@350) <a href="https://twitter.com/350/statuses/460057905698308096">April 26, 2014</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
Neil Young urging Obama to make world history by saying <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23NoKXL&src=hash">#NoKXL</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23RejectAndProtect&src=hash">#RejectAndProtect</a> <a href="http://t.co/8yPdIujaYi">pic.twitter.com/8yPdIujaYi</a><br />
— Adam Greenberg (@Pragmactivist99) <a href="https://twitter.com/Pragmactivist99/statuses/460066435927408641">April 26, 2014</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
Neil Young and a woman protest the southern-leg of KXL in Texas <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23RejectAndProtect&src=hash">#RejectAndProtect</a> <a href="http://t.co/ZdfO8tuqmY">pic.twitter.com/ZdfO8tuqmY</a><br />
— Jamie Henn (@Agent350) <a href="https://twitter.com/Agent350/statuses/460076925843963904">April 26, 2014</a></blockquote>
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SIPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679227159519685785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-110207898172084813.post-9575533377179315032014-04-07T22:56:00.000-04:002014-04-07T22:56:18.298-04:00Give up, GOP ~ Obamacare is Here to Stay<center><a href="http://s182.photobucket.com/user/rattlesnakeroot/media/smileys/BjIPIP7CEAAWAPo.png.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo BjIPIP7CEAAWAPo.png" border="0" src="http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x151/rattlesnakeroot/smileys/BjIPIP7CEAAWAPo.png" /></a><br />
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Just a few days ago Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell R-Kentucky said that the Fall 2014 elections would circle around the failure of Obama's signature health plan known as Obamacare. Paul Ryan in his most recent scary budget plan calls for a repeal, but strangely also includes ways to amend Obamacare, so citizens can keep what they like but get rid of the rest. Somewhere Ted Cruz and Michele Bachmann and others are mumbling to themselves that the purest of pure Tea Party members still deserve a full repeal, as well as the impeachment of Barack Obama, who was never fit to be President in the first place. <br />
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Yep, they can plan, they can chew and re-chew their grumblecake, they can churn out nonsensical budgets with thousands of pages, they can vote to repeal Obamacare for the fifty-fifth time or whatever - but as President Obama said recently, Obamacare is here to stay. End of story. Get off it. Move along. Move Forward in spite of yourselves. <br />
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And the best thing ever is this New Yorker Cover, showing Ted Cruz, Bachmann, House Speaker John Boehner, and especially Mitch McConnell lining up as whiny toddlers as grown-up President Obama makes them take their medicine. As a piece of political art, it's sublime. And like Obamacare, it's forever. <br />
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<a href="http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/culture/2014/04/cover-story-barry-blitt-the-best-medicine.html">From New Yorker artist, Barry Blitt:</a><br />
<blockquote><span style="font-size: x-large;">“This whole enterprise was just an elaborate excuse,” says Barry Blitt about his cover for this week’s issue. “I enjoyed drawing Ted Cruz, John Boehner, and Michele Bachmann as petulant children—and I especially wanted to draw an open-mouthed Mitch McConnell being spoon-fed his meds.”</span></blockquote><br />
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</center>SIPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679227159519685785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-110207898172084813.post-14161318143272726852014-02-20T02:09:00.000-05:002014-02-20T02:14:03.510-05:00Understanding the Polar Vortex<center><a href="http://s182.photobucket.com/user/rattlesnakeroot/media/tumblr_mzpxf2ApU71qzprlbo1_500.png.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x151/rattlesnakeroot/tumblr_mzpxf2ApU71qzprlbo1_500.png" border="0" alt=" photo tumblr_mzpxf2ApU71qzprlbo1_500.png"/></a><br />
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Here's why most of the United States has been in the Deep Freeze this winter:<br />
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<a href="http://nypost.com/2014/02/19/nasa-video-shows-path-of-polar-vortex/">From the New York Post</a><br />
<blockquote>“The Big Chill,” NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center post read. “Blistering cold air from the Arctic plunged southward this winter, breaking US temperature records.”<br />
“A persistent pattern of winds spins high above the Arctic in winter. The winds, known as the polar vortex, typically blow in a fairly tight circular formation. But in late December 2013 and early January 2014, the winds loosened and frigid Arctic air spilled farther south than usual, deep into the continental United States.”<br />
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<center><a href="http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011400/a011451/Vortex-540-MASTER_high.mp4">NASA Video Explaining the Polar Vortex</a><br />
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</center>SIPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679227159519685785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-110207898172084813.post-33477969714091517622014-01-20T06:35:00.000-05:002014-01-20T06:35:49.118-05:00Happy Martin Luther King Day! <center><a href="http://s182.photobucket.com/user/rattlesnakeroot/media/Blogger%203/48013e0b-ab31-4e81-9eff-0ac74b6a579f.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x151/rattlesnakeroot/Blogger%203/48013e0b-ab31-4e81-9eff-0ac74b6a579f.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 48013e0b-ab31-4e81-9eff-0ac74b6a579f.jpg"/></a></center><br />
Today we celebrate Martin Luther King Day, a floating holiday celebrating the great man's birthday on January 15th. Truly one of the most inspiring human beings ever to walk the earth, and a true humanitarian.<br />
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SIPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679227159519685785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-110207898172084813.post-1584480412212192562014-01-06T03:54:00.000-05:002014-01-06T03:54:35.908-05:00Ice Cold Polar Vortex Takes Over America<center><a href="http://s182.photobucket.com/user/rattlesnakeroot/media/christmas/107b251b340a784b4c643c1019a83c58.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x151/rattlesnakeroot/christmas/107b251b340a784b4c643c1019a83c58.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 107b251b340a784b4c643c1019a83c58.jpg"/></a><br />
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On the heels of a <a href="http://www.weather.com/news/weather-winter/winter-storm-hercules-state-state-impacts-20140101">winter storm named "Hercules"</a> that brought blizzard conditions to the Midwest and New England and caused 16 deaths, we now have a phenomenon called the "Winter Vortex" that could be even more dangerous. Over the next 24 hours the Arctic blast is going to make temperatures plummet to below double digits below zero over the northern states and into the south. Also blizzards are happening again, and several states are under states of emergency just due to ice and cold. Is this extreme weather connected to global warming? Probably, yes. Is there anything we can do about it except bundle up and shake a fist at the sky? No. <br />
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<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>US will soon learn meaning of “polar vortex” as record cold descends on Midwest Monday. <a href="http://t.co/nHR2UuUopE">http://t.co/nHR2UuUopE</a> <a href="http://t.co/o1jwgp0uGC">pic.twitter.com/o1jwgp0uGC</a></p>— Jim Roberts (@nycjim) <a href="https://twitter.com/nycjim/statuses/419473032004911104">January 4, 2014</a></blockquote><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
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<a href="http://nation.time.com/2014/01/04/polar-vortex-plunges-midwest-northeast-into-record-deep-freeze/">From Time Magazine:</a><br />
<blockquote>Meteorologists attribute the “polar vortex” to freezing air from the North Pole being pushed down to as far as the Gulf Coast of the U.S., the Associated Press reports. In Atlanta, temperatures will be in the mid-20s by Tuesday while a wintry mix of rain and snow are expected in parts of Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia, northern Arkansas, southern Ohio and southwestern Pennsylvania late into Sunday. The cold front will likely freeze large bodies of water, like the Great Lakes, meaning freezing temperatures could last through winter.<br />
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While still digging out from current snowfall, another winter storm will drop more snow and ice onto the the central Plains to the Great Lakes states this weekend. The biggest hit areas will include St. Louis, Indianapolis, Detroit, Cleveland and Buffalo.<br />
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<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Great graphic! MT <a href="https://twitter.com/NWSTallahassee">@NWSTallahassee</a>: Wind Chill Watch, Warning, or Advisory in effect for estimated 115 million ppl. <a href="http://t.co/jGZmf7Vl8p">pic.twitter.com/jGZmf7Vl8p</a></p>— Jim Cantore (@JimCantore) <a href="https://twitter.com/JimCantore/statuses/419883586305937409">January 5, 2014</a></blockquote><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Chicago expected to approach all-time low-temperature mark of minus 11; wind chill may hit minus 45 - <a href="https://twitter.com/chicagotribune">@chicagotribune</a> <a href="http://t.co/wBDTcpbEfy">http://t.co/wBDTcpbEfy</a></p>— Breaking News Storm (@breakingstorm) <a href="https://twitter.com/breakingstorm/statuses/420019472167358464">January 6, 2014</a></blockquote><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
