This and That...

[Warph]

Simple-Simon Clucky Hagel Suggests He Favors Tobacco Sales Ban At Military Installations

(After the fecal matter hit the fan, nothing like relaxing with MRE chewing gum and celebrating that you didn't end up with lead poisoning)

Via Stars and Stripes
As the Navy considers banning tobacco sales on all bases and ships, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel gave a strong endorsement of the review Monday, and suggested that he would be in favor of a ban.

"I don't know if there's anybody in America who still thinks that tobacco is good for you," Hagel told reporters at the Pentagon in response to a question about the Navy review. "We don't allow smoking in any of our government buildings. Restaurants, states, [and] municipalities have pretty clear regulations on this. I think in reviewing any options that we have as to whether we in the military through commissaries [or] PXs sell or continue to sell tobacco is something we need to look at. And we are looking at it. And I think we owe it to our people."

Hagel said that the financial and human costs of tobacco use need to be taken into account. The secretary said that dealing with tobacco-related health issues costs the Defense Department more than a billion dollars a year.

"Now the dollars are one thing. But the health of your people — I don't know if you put a price tag on that. So I think it does need to be looked at and reviewed," Hagel said.

Studies show military members use tobacco at higher rates than same-age civilians. A 2011 DOD survey showed 24 percent of troops smoked, compared with 20 percent of civilians of the same age.

Last week, Cmdr. Tamara Lawrence, a Navy spokeswoman for the secretary, confirmed Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus is taking a new look at tobacco use across the service. A Navy official, who spoke to Stars and Stripes on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the topic, said one option on the table is banning tobacco sales on Navy bases and ships.

[Warph]

Axelrod Calls People Skeptical of White House's Obamacare Enrollment Numbers The "Black Helicopter Crowd"

(We don't call him Axeldouche for nothing)

DAVID AXELROD: "This is, of course, Alex, why seven presidents tried to do this, seven presidents failed over 65 years. It is a very, very difficult thing to do because you're right, anytime something happens in the health care system — if a premium goes up, or if someone gets denied care in any way, people say that's because of the Affordable Care Act. And, you know, f you're intimidated by that prospect, then you should never have gone down this road.

I think the reason why people, from the president to members of Congress who voted this deserve such great credit, is this isn't the easy, political thing to do. It's going to take time. I think we're going to look back in five, ten, twenty years and say that was an extraordinarily good decision. But the transitional period is fraught. And this is — one of the things is — one of the reasons it's fraught is because of what you raised.

I want to make one point on what Zeke [Emanuel] said about the insurance industry. I suggest that all of the black helicopter crowd, the people who are doubting the numbers and all of that stuff should talk to the insurance industry because they seem to be bearing out the numbers that the government is reporting. Maybe they'll believe private industry."

[Warph]

Admiral Says Obuttwipe Told Military Leaders: Accept Gays In Military Or Step Down

(Team Fabulous)

Via BuzzFeed:
In a meeting with the heads of the five service branches in 2010, President Obama offered the leaders a choice: Support my efforts to end the military's Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy, or resign.

In a video obtained by BuzzFeed via a Freedom of Information Act request, Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Robert Papp revealed that Obama was unwilling to compromise with service leaders over DADT during a meeting in 2010. "We were called into the Oval Office and President Obama looked all five service chiefs in the eye and said, 'This is what I want to do.' I cannot divulge everything he said to us, that's private communications within the Oval Office, but if we didn't agree with it — if any of us didn't agree with it — we all had the opportunity to resign our commissions and go do other things," he said.

Papp talked about the meeting during a Q&A session with U.S. Coast Guard Academy cadets following a leadership address to the corps on Jan 8. The admiral was asked how officers should respond to policies that they disagreed with but were required to enforce. "If I disagree morally with [a policy], it's my obligation to voice that, regardless of the risk it might give my career," he said. "I've been in those situations. I've been fortunate to have good leaders that have appreciated that." Using himself as an example, Papp said it was OK for leaders to "not be thrilled" with a certain regulation, but if they didn't "see anything terribly wrong with it," it was their job as officers to support and enforce it.

[Warph]

No, GOP Isn't The Party of The Rich: Analysis Shows 8 of Top 10 Richest House Districts Represented By Democrats

(Nancy Pelosi unavailable for comment)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans are the party of the rich, right? It's a label that has stuck for decades, and you're hearing it again as Democrats complain about GOP opposition to raising the minimum wage and extending unemployment benefits.

But in Congress, the wealthiest among us are more likely to be represented by a Democrat than a Republican. Of the 10 richest House districts, only two have Republican congressmen. Democrats claim the top six, sprinkled along the East and West coasts. Most are in overwhelmingly Democratic states like New York and California.

The richest: New York's 12th Congressional District, which includes Manhattan's Upper East Side, as well as parts of Queens and Brooklyn. Democrat Carolyn Maloney is in her 11th term representing the district.

