News and Views is a twice-weekly column containing an assortment of interesting state, national and international political and financial information, opinions, candidate reviews, scheduled events, Tea Party information, meetings and press releases that we hope will interest you. We will now offer a special section segregating media bias and Hollywood bias to give the reader a better idea of how prevalent it is.
State and Local
A Tip of Our Hat to Palatine Republican Tom Morris: In response to a lawsuit aimed at overturning Illinois’ ban on gay marriage, Illinois State Rep. Tom Morris has filed a resolution in Springfield that will restate the ban, and criticize Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan and Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez for publicly stating they would not defend the ban on gay marriage.
Morris said he believes the marriage issue should be decided by lawmakers elected by the people and not by judges. Illinois’ approval of civil unions came to be via votes in the state capital in Springfield, not in the courts, said Morris.
Editor’s note: Whenever they decide they want something that is unpopular with the “unwashed masses,” Democrats depend on their pets in the judiciary to decide appropriately.
Tea Party Collaboration: In the spirit of American Patriots, the Huntley Area Tea Party and Crystal Lake Tea Party are collaborating to share resources and staff a booth at the McHenry County Fair. With November (and October early voting) elections fast approaching, we all have to focus on ways to inform our voters and promote our Tea Party values.
The Fair runs from Wednesday, August 1st, through Sunday, August 5th from 10 AM to 10 PM . We plan to set up the booth Friday AM and staff it for three days with our finest cast of Patriots!
If you’ve never had the experience of meeting neighbors and friends at this type of venue, believe it is a TON of fun! People who attend the Fair are in a happy mood to begin with, so half your work is already done!
We’d love to make sure that we’re able to accommodate all volunteers with a two-hour time slot of their first choice, so please get back to me ASAP so we can reserve your time. And bring a friend!
Our Tea Party works best on the premise of the more, the merrier! We’re looking forward to hearing your choice of times! Send email to mpisearch@comcast.net with your name, the day (Friday, Saturday or Sunday) and two hour time frame of choice. We will get back to you with more details. Thanks!
Letter to The Editor
Hello Matt Murphy, Are You Tickling the Keys?: Today I received a notice about another meeting of the Arlington Heights Tea Party on August 2nd, the day after we have paid, yet again, hugely high and increased real estate assessments, and, again, a Senator Matt Murphy (R) 27th District, appearance, to tell us what we “can do” about our real estate property taxes.
When Murphy appeared at a different group in Arlington Heights on July 12th, the audience was less than friendly with many angry eruptions. The writer of the emailed announcement for the next meeting on August 2nd, attempting to quell anticipated agitation, tells us, Matt Murphy is just the “Piano Player.”
Barbara Currie (D) Springfield, laments of her sadness, her heavy heart, after voting for Derrick Smith’s resignation, the bribe taking pol. Barbara should be joyful, doing something good for the people of Illinois and Matt Murphy should not be a piano player. I want to know what Matt Murphy is going to do. I can show Matt reams of paper that attest to what I have done, for years, and the only answer, for years, was a higher real estate tax bill, increasing 300 times more than my income increase.
Matt Murphy is the Captain, the Pilot, voted in, paid to represent us, and not a gartered sleeved, foot-thumping neutral, assigned to pound the keyboard when the Hatfields and the McCoys start fighting. People are clear-they want a Mike Bost, a Paul LePage, a Scott Walker, and a Joe Walsh. That’s who they are voting for, not “piano players.”
When the July 12th assemblage showed Murphy their anger that should have been enough for him to do what he has been hired to do-reflect the anger of his constituents and get back to work. Instead we are paying an additional $12.6 million dollars per day, because Springfield decided to take a vacation. After decades of notice about the eminent grim reality of an Illinois collapse, all those piano players just can’t seem to figure out pension reduction. Worse, they can’t foresee the consequences.
So now the piano player is going to tell us what we can do, will he?
Here are some consequences I foresee: if he doesn’t tell us what he will do, wimpy, garter-belted shirtsleeve musician that he is; (I didn’t call him a “piano player”) he will turn an already angry group into a fuming throng. C’mon, Matt, start us off with a comical view of Currie’s July 19, 2012 pathos with her symbolic un-entrenchment of the tinniest bit of corruption in Illinois.
And if you really want to help us, tell us how to organize an effective tax revolt.
Susann DuBoff
GE Moving from Wisconsin: Keep your eye on Waukesha, Wisconsin. Their biggest employer just moved out. General Electric is planning to move its 115-year-old X-ray division from Waukesha, Wisconsin to Beijing.