</center>SIPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679227159519685785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-110207898172084813.post-15218868645103320982014-01-05T05:36:00.001-05:002014-01-05T05:38:53.351-05:00Democratic Mayor Bill De Blasio Takes Office in New York City<center><a href="http://s182.photobucket.com/user/rattlesnakeroot/media/Blogger%203/cbc23994-64e3-4dcf-bf2e-d5137ddc52a4.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x151/rattlesnakeroot/Blogger%203/cbc23994-64e3-4dcf-bf2e-d5137ddc52a4.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo cbc23994-64e3-4dcf-bf2e-d5137ddc52a4.jpg"/></a><br />
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New York has an historic new mayor sworn in by President Bill Clinton.<br />
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<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Bill de Blasio formally becomes the 109th mayor of NYC <a href="http://t.co/eWjUtwnVLv">http://t.co/eWjUtwnVLv</a></p>— Huffington Post (@HuffingtonPost) <a href="https://twitter.com/HuffingtonPost/statuses/418453585647927296">January 1, 2014</a></blockquote><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Bill De Blasio Sworn In As New York Mayor, Promises To Take 'Dead Aim' At Inequality <a href="http://t.co/LGc2IU8Uki">http://t.co/LGc2IU8Uki</a> via <a href="https://twitter.com/HuffPostNY">@HuffPostNY</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23uniteblue&src=hash">#uniteblue</a></p>— Doc Hamrick (@mch7576) <a href="https://twitter.com/mch7576/statuses/418672874849718272">January 2, 2014</a></blockquote><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Mt <a href="https://twitter.com/NewsBreaker">@NewsBreaker</a>: Former Pres. Bill Clinton swears in Bill de Blasio as NYC mayor <a href="http://t.co/vtnhqf50Av">pic.twitter.com/vtnhqf50Av</a>” Out w the OLD; in w the NEW</p>— Rainie Cole (@rainiecole) <a href="https://twitter.com/rainiecole/statuses/418450040194342912">January 1, 2014</a></blockquote><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>First Family of NYC after swearing in. Bill Clinton called them the real modern family <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23InaugNYC&src=hash">#InaugNYC</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/NYDNBenChapman">@NYDNBenChapman</a> <a href="http://t.co/3IYaw5XMTi">pic.twitter.com/3IYaw5XMTi</a></p>— zakiyah ansari (@zansari8) <a href="https://twitter.com/zansari8/statuses/418514052516954112">January 1, 2014</a></blockquote><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Democrat Mayor Bill De Blasio challenges New York's millionaires to help the NYC's grindingly poor <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23p2&src=hash">#p2</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23tpot&src=hash">#tpot</a> <a href="http://t.co/mp1OsgdZKf">http://t.co/mp1OsgdZKf</a></p>— The Baxter Bean (@TheBaxterBean) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheBaxterBean/statuses/419664040626241536">January 5, 2014</a></blockquote><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
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</center>SIPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679227159519685785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-110207898172084813.post-13622070063046482222013-12-27T02:57:00.000-05:002013-12-27T02:57:05.675-05:00Snark in Pictures ~ Holiday 2013<center><a href="http://s182.photobucket.com/user/rattlesnakeroot/media/christmas/1f460347-478a-43d4-aebd-01a70dd0b123.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x151/rattlesnakeroot/christmas/1f460347-478a-43d4-aebd-01a70dd0b123.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 1f460347-478a-43d4-aebd-01a70dd0b123.jpg"/></a><br />
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</center>SIPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679227159519685785noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-110207898172084813.post-12896498589722867192013-12-25T02:34:00.000-05:002013-12-27T02:36:28.524-05:00Merry Christmas AND Happy Holidays<center><a href="http://s182.photobucket.com/user/rattlesnakeroot/media/christmas/b085c430-a774-4263-a6cd-f59e06cb0824.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x151/rattlesnakeroot/christmas/b085c430-a774-4263-a6cd-f59e06cb0824.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo b085c430-a774-4263-a6cd-f59e06cb0824.jpg"/></a><br />
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Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!<br />
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Aw, The First Family and the Elves<br />
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Fabulous!<br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>"I want to wish everybody a Merry Christmas and a joyful holiday season." —President Obama <a href="http://t.co/dQZy9BqEj8">pic.twitter.com/dQZy9BqEj8</a></p>— The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/statuses/415545110126800896">December 24, 2013</a></blockquote><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
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Cute!<br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Check out behind-the-scenes videos, photos and crafts from this year's <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23WHHoliday&src=hash">#WHHoliday</a> decor: <a href="http://t.co/tzpp5EMyQu">http://t.co/tzpp5EMyQu</a>, <a href="http://t.co/H3EEb2EI95">pic.twitter.com/H3EEb2EI95</a></p>— FLOTUS (@FLOTUS) <a href="https://twitter.com/FLOTUS/statuses/416299692905881601">December 26, 2013</a></blockquote><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
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SIPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679227159519685785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-110207898172084813.post-5901135385496712082013-12-15T07:02:00.001-05:002013-12-15T07:02:31.387-05:00First Anniversary of Newtown Massacre<center><a href="http://s182.photobucket.com/user/rattlesnakeroot/media/Blogger%203/NewtownBells.png.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x151/rattlesnakeroot/Blogger%203/NewtownBells.png" border="0" alt=" photo NewtownBells.png"/></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/15/us-usa-shooting-newtown-rememberances-idUSBRE9BD05820131215">From Reuters</a><br />
<blockquote>On December 14, 2012, Adam Lanza, 20, shot his way into the school he had once attended and murdered 20 first-graders, all aged 6 and 7, and six adults. Before heading to the school, Lanza killed his mother, who had legally purchased the guns he used that day.<br />
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Newtown officials said the town wanted to be left alone on the anniversary. Some of the victims' families have encouraged those moved by the shooting to mark the day by performing an act of kindness in their own communities.<br />
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At the White House, President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama observed a moment of silence after lighting 26 candles to honor those lost at the school.<br />
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<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>One year ago God received 26 angels, never forget <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23SandyHook&src=hash">#SandyHook</a> <a href="http://t.co/wyGLO08o2p">pic.twitter.com/wyGLO08o2p</a></p>— Miguel Gutierrez (@miguel_gtz95) <a href="https://twitter.com/miguel_gtz95/statuses/411930928617762816">December 14, 2013</a></blockquote><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>We are all Sandy Hook: <a href="http://t.co/2M4sDq3tQd">pic.twitter.com/2M4sDq3tQd</a></p>— Reisa Miller (@ReisaMiller) <a href="https://twitter.com/ReisaMiller/statuses/411709406783365120">December 14, 2013</a></blockquote><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
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And just yesterday, a reminder that nothing has really changed ... yet. Another school shooting in Arapahoe County, Colorado. <br />
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<a href="http://news.yahoo.com/39-active-39-shooting-colorado-school-reports-202700637.html">From Yahoo News</a><br />
<blockquote>A schoolboy armed with a shotgun opened fire and wounded two fellow students on Friday before killing himself, the latest US mass shooting on the eve of the Newtown school massacre anniversary.<br />
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. . . Hundreds students locked themselves into classrooms as the shooter -- identified by authorities as Karl Pierson, 18 -- stormed into the school brandishing a shotgun, shouting that he was looking for a particular teacher in what police said was apparently a planned "revenge" attack.<br />
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America's perennial gun control debate is back in the headlines on the anniversary Saturday of the 2012 school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut that killed 26 people, including 20 young children.<br />
