Replies to Post #218556 onTornado Alley (PROG)

Replies to #218556 on Tornado Alley (PROG)

migo

02/12/14 11:23 PM

#218559 RE: F6 #218556

just another F6 masterpiece!

DesertDrifter

02/12/14 11:45 PM

#218564 RE: F6 #218556

dbleagl

02/13/14 2:30 AM

#218566 RE: F6 #218556

WoW at 1st scroll...great stuff, I'll give you my final opinion in about a week...love the break the hymen girl...her stuff should be required viewing in high school. IMO...anyway masterpiece is correct.

sortagreen

02/13/14 2:29 PM

#218632 RE: F6 #218556

Yes, well... That clown doesn't speak for God. Al DiMeola does

-----------

ALL YOUR LIFE, NEW BEATLES TRIBUTE ALBUM -AVAILABLE NOW!

http://www.aldimeola.com/

Al Di Meola's latest release "All Your Life" is an acoustic tour de force that has him revisiting the music of the Beatles. A virtual one-man show of virtuosity, it features the guitar great interpreting 14 familiar Beatles tunes in the stripped down setting of strictly acoustic guitar. "I've come full circle with this Beatles project. I started out my life loving the Beatles, and I never stopped, just like so many other guitarists from my generation. In the middle, we all went into whatever music we pursued in our careers - fusion, jazz, whatever it might be. We all wanted to further our craft. But when you come back to the Beatles' music, it's like, 'Man, this stuff is still happening!' All of it!"

F6

02/18/14 3:58 AM

#218867 RE: F6 #218556

Religious More Likely to Think They're Addicted to Porn

Credit: oily, Shutterstock

By Megan Gannon, News Editor
February 13, 2014 11:50am ET

Feel like you're addicted to porn? Your religion could have something to do with your answer.

Compared with their less spiritual peers, people who identified as very religious were more likely to have a perceived Internet pornography addiction, no matter how much porn they actually consumed, according to a new study [abstract (linked) next below].

"We were surprised that the amount of viewing did not impact the perception of addiction, but strong moral beliefs did," the study's lead author Joshua Grubbs, a doctoral student in psychology at Case Western Reserve University, said in a statement.

Is porn addiction real?

The rise of pornography [ http://www.livescience.com/19251-pornography-effects-santorum.html ] on the Internet has been followed by hot debates about what all this widely available explicit material is doing to the hordes of people who look at it. Is it encouraging hostility toward women or can it empower them? Does it provide a healthy outlet or is it creating addicts?

Some researchers have proposed that compulsive viewing of Internet pornography could be a subcategory of sex addiction [ http://www.livescience.com/38381-is-sex-addiction-real.html ], sometimes called hypersexual disorder. But psychologists have not been able to agree on whether sex addiction (let alone porn addiction) fits the same addiction model that is used to describe people with substance abuse problems, for example. Sex addiction was not recognized in the latest version of the American Psychiatric Association's mental health handbook, the DSM-5 [ http://www.livescience.com/34496-psychiatric-manual-stirs-controversy.html ], and there is no official diagnosis.

Regardless of whether porn addiction is "real," Grubbs and his co-authors note that perceived addiction has been linked to several real elements of psychological distress, such as depression, compulsive behavior and anxiety.

Grubbs became interested in how religion might impact perceived pornography [ http://www.livescience.com/8748-history-pornography-prudish-present.html ] addiction during his undergraduate days at a conservative university. He had encountered fellow students who felt like there was something terribly wrong with them after they looked at Internet porn, according to a statement from Case Western.

Grubbs had also noticed that simply searching for "pornography addiction" on Amazon.com turned up 1,200 book results, half of which were listed under the religious and spirituality sections. Those titles often detailed accounts of personal struggle. His new papaer, published this week in the Archives of Sexual Behavior, also pointed to a previous study, which found that religious therapists are more likely to diagnose sex addiction than their secular counterparts.

Piety and porn

In three studies, Grubbs polled people about their strength of faith, religious practices, online porn-viewing habits and moral attitudes about porn. He also gave participants a survey to measure their perception of addiction, asking them to rate how much they agreed with statements like: "I believe I am addicted to Internet pornography;" and "I feel ashamed after viewing pornography online."

One study involved 331 undergraduates at a public U.S. university, another focused on 97 students at a religiously affiliated university, and a third involved 208 adults gathered in an online poll. The majority of the participants in each survey were either Christian or Catholic, heterosexual and white. In each of the studies, 26-32 percent reported no religious affiliation. The studies excluded people who had not looked at porn at least once in the past six months.

There was no connection between the religious devotion of the participants and how much porn they actually viewed, the studies showed. However, stronger religious faith was linked with more negative moral attitudes about pornography, which in turn was associated with greater perceived addiction, the study found.

Grubbs and his co-authors speculate that feelings of addiction could be seen as "the religious individual's pathological interpretation of a behavior deemed a transgression or a desecration of sexual purity." The findings could help therapists understand that the perception of addiction might have more to do with religious beliefs than actual porn-watching habits, the researchers said.

"We can help the individual understand what is driving this perception, and help individuals better enjoy their faith," Grubbs said in a statement.

Grubbs' study was part of a $1.4 million project funded by the John Templeton Foundation to study how people develop and cope with spiritual struggles. The project is directed by psychologists Julie Exline, from Case Western Reserve University, and Kenneth Pargament, from Bowling Green State University, who contributed to Grubbs' study.

Related

Hot Stuff? 10 Unusual Sexual Fixations
http://www.livescience.com/28379-unusual-sexual-fixations-paraphilias.html

51 Sultry Facts About Sex
http://www.livescience.com/24102-50-facts-sex.html

Sex Quiz: Myths, Taboos & Bizarre Facts
http://www.livescience.com/18962-sex-quiz-myths-taboos-facts.html

Copyright © 2014 TechMedia Network (emphasis in original)

http://www.livescience.com/43362-religious-perceived-porn-addiction.html [no comments yet] [also at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/15/religious-people-addicted-to-porn_n_4794614.html (with comments)]

*

Transgression as Addiction: Religiosity and Moral Disapproval as Predictors of Perceived Addiction to Pornography

Joshua B. Grubbs, Julie J. Exline, Kenneth I. Pargament, Joshua N. Hook, Robert D. Carlisle
Archives of Sexual Behavior
February 2014

Abstract

Perceived addiction to Internet pornography is increasingly a focus of empirical attention. The present study examined the role that religious belief and moral disapproval of pornography use play in the experience of perceived addiction to Internet pornography. Results from two studies in undergraduate samples (Study 1, N = 331; Study 2, N = 97) indicated that there was a robust positive relationship between religiosity and perceived addiction to pornography and that this relationship was mediated by moral disapproval of pornography use. These results persisted even when actual use of pornography was controlled. Furthermore, although religiosity was negatively predictive of acknowledging any pornography use, among pornography users, religiosity was unrelated to actual levels of use. A structural equation model from a web-based sample of adults (Study 3, N = 208) revealed similar results. Specifically, religiosity was robustly predictive of perceived addiction, even when relevant covariates (e.g., trait self-control, socially desirable responding, neuroticism, use of pornography) were held constant. In sum, the present study indicated that religiosity and moral disapproval of pornography use were robust predictors of perceived addiction to Internet pornography while being unrelated to actual levels of use among pornography consumers.

http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10508-013-0257-z

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People Who Watch More Porn Have More Sex, Survey Finds

Cultura RM/Zave Smith via Getty Images

Posted: 02/11/2014 4:40 pm EST Updated: 02/11/2014 4:59 pm EST

Anyone who equates watching porn with an unsatisfactory sex life might want to bite their tongue.