In addition to moving the headquarters, the company will invest $2 billion in China and train more than 65 engineers and create six research centers. This is the same GE that made $5.1 billion in the United States last year, but paid no taxes – the same company that employs more people overseas than it does in the United States. So let me get this straight. President Obama appointed GE Chairman Jeff Immelt to head his commission on job creation (job czar). Immelt is supposed to help create jobs. I guess the President forgot to tell him in which country he was supposed to be creating those
jobs.
Jeff, you’re a “real” American. Give Barrack our Best. If this doesn’t show you the total lack of leadership of this President, We don’t know what does. Please pass this information to others and think about it before you buy a GE product.
For Snopes verification of this information, go to:
http://www.snopes.com/politics/business/ge.asp
National
The Lie That Should Sink Obama:If there is one sentence that determines who will win this year’s Presidential election, I hope it will be Barack Obama’s incredible statement that “you didn’t build that.” In just four short words, Obama confirmed his bias against America’s business builders and job creators — the men and women who slaved and sacrificed to help make us the wealthiest, most productive and most generous Nation the world has ever known.
Yes, we know, we’d be accused of taking his words out of context. That he really wasn’t engaging in the blatant, anti-business bias we’ve accused him of. Baloney! Let’s look more closely at exactly what our Great Leader said. Here is a verbatim quote from his campaign speech in Roanoke, Va., on July 13:
I and Me, Obama Uses First-Person Pronoun 117 Times in 1 Speech: Speaking in Sandusky, Ohio on July 5, President Barack Obama used the first-person pronouns “I” and “me” a combined 117 times in a speech that lasted about 25 minutes and 32 seconds.
Obama used “I” 98 times and “me” 19 times, according to a transcript of the speech posted by the White House. A videotape of the speech posted on YouTube shows that Obama spoke for about 25-and-a-half minutes. Obama used “I” or “me” approximately once every 13.09 seconds.
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney also frequently used the first-person pronoun in his most recent speech that has been posted in its entirely on C-SPAN. Speaking in Salem, Va., on Jun 26, Romney used the first-person pronouns “I” and “me” a combined 55 times in a speech that lasted about 18 minutes and 13 seconds.
Romney used “I” 47 times and “me” 8 times. During the just over 18 minutes that Romney spoke at Salem, he used “I” or “me” approximately once every 19.87 seconds. Near the end of his talk in Sandusky, Ohio, Obama told his audience he had made a commitment to think about them every morning when he arises.
“I want you to know that when I ran in 2008, I said I wasn’t going to be a perfect man and I certainly wasn’t going to be a perfect president, but I’d always tell you what I thought. I’d always tell you where I stood,” Obama said. “And, most of all, I would wake up every single day thinking about you…”
Now that is frightening…
Paul’s Fed Audit Bill Passes House: Ron Paul’s revolutionary bill to audit the Federal Reserve passed the House of Representatives overwhelmingly last week by a vote of 327-98 on Wednesday afternoon.
Paul’s bill received backing from all House Republicans but one (Representative Bob Turner of New York), as well as support from 89 Congressional Democrats. Representative Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) said of the bill: “The Fed creates trillions of dollars out of nothing and gives it to banks. Congress is in the dark. The Fed sets the stage for the subprime meltdown. Congress is in the dark. The Fed takes a dive on LIBOR. Congress is in the dark. The Fed doesn’t tell regulators what is going on. Congress is in the dark.”
He also noted that the vote occurred the same day The Washington Post published a damning story about how the New York Fed “did not communicate in key meetings with top regulators that British bank Barclays had admitted to Fed staffers that it was rigging LIBOR,” the index that sets interest rates worldwide.
Despite the victory, a Senior Senate Democratic aide said the bill isn’t likely to go anywhere in that chamber in the near future,
Obamacare’s Unenforceable Linchpin: Two weeks ago, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives voted to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare. It was the 33rd such vote taken by the House and, since Democrats control the Senate, no more likely to be successful than the first 32.
The day before the vote, however, the House Ways and Means Committee heard testimony that highlighted another, more promising way to override the health care law: Americans can refuse to comply with its command that they obtain government-approved medical coverage, which the Supreme Court has deemed a mere suggestion even though it is essential to the legislation’s goals. Furthermore, if Obamacare objectors take a simple precaution, they can opt out without paying the prescribed penalty.
