greyhound bus tickets: Ocak 2013

3 Ocak 2013 Perşembe

Rethinking Pittsburgh

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I have a love/hate relationship with place PR articles that show up in venues such as airline magazines. You see what civic boosters want you to see. Their job is to sell the city to business, talent, and tourists. Discerning the real from the hype is difficult. But that's not to say these puff pieces are useless. Pittsburgh in the latest issue of fDi (a Financial Times publication):

Although financial incentives since the 1980s have been attracting entrepreneurs,finding skilled workers or persuading them to move to Pittsburgh has proved to be difficult. “When I was recruiting people in the late 1980s, the standard response was ‘I do not want to move here’. Attracting talent was a challenge then,” says Mr Yablonsky, who at that time was managing Carnegie Group, a software solutions company.

To attract skilled employees to his Carnegie Group, Mr Yablonsky says that he“started a ‘boomeranger’ strategy”. The main premise of that initiative was targeting people who had links with Pittsburgh, either because it was their home town or where they went to school, and persuading them that Pittsburgh was a perfect place not only to work, but also start a family. “Eventually our company grew to total of 250 people, out of which ‘boomerangers’ constituted one-third of the total headcount,” says Mr Yablonsky.

Now Mr Yablonsky applies that strategy in his role in the city’s economic development agencies and says that a lot of businesses in Pittsburgh recruit their employees by searching for ex-Pittsburghers. Mr Yablonsky himself could be described as ‘boomeranger’. Born in Pittsburgh, he worked for many years in Cincinnati, Ohio before returning.

Emphasis added. I'm surprised that the fraction of boomerangers employed was so small. Pittsburgh has an image problem that still persists. Attracting outsiders is tough. It is what I call the "Ann Arbor Dilemma". Ann Arbor is in Michigan, near Detroit. Executives and other talent fear ruin porn. No matter that Ann Arbor is an attractive college town. It's in the Rust Belt, a hell hole.

The geographic stereotype sets up the Pittsburgh surprise, if you can convince the skeptics to do a little digging:

At the heart of the Pittsburgh revival story lies a strong research funding backing and a score of incubators helping local businesses to grow.“At the end of 1990s, I was aware there was a stream of research funding in south California and that it creates the environment for companies to grow. And I found out that Pittsburgh actually receives more biomedical research money than California. I checked it and it turned out to be true,” says Thomas Petzinger Jr, executive vice-president of Knopp Biosciences, a Pittsburgh-based pharmaceutical company that works on treatments for Parkinson’s disease and sclerosis.

Emphasis added. Pittsburgh? Yes, Pittsburgh receives more biomendical research money than California. All of California? Ask Petzinger. Definitely ironic if factual.

I sense the negative mesofacts impeding migration to Pittsburgh are quickly retreating. Newcomers will outnumber boomerangers. Inflows of venture capital will grow dramatically. The mental map of globalization will be amended. 2013 will be a great year. Suck it, Portland.

IT'S COLD !!!

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I've been inside all day so didn't notice until just a few minutes ago. Got on my bike to ride the two miles home. It's 37 degrees outside with a strong breeze. Quick, here's what you do. Go to your linen closet and pull out all of the old blankets you don't use anymore. Yes, all of them. Next, call a couple of your friends and tell them to do the same. Seriously, there's not much time! As soon as you are ready, go pick up your friends, with your several blankets, and drive around town looking for homeless people. Check out the bus stops and near liquor stores and parks and wherever there are benches for the public. You will find homeless people in metro areas and in suburban areas too, like shopping centers and malls, behind Walmarts and Targets and such. Once you find these people, just hand them a blanket, don't ask them if they want one, it doesn't matter, they need one, or two.

And, if you have the chance, pick up some dollar burgers at McDonalds and give them out too, some coffee as well, if you dare to care that much. Now! I mean it. Go!

Adam Lanza And Asperger's pt 2

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Part 2

I can't tell you the depth of despair and depression I experienced since last Friday, and the Sandy Hook incident.   Pretty much any time I relive events of my past, I also relive the emotional pain and turmoil from then too. Add to that the current sadness we all have been feeling over the Sand Hook incident, and I was feeling overwhelmed.   I wanted to write about it when it happened, but it was too difficult.   Several days have passed now and I'm feeling better about it. The depression has subsided, but so has some of the desire to write this. I will write, but I can't guarantee how much effort I'll put into it.