A survey conducted by adult webcam site Cam4.com [ http://www.cam4.com/ ] (NSFW link) and French survey institute IFOP surveyed a representative sample of 1,023 adults about their pornography habits. Ninety percent of men and 60 percent of women reported watching porn regularly [ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/18/women-and-porn-survey-ann-summers-sex_n_4297183.html ]. Fifty-three percent of survey participants watch porn as a couple [ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stacey-nelkin/5-reasons-why-watching-po_b_2766968.html ], and 66 percent said they would watch with their partner if asked.

These results back up what we already believed: that porn isn't just for men [ http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/02/11/porn-isn-t-just-for-men-why-women-love-watching.html ] or single people, and can be a positive way for couples to connect [ http://www.salon.com/2013/01/22/does_porn_hurt_relationships/ ] and communicate. What surprised us was that the respondents who watched porn most often were also the respondents who had the most sex. Though the quantity of sexual encounters doesn't necessarily indicate quality, these findings upend the stereotype that porn is for lonely people with no real-life sexual prospects.

Of men in relationships who watch porn, 68 percent say their partner is aware of it -- and only 7 percent have been asked to stop. A previous study indicated that people who were honest about their porn use felt happier in their relationships [ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/07/porn-relationships-honesty_n_4551079.html ]. Though porn can certainly be a destructive force in people's sex lives [ http://nymag.com/news/features/70976/ ], it seems like adult entertainment can be a positive force when used consensually and communicated about.

Check out more key findings from the Cam4 survey below.

Copyright © 2014 TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/11/porn-survey-have-more-sex_n_4746416.html [with comments]

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You May Be Surprised By Who's Filming And Uploading Amateur Porn

Image Source via Getty Images

Posted: 02/12/2014 5:33 pm EST Updated: 02/16/2014 7:00 pm EST

This week we've learned that the people watching porn [ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/11/porn-survey-have-more-sex_n_4746416.html (just above)] aren't all single, lonely men -- and neither are the people uploading it.

Amateur porn website Homegrown Video [ http://www.homegrownvideo.com/ ] (NSFW link) cataloged all video submissions they received over a six-month period. They found that almost one-third of homemade sex tapes submitted between July and December 2013 were created not in sexually liberal coastal cities, as one might imagine, but in the Bible Belt. Furthermore, 56.9 percent of videos were submitted by women.

(A representative for the site told The Huffington Post that Homegrown Video takes steps to ensure that all videos featured on the site are done so with the express permission of all parties featured. Couples are required to include a short clip acknowledging they are making a video of their own free will, are not intoxicated, and have read the site's terms and conditions when signing the release. Given the impact of revenge porn [ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/09/revenge-porn-stories-real-impact_n_4568623.html ], we're glad these steps are being taken.)

The states with the highest number of submissions were California (20.6 percent) and Pennsylvania (11.8 percent), but 10.8 percent of submissions came from Florida and 6.9 percent from Texas. Other Bible Belt states contributing submissions included North Carolina, Georgia, Louisiana and Kentucky.

These results are consistent with a recent PornHub study [ http://pando.com/2013/05/23/the-bible-belts-porn-problem-religious-cities-watch-as-much-porn-as-non-religious-cities/ ], which found that the religiosity of an area had little impact on how much porn its residents watch. Furthermore, residents of cities with higher churchgoing rates spent 47 seconds longer per PornHub visit than their peers in less religious cities.

The data from Homegrown Video and PornHub suggests that we should reconsider assumptions about who is watching, making and sharing porn -- and hope that the verbal consent requirement, and high number of women taking the lead by submitting their own videos, will make the Internet porn landscape a safer, more welcoming place for women.

Copyright © 2014 TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/12/amateur-porn-filming-uploading-women-bible-belt_n_4776919.html [with comments]

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Bill Maher - Tea Party Porn

fuagf

02/22/14 2:12 AM

#219284 RE: F6 #218556

Abbott Steps Away From Battleground Probe

James O'Keefe at it again in Texas.

by Alana Rocha and Jay Root
Feb. 21, 2014
52Comments

photo by: Marjorie Kamys Cotera

Texas Attorney General and candidate for Governor of Texas, Greg Abbott gives keynote speech during the Texas Rally for Life on January 25th, 2014

*Editor's note: This story is updated throughout.

Attorney General Greg Abbott .. http://www.texastribune.org/directory/greg-abbott/ 's office said Friday it is recusing itself from any investigation of Battleground Texas over allegations that the Democratic group's voter registration activities ran afoul of state election law.

Meanwhile, a Battleground aide blasted Republican leaders for, as he described it, attempting to intimidate the group from signing up voters in a state that has a notoriously low voter participation rate.

“Battleground Texas is in full compliance with the law," said Battleground spokesman Ellis Brachman. "In our efforts to register voters, we are facing unfounded, inaccurate and misleading assertions by Republicans directed at one thing — making sure fewer Texans vote."

In the letter from the attorney general's office, which was sent to the Bexar County district attorney's office, Deputy Attorney General Don Clemmer said it had received three referrals from the office of Texas secretary of state alleging violations of the election code by a Battleground representative conducting registration activities in Bexar County.

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst .. http://www.texastribune.org/directory/david-dewhurst/ .. asked for the matter to be referred to Abbott's office earlier Friday. Abbott's office then wrote Bexar County District Attorney Susan Reed to say it would defer to local authorities.

"This office is recusing itself from this and is therefore referring the case to the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office because the allegations in question reportedly occurred within your office’s jurisdiction," Clemmer wrote. The issue is something of a hot potato because Abbott is running for governor and his expected Democratic opponent, state Sen. Wendy Davis of Fort Worth partners with Battleground on fundraising and get-out-the-vote efforts.

Dewhurst, who is in a hot four-way re-election race, wrote a letter to the secretary of state's office about his concerns over Battleground, started by operatives who worked on President Obama's winning presidential campaigns. He cited allegations that the group had collected phone numbers in violation of election laws.

“Texans whose personal information has been harvested under the guise of a voter registration effort not only deserve an explanation, but also assurances that their information has been destroyed by any entity other than the secretary of state's office,” Dewhurst wrote. “In my view, the seriousness of this issue merits immediate referral to the attorney general's office."

The attorney general's office said it hasn't yet received a criminal complaint. The Bexar County district attorney, Republican Susan Reed, was quoted .. http://www.kens5.com/home/No-formal-complaint-filed-to-DA-office-on-battleground-texas-video-246468921.html .. by KENS-TV in San Antonio as saying it's her call as to whether she should investigate the allegations herself or refer the matter to Abbott.

The flap stems from a videotaped conversation ..

.. with Battleground Texas volunteers in Bexar County. It was gathered surreptitiously by controversial conservative activist James O’Keefe, who has sent people posing as interested volunteers to infiltrate Democratic or liberal activist groups, after which he disseminates video that was secretly gathered.