Per capita income in Maloney's district is $75,479. That's more than $75,000 a year for every man, woman and child. The next highest income district, which runs along the southern California coast, comes in at $61,273. Democrat Henry Waxman is in his 20th term representing the Los Angeles-area district.

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi's San Francisco district comes in at No. 8.

Across the country, Democratic House districts have an average per capita income of $27,893. That's about $1,000 higher than the average income in Republican districts. The difference is relatively small because Democrats also represent a lot of poor districts, putting the average in the middle.

[Warph]

British Sniper In Afghanistan Kills Six Taliban With One Bullet

Via Telegraph:
A British sniper in Afghanistan killed six insurgents with a single bullet after hitting the trigger switch of a suicide bomber whose device then exploded, The Telegraph has learnt.

The 20-year-old marksman, a Lance Corporal in the Coldstream Guards, hit his target from 930 yards (850 metres) away, killing the suicide bomber and five others around him caught in the blast.

The incident in Kakaran in southern Afghanistan happened in December but has only now been disclosed as Britain moves towards the withdrawal of all combat soldiers by the end of the year.

Lt Col Richard Slack, commanding officer of 9/12 Royal Lancers, said the unnamed sharpshooter prevented a major attack by the Taliban, as a second suicide vest packed with 20kg (44lbs) of explosives was found nearby.

The same sniper, with his first shot on the tour of duty, killed a Taliban machine-gunner from 1,465 yards (1,340m).

Several hundred British and Afghan soldiers were carrying out an operation in December when they were engaged in a gun battle with 15 to 20 insurgents.

"The guy was wearing a vest. He was identified by the sniper moving down a tree line and coming up over a ditch," said Lt Col Slack. "He had a shawl on. It rose up and the sniper saw he had a machine gun.

"They were in contact and he was moving to a firing position. The sniper engaged him and the guy exploded. There was a pause on the radio and the sniper said, 'I think I've just shot a suicide bomber'. The rest of them were killed in the blast."

It is understood the L/Cpl was using an L115A3 gun, the Army's most powerful sniper weapon.

[Warph]

Democrats Losing Younger People, Independents, Whites

Monday, 31 Mar 2014 06:12 AM

By Elliot Jager

http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/Pew-Andrew-Kohut-polls-Democrats/2014/03/31/id/562649/

Democratic 2014 electoral prospects are hampered by the party's losing ground among whites, those under 34, and independent voters, Andrew Kohut, founding director of the Pew Research Center, wrote in The Wall Street Journal.

Surveys show that the public thinks Republicans have fewer solutions on healthcare than Democrats, and only a four-point lead on handling the economy. Moreover, the Republican Party has a 59 percent unfavorable rating – and the tea party is almost twice as unpopular today as it was in 2010.

Nevertheless, polls show the GOP stands a better chance of coming out ahead in the midterm elections, Kohut wrote.

While Republican voters are more enthusiastic about their party and exhibit a higher voter participation rate, Democrats, with a 48 percent unfavorable rating, are losing support among key demographic groups.

Independent voters lean Republican by 44 percent to 38 percent. President Barack Obama failed to carry the independent vote in the 2012 presidential elections, Kohut wrote in a commentary.

About 80 percent of the midterm electorate is expected to be white, Kohut wrote. Democrats trail Republicans in white support 53 percent to 38 percent.

Democrats are also losing backing among millennials. Identification with the Democrats now stands at 50 percent – down from 58 percent in 2009.

Obama's unpopularity "is probably the greatest problem for Democrats this year," Kohut wrote.

With a 44 percent approval rating, his standing could prove a hindrance to Democratic candidates. In 2006, Republicans lost Congress when President George W. Bush's approval slipped to roughly that same 44 percent level.

[Warph]

Obuma Claims 7 Million "Signed Up" For ObumaCrappyCare, But Study Shows Only 858,000 Previously Uninsured Have Actually Paid

(So Obama threw people out of plans he promised they could keep and forced them by law[his ever changing law] to sign up or face penalties. Yet, the 30 million who this law supposedly was meant for, are, according to this study, still uninsured)

Via Daily Mail:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2594309/President-plans-victory-lap-strong-Obamacare-enrollment-Sebelius-faces-unpopular-law-blank-stare-tough-questions-remain-whos-signing-up.html

•President took a major victory lap and took political shots at Republicans, but ignored shortcomings in his administration's official numbers

•Press secretary Jay Carney will only say 'we're aggregating a lot of data' when asked how many enrollees have paid for coverage

•Carney dodged questions about damning study that showed very few Obamacare customers were uninsured before the law took effect

•Percentages from a hush-hush RAND Corporation study suggest barely 858,000 previously uninsured Americans have enrolled and paid premiums

•HHS Secretary Sebelius met a televised challenge Monday about 'unpopular' Obamacare with lengthy awkward silence

A triumphant (Clown) President Barack Obama declared Tuesday his signature medical insurance overhaul a success, saying it has made America's health care system 'a lot better' in a Rose Garden press conference.