To understand Adam Lanza, you really must understand how Asperger's Syndrome affects people (again, it must be said that Asperger's doesn't make people violent) And to understand the motivation for his shooting spree, you must understand the environment Adam was living in, you must understand the psychology and dynamics of his family, especially that of his mother.

I have no doubt that my own family shits a collective brick every time I write about them. But that's perhaps the crux of the problem of our own family dysfunctionality. I no longer talk with my family, except for brief chats with my nephew. Some time a ago my parents moved and did not give me their new address or phone number. I only know that they moved to Arizona to be near my brother.   But all of this is of little importance.   What is important for the telling of this story is the environment I was living in as I grew up at home, and how my family reacted when I displayed symptoms of Asperger's.

It is also important to understand how relatively new the diagnosis of Aperger's Syndrome is.   It was first discovered in 1944, but didn't become a part of mainstream psychiatry until the 80s and 90s - long after I had left home and eventually became homeless. As a child I was suffering from an unknown condition, so, as is often the case, my parents were led to believe that I didn't have a condition. It was then easy for my parents to believe that the problems I was having were of my own selfish creation.

Every human being has an innate desire to belong, to be a part of and participate with other human beings in all the activities that make up life.   To do this successfully, humans must be able to communicate with each other.   One of the biggest problems for people with Aspergers involves communication.   Not only do Aspies have difficulty communicating their own thoughts, ideas and interests with others verbally, they have a difficult time understanding what other people are trying to say back to them - especially in a social context.   I believe that is why for some Aspies they are drawn to, and excel at, other types of non verbal communication - it's about the desire to connect and belong, and compensating for a lack of verbal skills.

Although I did well enough in other areas of study in school, I did rather poorly in English, especially with spelling. Instead of getting me some specialized help to overcome this problem, my parents accused me of a variety of negative things, of being lazy, of "not paying attention in class", of "not trying hard enough", of "day dreaming", etc. And for these infractions, my parents thought that the proper corrective action was to punish me.   It was this punishment that created feelings of guilt, which in turn started my lifetime of depression.   The punishment, and the disapproval of my parents for things I had no control over was painful, and damaging.   Now, there was period when I was about 6 or 7 years old, when my parents were considering sending me to a psychiatrist. But first they thought they should talk to my school teacher.   I have no idea how that conversation went, but afterwards, my parents gave up on the idea.

Funny, but I just remembered something similar which happened about the same time. The whole class was sent to the school nurse for eye exams. I struggled to read the chart. I told the nurse I could not see the letters. She said to me, "you're making yourself not see them."   She was under the impression that I just wanted to have a pair of glasses. She said that my vision was fine.   During that summer I joined little league baseball.   The coach noticed I had a hard time catching the ball.   After playing catch with me for a couple throws, he suggested to my mother that I get a real eye exam. Not only did the optometrist discover my need for glasses, he was astonished that I could function with such poor eye sight.

Yes, we need to appreciate the job that school staff does for students, but we need to also remember that they are not experts in everything.   If only my parents had gone ahead and sent me to a psychiatrist way back then, I probably wouldn't have had the problems I've been living with all these years.   But I digress. I searched for it, but could find nothing to indicate that Adam was seeing a psychiatrist at the time.   If anything, psychiatrists can teach a person the coping skills necessary for dealing with the difficulties they face in life.

Stay tuned for part 3

Fluff: It's What's for Dinner

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Here's one for all you foodies.

It's summer, a time for goofing off, hitting the pool, the beach. Drinking margaritas, mojitos, and other refreshing adult beverages brought to us frigid New England bitches* from warmer climates. Instead, I am trying really hard to graduate in May, and part of gittin' er done means two four week classes. While I'm working 20 hours a week at my work-study job, writing crazy letters to the editor, make it to the beach, and fulfill many wedding-related obligations. Oh, and the Bachelorette. I'm bummed Ames is gone, but I'm really starting to root for JP. What? She's from the County. Gotta keep it real.

Let me break it down for you. Each semester is 15 weeks. So taking one class during a four-week session is the roughly the equivalent of taking three. Taking two is like taking six, which is eighteen credits. A normal student takes between 12 and 15 credits. Over 18 is considered "an overload." That's what I'm doing now. During summer. But I guess it's technically finals week and I'm able to write this blog... so....