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In Friday's incident, students locked themselves in classrooms after shots rang out shortly after 12:30 pm (1930 GMT), triggering an all-too-familiar police operation.<br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>This is a picture of the children of AHS with their hands in the air, traumatized. <a href="https://twitter.com/MomsDemand">@MomsDemand</a> <a href="http://t.co/NhkM6tVQKO">pic.twitter.com/NhkM6tVQKO</a></p>— Rebecca Morgan (@Rebecca_221B) <a href="https://twitter.com/Rebecca_221B/statuses/411597899374415872">December 13, 2013</a></blockquote><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Proud to be a Warrior <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23prayforClaire&src=hash">#prayforClaire</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23ArapahoeHigh&src=hash">#ArapahoeHigh</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/ahswarriors">@ahswarriors</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23ArapahoeHighSchool&src=hash">#ArapahoeHighSchool</a> AHS! <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23PrayForArapahoe&src=hash">#PrayForArapahoe</a> <a href="http://t.co/e28ydkHztm">pic.twitter.com/e28ydkHztm</a></p>— Bill WØSUN ☢ (@w0sun) <a href="https://twitter.com/w0sun/statuses/411963794051448832">December 14, 2013</a></blockquote><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
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</center>SIPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679227159519685785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-110207898172084813.post-47239740633956855302013-12-11T02:31:00.000-05:002013-12-11T02:42:35.869-05:00Mandela Memorial: Obama Speaks and Soweto Cheers<center><a href="http://s182.photobucket.com/user/rattlesnakeroot/media/Blogger%203/04c7abee-6fbc-4c6d-bb17-3004f629895f.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 04c7abee-6fbc-4c6d-bb17-3004f629895f.jpg" border="0" src="http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x151/rattlesnakeroot/Blogger%203/04c7abee-6fbc-4c6d-bb17-3004f629895f.jpg" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Previous Related Posts:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://lifeinthesnarklane.blogspot.com/2013/12/rip-nelson-mandela.html">R.I.P. Nelson Mandela - "He Belongs to the Ages</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://lifeinthesnarklane.blogspot.com/2013/07/obama-in-africa-cape-town-to-tanzania.html">Obama in Africa: Capetown to Tanzania</a></span><br />
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President Obama and every other living President except George H.W. Bush attended the Memorial Service for Nelson Mandela in Soweto, South Africa. Speaking in the rain to a packed stadium, President Obama had the crowd fired up and cheering, as he often does in our own country. His was by far the most dynamic speech. Most of the tributes could have been edited intensely and no one would have noticed. However, Mandela's grandchildren were wonderfully poetic!<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/12/10/remarks-president-obama-memorial-service-former-south-african-president-">Click Here for Complete Text of President Obama's Eulogy</a></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Excerpts: </span></b><br />
<blockquote>. . . Mandela understood the ties that bind the human spirit. There is a word in South Africa -- Ubuntu -- a word that captures Mandela’s greatest gift: his recognition that we are all bound together in ways that are invisible to the eye; that there is a oneness to humanity; that we achieve ourselves by sharing ourselves with others, and caring for those around us.<br />
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We can never know how much of this sense was innate in him, or how much was shaped in a dark and solitary cell. But we remember the gestures, large and small -- introducing his jailers as honored guests at his inauguration; taking a pitch in a Springbok uniform; turning his family’s heartbreak into a call to confront HIV/AIDS -- that revealed the depth of his empathy and his understanding. He not only embodied Ubuntu, he taught millions to find that truth within themselves. <br />
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. . . Over 30 years ago, while still a student, I learned of Nelson Mandela and the struggles taking place in this beautiful land, and it stirred something in me. It woke me up to my responsibilities to others and to myself, and it set me on an improbable journey that finds me here today. And while I will always fall short of Madiba’s example, he makes me want to be a better man. He speaks to what’s best inside us.<br />
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After this great liberator is laid to rest, and when we have returned to our cities and villages and rejoined our daily routines, let us search for his strength. Let us search for his largeness of spirit somewhere inside of ourselves. And when the night grows dark, when injustice weighs heavy on our hearts, when our best-laid plans seem beyond our reach, let us think of Madiba and the words that brought him comfort within the four walls of his cell: “It matters not how strait the gate, how charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul.”<br />
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What a magnificent soul it was. We will miss him deeply. May God bless the memory of Nelson Mandela. May God bless the people of South Africa.</blockquote><br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">President Obama's swagger is on 100! <a href="http://t.co/9qIfrL7XWN">pic.twitter.com/9qIfrL7XWN</a><br />
— 3ChicsPolitico (@3ChicsPolitico) <a href="https://twitter.com/3ChicsPolitico/statuses/410398461922529281">December 10, 2013</a></blockquote><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">World leaders, celebrities, rain - <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23MandelaMemorial&src=hash">#MandelaMemorial</a> in pictures <a href="http://t.co/h7gSuXBhOl">http://t.co/h7gSuXBhOl</a> <a href="http://t.co/YGQqRChVa3">pic.twitter.com/YGQqRChVa3</a><br />
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) <a href="https://twitter.com/BBCWorld/statuses/410391525894283264">December 10, 2013</a></blockquote><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">Chelsea Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, Laura Bush, George W. Bush listen to President Barack Obama <a href="http://t.co/GY69emFyh0">pic.twitter.com/GY69emFyh0</a><br />
— 3030 (@jose3030) <a href="https://twitter.com/jose3030/statuses/410373689197080576">December 10, 2013</a></blockquote><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Obama&src=hash">#Obama</a> & <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Bush&src=hash">#Bush</a> have arrived at the <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23MandelaMemorial&src=hash">#MandelaMemorial</a>, but it's far from the 1st time <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Mandela&src=hash">#Mandela</a> interacted w/ a <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23POTUS&src=hash">#POTUS</a>: <a href="http://t.co/j27h246qtC">pic.twitter.com/j27h246qtC</a><br />
— Eric Wolfson (@ericwolfson) <a href="https://twitter.com/ericwolfson/statuses/410336855830577152">December 10, 2013</a></blockquote><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Mandiba's Grandchildren - He Would Be Proud! </span><br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">Little boy w fist in air---We love you, Madiba! <a href="http://t.co/yBqHM34Eq1">pic.twitter.com/yBqHM34Eq1</a><br />
— 3ChicsPolitico (@3ChicsPolitico) <a href="https://twitter.com/3ChicsPolitico/statuses/410339682501656576">December 10, 2013</a></blockquote><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">MT <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCLA">@NBCLA</a>: Graca Machel, Mandela’s widow, at <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23MandelaMemorial&src=hash">#MandelaMemorial</a>. Watch live: <a href="http://t.co/v9v2z0g7yG">http://t.co/v9v2z0g7yG</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23RememberingMandela&src=hash">#RememberingMandela</a> <a href="http://t.co/qeBBOfAJKc">pic.twitter.com/qeBBOfAJKc</a><br />
— PoliticalJones (@PoliticalJones) <a href="https://twitter.com/PoliticalJones/statuses/410359783397814272">December 10, 2013</a></blockquote><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">Desmond Tutu at the <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23MandelaMemorial&src=hash">#MandelaMemorial</a> (with Kofi Annan): <a href="http://t.co/YBLE5AJXKc">pic.twitter.com/YBLE5AJXKc</a><br />
— Michael Skolnik (@MichaelSkolnik) <a href="https://twitter.com/MichaelSkolnik/statuses/410354655898517504">December 10, 2013</a></blockquote><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">In case you haven't seen it yet - the programme or the <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23MandelaMemorial&src=hash">#MandelaMemorial</a> <a href="http://t.co/RJP8CNxG9X">pic.twitter.com/RJP8CNxG9X</a><br />
— Nadia Neophytou (@NadiaNeophytou) <a href="https://twitter.com/NadiaNeophytou/statuses/410337059640209408">December 10, 2013</a></blockquote><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><br />
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</center>SIPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679227159519685785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-110207898172084813.post-86790792579722868672013-12-06T02:51:00.000-05:002013-12-06T03:14:16.043-05:00RIP Nelson Mandela - "He Belongs to the Ages"<center><a href="http://s182.photobucket.com/user/rattlesnakeroot/media/Blogger%203/e8849ee5-39a4-4524-99e2-c0bce8266625.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x151/rattlesnakeroot/Blogger%203/e8849ee5-39a4-4524-99e2-c0bce8266625.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo e8849ee5-39a4-4524-99e2-c0bce8266625.jpg"/></a><br />