The office of Texas Secretary of State Nandita Berry suggested earlier this week that the group's voter registration practices might rise to a “potential level of offense” of state election law.

In the video, an unedited version of which The Texas Tribune reviewed, a Battleground voter registration coordinator is quoted as saying the group takes phone numbers gathered as part of the registration process. She said the phone numbers would be used to call the voters close to election time to urge them to vote.

“Once we register people to vote tonight, we will all turn in our cards and our data person will enter, not all the information, but name, address and phone number,” the Battleground representative says. “We can then call everyone here and say, 'Hi, I registered you to vote.'”

O’Keefe’s group, Project Veritas, which has been known to manipulate videos to make them seem more damaging to the people in them, claims Battleground broke state election law by collecting the phone numbers.

Whether Battleground did anything wrong in the process comes down to how the law is interpreted. Section 13.004 of the Texas Election Code says, in part, that county registration officials may not “transcribe, copy or otherwise record a telephone number furnished on a registration application.”

According to Berry spokesman Jeff Hillery, the "volunteer deputy registrars" who sign up voters for groups like Battleground Texas are subject to the same criminal liability that applies to county officials. A violation of that statute is considered misdemeanor “official misconduct” and is punishable by a fine of up to $1,000, jail time of up to six months or both, the law says. Hillery said phone numbers on voter registration applications are treated as confidential information.

Hillery noted that the office of the secretary of state has no power to investigate or enforce the law.

“Since our office isn’t an investigative or enforcement agency, we can’t speak to a potential level of offense; that’s a question best directed” to Abbott, he said.

Brachman, of Battleground, took note of O'Keefe's controversial past, which includes a guilty plea to entering a federal building under false pretenses. He said the new allegations are based on an "admitted criminal" whose partisan Republican antics of doctoring videos are well known."

"Those associating themselves with him, making claims of fraud and using his rhetoric for their political gain should be ashamed of themselves," Brachman said. "What is undoubtedly true is that if Republicans are willing to stoop to such transparent tactics then they are terrified of the prospect of more Texans going to the ballot box."

Brachman said in the "the next few days we will send a more detailed response exposing these claims as utterly without foundation in Texas law."

http://www.texastribune.org/2014/02/21/election-officials-question-battleground-activitie/

to your "Greg Abbott Compares South Texas to a Third-World Nation, Proposes "Surge" of State Troopers" halfway down in yours ..

F6

03/09/14 4:33 PM

#219964 RE: F6 #218556

CPAC 2014 Schedule [March 6, 2014 covered this post]

March 6th, 2014
[...]
View the major speakers schedule below ...:
THURSDAY [March 6, 2014, covered in this post]
9:00 a.m. – Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX)
9:16 a.m. – Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA)
9:24 a.m. – Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI)
9:40 a.m. – Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC)
10:19 a.m. – Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
11:45 a.m. – Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ)
12:00 p.m. – Gov. Bobby Jindal (R-LA)
12:16 p.m. – Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL)
12:31 p.m. – Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT)
2:45 p.m. – Donald Trump
FRIDAY [March 7, 2014, (to be) covered in a reply to this post]
9:00 a.m. – Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX)
9:16 a.m. – Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX)
10:23 a.m. – Former Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-AR)
11:15 a.m. – Ralph Reed, founder of the Faith and Freedom Coalition
2:26 p.m. – Former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA)
2:40 p.m. – Al Cardenas, chairman of the American Conservative Union
2:51 p.m. – Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY)
SATURDAY [March 8, 2014, (to be) covered in a reply to the post covering March 7, 2014]
12:45 p.m. – Newt Gingrich, former House Speaker
1:12 p.m. – Jim DeMint, president of the Heritage Foundation
5:23 p.m. – Straw poll
5:45 pm. – Former Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK)
[...]
http://www.mediaite.com/tv/view-the-full-cpac-2014-schedule/ [with comments]

*

CPAC 2014 Schedule of Events [the complete schedule; the CPAC 2014 event videos below (and, as applicable, in the following posts covering the March 7 and March 8 proceedings) appear in the slightly different order in which they actually occurred]
http://www.cpac.org/schedule-events
http://www.cpac.org/sites/default/files/CPAC%202014%20Schedule%20v3.5.pdf

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CPAC 2014 - Opening Ceremony

Published on Mar 6, 2014 by The ACU [ http://www.youtube.com/user/ACUConservativeUSA ; http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmqnjF1D2hhbFKIqBIVzhCK54eef2DZol ]

Opening ceremonies for the Conservative Political Action Conference 2014 on March 6, 2014.

Recorded at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) 2014, March 6-8, 2014, Washington, D.C.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CwqH_-opic [with comments]

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CPAC 2014 - U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX)

Published on Mar 6, 2014 by The ACU

The Honorable Ted Cruz, United States Senator for Texas, speaking at CPAC 2014 on March 6, 2014.

Recorded at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) 2014, March 6-8, 2014, Washington, D.C.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uk8a0FapUw [with comments]

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John McCain: Ted Cruz Should Apologize For 'President Bob Dole' Comment

03/07/2014
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/07/john-mccain-ted-cruz-apologize_n_4921051.html [with embedded video, and comments]

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Jon Stewart on Ted Cruz marathon speech

Published on Oct 29, 2013 by Wacky Racer [ http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPdmtW3qUreEQpuOjzLqnJA ]

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart 2013 09 25 Ted Cruz Obamacare

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKkLDSBxJjw [with comments] [original segments at http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-september-25-2013/healthcare-bill---ted-s-excellent-adventure (with comments) and http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-september-25-2013/healthcare-bill---ted-s-excellent-adventure---the-bore-ax (with comments)]

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Ted Cruz FULL Appearance on Crossfire - Clashes with Van Jones - October 10, 2013

Published on Oct 10, 2013 by DrudgeReportFanatics [ http://www.youtube.com/user/DrudgeReportFanatics ]

October 10, 2013 - Ted Cruz FULL Appearance on Crossfire - Clashes with Van Jones

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJo8_P4Y6AQ [with comments]

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Rafael 'Ted' Cruz is The Republican Most Hated By Republicans Who Can Think

Published on Oct 12, 2013 by politicalarticles [ http://www.youtube.com/user/politicalarticles ]

American Adults Are Dumber Than The Average Human:
http://www.afroarticles.com/article-dashboard/Article/American-Adults-Are-Dumber-Than-The-Average-Human/257662

Govt. Shut-Down: Marauder SHUT-DOWN Republicans Relive Confederacy Fantasies:
http://www.afroarticles.com/article-dashboard/Article/Govt--Shut-Down--Marauder-SHUT-DOWN-Republicans-Relive-Confederacy-Fantasies/257663

Visit PoliticalArticles.NET:
http://www.politicalarticles.net/

Racism, Prejudice & Hate:
http://www.afroarticles.com/article-dashboard/Category/Racism,-Prejudice-&-Hate/298 ( http://tinyurl.com/Racism-Prejudice-Hate )

Politics USA:
http://www.afroarticles.com/article-dashboard/Category/USA/605 ( http://goo.gl/Zs5nL )

Points To Ponder:
http://www.politicalarticles.net/Points-To-Ponder.shtml ( http://goo.gl/MGHFo )

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwWVUQVqWDY [with comments]

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No, Obamacare Isn't Turning America Into A Part-Time Economy

03/07/2014
Obamacare has not yet turned America into a nation of part-time workers, as many of its strongest critics have long said it would.
In fact, the opposite seems to be happening, according to new government numbers published Friday: The number of part-time jobs is actually shrinking, and full-time jobs are being created instead.
Specifically, the number of part-time workers in the U.S. fell in February to about 27.3 million, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Friday. That number is down by about 300,000 since March 2010, when the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare, became law.
Meanwhile, the ranks of full-time workers have grown by more than 2 million within the past year to 117.8 million in February. The number of part-time workers fell by about 230,000 over that period.
[...]
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/07/obamacare-part-time_n_4919117.html [with comments]

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CPAC 2014 - U.S. Senator Pat Toomey (R-PA)

Published on Mar 6, 2014 by The ACU

The Honorable Pat Toomey, United States Senator for Pennsylvania, speaking at CPAC 2014 on March 6, 2014.