One time, I also found myself taking 15 credits and working a part time job. I was probably as poor then as I am now, though back then I was under 21 and still a non-drinker. At Montserrat College of Art, somehow, I didn't understand financial aid, credit hours, or the fact that I was moving away to go to college at a place that didn't have a fucking cafeteria. WTF, Montserrat? It was kind of insane, now that I think about it. Probably more work than I've ever done in my life. Drawing and painting homework has the propensity to take way, way longer than writing a paper or reading a book. Trust me. I've never stayed up until 3:00 a.m. because I felt like an essay wasn't done. Or because I wouldn't have the right light to finish the essay in the morning.

But because I'd never lived away from home and therefore had never really prepared any of my own meals, let alone gone shopping for them, my food became like, abstract art or something. Here's a recipe for something I ate all the time.

Prep time:
5 min
Ingredients:
2 slices Pepperidge Farm Cinnamon Swirl Raisin Bread
1/3 cucumber, peeled and sliced thin.
1 tbsp Marshmallow Fluff
1 slice cheddar cheese
Directions:
Carefully slather Fluff unto both slices of bread. Arrange cucumbers on one slice, cover with cheese, then the other slice. Firmly press the sandwich down with your clean hand, as Fluff and cucumbers are slippery. Enjoy!

I'm not kidding. Pepperidge Farm was like, a luxury that I didn't know I could afford myself. We bought local at my house, sort of. Country Kitchen all the way.

It's hard to say whether I could ingest this marvelous concoction today. I'll let you know if I decide to try.

*a genuine Southern gentleman said that to me once, about women here; instead of comforting him, I laughed and said it was true.

At Caiola's: Party of One

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Back when I was waiting tables, which seems like a lifetime ago at this point, I’d often hang out at bars, by myself for two reasons: 1) I got free meals at work and was too lazy to cook the rest myself, and 2) What is at one moment a quiet, thoughtful afternoon of solitude can become an afternoon filled with bemusing stories of camaraderie. 100% of the time if I’m dining alone I will take a seat at the bar instead of a table for one. It’s so much more entertaining. Which is part of the reason why this woman dining alone at Caiola’s was so fascinating to me. Her back to the room, facing the window, she almost mocked me and my need for togetherness.

I took Mandy out to Caoila’s for her birthday. She’d never been, and I decided I’d rather spend an evening enjoying outstanding food and drink rather than take a chance on a gift that she’d feign excitement over and consign a respectable 12 months later. We had an amazing time! The food was decadent and complex, but not so complex that I couldn’t understand the menu, if you get my drift.

It was a Wednesday night, and we were in the back room, through the kitchen. Being the sous chef that has to stand near that door must be the worst. There was a group of three respectable upper-middle-aged guys in the corner to my left, one had a Southern accent and I heard them talking about Marketing, television, and the Bangor Daily News. (Hmmm). Behind Mandy was a younger couple who left shortly after we arrived. Then a woman, about 62ish, waltzed in and sat at a two top against the wall diagonal from us, facing the window. The waitress only put down a single place setting, water glass and menu. Table for one.

I knew almost immediately that I wanted to be her. She had a black cardigan, a simple canary-red blouse underneath, with a mid-calf ivory colored a-line skirt that had, like, ribbing or piping instead of stripes throughout. It was a beautiful skirt- hip, yet age appropriate. Her ballet flats, undoubtedly leather, matched her blouse as though they came together. Perhaps they were in fact ordered from the J.Crew catalogue at the same time. Dark framed reading (?) glasses hung low on her face, probably Michael Kors or Kate Spade or some designer brand. My favorite part about her was the bag she carried. It was my dream bag. A caramel leather tote whose sides slouched in around the handles the same way my canvas bags do. It was my dream bag. I think if Diane from Cheers was a real person and lived to be 62, this woman is what she would be like.

Out of the bag she pulled a pristine hardcover book, and inevitably tuned out everyone except for the waitress, who was forced to break into her line of vision when she brought yet another Grey Goose martini with a twist. Or maybe this woman opted into the Buy Local movement and ordered a Cold River martini. I liked that she didn’t like it dirty. I tried a dirty martini once, it was like salty... salty... it was like drinking the ocean if the ocean was made out of olives.