But buried in the 7.1 million enrollments he announced in a heavily staged appearance is a more unsettling reality.

Numbers from a RAND Corporation study that has been kept under wraps suggest that barely 858,000 previously uninsured Americans – nowhere near 7.1 million – have paid for new policies and joined the ranks of the insured by Monday night.

Rose Garden no-show: Kathleen Sebelius appeared on an Oklahoma TV station on Monday to buck up Obumacare's flagging numbers in the Sooner State, and had only a blank-stare response to the law's unpopularity -- she was nowhere to be seen as Obuma took his victory lap.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2594309/President-plans-victory-lap-strong-Obamacare-enrollment-Sebelius-faces-unpopular-law-blank-stare-tough-questions-remain-whos-signing-up.html#ixzz2xhrgM63S

[W. Gray]

Wishful thinking as the proposed method has never been used to amend the Constitution. Of course, there is always a first time, but even with Congressional blessing, some states have been reluctant to provide approval for Constitutional amendments.

EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT
Proposal approved by Congress in 1923.
The amendment would guarantee equal rights for women.
In 1972, the proposal was passed in Congress and went to the state legislatures for ratification.
Failed to receive enough state ratifications before the June 30, 1982, deadline mandated by Congress. This particular proposed amendment can never be adopted to be part of the constitution.

TITLES OF NOBILITY AMENDMENT
Proposal approved by Congress in 1810.
It would strip United States citizenship from any citizen who accepted a title of nobility from a foreign country.
The proposal has not received three fourths states approval but can be adopted if enough states yet provide their approval.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA VOTING RIGHTS AMENDMENT
Proposal approved by Congress in 1978.
It would grant the District of Columbia full representation in Congress, in the Electoral College, and full participation in amending the Constitution.
The proposal did not receive three fourths state approvals by 1985 and cannot be adopted as a Constitutional amendment.   

CORWIN AMENDMENT
Proposal approved by Congress in 1861.
Meant to get the seceding states back into the Union and get the slave border states not to jump ship.
The proposal has not received three fourths state approvals but is still alive.

CHILD LABOR AMENDMENT
Proposal approved by Congress in 1924.
It would regulate the labor of people less than eighteen years of age.
Has not been approved by three fourths of the states and is still alive.

CONGRESSIONAL APPORTIONMENT AMENDMENT
Proposal approved by Congress in 1789.
It was an attempt by Congress to regulate the number of members of the House of Representatives.
Has never been ratified by three fourths of the states but is still alive.

Time needed for the appropriate number of states to approve the 27 amendments to the US Constitution

27, 1992, 202 years, 7 months
26, 1971, 3 months
25, 1967, 1 year, 7 months
24, 1964, 1 year, 4 months
23, 1961, 9 months
22, 1951, 3 years, 11 months
21, 1933, 9 months
20, 1933, 10 months
19, 1920, 1 year, 2 months
18, 1919, 1 year
17, 1913, 10 months
16, 1913, 3 years, 6 months
15, 1870, 11 months
14, 1868, 2 years
13, 1865, 10 months
12, 1804, 6 months
11, 1795, 11 months
1-10, 1795, 2 years, 2 months

[Ross]

National Liberty Federation
Rep Luis Gutierrez (D) Illinois doesn't bother to make thinly-veiled threats. They are blatant and right out for all to see.

Gutierrez tries to provide legitimacy to the claim that B. Hussein Obama is an American citizen and then bizarrely asserts that as some type of basis for another irrational argument. He admonishes the House of Representatives, telling them if they don't give Obama his amnesty for the illegals who have overrun the country, he'll do it anyway.

Gutierrez continues saying Obama "will act if he has to. If you give him no choice, this president is going to take charge himself." He then follows it with, "as well he should."

Get ready, folks, we've just been put on notice. Obama or his handlers have probably been planning this at least since he announced his candidacy amid all of the Lincoln symbolism.

He's going to push it through, no matter how Americans feel about it, just as we've seen before. His boy Luis just confirmed it.

https://www.facebook.com/libertyheadquarters

[Warph]

Eric Holder Defends Using Taxpayer-Funded Justice Department Airplane For 27 Personal Trips

(Because Eric Holder is a clown, that's why)

Via Washington Examiner:
Attorney General Eric Holder disputed a Government Accountability Office report on his use of Justice Department airplanes for personal trips, saying it overstated the number of Clown trips he took and failed to recognize that some trips were job-related.

"My staff keeps telling me to take it easy, you know, well, this is one that gets me," Holder told Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va., during a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing. "There was this notion that we've taken — I think it was described as hundreds of personal trips. That was wrong. GAO counted flights, not round trips. And we looked at it and figured out from the time period that they were looking, we took not hundreds, but 27 personal, four combined — official and nonpersonal trips — and none of the trips that I took or that the [FBI] director took ever had an impact on the mission capability of those airplanes."