Recorded at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) 2014, March 6-8, 2014, Washington, D.C.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDKuc_koIUc [with comment]

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Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) Opposes Obama Nominee Debo Adegbile

03/01/2014
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/28/bob-casey-debo-adegbile_n_4877673.html [with comments]

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Senate Blocks Obama Civil Rights Nominee For Representing Death Row Inmate Mumia Abu-Jamal

03/05/2014
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/05/debo-adegbile-nomination_n_4904510.html [with comments]

*

Senate rejects Obama’s nominee for civil rights chief

Senior counsel to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Debo Adegbile testifies during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Jan. 8, 2014 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.
03/05/14
[...]
Reid changed his vote to “no” at the last minute in order to preserve the option of bringing Adegbile’s nomination up for a vote again in the future. But the failure of his nomination is a blow to the administration and the Justice Department at a time when civil rights groups see Republicans as actively seeking to curtail Americans’ right to vote [ http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/the-conservative-case-limit-voting ].
Representing murderers hasn’t proved disqualifying before – Republicans confirmed John Roberts as chief justice of the Supreme Court despite his pro-bono work [ http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/obama-pick-targeted-where-others-were-spared ] on behalf of a man recently executed for mass murder. When they choose to, Republicans understand that an attorney shouldn’t be identified with his client’s cause. That would prevent top lawyers from defending unpopular clients, which would erode the quality of justice for those accused of terrible crimes.
None of the senators who cast votes against Adegbile, however, will ever have to worry about not being able to afford a fair shake in court.
“Mr. Adegbile played by the rules,” President Obama said in a statement following the vote. “And now Washington politics have used the rules against him.”
http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/senate-rejects-obamas-nominee-civil-rights [with comments]

*

Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), Up For Reelection, Caves To Pressure On Civil Rights Nominee

03/05/2014
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/05/chris-coons-debo-adegbile_n_4905241.html [with comments]

*

Sen. Harkin (D-Iowa): DOJ Civil Rights Nominee Would Have Been Confirmed If He Was White
03/05/2014
[...]
"We sent a message: We have a double standard. A terrible double standard," Harkin said, pointing out that Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts once worked on behalf of a mass murderer.
"Here's the message we sent today," Harkin said. "You young people listen up. If you are a young white person and you go to work for a law firm … and that law firm assigns you to a pro bono case to defend someone who killed eight people in cold blood … my advice from this, what happened today, is you should do that … Because if you do that, who knows? You might wind up to be the chief justice of the United States Supreme Court.
"However, if you are a young black person and you go to work for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund … and you're asked to sign an appeal for someone convicted of murder, what the message said today is, 'Don't do it! Don't do it.' Because you know what? If you do that, in keeping with your legal obligations and your profession, you will be denied by the U.S. Senate from being an attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice," Harkin said.
"What about that guy sitting over there -- the chief justice of the Supreme Court -- defended a person who killed eight people?" Harkin asked, pointing toward the nearby court building. "Maybe we should institute a -- an impeachment process? Maybe that's what we ought to do. Maybe my friends on the Republican side did not know this about John Roberts, that he had defended a mass murderer. Maybe that's what we've got to do, bring up an impeachment process. Let's impeach the chief justice because he had fulfilled his legal obligation to defend a murderer. Well, I hope that you see the ridiculousness of that argument."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/05/tom-harkin-doj-civil-rights-nominee_n_4907866.html [with embedded video, and comments]

*

2014: Senate Race Baiting Sinks a Nomination for Civil-Rights Chief

The failure of Debo Adegbile's nomination to head the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division sets a sad precedent for young lawyers.
Mar 5 2014
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/03/2014-senate-race-baiting-sinks-a-nomination-for-civil-rights-chief/284242/ [with comments]

*

What John Roberts Can Say About the Rule of Law and Debo Adegbile

The Senate's rejection of the nominee for a Justice Department post imperils the bond between attorney and client. The chief justice needs to speak to shore up that bond.
Mar 6 2014
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/03/what-john-roberts-can-say-about-the-rule-of-law-and-debo-adegbile/284263/ [with comments]

*

Obama Civil Rights Nominee Knew He Was Doomed But Wanted Debate, Harry Reid Says
03/06/2014
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/06/harry-reid-debo-adegbile_n_4912790.html [with embedded video report, and comments]

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The Senate Decides Being A Lawyer Disqualifies You From Holding A Legal Post
03/07/2014
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/05/obama-civil-rights-nominee_n_4907455.html [with embedded video report, and comments]

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CPAC 2014 - U.S. Representative Paul Ryan (R-WI)

Published on Mar 6, 2014 by The ACU

The Honorable Paul Ryan, United States Representative for Wisconsin, Chairman, U.S. House Committee on the Budget, speaking at CPAC 2014 on March 6, 2014.

Recorded at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) 2014, March 6-8, 2014, Washington, D.C.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiwnUaGZOdk [with comments]

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Paul Ryan’s Audit Of Federal Anti-Poverty Programs Finds Many Are Actually Very Effective

March 3, 2014
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2014/03/03/3353541/ryan-poverty-report/ [with comments]

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Paul Ryan Tries to Enlist Social Science to Back Up His Poverty Plan, Disaster Ensues

The life of the mind is totally awesome.

By Jonathan Chait
3/5/2014 at 7:45 AM

Paul Ryan’s budget proposals are not mere compilations of proposals, but grand vision statements. The classic versions relied on sweeping ideological pronouncements (i.e., “it is built on the enduring truths from which America’s Founders established this great and exceptional Nation.”) that would be perfectly at home in a Glenn Beck monologue. This year, Ryan has dramatically changed course. He has prefaced his budget with a review of the scholarly literature [ http://budget.house.gov/waronpoverty/ ; http://budget.house.gov/UploadedFiles/War_on_Poverty.pdf ] of the entire range of federal anti-poverty programs. In the place of grandiose, Randian lectures, Ryan ventures outside the world of right-wing pseudo-scholarship and actually attempts to engage with mainstream economic analysis.

This decision is very much to Ryan’s credit. On the other hand, it turns out to have been a gigantic mistake.