Obamacare requires insurers to take all comers and charge them the same rates, regardless of health. Those rules create two problems that reinforce each other: They raise premiums, and they encourage people to delay buying medical coverage until they’re sick.
As more healthy people go without insurance, rates rise further to make up the difference, which encourages more people to go without insurance, which increases rates further still. To avoid such a “death spiral,” Obamacare commanded young, healthy people to “maintain minimum essential coverage” as defined by the government, thereby subsidizing the medical expenses of older, sicker people.
But in upholding this mandate last month, the Supreme Court said it could not be justified under the Commerce Clause, instead redefining it as an exercise of the tax power. It is perfectly legal to go without the health insurance that Congress thinks you should have, the Court said, as long as you pay the “tax” imposed on people who reject the government’s recommendation. That interpretation creates new challenges for Obamacare.
And What a Great Quote This Is …. “Apparently, I’m supposed to be more angry about what Mitt Romney does with his money than what Barack Obama does with mine.” – An ICE News reader
The Lie That Should Sink Obama: If there is one sentence that determines who will win this year’s Presidential election, I hope it will be Barack Obama’s incredible statement that “you didn’t build that.”
In just four short words, Obama confirmed his bias against America’s business builders and job creators — the men and women who slaved and sacrificed to help make us the wealthiest, most productive and most generous Nation the world has ever known.
Yes, I know, I’ll be accused of taking his words out of context. That he really wasn’t engaging in the blatant, anti-business bias I’ve accused him of. Baloney! Let’s look more closely at exactly what our Great Leader said. Here is a verbatim quote from his campaign speech in Roanoke, Va., on July 13:
International
Senate Investigation: HSBC Complicit in Terror Funding
The details of a U.S. Senate investigation into British multinational bank HSBC’s (NYSE: HBC) laundering of billions of dollars for terrorists, rogue nations, and drug traffickers reveal not only a scandal at one of the world’s largest banks, but also a systemic deficiency in the entire UK regulatory banking system. The Senate report spells out a long-term and consistent pattern of disregard for U.S. regulations, laws, and protocols aimed at eradicating so-called avenues of “threat-financing.”
House Intel Chair Points at Iran: The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Mike Rogers, has now stated publicly that Iran and its agents masterminded the recent terror attack on Israeli tourists in Bulgaria. Rogers stated flatly: “I believe there were certainly elements of Hezbollah [involved] and I believe it was under the direction of their masters in Iran.”
And former UN Ambassador John Bolton has urged Israel to retaliate directly against Iran for this barbaric attack. Such an attack, experts fear, could escalate quickly into a wider military action against Iran’s nuclear weapons program. Meanwhile, Iran is also ratcheting up its support for Syria’s Assad regime.
“The Iranian people have an unchangeable stance on Syrians and will always stand by them,” Iran’s Vice President Rahimi said this week.
Iran appears to be on a collision course with Israel, the U.S. and other Western allies. The implications of a crisis in Iran are grave. Former U.S. National Security Adviser Brzezinski has warned that an attack on Iran could lead to a series of events that “devastate” the global economy.
Iranian Ships Using False Flags to Evade UN and U.S. Sanctions
Although some progress is being made to stop Iranian ships from transporting WMDs, a new U.S. report details the cat-and-mouse game that Tehran is playing to evade sanctions. Iran is doing this not just through deception, but by exploiting the weakness of UN resolutions.
Egypt: Morsi Doing Little to Fix Economic Crisis
Despite Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi’s claim during the election campaign that he would take aggressive steps to fix the country’s sagging economy, so far he has announced no concrete measures to do so and his selection of a prime minister without a financial background has disappointed investors at home and abroad. Unless the government moves quickly to secure international aid and woo foreign investors, Egypt could face a balance-of-payment crisis and a rapidly sinking economy.
Ethiopia: Promotion of Moderate Islam Backfires
A series of clashes between Islamists and riot police in Ethiopia’s capital of Addis Ababa last weekend signals an escalation of a protest movement that could have far-reaching consequences for the Horn of Africa. The ongoing protests, which began earlier this year in opposition to government efforts to promote a specific moderate sect of Islam, could become an obstacle to Ethiopia’s efforts to combat terrorism and militant activity, especially in neighboring Somalia.
Media & Hollywood Bias
NBC Tries to Trip Romney: In an interview with Mitt Romney in London on Wednesday, NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams grilled the Republican candidate about releasing more tax returns: “People hear he’s not going to release the rest of his returns and they wonder why. They wonder, is there a year there where he paid no taxes? They wonder about expensive horses and houses….what is it that is preventing you from releasing the rest of your returns?”