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Previous Related Post:<br />
<a href="http://lifeinthesnarklane.blogspot.com/2013/07/obama-in-africa-cape-town-to-tanzania.html">Obama in Africa: Cape Town to Tanzania</a><br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>RT <a href="https://twitter.com/louisef100">@louisef100</a>: Front pages of today's South African newspapers on <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Madiba&src=hash">#Madiba</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Mandela&src=hash">#Mandela</a> <a href="http://t.co/z7fFx8qlYq">pic.twitter.com/z7fFx8qlYq</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23NelsonMandela&src=hash">#NelsonMandela</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Mandela&src=hash">#Mandela</a></p>— Nora Wahlquist (@DahmPublishing) <a href="https://twitter.com/DahmPublishing/statuses/408857844025262081">December 6, 2013</a></blockquote><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Nelson Mandela and his wife salute crowds upon his release from prison on February 11, 1990. Photo by Alexander Joe <a href="http://t.co/NAOTMtOnJb">pic.twitter.com/NAOTMtOnJb</a></p>— Agence France-Presse (@AFP) <a href="https://twitter.com/AFP/statuses/408715757443235840">December 5, 2013</a></blockquote><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Every time Melinda and I met Nelson Mandela, we left more inspired than ever. His grace and courage changed the world. This is a sad day.</p>— Bill Gates (@BillGates) <a href="https://twitter.com/BillGates/statuses/408731370383769600">December 5, 2013</a></blockquote><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>It always seems impossible until it is done <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23RIPNelsonMandela&src=hash">#RIPNelsonMandela</a> <a href="http://t.co/5Oe103KCAV">pic.twitter.com/5Oe103KCAV</a></p>— Anmol (@Anm0l) <a href="https://twitter.com/Anm0l/statuses/408850947071569920">December 6, 2013</a></blockquote><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>He changed history for the better!Such an incredible man and a huge inspiration.. Thank you <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23RIPNelsonMandela&src=hash">#RIPNelsonMandela</a> <a href="http://t.co/vYgmyNkayS">pic.twitter.com/vYgmyNkayS</a></p>— Linda (@Lindajaber9) <a href="https://twitter.com/Lindajaber9/statuses/408857835179900928">December 6, 2013</a></blockquote><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
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<b>Must-See Video of Mandela Dancing:</b><br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>The <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Obama&src=hash">#Obama</a> Ladies with <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Mandela&src=hash">#Mandela</a>, 2011: <a href="http://t.co/A0A00BIpaq">pic.twitter.com/A0A00BIpaq</a></p>— Eric Wolfson (@ericwolfson) <a href="https://twitter.com/ericwolfson/statuses/408806526678487040">December 6, 2013</a></blockquote><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
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<a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/12/05/statement-president-death-nelson-mandela">President Obama's Full Statement on the Death of Nelson Mandela:</a><br />
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5:25 P.M. EST<br />
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THE PRESIDENT: At his trial in 1964, Nelson Mandela closed his statement from the dock saying, “I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”<br />
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And Nelson Mandela lived for that ideal, and he made it real. He achieved more than could be expected of any man. Today, he has gone home. And we have lost one of the most influential, courageous, and profoundly good human beings that any of us will share time with on this Earth. He no longer belongs to us -- he belongs to the ages.<br />
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Through his fierce dignity and unbending will to sacrifice his own freedom for the freedom of others, Madiba transformed South Africa -- and moved all of us. His journey from a prisoner to a President embodied the promise that human beings -- and countries -- can change for the better. His commitment to transfer power and reconcile with those who jailed him set an example that all humanity should aspire to, whether in the lives of nations or our own personal lives. And the fact that he did it all with grace and good humor, and an ability to acknowledge his own imperfections, only makes the man that much more remarkable. As he once said, “I am not a saint, unless you think of a saint as a sinner who keeps on trying.”<br />
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I am one of the countless millions who drew inspiration from Nelson Mandela's life. My very first political action, the first thing I ever did that involved an issue or a policy or politics, was a protest against apartheid. I studied his words and his writings. The day that he was released from prison gave me a sense of what human beings can do when they’re guided by their hopes and not by their fears. And like so many around the globe, I cannot fully imagine my own life without the example that Nelson Mandela set, and so long as I live I will do what I can to learn from him.<br />
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To Graça Machel and his family, Michelle and I extend our deepest sympathy and gratitude for sharing this extraordinary man with us. His life’s work meant long days away from those who loved him the most. And I only hope that the time spent with him these last few weeks brought peace and comfort to his family.<br />
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To the people of South Africa, we draw strength from the example of renewal, and reconciliation, and resilience that you made real. A free South Africa at peace with itself -- that’s an example to the world, and that’s Madiba’s legacy to the nation he loved.<br />
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We will not likely see the likes of Nelson Mandela again. So it falls to us as best we can to forward the example that he set: to make decisions guided not by hate, but by love; to never discount the difference that one person can make; to strive for a future that is worthy of his sacrifice.<br />
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For now, let us pause and give thanks for the fact that Nelson Mandela lived -- a man who took history in his hands, and bent the arc of the moral universe toward justice. May God Bless his memory and keep him in peace.<br />
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END SIPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679227159519685785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-110207898172084813.post-34075162955292186602013-12-01T10:29:00.000-05:002013-12-01T10:36:15.626-05:00Snark in Pictures - Thanksgiving, Pope Francis, Filibusters and Obamacare<center><a href="http://s182.photobucket.com/user/rattlesnakeroot/media/Blogger%203/Wal-Mart-Donations.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x151/rattlesnakeroot/Blogger%203/Wal-Mart-Donations.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo Wal-Mart-Donations.jpg"/></a></center><br />
Happy Thanksgiving to all my readers!<br />
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</center>SIPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679227159519685785noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-110207898172084813.post-44789581773612457092013-11-22T17:49:00.001-05:002013-11-22T22:55:28.348-05:0050 Years Ago ~ the Kennedy Assassination<center><a href="http://s182.photobucket.com/user/rattlesnakeroot/media/Blogger%203/jfk.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x151/rattlesnakeroot/Blogger%203/jfk.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo jfk.jpg"/></a><br />
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I was just over 3 years old when President John F. Kennedy was shot, so I barely remember the day. What I do remember is the overwhelming grief that adults expressed even years after it happened when we would see the anniversary in the newspaper or on TV. <br />
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So handsome, so gifted, so well-meaning - and much too young to die. At my house we didn't talk about all the conspiracy theories when I was a child - my parents were too grief-stricken - but as I got older, especially at school, we wondered why so many others were shot soon after: Robert Kennedy, Medgar Evers, Martin Luther King. Here in the south there was an feeling of fear that anything could happen at any time, that things had gone too far towards chaos. I was in second grade when M.L. King died, and while I was still too young to fathom the politics, I was ashamed and shocked that the shooting happened in Tennessee. So I have an inkling about how those in Dallas, Texas must have felt then and feel today over the assassination of John Kennedy. Things like this should never happen in our backyards, in the United States. <br />
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And yet there are those today who sit around on the internet, on Twitter and Facebook and every forum, seething and screeching and threatening Barack Obama, calling for someone to "stop his tyranny" through any means possible. That horrible type of madness just never goes away it would seem. The John Birch Society of that time has become the Tea Party of today. <br />