Basically everything in Ryan’s report turns out to be wrong. The Fiscal Times [ http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/Articles/2014/03/04/Economists-Say-Paul-Ryan-Misrepresented-Their-Research ] contacts a number of researchers whom Ryan cites, and they all report that Ryan knows nothing of their work:

One of the study’s authors, Jane Waldfogel, a professor at Columbia University and a visiting scholar at the Russell Sage Foundation, said she was surprised when she read the paper, because it seemed to arbitrarily chop off data from two of the most successful years of the war on poverty .…

Chris Wimer, the lead author on the paper and a researcher at Columbia, said Ryan’s conclusion ignores the major expansion of the earned-income tax credit in 1993 and the roaring dotcom economy of the mid-to-late 1990s. “While our data can't disentangle those three things, attributing the decline in poverty after 1993 to the welfare reform of 1996 seems to go beyond what the data show,” Wimer said.

Barbara Wolfe, a professor at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, said Ryan’s paper simply misstates the findings of one of her papers studying the effect of housing assistance on labor outcomes .…

Wolfe also objected to Ryan’s use of another of her studies, which his paper claimed found “Only a minority of families alter their employment decisions in response to Medicaid’s design.”

Wolfe said that the study had been restricted to a small percentage of recipients, and that its findings were limited to the years prior to the welfare reform bill that passed in 1996.

Meanwhile, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities has a longer list [ http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=4095 ] of the errors, distortions, and omissions in Ryan’s report. Even libertarian economist Tyler Cowen [ http://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2014/03/the-new-paul-ryan-report-on-poverty-and-safety-net-programs.html ] concludes that Ryan’s report presents “only a marginal command of the scholarly literature, and it is a good example of how the conservative movement is still allowing the poverty issue to defeat it and tie it up in knots.”

Ryan is very good at marshaling faux scholarship churned out by ideologues in the service of talking points, and at convincing reporters that he is an actual policy wonk. Unfortunately, he seems to have convinced himself and undertaken the ambitious goal of reconciling his policies with the work of real researchers. That was a bad, bad move.

The bigger dilemma is that Ryan’s budget goals leave him no room to maneuver. He’s committed to balancing the budget within the next decade. But he wants to prop up defense spending, refuses to increase tax revenue, and has promised to maintain Social Security and Medicare benefits for all current retirees. He recently cut a deal with Democrats to ease cuts in the main domestic spending programs. Having taken everything else off the table, the only place left for his cuts is programs that benefit the poor.

And Ryan’s budget absolutely slays the budget for anti-poverty programs – the vast majority [ http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3451 ] of his spending cuts come from the minority of federal programs aimed at the poor. That fact has led to his current predicament: Democrats have painted him as a cruel social Darwinist, causing him to become concerned about his image [ https://twitter.com/costareports/statuses/347726211516100609 ] as an “Ayn Rand miser,” causing him to re-brand himself as a poverty wonk, causing him to dive into scholarly literature. But scholarly literature is never going to show that his plans to impose massive cuts to the anti-poverty budget will help poor people.

And yet, without the massive cuts to the anti-poverty budget, Ryan has no plausible way forward. Reconciling the ideological goals of the House Republican caucus with the best findings of social science is fundamentally impossible. That’s why Republican leaders usually dismiss those findings as biased tripe from liberal eggheads.

Copyright © 2014, New York Media LLC (emphasis in original)

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2014/03/ryan-enlists-social-science-disaster-ensues.html [with comments]

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CPAC 2014 - U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-SC)

Published on Mar 6, 2014 by The ACU

The Honorable Tim Scott, United States Senator for South Carolina, speaking at CPAC 2014 on March 6, 2014.

Recorded at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) 2014, March 6-8, 2014, Washington, D.C.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yxvvk2FAITA [with comments]

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CPAC 2014 - Does the U.S. Congress Matter Anymore?

Published on Mar 6, 2014 by The ACU

Discussion Panel: Does the U.S. Congress Matter Anymore? Executive Orders and the Hopelessness of Ever Curtailing Federal Spending.

David Keene (Opinion Editor, The Washington Times) moderates the discussion with the Honorable Tom Coburn, United States Senator for Oklahoma (R), and Dr. George Will, a Pulitzer Prize-Winning Journalist, on March 6, 2014.

Recorded at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) 2014, March 6-8, 2014, Washington, D.C.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJuW2fwgNkc [no comments yet]

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CPAC 2014 - U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY)

Published on Mar 6, 2014 by The ACU

The Honorable Mitch McConnell, United States Senator for Kentucky, Senate Republican Leader, speaking at CPAC 2014 on March 6, 2014.

Recorded at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) 2014, March 6-8, 2014, Washington, D.C.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syfOOIcBQI8 [with comments]

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CPAC 2014 - The Hon. John Bolton, American Enterprise Institute

Published on Mar 6, 2014 by The ACU

The Honorable John Bolton, Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, speaking at CPAC 2014 on March 6, 2014.

Recorded at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) 2014, March 6-8, 2014, Washington, D.C.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELsAazJL6Zc [with comments]

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CPAC 2014 - Chip Murray, Recording Artist

Published on Mar 6, 2014 by The ACU

Sponsored by Big Dawg Music Radio, recording artist Chip Murray performs before attendees of CPAC 2014 on March 6, 2014.

Recorded at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) 2014, March 6-8, 2014, Washington, D.C.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOPONcTYnRk [with comments]

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CPAC 2014 - John M. Ashbrook Award: The Hon. William Batchelder

Published on Mar 6, 2014 by The ACU

Marv Krinsky presents the John M. Ashbrook Award to The Honorable William Batchelder, Speaker, Ohio House of Representatives, on March 6, 2014.

The John M. Ashbrook Award is bestowed annually to recognize an individual who upholds the ideals of limited constitutional government championed by John M. Ashbrook, the late Ohio congressman and co-founder of the American Conservative Union. ( http://ashbrook.org/events/ashbrook-award/ )

Recorded at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) 2014, March 6-8, 2014, Washington, D.C.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPX5LP5bOxE [no comments yet]

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CPAC 2014 - ACU Blogger of the Year Award: Mary Katharine Ham

Published on Mar 6, 2014 by The ACU

Mary Katharine Ham, Editor-at-Large of the blog Hot Air ( http://hotair.com/ ), Fox News contributor, and guest host on "The View," is presented with the American Conservative Union's "Blogger of the Year" Award by ACU Executive Director Dan Schneider at CPAC 2014 on March 6, 2014.

Recorded at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) 2014, March 6-8, 2014, Washington, D.C.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KI4Y4dGsTyU [with comments]

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CPAC 2014 - Dan Bongino, former U.S. Secret Service Agent and Author

Published on Mar 6, 2014 by The ACU

Dan Bongino, former U.S. Secret Service Agent, author of "Life Inside the Bubble", and Republican candidate for Maryland's 6th Congressional District speaks at CPAC 2014 on March 6, 2014.

Recorded at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) 2014, March 6-8, 2014, Washington, D.C.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuIk92S3PwE [with comments]

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CPAC 2014 - Healthcare after ObamaCare: A Practical Guide, Part 1

Published on Mar 6, 2014 by The ACU

Healthcare After ObamaCare: A Practical Guide for Living When No One Has Insurance and America Runs Out of Doctors. Amy Frederick, President of the 60 Plus Association moderates the discussion with The Honorable John Barrasso (R), United States Senator for Wyoming, Alex Smith, National Chair of the College Republican National Committee, The Honorable Tom Price, United States Representative for Georgia, and the Honorable Ken Blackwell, Liberty University School of Law, on March 6, 2014.