Occasionally she’d pull out a legal sized pad and take notes. On what, I’m not sure. By the way, I wasn’t trying to stare. She was directly in my line of vision.

I imagine after her iceburg salad, steak or bacon wrapped scallops and three martinis she probably pulled out of the parking lot in her 1992 Volvo Station wagon. Although her 3,000 square foot home with its commercial-grade kitchen was only 1/6 of a mile away, you know she didn’t drive because you never see fancy women like that just walking around the West End. Her youngest daughter usually uses the Volvo but she’s WOOFing in France now. It had better visibility than the Mercedes anyway, plus she liked the sentimental value of driving it. Yeah, she was a little tipsy but it was a very short drive if cops are going to venture into the West End, they don’t make it past Brackett, Spring, and the hospital respectively.

One thousand feet later, she pulled into the secret road between Carroll and Vaughn Streets in the West End that connects all of the garage/back entrance/guest houses and settled in for one more cognac in her fucking jacuzzi tub.

Or maybe she was just too exhausted from running her law firm all day to prepare herself a meal. Maybe she didn’t want to sit at the bar because she wanted some peace and quiet for a change. Maybe she was supposed to meet up with the Oshers and they’re still in San Francisco, or the Hagges, but they were at a fundraising dinner and this was her back up plan. All I know is while she was sitting alone at that table, with the dim lighting, Amelie soundtrack and blowing $65 before tip on a meal for one person, I wanted to be her. Minus her imagined kids.

2 Ocak 2013 Çarşamba

IT'S COLD !!!

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Not Enough Compassion Anywhere

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We humans, in order to live happy and healthy lives, need compassion in large quantities. The reason why we humans are having such difficulties is that the supply of compassion is too low to meet demand. The problem is that Capitalists who have a strangle hold on the world see compassion as an obstacle to creating wealth, and so they are doing all they can to destroy our supply of it. More and more, we humans are being asked to choose between wealth and compassion.

If we are to regain the health and happiness necessary for the survival of humanity, we all must begin to choose compassion over wealth.

1/4 Of An Inch

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Don't pull, just squeeze the trigger. That is how you hit your target. That little piece of metal, hugged by your index finger, you only need move it a 1/4 of an inch to change the world.

Whenever there is news of a school shooting I cannot help but relive my own experience as the shooter, almost.

The psychiatrist told me that if I had fired the rifle, I would have "snapped", would have been transformed into a totally different mindset, would have gone into an auto pilot sort of mode where I would be mentally detached from myself, no longer fully in charge of my own actions. I would have been more of a front row witness, than a perpetrator.

Back in the real world, the police would have been called, their first task would have been to bring an end to me.   If I had pulled the trigger just once, I would have pulled it again. I would not have stopped. And people would have continued to die until I was dead.

In the Spring of 1977 I was in my first year of high school. I joined the JROTC and had taken up target shooting. I wasn't very good at it, but I enjoyed the sport.   In a show of support, my father bought me a rifle to practice with. One morning, while everyone else was still sleeping, I picked up the rifle, put a box of ammunition in my jacket pocket, and headed to school.

At school, I climbed a short wall, a fence, and found myself on the roof of a row of classrooms. I walked along the roof until I came to the cafeteria, hoisted myself up to that higher level, and laid in the prone position, looking out over the empty courtyard. It would be a while before people started showing up for the start of the school day. I waited.

Eventually, some students showed up, a couple small groups, chattering. I pointed the rifle at a girl, drew a bead on her, my finger wrapping around the trigger, I took a deep breath.

Then I thought to myself, if I shot now, the few people in the courtyard would scatter and I wouldn't get a second shot. There would be more people if I waited until the first bell rang. I put the rifle down and rolled over onto my back.   The sky was a dark blue, spotted here and there with clouds catching the first rays of daylight. It was beautiful. I asked God to help me.

The moments passed as I waited for the bell to ring.   The bell, located on the wall a couple feet below my position on the roof, didn't ring.   Or, I didn't hear it ring.   In the distance I could hear people on the P.E field. I sat up and looked around. The courtyard was empty, classes had already started. I picked up the rifle, climbed down off the roof, and made my way to the security guard's office.