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What the Tea Party needs to understand is that the death of John F. Kennedy didn't stop progress or change from happening to our country. President Johnson and millions of others carried out the reforms of the Great Society. The Koch Brothers, whose father founded the John Birch Society, may still try to suppress the vote, but minorities and women are voting in ever higher numbers and showed last year that they will stand together for hours at the polling places in the name of Evers and King. We just re-elected Barack Obama, an African-American President. Many old enough to remember the death of John F. Kennedy never thought that day would come, and yet it did. <br />
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Peaceful change is the best revenge for all those deaths. <br />
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This week Caroline Kennedy became Ambassador to Japan. Standing with her was her son, who looks very much like her father and her late brother, John Kennedy Jr. History changes, and Teddy Kennedy may be gone forever now, but the legacy continues, both of blood and values. <br />
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The deaths of great people are not in vain. They inspire us and lead us beyond death. <br />
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<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Modern conservatives would rather drown the middle class & govt than promote widespread opportunity & greatness <a href="http://t.co/4NxGFibcQ4">pic.twitter.com/4NxGFibcQ4</a></p>— ProgressiveHelp PhD (@CallOut4) <a href="https://twitter.com/CallOut4/statuses/404074645382778880">November 23, 2013</a></blockquote><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Caroline Kennedy sworn in by Secretary Kerry as Ambassador to Japan with her husband and son by her side <a href="http://t.co/rN4h1VETjX">pic.twitter.com/rN4h1VETjX</a></p>— TheObamaDiary.com (@TheObamaDiary) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheObamaDiary/statuses/400386127611166720">November 12, 2013</a></blockquote><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>President John F. Kennedy and his son, John F. Kennedy Jr., White House, October 1963. <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23JFK&src=hash">#JFK</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23JFK50&src=hash">#JFK50</a> <a href="http://t.co/xcu42G1KZb">pic.twitter.com/xcu42G1KZb</a></p>— Tegan Mathis (@TeganMathis) <a href="https://twitter.com/TeganMathis/statuses/403968641143554048">November 22, 2013</a></blockquote><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>"A man may die, nations may rise and fall, but an idea lives on." -John F. Kennedy, 1963 <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23JFK&src=hash">#JFK</a> <a href="https://t.co/2lbA6SRGI3">https://t.co/2lbA6SRGI3</a></p>— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) <a href="https://twitter.com/USATODAY/statuses/403945931873456128">November 22, 2013</a></blockquote><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>See how TIME has covered JFK throughout the last 50 years <a href="http://t.co/F47YLapd6o">http://t.co/F47YLapd6o</a> <a href="http://t.co/Rxx9AmqRkE">pic.twitter.com/Rxx9AmqRkE</a></p>— TIME.com (@TIME) <a href="https://twitter.com/TIME/statuses/403938433648705536">November 22, 2013</a></blockquote><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Myrlie Evers' Condolence Letter To Jacqueline Kennedy: "I Lost My Husband On June 12th In The Same Way" <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23JFK&src=hash">#JFK</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23JFK50&src=hash">#JFK50</a> <a href="http://t.co/znwTHMQ4SS">pic.twitter.com/znwTHMQ4SS</a></p>— Eric Wolfson (@ericwolfson) <a href="https://twitter.com/ericwolfson/statuses/403927749771153408">November 22, 2013</a></blockquote><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Jacqueline Kennedy at John F. Kennedy’s funeral, Arlington Cemetery, November 25, 1963 <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23RIPJFK&src=hash">#RIPJFK</a> <a href="http://t.co/uiOPDefNlF">pic.twitter.com/uiOPDefNlF</a></p>— Emily Maxwell (@eskizzle) <a href="https://twitter.com/eskizzle/statuses/403946257845993472">November 22, 2013</a></blockquote><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>50 years ago today, Midland Reporter-Telegram published an "extra" edition: GUNMAN SLAYS JFK: <a href="http://t.co/bVyWKuhKIQ">http://t.co/bVyWKuhKIQ</a> <a href="http://t.co/qKnDXpzb4C">pic.twitter.com/qKnDXpzb4C</a></p>— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) <a href="https://twitter.com/USATODAY/statuses/403979990049759232">November 22, 2013</a></blockquote><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Funeral of John F. Kennedy, 1963 <a href="http://t.co/U3KYMh2i7E">pic.twitter.com/U3KYMh2i7E</a></p>— ClassicPics (@History_Pics) <a href="https://twitter.com/History_Pics/statuses/389534682368724992">October 13, 2013</a></blockquote><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Some Things Never Change. (BTW, The John Birch Society was cofounded by the <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Koch&src=hash">#Koch</a> Brothers' dad) <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23JFK&src=hash">#JFK</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23JFK50&src=hash">#JFK50</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23p2&src=hash">#p2</a> <a href="http://t.co/v6ITZyIf9A">pic.twitter.com/v6ITZyIf9A</a></p>— Eric Wolfson (@ericwolfson) <a href="https://twitter.com/ericwolfson/statuses/403998400913633280">November 22, 2013</a></blockquote><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
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</center>SIPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679227159519685785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-110207898172084813.post-33314175237351114502013-11-16T07:20:00.000-05:002013-11-16T07:20:35.028-05:00Happy Place Diversion ~ Batkid Saves San Francisco!<center><a href="http://s182.photobucket.com/user/rattlesnakeroot/media/dd4d41a2-69ad-4f3b-8e9c-5172ba9f13ea.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x151/rattlesnakeroot/dd4d41a2-69ad-4f3b-8e9c-5172ba9f13ea.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo dd4d41a2-69ad-4f3b-8e9c-5172ba9f13ea.jpg"/></a><br />
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This is the cutest and most heartwarming story ever! AWWWWWW!<br />
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<a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/11/15/batkid-san-francisco/3588173/">From USA Today</a><br />
<blockquote>. . . pint-sized Miles Scott, 5. Miles is in remission from leukemia, and, thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, managed to turn his obsession with comic book heroes into the real thing. Well, almost. There was no way Penguin was going to get away with anything on Friday.<br />
. . . Miles, who lives in Tulelake in far Northern California, was diagnosed with leukemia when he was 18 months old, ended treatments in June and is now in remission.<br />
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His father, Nick Scott, thanked the Greater Bay Area Make-A-Wish Foundation and the estimated 7,000 people who were helping make his son's wish come true.<br />
"All the doctors, nurses and all the other parents that have to deal with the same thing we're going through. I hope they get a conclusion to their illnesses like we're getting," Nick Scott told KGO-TV.<br />
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<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Exclusive&src=hash">#Exclusive</a> photo from my source at "the bank" <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23SFBatkid&src=hash">#SFBatkid</a> stops the riddler! Busted. <a href="https://twitter.com/abc7newsBayArea">@abc7newsbayarea</a> <a href="http://t.co/zJMfvXEbAd">pic.twitter.com/zJMfvXEbAd</a></p>— Dan Ashley (@DanAshleyABC7) <a href="https://twitter.com/DanAshleyABC7/statuses/401459608339755008">November 15, 2013</a></blockquote><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Too cute!!! => President Obama's message to <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23SFBatKid&src=hash">#SFBatKid</a> —> <a href="http://t.co/vHWSjSREcl">http://t.co/vHWSjSREcl</a></p>— Smarty Pants (@Smartypants60) <a href="https://twitter.com/Smartypants60/statuses/401474640637198336">November 15, 2013</a></blockquote><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23BatKid&src=hash">#BatKid</a> <a href="http://t.co/nON0TInszJ">pic.twitter.com/nON0TInszJ</a></p>— Faith Restored (@FRestored) <a href="https://twitter.com/FRestored/statuses/401614165003231232">November 16, 2013</a></blockquote><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
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</center>SIPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679227159519685785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-110207898172084813.post-47183054487200873152013-11-15T17:34:00.000-05:002013-11-16T00:10:10.498-05:00ACA for Idiots ~ Obama Explains it all Again to Bill and the Demo-Rats<center><a href="http://s182.photobucket.com/user/rattlesnakeroot/media/smileys/Corbis-42-22730117.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x151/rattlesnakeroot/smileys/Corbis-42-22730117.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo Corbis-42-22730117.jpg"/></a><br />
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First the Republicans demonized Obamacare as "Death Panels" and "Socialism."<br />