Recorded at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) 2014, March 6-8, 2014, Washington, D.C.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JevFrZpUpAc [with comments]

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Third World Health Care - Knoxville, Tennessee Edition

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Thursday March 6, 2014

Aasif Mandvi highlights the quality of the best health care system in the world by visiting a clinic in Knoxville, Tennessee. (06:10)

© 2014 Comedy Partners

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-march-6-2014/third-world-health-care---knoxville--tennessee-edition [with comments] [on Hulu at http://www.hulu.com/watch/605513 ] [embedded at "'Fox Business' Commentator Tells 'Daily Show' Correspondent, 'If You're Poor, Stop Being Poor'", http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/07/aasif-mandvi-third-world-healthcare_n_4919304.html (with comments), and "Daily Show Proves America Does Not Have the ‘Best Health Care System in the World’", http://www.mediaite.com/tv/daily-show-proves-america-does-not-have-the-best-health-care-system-in-the-world/ (with comments)]

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CPAC 2014 - Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ)

Published on Mar 6, 2014 by The ACU

The Honorable Chris Christie, Governor of New Jersey, Chairman of the Republican Governors Association, and former United States Attorney for New Jersey, speaks at CPAC 2014 on March 6, 2014.

Recorded at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) 2014, March 6-8, 2014, Washington, D.C.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFJ_7GqpggI [with comments]

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CPAC 2014 - AZ State Representative Justin Pierce (AZ-25)

Published on Mar 8, 2014 by The ACU

The Honorable Justin Pierce, State Representative for Arizona's 25th district and candidate for Arizona Secretary of State, speaks at CPAC 2014 on March 6, 2014.

Recorded at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) 2014, March 6-8, 2014, Washington, D.C.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6P0wHq9OdHQ [no comments yet]

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CPAC 2014 - Gov. Bobby Jindal (R-LA)

Published on Mar 6, 2014 by The ACU

The Honorable Bobby Jindal, Governor of Louisiana and former United States Representative for Louisiana speaks at CPAC 2014 on March 6, 2014.

Recorded at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) 2014, March 6-8, 2014, Washington, D.C.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0Y7lDOsZm0 [with comments]

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Bobby Jindal Gets A Much-Needed History Lesson After Eric Holder Insult

By Ryan J. Reilly
Posted: 03/07/2014 3:51 pm EST Updated: 03/07/2014 9:00 pm EST

WASHINGTON -- The Department of Justice's public affairs staffers think Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) could use a history lesson on the civil rights movement.

On Friday, the day after Jindal compared Holder to segregationist Alabama Gov. George Wallace at the Conservative Political Action Conference [ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/06/bobby-jindal-cpac_n_4899151.html ], DOJ employees mailed Jindal a copy of a book by civil rights leader Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.). They inserted a yellow sticky note on page 199, where Lewis writes about Vivian Malone, one of the first African-Americans to integrate the University of Alabama, who walked past Gov. Wallace that day.

Malone is Holder's late sister-in-law, a fact that Holder has mentioned in countless speeches throughout his five years as attorney general, including as recently as Wednesday [ http://www.justice.gov/iso/opa/ag/speeches/2014/ag-speech-140305.html ].

"Worth a read," the note to Jindal says.

"This should help the governor brush up on his history the next time he invokes the Civil Rights Movement," Kevin Lewis, a DOJ spokesman, told The Huffington Post.

In his speech, Jindal said that Holder and DOJ were "trying to stand in the schoolhouse door to prevent minority kids, low-income kids, kids who haven’t had access to a great education, the chance to go to better schools." He was speaking about the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division's legal dispute with Jindal over Louisiana's school voucher program, which DOJ believed may have violated [ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/24/school-vouchers_n_3982725.html ] decades-old school desegregation orders.

DOJ initially filed a motion to enjoin the school vouchers program, but later backed off. The agency is now just seeking [ http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304275304579396734224233264 ] detailed information about the racial composition of public schools. The federal judge in the case has also expressed concerns that the school vouchers program is taking away money from public schools.

Copyright © 2014 TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/07/eric-holder-bobby-jindal_n_4921083.html [with embedded video report, and comments]

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CPAC 2014 - U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL)

Published on Mar 6, 2014 by The ACU

The Honorable Marco Rubio, United States Senator for Florida and former Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, speaking at CPAC 2014 on March 6, 2014.

Recorded at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) 2014, March 6-8, 2014, Washington, D.C.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdRYTYHyE9w [with comments]

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CPAC 2014 - U.S. Senator Mike Lee (R-UT)

Published on Mar 6, 2014 by The ACU

The Honorable Mike Lee, United States Senator for Utah, speaking at CPAC 2014 on March 6, 2014.

Recorded at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) 2014, March 6-8, 2014, Washington, D.C.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyUeiiI1R-M [with comments]

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CPAC 2014 - The American Dream vs. The Obama Nightmare: Income Inequality

Published on Mar 6, 2014 by The ACU

Why has President Obama given up on the American Dream in favor of income redistribution? The Honorable Al Cardenas (Chairman, American Conservative Union) moderates the discussion with Evan Sayet (Author, Kinder Garden of Eden), Rich Lowry (Editor, National Review), and The Honorable Steve Scalise, United States Representative for Louisiana and Chairman of the House Republican Study Committee, on March 6, 2014.

Recorded at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) 2014, March 6-8, 2014, Washington, D.C.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qi5KId9iViA [no comments yet]

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CPAC 2014 - Anna and John, Recording Artists

Published on Mar 6, 2014 by The ACU

Sponsored by Big Dawg Music Radio, recording artists Anna and John perform before attendees of CPAC 2014 on March 6, 2014.

Recorded at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) 2014, March 6-8, 2014, Washington, D.C.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQA3-1yxh18 [with comments]

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CPAC 2014 - Reaching Out: The Rest of the Story

Published on Mar 6, 2014 by The ACU

A discussion of how to bring conservative ideas of liberty, opportunity and prosperity to non-traditional voting blocs AND teach party and movement leaders how to embrace them.

Jason Rice (Partner, Revolvis Consulting) moderates the discussion with Robert Woodson (President, Center for Neighborhood Enterprise), The Honorable Steve Pearce, United States Representative for New Mexico, Elroy Sailor (Co-Founder and CEO, J.C. Watts Companies), and The Honorable Ed Gillespie, former Counselor to the President, former Chairman of the Republican National Committee, and Senior Adviser to the Mitt Romney 2012 presidential campaign, on March 6, 2014.

Recorded at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) 2014, March 6-8, 2014, Washington, D.C.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yu0bwxkjKCQ [with comments]

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So How Did CPAC’s ‘Minority Outreach’ Panel Go?

[ https://twitter.com/JohnJHudak/status/441651875138785280 ]
March 7th, 2014
http://www.mediaite.com/online/so-how-did-cpacs-minority-outreach-panel-go/ [with comments]

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CPAC 2014 - Wayne LaPierre, National Rifle Association

Published on Mar 6, 2014 by The ACU

Wayne LaPierre, Executive Vice President and CEO of the National Rifle Association speaks at CPAC 2014 on March 6, 2014.