Adam Lanza And Asperger's pt 2

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University of North Carolina's Fraud Running Deeper?

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Forbes:

In early December, former Governor of North Carolina, Jim Martin, declared the University of North Carolina free from any wrongdoing in an alleged athletic scandal, which revolved around questionable classes within the Department of African American Studies. Martin claimed that officials tried to raise red flags on a couple different occasions. Specifically, Martin said that in 2002 and 2006, officials informed the Faculty Committee of Athletics of the abnormally higher than expected number of independent enrollments and lecture courses that had all of a sudden turned in to independent studies. Martin reported that this committee responded by stating that the professors operated with “high latitude on how to teach a course”, and Martin firmly stated that while the courses were filled with mainly athletes, there was no athletic scandal.
After the proclamation by the former Governor, the University of North Carolina seemed to have mitigated some of its potential damage. However, a recent review of the faculty minutes do not allude to any such red flags ever being raised. In fact, several faculty members have specifically addressed the proclamation and asserted that the alleged red flags were never raised or that they do not remember them existing.A former committee chair in 2002, Dr. Stanley Mandel, commented on the alleged red flags being brought up. “You won’t find any reference to it in the committee minutes because there was no reference to it,” said Mandel. “There was no discussion. Nothing was brought up.” A former committee member from 2006 stated, “It seemed like everyone around the table was congratulating themselves about what a squeaky clean program they had.” With this recent news about the red flags never being brought up via the evidence of the committee minutes, it seems as if Martin has potentially made some borderline fraudulent statements. Still, Martin’s report showed that 216 classes had either proven or potential problems, and 560 classes were suspected to have incurred unauthorized grade changes. The opposite of squeaky-clean.Full article by Darren Heitner can be found here.

1 Ocak 2013 Salı

'Hope' Is no Way to Protect American Embassies

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With each passing day it seems that the Obama Administration is looking more and more responsible for the success of the terrorist attack against the US Consulate in Benghazi, Libya. Take the following developments since the initial news of the attack:

The Obama Administration initially blamed the attack on protests against some crudely made internet video
Prior to the terrorist attack, there were no protests outside the Consulate. The attack started at 9:40 PM.
The Administration claimed to have no intelligence information suggesting any impending attacks, however they were informed both internally and from foreign sources.
The attack happened on 9/11
The Administration, including the President, met during the attack and decided to take a 'wait-and-see' posture, deciding against sending forces to defend the consulate.
The Ambassador himself alerted the State Department regarding threats to his life.
The Ambassador had repeatedly requesting additional security.
The requests were denied.
the requests and the denials were kept from the public.
The State Department even told the Ambassador to stop asking for additional support.
It took weeks before the Consulate was investigated by the FBI. To this day, there is no evidence that the State Department did anything to secure the site or any confidential information still remaining in the Consulate.

How is it possible, other than through a case of negligence, possibly bordering on criminal negligence, or through some huge misguided social experiment in 'Hope' is is possible for a consulate in a country full of persons violently hostile to Americans to have less security than the US Embassy in peaceful Helsinki, Finland. How is that possible? It's possible when you put a President in charge who does not believe in a strong defense. A President who believes that a strong defensive posture is what drives hate against Americans.
All I can say to that is that letting those who hate America destroy our Embassies and kill Americans is not going to extinguish the hate. All it will do is make America look weak and fan the flames of more hate.
This is just one more reason to elect Mitt Romney as the next President. The haters around the world will hate us no matter who is President. We can however minimize the threat by having a strong a proud President at the helm.

This is just the latest example of how much of a failure President Obama's soft stance against terrorism is. Hugging terrorists does not reform them. It never will. The Obama Administration will never understand this. The only 'extremists' they can recognize are members of the 'Tea Party.'