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They even tried to shut down the government in order to "repeal it." Didn't work.<br />
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It's true there have been problems with the website, but what website in history didn't have glitches? The poutrage from all sides on social media is astonishing since Twitter and Facebook have their own share of problems from hackers and spammers to the KoobFace virus. <br />
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But Obamacare has to be held to a higher standard. Why? Because of Obama Derangement Syndrome. This is ridiculous. People on the Left - especially in the media - have whined <a href="http://snarkamendment.blogspot.com/2013/10/liberal-media-freak-out-over-aca-website.html">because the website didn't have Muzak</a>, and whined because <a href="http://snarkamendment.blogspot.com/2013/10/liberal-media-freak-out-over-aca-website.html">the roll-out was a "dismal failure."</a> <br />
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The New York Times even <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/15/us/politics/parallels-to-bush-in-toxic-political-mix-threatening-obama.html?hp&_r=1&">compared the bad rollout of the ACA website to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina</a> which killed thousands and left thousands more stranded without food and water. Really, New York Times? <br />
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Obama even <a href="http://www.mediaite.com/online/nbcs-chuck-todd-i-was-%E2%80%98surprised%E2%80%99-i-had-to-wring-apology-out-of-obama/">apologized on TV to Chuck Todd of MSNBC in a cringeworthy interview</a> which never should have happened. There's no reason to apologize to media shills since Obamacare hasn't even taken effect yet, and people are still mostly shopping for plans. I have no doubt these kinks in the system will be worked out by January. Millions have already gotten new coverage under the program, including young adults who can now stay on their parents healthcare plans until age 26. Like my daughter for instance, who stayed on the family coverage while in Law School and who now has to buy her own plan as a practicing attorney. Her financial adviser just told her today her best bet for coverage in the coming year is . . . wait for it . . . Obamacare.<br />
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Apparently President Bill Clinton didn't get the memo. You remember Bill, the guy who wasn't able to pass his own healthcare initiative while in office, but has now decided to <a href="http://theweek.com/article/index/252864/how-bill-clinton-screwed-president-obama-on-obamacare">babble about Obama's failure to launch</a>. This has been another moment of chagrin for most Democrats who want to keep our party together in 2014. The hotter heads among us are already saying they will not vote for Hillary in 2016 if Bill is going to attack Obama. That can't be good. <br />
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<a href="http://theweek.com/article/index/252864/how-bill-clinton-screwed-president-obama-on-obamacare">From The Week</a><br />
<blockquote>President Obama can thank Bill Clinton for the psycho-drama.<br />
Instead of putting some steel into the spines of wavering Democrats, Clinton this week took the opportunity to rebuke the White House for its broken promise that no one would lose their health insurance under ObamaCare. The comments unleashed a no-holds-barred Democratic freak-out, pushing Obama to announce on Thursday a plan to make good on that vow.<br />
. . . As one of the Democratic Party's most respected figures, his word still carries weight among the party faithful, particularly in red states where Obama is kryptonite. So when Clinton publicly chided the administration, it gave congressional Democrats acres of cover to do the same.</blockquote><br />
Yesterday it all came to a head as there was a <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/13/politics/obamacare-democrats/index.html">revolt among Blue Dog House Democrats like Mary Landrieu of Louisiana</a> who are trying to assauge angry vociferous voters in their districts whose health plans have been cancelled. This has actually affected a small number of Americans but you would think it was happening to every single person from the way the media is covering the story. The Emoprog media, Clinton and these turncoat-Demo-Rats apparently don't even understand what the whiners are whining about, or how ACA Obamacare works.<br />
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Why were the plans cancelled by these companies? <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/10/29/1251577/--Latest-republican-outrage-PPACA-cancels-junk-insurance-plans#">Because their plans were craptastic to begin with, with high deductibles and almost no hospital coverage</a>. The insurance companies who did this to customers weren't in compliance with the new law, so therefore had to cancel these ridiculous plans. Shall I add that any of those plans could have been cancelled for ANY reason even without Obamacare. Now that we have a "marketplace" of plans, all those policy owners have to do is go search out a new plan instead of whining to Fox and to their local Congressman. <br />
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And Bill Clinton needs a course in "ACA for Idiots."<br />
<a href="http://www.newrepublic.com/article/115570/bill-clintons-obamacare-comments-are-wrong">Here's one good explanation of the whole deal from New Republic.</a><br />
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But of course President Obama, who is the nicest and most patient President this country has EVER had, at least in my lifetime, explained it all again in terms even an ex-President can understand. And he said if those silly people want an extension on their horrible coverage, they can have it. I'm not as nice as Barack Obama, so I say to them: Good luck with that. See you next year when you smack your head and sign up for Obamacare.<br />
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I'll let the President have the last word - Listen, People!!!<br />
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<blockquote>“I’m accused of a lot of things, but I don’t think I’m stupid enough to go around saying, ‘This is going to be like shopping on Amazon or Travelocity’ a week before the Web site opens if I thought that it wasn’t going to work.”<br />
. . . And you know, buying health insurance is never going to be like buying a song on iTunes. You know, it’s just a much more complicated transaction.”<br />
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</center>SIPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679227159519685785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-110207898172084813.post-79090307200073747562013-11-04T02:00:00.000-05:002013-11-04T02:00:09.775-05:00Remembering Obama's First Presidential Win<center><a href="http://s182.photobucket.com/user/rattlesnakeroot/media/Blogger%203/Obama-Wins-2.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x151/rattlesnakeroot/Blogger%203/Obama-Wins-2.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo Obama-Wins-2.jpg"/></a><br />
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It's good to go back to golden moments like the night in 2008 when the country elected our first African American President. We need to remind ourselves that change may be slow but impossible things sometimes happen in the United States of America.<br />
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In 2008, I wasn't blogging about politics and had never heard of Twitter. But I loved Obama the candidate with his glowing speeches that raised our spirits so beautifully. I knew if we as a nation could turn out the vote, Obama could beat John McCain and become the best President we had ever had in this country. And pleasantly, I still believe he is the best and brightest, and certainly one of the nicest Presidents in history. I still think we probably don't deserve him, even some of us Democrats who like to play the blame game as much as the Republicans. <br />
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But back in 2008 Sarah Palin and her rabid "Muslin-hating" Tea Party followers scared the living daylights out of the Democratic Party, and spurred some of us to send every spare dollar we had to the Obama campaign. And that made a huge difference. We should probably thank Palin for being herself, for encouraging the racists and libertarians to show up at her rallies, and for speaking so candidly in her nearly unintelligible way. She clinched the election for Obama, because the thought of Palin being a heartbeat away from the Presidency as John McCain's Vice President was too much to bear. Instead we got the amazing Joe "Malarky" Biden, and it was a "Big F***in' Deal." :) <br />
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</center>SIPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679227159519685785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-110207898172084813.post-65644083996220233952013-10-22T03:49:00.001-04:002013-10-22T19:25:52.426-04:00Daffy GOP May Have Finally Gone Too Looney Tunes for America<center><a href="http://s182.photobucket.com/user/rattlesnakeroot/media/Blogger%203/DuckSeason.png.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo DuckSeason.png" border="0" src="http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x151/rattlesnakeroot/Blogger%203/DuckSeason.png" /></a><br />