Recorded at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) 2014, March 6-8, 2014, Washington, D.C.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsBMuZrcdDk [with comments]

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CPAC 2014 - Donald Trump, The Trump Organization

Published on Mar 6, 2014 by The ACU

Donald Trump, Chairman and President of The Trump Organization, speaks at CPAC 2014 on March 6, 2014.

Recorded at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) 2014, March 6-8, 2014, Washington, D.C.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nzaemPHSU0 [with comments]

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When Dummies Forget Why They Have Handlers

Uploaded on Apr 13, 2011 by Mock The Dummy [ http://www.youtube.com/user/MockTheDummy1 ; http://www.youtube.com/user/MockTheDummy1/videos?flow=grid&view=0 ]

Donald Trump submits a letter riddled with grammatical errors to the New York Times.

Complete notes available on our Facebook page and here:
http://mockthedummy.com/2011/04/13/when-dummies-forget-why-they-have-handlers/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U49U-nqMPyY [with comments]

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How Dummies Bankrupt A Brand

Uploaded on May 11, 2011 by Mock The Dummy

Donald Trump forgets that it takes years to build a brand, but only days to destroy one.

Notes:
http://mockthedummy.com/2011/05/11/how-dummies-bankrupt-brands/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXJ1GRD-5Ow [with comments]

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CPAC 2014 - What's the Deal with Global Warming?

Published on Mar 7, 2014 by The ACU

An Al Gore fever dream? Real but with caveats? Real but irrelevant? Joe Bast (President, The Heartland Institute) moderates the discussion with Steve Milloy (Director of External Policy & Strategy, Murray Energy Corporation), Marc Morano (Publisher, Climate Depot), Dr. Marlo Lewis (Senior Fellow, Competitive Enterprise Institute), George Landrith (President, Frontiers of Freedom), Shannon Smith (CEO, Abundant Power Group), on March 6, 2014.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0Q4AUnKiJg [with comments]

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CPAC 2014 - What Should be America's Place in the World in 2017...After Obama?

Published on Mar 6, 2014 by The ACU

What is in America's national interest from a conservative perspective? World's policeman, fortress America isolationism or some form of "real politik" selective engagement? The Honorable KT McFarland (National Security Analyst/Host, DEFCON3, FOX News) moderates the discussion with Angelo Codevilla (Professor of International Relations, Boston University), Dr. Chris Seiple (President, Institute for Global Engagement), Dr. Zuhdi Jasser (Founder & President, American Islamic Forum for Democracy), The Honorable Van Hipp, Jr. (Chairman, American Defense International, Inc.), on March 6, 2014.

Recorded at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) 2014, March 6-8, 2014, Washington, D.C.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ti6YSslugEo [with comment]

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CPAC 2014 - When the Fed Stops Building and the Mint Stops Printing...

Published on Mar 6, 2014 by The ACU

When the Fed Stops Building and the Mint Stops Printing: Rebuilding the American Economy After a Real Crash. Steve Moore (Chief Economist, The Heritage Foundation) moderates the discussion with The Honorable Marlin Stutzman, United States Representative for Indiana and Cathy Reisenwitz, (Editor, Young Voices) about possible outcomes if the Federal Reserve offered up bonds for sale and nobody bought them, on March 6, 2014.

Recorded at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) 2014, March 6-8, 2014, Washington, D.C.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jw-7jBXwVIw [with comment]

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CPAC 2014 - Rocky Mountain High: Does Legalized Pot Mean Society's Going Up In Smoke?

Published on Mar 6, 2014 by The ACU

Recorded on March 6, 2014 at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) 2014, March 6-8, 2014, Washington, D.C.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWI8hE7aldc [no comments yet]

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CPAC 2014 - Common Core, Choice & Accountability

Published on Mar 8, 2014 by The ACU

Frame the debate between well-intentioned education conservatives, who want higher school performance, and the realists who understand that once the feds are involved, all is lost.

Lindsey Burke (Will Skillman Fellow in Education, The Heritage Foundation) moderates the discussion with Jim Stergios (Executive Director, Pioneer Institute); Phyllis Schlafly (Founder, Eagle Forum), and Robert Enlow (President & Chief Executive Officer, The Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice), on March 6, 2014.

Recorded at the American Conservative Union (ACU) Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) 2014, March 6-8, 2014, Washington, D.C.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZNjv4RP2e4 [with comment]

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CPAC 2014 - Can There be Meaningful Immigration Reform Without Citizenship?

F6

05/04/14 12:03 PM

#222208 RE: F6 #218556

'Nathan was born at 23 weeks. If I'd known then what I do now, I'd have wanted him to die in my arms'

Alexia Pearce and her son Nathan, three, who was born premature, photographed at their home in Petersfield.
Photograph: Katherine Rose for the Observer

Alexia Pearce adores her 'gorgeous' three-year-old son, yet she is aware that his life – a life blighted by cerebral palsy and chronic lung disease – is unlikely to last long into his teens. In this moving account, she asks: are we always right to save premature babies?

Tracy McVeigh
The Observer, Saturday 19 March 2011

Alexia Pearce looks at her three-year-old son Nathan every day and feels the same rush of guilt. Guilt that she chose to let him live when he was born too early, just 23 weeks into her pregnancy. "If I'd known then what I know now about what extremely premature babies have to go though, I would not have chosen that for my little boy.

"I would have wanted them to give him to me and for him to pass away in my arms. I find the whole issue of what he has been put through, what he continues to be put through, very difficult. I feel very guilty that I took that decision, postponing the inevitable."

Nathan still faces a premature death because of the range of his conditions and disabilities. He had to have 22 blood transfusions in his first three months of life, just to replace the blood that was taken from his tiny body for tests. Like all extremely premature babies, he had to be given a cocktail of drugs to support his underdeveloped lungs and other organs, one of which kept his heart safely sealed but as a side-effect left him profoundly deaf.

"He can't walk or talk. He's oxygen dependent, although hopefully that might change. He has chronic lung disease, cerebral palsy and global developmental delay. He has diabetes inspidus and his thermostat is a bit wonky so he gets hot and cold."

It is, says Pearce, a great taboo to wonder if she should have let her son go when he was born so fragile and weak, but one that she feels strongly that she should break. "More people need to be aware of what these little chaps go through," she said.

"He was there with lines coming out of his arms, needles in every limb and his abdomen, but by then it's too late to go back. You can't just say 'Switch off the machines and give him to me, let him go, stop this'. I felt it, though, I still do. You're damned if you do and damned if you don't.

"I have no regrets that what has happened has happened. Now this most gorgeous little thing is here and I absolutely adore him. I am so glad I have got to know him. But that doesn't stop me knowing that all I have done is postpone the inevitable. He's not expected to live a very long life. I don't think he'll make it to his teens. He's so frail.

"I do feel guilt over the choice I have made, even though it's all done with the best intention. No mother or father wants to see their child suffer. Because of the choices I have made I feel he has suffered, and still does."