UPDATE 10 October 2012
Above I had mentioned the possibility that persons in the State Department might have been criminally negligent. Well, take a look at this Congressional hearing questioning Charlene R. Lamb, the Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Programs. Here is a summary of what she is responsible for:

Diplomatic Security Senior Leadership » Lamb, Charlene R - Assistant Director for International ProgramsBiographyOther ReleasesBureau of Diplomatic SecurityWashington, DCShare on facebookShare on google_plusoneShareCharlene R. LambDeputy Assistant Secretary for International ProgramsAs the Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Programs, Ms. Lamb is a key member of the DS management team, responsible for providing strategic planning, management support, and establishing budget priorities to senior DS management. Ms. Lamb manages more than $1.2 billion in security assets and programs and thousands of personnel dedicated to that purpose. She is also responsible for the safety and security of over 285 overseas Embassies and Consulates and oversees the 550 special agent/security professionals posted at those locations. - US State Department

That is a pretty impressive set os responsibilities. You know what else is impressive, her past history. Go ahead and read the rest of her bio which includes postings in a number of hot spots. It sounds like this is exactly the kind of person you would want overseeing embassy safety and security. Which makes this testimony all the more bizarre and I dare say damning. How on earth did she come to the conclusion that security in the consulate was anywhere near acceptable, especially considering that embassies in peaceful countries have much better security.

Found here.
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Obama's Sandra Fluke vs Clinton's Monica

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First, there would have been no point to this story. But the Democrats had to insist in forcing companies and religious institutions to provide birth control to adults at no charge despite 'lack of access to birth control' not even being listed as any of the major reasons why women get accidentally pregnant.
One of Obama's major vote for free birth control warriors is Sandra Fluke. She has been activly promoted by Obama's re-election team, even given a speaking spot at the Democrat National Convention. Personally I do not know why, as the message of a 31 year old law graduate whining about her need to get free birth control does not really ring with me. It actually rings pretty hollow when you find out that a month's worth of birth control costs about $10. Everyone can pony up $10. The fact that Sandra can't gather a crowd of more than ten persons at an Obama re-election rally is pretty good evidence that her 15 minutes of fame is about over.

(Photo found at Ace of Spades)

Now take Monica Lewinsky. I had a chance to see her back in 1999 when she appeared in Helsinki Finland for her book signing. This was her second appearance that day and all of the people packed into the bookstore are trying to get a glimpse of her. the first bookstore was so packed that you could not get into it. All of this is 3 years after the scandal that made her famous.
So maybe Obama should ask Monica if she can help him campaign. Because Sandra's message is just not cutting it.

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'Congressman' Gerry Connolly: "Vets Unqualified to Serve in Congress"

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I just don't like my Congressman Gerry Connolly. He is a Liberal tool right behind Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. So I will be voting for the man seeking to replace him as my Congressman, Colonel Chris Perkins.
Here is a statement and video by Chris PErkins responding to comments made by Congressman Connolly, both touting his accomplishments in the district, which sounds lots like taking credit for securing Government funding for local projects in which he expects to be rewarded with being re-elected to his spot in Congress. Well, if that is how we should vote, then why not vote in the most corrupt people we can find. That will surely get the money flowing. Anyway, here is Chris Perkins statement:

I was forewarned that politics can be an ugly thing, but I was unprepared for the latest development in my congressional race to represent the 11th District of Virginia.

Incumbent Congressman Gerry Connolly has shocked many of his constituents by suggesting that career military veterans, like myself, are unqualified to serve in Congress – implying that their service to the nation at-large does not amount to sufficient “sweat equity” in the district they seek to serve in Congress.

While speaking to a local Chamber of Commerce and touting his own accomplishments during his 16 years in local politics, Mr. Connolly recently asked the audience: "Where has my opponent been?" Many in the room who were aware of my military career, including those wearing lapel stickers listing the Democratic Party ticket, were visibly taken aback and later distanced themselves from Mr. Connolly’s attack. Unrepentant, the congressman subsequently pressed his line of attack when he spoke to a local neighborhood civic association. Once again describing the work he did as a Fairfax County Supervisor in the building of schools and sidewalks for his community, Mr. Connolly again dismissed my more than 24 years of military experience, saying "I expect a candidate to have demonstrated some sweat equity!"

I am happy to answer the congressman's question. I was in Iraq trying to rescue American fighter pilots who had been shot down. I was hunting down war criminals in Bosnia, and I was evacuating U.S. Embassy personnel in Africa from armed mobs that would do them harm. I was at Arlington National Cemetery 17 times paying my last respects to brave men that I had the privilege and honor to serve with.