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Last week things in our reality-based centrist country seemed to reach a tipping point as John Boehner and the House of Representatives nearly let the government of the United States go over a cliff because the conservative Tea Party refused to negotiate over the repeal of Obamacare. Never mind that it was impossible to repeal Obamacare, which has nothing to do with the budget anyway. Reality means nothing to orange technicolor cartoon characters like Boehner. If the Koch Brothers or the Tea Party say "Beep Beep" he will jump right over a cliff, no problem. <br />
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This time Boehner didn't even have the Acme Tunnel Art Set to paint a get-away for himself on the rocks. In fact, he acted the part of Wile E. Coyote, Super Genius, so convincingly he nearly killed his own Party in a puff of dust at the bottom of the canyon. The "box canyon" that is - the dead end where he and the Tea Party found themselves when Obama refused to negotiate with cartoonish terrorists who don't live in the real world.<br />
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People have been predicting the end of the Tea Party since it began. It all started back in 2008 when Sarah Palin appeared on the scene as a Vice Presidential candidate, giving speeches peppered with bizarre metaphors about Musk Oxen and talking about about "Real Americans" (herself and dog-sledding hunter-husband Todd) versus the rest of the country. Her followers, who also considered themselves "Reel 'Mericans" were a mixture of tax-hating Libertarians waving serpentine "Don't Tread on Me" flags, white racists carrying Curious George dolls named "Little Hussein," the Birthers, the Joe the Plumbers, the "Muslin" haters, the Evangelical Holy Rollers. Everyone poked fun at it, from Saturday Night Live to Jon Stewart, but unfortunately the Tea Party was able to win important House seats during the 2010 election giving Republicans the edge. Through red gerrymandered districts, the country is stuck with some of these rodeo clowns. Luckily, the GOP realizes they are stuck with them as well.<br />
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This past week, it was no accident that Palin, who now holds no elected office and may never again, suddenly re-appeared on stage with GOP gadfly and "Green Eggs and Ham" lover Senator Ted Cruz on the Washington Mall. They were protesting the very Shutdown that the Teapublicans dreamed of and finally caused by holding the government budget hostage. <br />
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Palin is Tea Party royalty, much like the insane Red Queen in Alice in Wonderland who screams "off with their heads" - meaning the government - on every occasion. Ted Cruz, whether he was born in Canada or not, is now the Tea Party King just for "standing up to the establishment," meaning any GOP member who isn't a stark-raving maniac. Together, Cruz and Palin were the Tea Party Dream Team, storming the barricades of Federal Monuments in an act of defiance that they see as a Patriot's gesture, and the rest of the country sees as an illogical embarrassment. <br />
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Waving Confederate Flags in front of the White House - never a good idea! Too Bad Foghorn Leghorn wasn't there to explain it to you, son! Many southern GOP Congress people were missing in action that day - there is a line you can cross, even in the Tea Party. <br />
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But at least Palin and Cruz admitted they were mostly trying to raise money for the 2016 Presidential race, proving once again that the GOP believes it deserves government money and benefits, not to mention power. They just don't want anyone else to share it.<br />
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None of the Cruz/Palin grandstanding even mattered. In the end, the clueless Tea Party couldn't repeal Obamacare, which is the Law of the Land. The Tea Party Representatives began to sound like that Looney Tune of Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny screaming "Duck Season!" and "Rabbit Season!" until Daffy is so confused he begs Bugs to shoot him in the head. And that's kinda what happened - with Boehner in neutral, the grown-ups in the Senate had to step in and save his bacon. Then Nancy Pelosi got nearly 200 Democratic Reps to vote with Republicans to stop the shutdown. <br />
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The GOP has become a Party without a head. All they have is Droopy Dog RNC Chairman Reince Priebus, who was appointed, not elected. Paul Ryan could have stepped up sooner, but he is trying to save his own career. Tea Party voters only had one thing to say on forums, blogs and on the news - they "like" it that Cruz was being obstructionist. "That's what we sent him there for," they said, ignoring the fact that the shutdown was hurting innocent Americans all across the country. It was all about "showing Obama" who was boss. Putting the uppity Negro back in his place, at the expense of closing down our own government. <br />
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Is it any wonder Harry Reid chose to call them a "bunch of anarchists?" People like Palin and Cruz want to run the government by destroying the government. Forget Daffy Duck - they sound more like Marvin the Martian. If they had a Space Modulator, they'd probably be pointing at Washington before demanding the reinstitution of slavery in Virginia, like some antebellum Dr. Evil.<br />
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Republicans focused on blowing up the Earth, that is, their own heads - that is, their leadership - fought against John Boehner, Mitch McConnell and old-timers like John McCain, once Palin's running mate, now considered too-far-left to be a "real conservative." <br />
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But what did Cruz and Company gain, except for some impromptu fundraising? Nothing, as Rachel Maddow pointed out in the graphic below. The only thing the House Tea Party received from the Obama Administration was income verification for people signing up for ACA Obamacare - because, guess what? That was written into the law already! So in effect, they got nothing. Zippo. Yet they kept thinking of new demands, which made them sound even more deranged.<br />
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But how bad is the damage, really? Haven't we heard the prediction that the GOP is over, done with, finished too many times to count? Don't the Right Wingers always take a moment to say a few Apocalyptic prayers and come roaring back with a new scheme? <br />
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Michele Bachmann, who is the Minnesota version of Sarah Palin, has crashed and burned due to campaign finance problems, and isn't running again. But her conservative district will probably try to find some other gal with a grating midwestern accent and a religious fervor for conspiracy theories. But even Bachmann has to realize that no matter how hard she prayed, Obamacare was never repealed. Isn't that also an answer from God? Could it be that God wants the poor to be cared for, as it says in the Bible by, you know, Jesus Christ? <br />
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It could just be that this time the Tea Party Jihadists took their holy war just one Tasmanian Devil hissy fit too far. <br />
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Ultra-Conservative Pundit Michelle Malkin on Fox News<br />
<a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/10/26/913671/-Obama-and-Dems-SURGE-in-new-poll-GOP-is-PREPARING-to-lose-and-scream-Voter-fraud">via Daily Kos</a><br />
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<a href="http://s182.photobucket.com/user/rattlesnakeroot/media/smileys/warnerbros9.gif.html" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo warnerbros9.gif" border="0" src="http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x151/rattlesnakeroot/smileys/warnerbros9.gif" /></a>At least now we don't have to wonder what the Tea Party will do when cornered - when the going got weird, the weird turned pro! They snarled and starting spinning and lying and whatever they had to do. And now the general public has had a glimpse of the real Tea Party that cannot be forgotten so easily. <br />
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Not only was their idealogical last stand about denying health coverage to sick and possibly dying people, they openly stated that Obamacare was just the <b><i>first thing</i></b> they wanted to repeal or destroy. They wanted President Obama to cut "entitlements" (dreadful word) such as Social Security and Medicare for the elderly. Meanwhile, they also wanted to protect Koch Brothers interests like Big Oil and the Tar Sands Pipeline. All this comes after a session in which the GOP cut Food Stamp money for the poorest Americans from the farm bill, and cut WIC benefits for mothers and babies. Yet they wasted $24 Billion on this useless Shutdown based on ideological nonsense. <br />
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To quote ditzy GOP pundit Peggy Noonan in her last post before Romney lost the election last year, you can feel the change in the air. Or see it in the polls. Well, Peggy Noonan never believed the polls about Mitt Romney, and she probably won't believe the polls now. But the truth wins, as we saw in 2012, and it's winning again. The GOP lost and it's time to say "That's All Folks!"<br />
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SIPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679227159519685785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-110207898172084813.post-43803140990605135042013-10-01T08:41:00.000-04:002013-10-01T08:41:12.294-04:00Obamacare Sign Up Begins Today!!!!<br />