Around 8% of British babies are born prematurely, compared with 13% in the United States. A premature baby is defined by the World Health Organisation as an infant born before 37 weeks of gestation. Of those babies, 93% will be born over 28 weeks, with good chances of survival but a one in 10 chance of being left with a permanent disability such as cerebral palsy, blindness or deafness.

For those, such as Nathan, who are born earlier, the odds are far, far shorter. And with the numbers of over-45s having babies doubling in a decade and IVF multiple births also on the rise, premature babies are becoming more common.

While the latest figures show that 39% of babies born at 24 weeks are now surviving with help from medical advances, the chances of those children suffering no serious ill-effects in later life are low – around six in 100. Last year, researchers from University College Hospital, London, found that premature babies were more sensitive to pain. All pre-term babies are more at risk of a lower IQ, poorer cognitive functioning, learning disabilities and behavioural problems such as attention deficit disorder than full-term babies.

It makes the area of where to draw the line a difficult one for medical professionals. Dr Bob Welch, neonatal consultant at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, said: "It's uncomfortable for all of us, all of the time. When I first started in this area in 1980, basically babies born at 28 weeks weren't even looked at as possibly viable. Now you expect most babies born after 26 weeks to survive and survive quite well.

"But you are always saying 'Am I doing the right thing?' Personally, I don't like resuscitating before 24 weeks, but at the end of the day it's what the family want. Some will accept the inevitable, and some will want to push on. Likewise with the babies. Some come out screaming and demanding to live, others are much more lifeless. Many survivals will come at a cost, but of course all parents are hoping their baby is the one who beats the odds."

For Pearce, Nathan is a much-loved part of her family, a family that against the odds has managed to stay together. She was moved to talk about her situation after watching a BBC2 documentary earlier this month that provoked questions about the resources being poured into neonatal units.

"I can't come at it from an NHS financial point of view, but I come at this from a human cost point of view," she said. "My other little boy is amazing with Nathan. He can always make him laugh and he wants to help care for him, helping to bathe him and change his nappies. It has made him a very kind little boy. But I never wanted him to go through this either. One day he had a full-time mum and the next I'm at the hospital all the time. He's coped with it so admirably so far. Our lives just changed so dramatically; that's the human cost."

Statistics show that many marriages founder under the strain of having a disabled child and of mourning for the child that was expected, but Pearce and her husband have managed to come through it together. "There's no question that you put your relationship last; your focus is on your children and it's tough.

"You hear about 'miracle babies' or 'little fighters' and people have such a romantic view about premature babies – 'Oh, there's an incubator for a little while and then they go home and everything is rosy'. It's not."

"Obviously every life deserves a chance, every life. But you wouldn't put an adult through that. You wouldn't put an animal through it. If an adult required that level of medical intervention then someone would be taking the family aside and suggesting gently that the machines are switched off."

Pearce had no warning of her own premature birth [ http://www.theguardian.com/society/premature-birth ], brought about by a sudden complication in the pregnancy, a placental abruption, and had none of the risk factors – she doesn't drink or smoke, isn't obese and her first son, Dominick, now five, was born at full term.

"You're in pain, you're bleeding, you're at the hospital and they whirl in, you get a chat, they're talking to us about statistics but none of it is getting through to my mind and you are like a rabbit in the headlights. All I could say was if he comes out and he's not looking good, let him go. But if he comes out looking as though he is up to facing the process, and at that stage I had no idea what those processes would be, then please save him. My key thing was suffering. That was the only thing I was sure about in my head. They said 'No, no, he won't suffer' but I know now that's not true: they do suffer."

She is keen to stress that she feels no resentment over the way she was treated by the medical staff. "I'm not saying the doctors were gung-ho about it, they weren't at all. I think they all have the same questions about what they are doing every day: 'Are we doing the right thing? Just because we can, should we?' "I was treated with the utmost dignity and respect. So I don't feel betrayed in any way, but I feel it was obvious what the outcome would be. I remember when I was taken to the incubator to see him for the first time. I was howling and wailing, I thought it was so unnatural, so hideous, it didn't look right. When you give birth, it's a natural process and this wasn't like that.

"Birth and death are the most natural processes a body can go through and Nathan's birth and treatment was so far removed from that. Strange birth, choices to be made, difficult bonding. I had to wait six weeks to hold my son and when I did he was still attached to a ventilator and I had many nurses around me. It was all so clinical."

An advocate or counsellor figure would, she feels, help the mother think more clearly about the situation.

"I am not saying that I think pregnant women should be deluged with information about it," she said. "These days you get so much information that there is already so much to be paranoid about. It's a fine balance, overloading pregnant mums – after all, you can't prevent a premature birth.

"I had so many people coming in and out, you're in a haze. I think it would be helpful if there had been an advocate. When we got a counsellor a few days after the birth it saved my sanity."

Andy Cole is the chief executive of the charity Bliss, which campaigns on behalf of premature and sick babies. He said: "The decisions facing parents of these very tiny babies are extremely challenging. Sadly, most 23-week babies will not survive, but a significant number do. Doctors and nurses provide amazing care to these vulnerable babies. However, we know that around 50% of units do not provide counselling to their parents. It is crucial that families receive the support they need at this incredibly difficult time."

But for Alexia Pearce, it's important for families to fully understand too that the difficult times do not end when the baby leaves the incubator. "When you go into labour that early, nobody is a winner," she said. "I'm not saying stop people from having their premature baby resuscitated. I'm not saying babies shouldn't be saved. I am saying that the myth that there is a happy ever after needs to be explored and it's important that we talk about it.

"Science is moving on so fast but until we can invent an amniotic sac, there is a big cost to these babies and nature is still against their survival."

© 2011 Guardian News and Media Limited

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2011/mar/20/nathan-born-premature-life-death

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Nathan Pearce born 4 months early weighing just 1lb 1oz
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nathan-Pearce-born-4-months-early-weighing-just-1lb-1oz/279361811231

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Welfare of pre-term babies is more important than desires of parents
Apr 12, 2011
http://www.mirror.co.uk/lifestyle/sex-relationships/welfare-of-pre-term-babies-is-more-important-121926 , also at http://www.timeswellness.com/article/45/2011050420110503222618189a3442c3c [no comments yet]

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Thread: born at 20 weeks and left to die in mothers arms
http://www.netmums.com/coffeehouse/general-coffeehouse-chat-514/news-current-affairs-topical-discussion-12/819112-born-20-weeks-left-die-mothers-arms.html

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F6

03/17/17 5:22 PM

#266761 RE: F6 #218556

Faith-Based ‘Clinics’ Want To Replace Planned Parenthood And That’s Dangerous As Hell

A Texas initiative’s failure shows us why.
03/17/2017
[...]
... The Heidi Group’s founder, the staunch anti-abortion advocate Carol Everett, acknowledged [ http://bigstory.ap.org/article/f7645d59944d47228f2eb195a35a19a4/get-without-planned-parenthood-one-texas-effort-stumbles , https://apnews.com/f7645d59944d47228f2eb195a35a19a4 ] her organization’s shortcomings in Texas last week.
“It’s not as easy as it looks,” she said. “Because we are not Planned Parenthood.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/crisis-pregnancy-centers-cannot-replace-health-care-providers_us_58c95b1fe4b09e52f5552811

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