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Torture, torture, torture, torture
Ever since President Obama released the Bush-era torture memos, torture has been the hot topic for political pundits. There seems to be at least four groups of people regarding this issue: 1.) W... Ever since President Obama released the Bush-era torture memos, torture has been the hot topic for political pundits. There seems to be at least four groups of people regarding this issue:
1.) Waterboarding is torture. Torture is a crime. There are criminals. Criminals need to be prosecuted.
2.) Waterboarding is not torture. Go ahead, waterboard me!
3.) I'm not going to take a stance on waterboarding, but can't we just forget about the past? (Basically, someone who deep down believes in the first three sentences of #1, but doesn't want the fourth sentence to happen)
4.) I can't choose whether it's torture or not because if it is, I can try to accuse the Democrats in Congress of knowing about it but if it isn't, then it'll protect all those Republican officials under Bush.
Which one are you? (more) -
Raúl Castro is prepared to discuss everything with Barack Obama
President Obama lifted all restrictions for Americans to travel to Cuba to meet relatives and to send money. It never made sense as to why they were in place to begin with, but that simple move has... President Obama lifted all restrictions for Americans to travel to Cuba to meet relatives and to send money. It never made sense as to why they were in place to begin with, but that simple move has prompted Raúl Castro to express his willingness to meet with Barack Obama. He is willing to discuss any topic that Barack Obama wants: "human rights, freedom of the press, political prisoners -- everything, everything, everything that they want to discuss." Barack Obama is hoping that Cuba is making progress in those above areas so that relations between United States and Cuba can improve. The U.S. government instituted the embargo three years after Fidel Castro came to power in 1959.
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Rod Blagojevich finally indicted
Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was impeached and arrested and now he's indicted on 16 felony counts by a federal grand jury. Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich is facing such charges as rac... Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was impeached and arrested and now he's indicted on 16 felony counts by a federal grand jury. Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich is facing such charges as racketeering, conspiracy, wire fraud, and making false statements to investigators. Blagojevich and his chief of staff, John Harris, were arrested in December 2008 on federal corruption charges for conspiring to sell President Obama's vacant U.S. Senate seat. Court-authorized wiretaps caught Blagojevich, who was already surrounded by controversy from other corruption scandals, trying to profit from the Senate vacancy.
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GOP thinks they can make a comeback after shedding Bush
Top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell says that the GOP can start to make a comeback now that the unpopular Bush is out of the picture. McConnell likened Bush to a "millstone around our necks". ... Top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell says that the GOP can start to make a comeback now that the unpopular Bush is out of the picture. McConnell likened Bush to a "millstone around our necks".
What is interesting is that Republicans are only eager to get rid of Bush because of his unpopularity, not because of his policies. So, they do not or refuse to understand why Bush was unpopular in the first place and just want to push the same ideas and expect them to work the next time around. This type of wishful thinking and superficial analysis will doom the GOP for the next few years until they wake up and come up with something innovative. (more) -
Barack Obama on Jay Leno
President Barack Obama went on the Late Show with Jay Leno to get the real scoop about what's going on. So, Obama told Leno that he was "stunned" when he learned about the bonuses that were being g... President Barack Obama went on the Late Show with Jay Leno to get the real scoop about what's going on. So, Obama told Leno that he was "stunned" when he learned about the bonuses that were being given out to AIG employees, after AIG was bailed out by federal money. However, one of the men on Obama's administration was very much in contact with AIG, as a former employee... so how did Obama not know about all the financial shenanigans going on over at AIG? (Some food for though)
When Jay Leno went on to ask Obama about the bonuses that the AIG executives received, Obama again said he was shocked that the executives there had such a feeling of entitlement, that even after being bailed out, they even accepted the bonuses! (Maybe President Obama needs to take a step back join the real world for a couple minutes.) So, of course, Obama also gave much praise to his Treasury Secretary, Timothy Geithner, explaining how Geithner is doing an outstanding job despite the allegations and the pressure. Instead of just fixing the financial problems, everyone is pointing fingers, trying to escape the blame... even our president claims he didn't know what was going on.
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S.C. governor says U.S. at risk for hyperinflation.
South Carolina governor Mark Sanford warned of a collapse of Zimbabwean proportions if the federal government keeps on spending money it does not have. Sanford plans on turning down part of the fed... South Carolina governor Mark Sanford warned of a collapse of Zimbabwean proportions if the federal government keeps on spending money it does not have. Sanford plans on turning down part of the federal stimulus money, but with South Carolina having the second highest unemployment rate among the states, there are other lawmakers who disagree. "What you're doing is buying into the notion that if we just print some more money that we don't have and send it to different states, we'll create jobs," he said. "If that's the case, why isn't Zimbabwe a rich place?" said Sanford. Zimbabwe currently faces a 11 million percent inflation rate.
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Democrat Senators oppose spending bill
Senators Evan Bayh and Russ Feingold are urging President Obama to veto a $410 billion spending bill bloated with about $8 billion in earmarks. Supporters of the bill say that this is compensating ... Senators Evan Bayh and Russ Feingold are urging President Obama to veto a $410 billion spending bill bloated with about $8 billion in earmarks. Supporters of the bill say that this is compensating for the budget cuts suffered under the Bush administration, but those were different times. It is important to rein in spending and have a few sacrifices. While Democrats have been criticized as reckless spenders by their opponents, here are two that have a sense of fiscal responsibility. (more)
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Bobby Jindal mocks volcano monitoring
Bobby Jindal attacked Obama's federal spending plan and used a $140 million appropriation for the U.S. Geological Survey as an example of questionable spending. "Instead of monitoring volcanoes, wh... Bobby Jindal attacked Obama's federal spending plan and used a $140 million appropriation for the U.S. Geological Survey as an example of questionable spending. "Instead of monitoring volcanoes, what Congress should be monitoring is the eruption of spending in Washington," the Louisiana governor said. Bobby Jindal tried to pick out the most ridiculous item in the spending plan, but only showed himself to be inconsiderate of other cities' needs. That is like the governor of a landlocked state criticizing New Orleans for spending money on flood insurance. (more)
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President Obama goes to Canada
U.S.-Canada relations suffered during George W. Bush's Presidency and Barack Obama has chosen to make his first trip abroad to the U.S.' northern neighbor to try ease things out. Obama and Canadian... U.S.-Canada relations suffered during George W. Bush's Presidency and Barack Obama has chosen to make his first trip abroad to the U.S.' northern neighbor to try ease things out. Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper discussed the economy, the fight on global warming, and Afghanistan. Obama also clarified that the "buy American" clause in his stimulus plan would not result in protectionism. There are a lot of tough issues between the two countries, but the two leaders took small steps first. They avoided touchier subjects like the war on terror.
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More U.S. soldiers lost to suicide than combat in January
A spike in the number of Army suicides has everyone concerned. Why is this happening? I know military life is tough: extended time away from family and friends, risk of death, lower living conditio... A spike in the number of Army suicides has everyone concerned. Why is this happening? I know military life is tough: extended time away from family and friends, risk of death, lower living conditions, brutal training. But then again, that has always been there. What is the changing variable that is causing this spike?
It is hard to tell. Soldiers might be tired of the war or depressed to learn the true reasons behind the war. War makes me think back to movies like "Full Metal Jacket". Are we treating the troops that are defending our country with respect?
The Army and National Institute of Health have agreed to launch a five-year study into the matter. (more)
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