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We had to endure years of waiting and a <a href="http://snarkamendment.blogspot.com/2013/10/threat-level-midnight-tea-party.html?spref=tw">government shutdown by the Tea Party wing of the GOP</a>, but as of today Obamacare is law and now folks can start signing up for exchanges in every state.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://www.healthcare.gov/">www.Healthcare.Gov</a></span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://www.healthcare.gov/what-is-the-marketplace-in-my-state/">Find the Marketplace in Your State</a></span></b><br />
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Don't get discouraged if the websites go down. That is actually a good sign that millions are logging on to finally get health care. The actual coverage doesn't kick in until January, and you have until December to sign up, so don't panic. <br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
It's 8 a.m. in the east. At this hour, Obamacare is live <a href="http://t.co/pdECi7EtRS">http://t.co/pdECi7EtRS</a><br />
— HuffPost Politics (@HuffPostPol) <a href="https://twitter.com/HuffPostPol/statuses/385012526184169472">October 1, 2013</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Help get out the word about the <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Obamacare&src=hash">#Obamacare</a> health care exchange. Join me and change your avatar to this. <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23GetCovered&src=hash">#GetCovered</a> <a href="http://t.co/BycvPVif3i">pic.twitter.com/BycvPVif3i</a><br />
— D Wasserman Schultz (@DWStweets) <a href="https://twitter.com/DWStweets/statuses/385012149241651201">October 1, 2013</a></blockquote>
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SIPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679227159519685785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-110207898172084813.post-8157190285703481982013-09-27T05:48:00.003-04:002013-09-27T06:52:55.465-04:00Obama Jokes about GOP View of Obamacare<center><a href="http://s182.photobucket.com/user/rattlesnakeroot/media/Blogger%203/GOP-Mt-Flushmore.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo GOP-Mt-Flushmore.jpg" border="0" src="http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x151/rattlesnakeroot/Blogger%203/GOP-Mt-Flushmore.jpg" /></a><br />
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The President spoke in Maryland yesterday about the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) about to kick in for millions of Americans. He also had a few laughs at the expense of the GOP loonies who keep trying to repeal or stop Obamacare, even if they have to shut down the government.<br />
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Just this week, we had Senator Ted Cruz R-Texas attempting a Filibuster (or Fauxlibuster or Sillybuster) to somehow stop the process of implementing Obamacare, with help from Sen. Mike Lee of Utah. Members of their own party from <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/25/john-mccain-ted-cruz_n_3989887.html">John McCain</a> to <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2013/09/26/corker-cruz-clash-on-senate-floor/">Senator Bob Corker R-TN</a> have stepped in to tell him off for his idiotic stance that has divided the Republican Party. <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/25/ted-cruz-dick-durbin_n_3992395.html">Huffington Post reporter Ryan Grim also reported</a> that Cruz himself doesn't need the Senate Health Care plan because - guess what? - he is covered by his wife's elegant-gold-plated health care plan from her employer Goldman Sachs. Sorry Ted Cruz - you fail at all the things, you big phoney hypocrite! <br />
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<b><i>Quotes and Tweets on <a href="http://snarkamendment.blogspot.com/">SnarkAmendment</a>:</i></b><br />
<a href="http://snarkamendment.blogspot.com/2013/09/smackdown-senator-bob-corker-vs-ted.html">Smackdown: Sen. Bob Corker Vs. Ted Cruz on Obamacare</a><br />
<a href="http://snarkamendment.blogspot.com/2013/09/line-forms-to-criticize-ted-cruz-after.html">Line forms to criticize Ted Cruz after Filibuster Attempt</a><br />
<a href="http://snarkamendment.blogspot.com/2013/09/talkative-ted-cruz-fumbles-to.html">Talkative Ted Cruz fumbles to Fauxlibuster Finish Line</a><br />
<a href="http://snarkamendment.blogspot.com/2013/09/green-eggs-and-sham-ted-cruz.html">Green Eggs and Sham ~ The Ted Cruz Fauxlibuster Continues</a><br />
<a href="http://snarkamendment.blogspot.com/2013/09/ted-cruz-attempts-to-filibuster.html">Ted Cruz Attempts to Filibuster Obamacare</a><br />
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The Tea Party members quoted by the President include <a href="http://www.politicususa.com/2013/09/26/obama-rips-michele-bachmann-obamacare-literally-kill-people.html">Rep. Michele Bachmann R-Minn.</a> for saying Obamacare will "literally kill people" ; <a href="http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/09/26/obama-mocks-republicans-comparison-of-obamacare-to-slavery/">Rep. Bill O'Brien R-NH</a> who compared ACA to the Fugitive Slave Act ; and <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/13/us/politics/at-meeting-with-treasury-secretary-boehner-pressed-for-debt-ceiling-deal.html?_r=0">Rep. John Fleming R-LA</a> for the hyperbolic statement that Obamacare is the biggest threat to our country EVER, in history, EVER! <br />
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<a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/09/26/remarks-president-affordable-care-act">Transcript at WhiteHouse.Gov</a><br />
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THE PRESIDENT: It is interesting, though, how over the last couple years, the Republican Party has just spun itself up around this issue. And the fact is the Republicans’ biggest fear at this point is not that the Affordable Care Act will fail. What they’re worried about is it’s going to succeed. (Applause.) I mean, think about it. If it was as bad as they said it was going to be, then they could just go ahead and let it happen and then everybody would hate it so much, and then everybody would vote to repeal it, and that would be the end of it. <br />
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So what is it that they’re so scared about?<br />
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AUDIENCE MEMBER: You! (Laughter and applause.) <br />
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THE PRESIDENT: They have made such a big political issue out of this, trying to scare everybody with lies about “death panels” and “killing granny” -- (laughter) -- right? “Armageddon.” So if it actually works, they’ll look pretty bad. If it actually works, that will mean that everything they were saying really wasn’t true and they were just playing politics. <br />
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AUDIENCE: That's right!<br />
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THE PRESIDENT: Just the other day, one Republican in Congress said we need to shut this thing down before the marketplaces open and people get to see that they’ll be getting coverage and getting these subsidies because -- and I’m going to quote him here -- he said, “It’s going to prove almost impossible to undo Obamacare.” (Laughter.) Right? So in other words, we’ve got to shut this thing down before people find out that they like it. (Laughter and applause.) That’s a strange argument. Don’t you think that’s a strange argument?<br />
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AUDIENCE: Yes!<br />
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THE PRESIDENT: And the closer we get, the more desperate they get. I mean, over the last few weeks the rhetoric has just been cranked up to a place I’ve never seen before. One congressman said that Obamacare is “the most dangerous piece of legislation ever passed.” (Laughter.) Ever. In the history of America, this is the most dangerous piece of legislation. (Laughter.) Creating a marketplace so people can buy group insurance plans -- the most dangerous ever.<br />
<br />
You had a state representative somewhere say that it’s “as destructive to personal and individual liberty as the Fugitive Slave Act.” <br />
<br />
AUDIENCE: Booo --<br />
<br />
THE PRESIDENT: Think about that. Affordable health care is worse than a law that let slave owners get their runaway slaves back.<br />
<br />
AUDIENCE: No!<br />
<br />
THE PRESIDENT: I mean, these are quotes. I’m not making this stuff up. And here’s one more that I’ve heard -- I like this one -- we have to -- and I’m quoting here -- “We have to repeal this failure before it literally kills women, kills children, kills senior citizens.” Now, I have to say -- that one was from six months ago -- I just want to point out we still have women -- (laughter) -- we still have children, we still have senior citizens. (Applause.)<br />
<br />
All this would be funny if it wasn’t so crazy. And a lot of it is just hot air. A lot of it is just politics. I understand that. But now the tea party Republicans have taken it to a whole new level because they’re threatening either to shut down the government, or shut down the entire economy by refusing to let America pay its bills for the first time in history -- unless I agree to gut a law that will help millions of people.<br />
<br />
AUDIENCE: Booo --<br />
<br />
THE PRESIDENT: Think about this. Shutting down the government just because you don’t like a law that was passed and found constitutional, and because you don’t like the idea of giving people new access to affordable health care -- what kind of idea is that? <br />
<br />
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