I am profoundly disappointed that Congressman Connolly believes career military men and women are unqualified to serve in Congress simply because they chose to serve and protect their country rather than enter local politics. Mr. Connolly’s statements are outrageous and demonstrate an out-of-touch career politician who thinks that only those who climb the ladder of local politics can graduate to higher office. By Mr. Connolly’s standard, many of our forefathers, including George Washington and Dwight Eisenhower, were unqualified to hold federal office. His statements are offensive to our service members and their families who have sacrificed so much for the country they love.

This country’s military veterans, professional intelligence officers and career first responders don’t just have sweat equity in their communities, they have blood equity in America. I believe the voters in Virginia's 11th District appreciate that.

Chris Perkins is a retired U.S. Army officer and congressional candidate for Virginia's 11th District. - Washington Times

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'Pro-Oil' Obama Administration Now Closing Western Lands To Oil Drilling

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During this last election, President Obama proclaimed that oil drilling in the US has never been greater, implying that he was responsible for this oil drilling boon. In reality, the increase in oil drilling had been taking place on private lands that the Government had little ability to stop.
Now, that President Obama has won re-election, his pro-oil Administration is planning to close off Western Government land from oil exploration.

The Interior Department on Friday issued a final plan to close 1.6 million acres of federal land in the West originally slated for oil shale development.

The proposed plan would fence off a majority of the initial blueprint laid out in the final days of the George W. Bush administration. It faces a 30-day protest period and a 60-day process to ensure it is consistent with local and state policies. After that, the department would render a decision for implementation.

The move is sure to rankle Republicans, who say President Obama’s grip on fossil fuel drilling in federal lands is too tight. - The Hill

The Obama Presidency, redefining 'Pro-Oil'. Then again, his 'All-of-the-Above' energy policy seems to mean 'None of the below'.
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Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) Lies: 'Social Security does not add one penny to the debt. Not one penny.'

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So the latest story concerning the fiscal cliff the US is facing is news that some Republicans in Congress are thinking of being flexible when it comes to their 'Grover Norquist' no tax increase pledge. However, I think this issue brought out a huge lie pushed by Democrats in general but said by Illinois Democrat Senator Dick Durbin. He said that

'Social Security does not add one penny to the debt. Not one penny.'

His statement was in response to Republican demands that entitlement spending reform be on the table . Basically Senator Durbin is claiming that there is no need to reform Social Security Entitlements because Social Security is not a part of this nation's spending/deficit crisis. Unfortunately, this is not the case and Senator Durbin for sure knows that this is a lie. Zero Hedge explains:

This statement is a lie that is covered over by a dopy accounting system called the Unified Budget. In this magical world, the deficits driven by entitlements are hidden. The reliance on this accounting fiction is a dangerous path for liberals to take. The fact is, SS (and the other government retirement programs for Federal workers and the Military) are running billion dollar cash deficits today and will run Mega-Trillion dollar cash deficits for the next seventy-five years. Every penny of those deficits will result in more borrowing from the public.

These deficits may be “Off Budget” in the magical world of Unified Accounting, but they do add to the publicly held debt on a dollar-for-dollar basis. The Rating Agencies are part of the Cliff discussion (like it or not); those folks are no dopes and they fully understand that Senator Durbin is all wet with his talk of Off Balance sheet debt. - Zero Hedge

If a publicly traded company did this sort of accounting gimmickry, shareholders would eventually lose their investments and people would go to jail. Ironically, Democrat politicians would then be crowing to every TV camera how we need even more laws to prevent this kind of criminal behavior, all the time committing a much larger theft right out in the open.
Worse, the Social Security Trustee report notes that Social Security will run out of money around 2033, unless Social Security taxes are raised (or benefit rules reformed).
Finally, the Trillions of dollars in assets that the Social Security Trust fund has are currently held in the form of US Treasury Bonds. In short, the money was given to the Government and spent. The Government will then have to redeem the bonds as the money is needed to pay Social Security recipients. This means that they will have to get the money from somewhere. Given that the Government plans to run a deficit into the sunset, that means that they will either have to print or borrow the money.
Graphs pictured above were taken from the US Government's own Government Accountability Office. The article is titled 'Federal Debt Basics'. Clearly, this is a topic Senator Durbin and many of his follow Democrats would fail if a grade was given. Unfortunately, it is we who suffer as a result of their incompetence and criminal behavior if they had to be judged the same way that they demand businesses be held to account.--------------------

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