Williams wrapped up his interview with Romney by asking about potential vice presidential picks in the most obnoxious way possible: “So here’s a Republican official familiar with your campaign selection process, told the folks at Politico you are looking for a, quote, ‘incredibly boring white guy’ for your vice presidential nominee. Can you confirm or deny?” Romney quipped back: “You told me you were not available.” Williams replied: “Touche, Governor.”
ABC Indignantly Chides Romney’s U.K. Trip – Advisers Question President’s ‘Heritage’: ABC kicked off Mitt Romney’s visit to London, Thursday, by hyping “controversial” comments from the candidate’s advisers. A Good Morning America graphic adopted the worst possible interpretation for remarks by anonymous Romney aides that the President doesn’t respect the “Anglo-Saxon heritage.” The network graphic blasted, “Romney Takes London: Advisor Quote Questions Obama Heritage.” Saying that Romney aides “questioned Obama’s heritage” hints at birtherism or other charges that the operatives clearly did not make. Reporter David Muir included the quote from one adviser who suggested that the White House “doesn’t fully appreciate the shared history” Britain and America have. Other remarks, not mentioned by Muir, include attacking Obama as a “left-winger” and promising to return the bust of Winston Churchill. How, exactly, do these comments question Obama’s heritage?
ABC Praised Free Speech of ‘Spirited’ Dixie Chicks, Slams Chick-Fil-A for ‘Firestorm’: Even as Democratic official like Rahm Emanuel promise to use their government power to punish Chick-Fil-A, Good Morning America‘s George Stephanopoulos and Ron Claiborne on Thursday derided the fast food chain’s president for speaking out against gay marriage, chiding the “firestorm” and food fight” the company has created.
In contrast, the same program in 2006 praised the “spirited” and “unbowed” Dixie Chicks for expressing their First Amendment rights by trashing then-President Bush.
Co-anchor George Stephanopoulos insisted that CEO Dan Cathy’s comments in support of traditional marriage have “sparked a firestorm across the Internet.” Reporter Ron Claiborne mocked, “This food fight, George, is very rapidly turning into a full scale culture war.”
Claiborne listed Roseanne Barr, as just another celebrity, along with Ed Helms, who has spoken out against Chick-fil-A. He failed to mention Barr’s deranged rants, including tweeting that “anyone who eats S–t Fil-A deserves to get the cancer.”
Claiborne’s report included one clip of Cathy defending himself, but also played up Chicago’s mayor, Rahm Emanuel, “vowing to block the opening of a new Chick-Fil-A” and proclaiming that “Chick-Fil-A’s values are not our values.” The journalist ignored the obvious First Amendment aspect of this story.
CBS Bemoans Negative Campaign, But Lets David Axelrod Unload on Romney: During an interview of Obama senior campaign adviser David Axelrod on Wednesday’s CBS This Morning, Charlie Rose and Erica Hill bewailed the negative tone of the presidential campaign, hinting that it might turn off voters. However, the anchors let Axelrod rip Mitt Romney’s recent foreign policy speech to the VFW without challenge, and failed to ask the adviser about the President’s own speech to the organization.
Rose set up Axelrod’s tirade against Romney with a beyond softball question — on the GOP candidate’s slam of Obama: “‘Contemptible conduct’; ‘a betrayal’ — where are we?”
The veteran journalist hinted at his disapproval of the negative campaigning in his initial weak-kneed “where are we” question to the Obama campaign official. Axelrod referenced correspondent Jan Crawford’s report on the Romney speech as he berated the former governor:
AXELROD: Well, I think what we heard was a bunch of…bellicose language from Governor Romney with nothing behind it — a bunch of bellicose bloviating from John Bolton’s pen. But when you get beneath it, as Jan [Crawford] mentioned, there was absolutely no vision for American foreign policy. His critiques were nonsense. He wants to talk about anything other than the fact that this is the president who…responsibly ended the war in Iraq; who focused attention on al Qaeda and destroyed its leadership; brought Osama bin Laden to justice; and rebuilt our alliances. And that’s a very, very proud record, and the American people know that.
Midway through the interview, Rose became more explicit about the tone of the presidential race: “When will this campaign become positive, and an important debate about America’s future?” The Democratic flack answered with more attacks on the Republican candidate:
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