World News Korner

Courtesy of Raw Story:

The District Attorney’s Office in Houston, Texas says that no charges will likely be filed against the father who shot his teenage daughter’s boyfriend dead.

Prosecutor Warren Diepraam told FOX 26 that “[w]hat was going on in the person’s mind at the time of the shooting what they found out after the fact isn’t going to matter a whole bunch. They’re looking at what he was thinking when he made the decision to shoot.”

The decision to shoot, according to police, was made by the 55-year-old homeowner after his 4-year-old son informed him that there was a strange man in his 16-year-old daughter’s bedroom. It was 2:20 a.m., and the homeowner immediately grabbed his gun and entered his daughter’s bedroom to find her under the covers with an unknown teen.

He allegedly told the teen not to move, and police say his daughter initially claimed not to know who the teen was. At some point during the discussion, the father perceived the teen to be moving for what could have been a gun and shot him dead.

The teen was unarmed, and his daughter later confessed that the dead teen was her boyfriend, and that she had snuck him into her bedroom.

When I wrote about this earlier I predicted that the father would likely not face any jail time, though I have to admit I was hoping I would be wrong about that.

In my opinion this man had every right to threaten that young man with an ass whooping and throw him out on the street, but he did NOT have the right to take his life.

And do you know what? If he had smacked that kid around he probably would be MORE likely to face charges.

That is how screwed up this country has become.

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Courtesy of the You Tube page:

J. Bradley Horner, former candidate for Mayor of Athens Alabama. The windchill at this time was in the upper 30's. We were all bundled up. Felt so sorry for those cold children. Mr. Horner tried his best to start something with the clinic escorts, but we don't respond, only record. This video was taken in Huntsville AL.

For the record there is NOBODY that I am aware of on the pro-choice side who wants there to be more abortions. That is why they are always also outspoken advocates for sex education and increased access to birth control.

What this man did is indefensible in my eyes, and a clear case of child abuse.

That little girl could no be older than four or five and has no idea what this man is saying to her other than the fact that these people standing in front of them are evil.

And make no mistake the anti-choice movement in this country is only growing stronger and more aggressive, in their attempts to strip women of the right to have control over their reproductive organs.

Just read this courtesy of Mother Jones.

We are steadily losing ground in this argument for choice, and with fathers like this demonizing people fighting to protect Roe vs Wade it makes me worry about the future.

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Courtesy of HuffPo:

Evangelist Franklin Graham is praising Russian President Vladimir Putin for his aggressive crackdown on homosexuality, saying his record on protecting children from gay “propaganda” is better than President Obama’s “shameful” embrace of gay rights.

Graham, who now heads the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association started by his famous father, praises Putin in the March issue of the group’s Decision magazine for signing a bill that imposes fines for adults who promote “propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations to minors.”

The Russian law came under heavy criticism from gay rights activists, and from Obama, ahead of the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. In response, Obama included openly gay athletes as part of the official U.S. delegation to Sochi.

“In my opinion, Putin is right on these issues,” Graham writes. “Obviously, he may be wrong about many things, but he has taken a stand to protect his nation’s children from the damaging effects of any gay and lesbian agenda.”

“Our president and his attorney general have turned their backs on God and His standards, and many in the Congress are following the administration’s lead. This is shameful.”

With the caveat that “I am not endorsing President Putin,” Graham nonetheless praised Russia’s get-tough approach toward gay rights.

“Isn’t it sad, though, that America’s own morality has fallen so far that on this issue — protecting children from any homosexual agenda or propaganda — Russia’s standard is higher than our own?”

Homophobic, traitorous, POS!

And of course this "gay agenda" that he so reviles is simply to be treated like everybody else, and to be allowed to marry who they love.

The idea that his piece of garbage would extoll the virtues of a man who has his political enemies murdered, oppresses any who dare speak out against him, and is right now invading a sovereign nation, over a man who has ended two unnecessary wars, saved the economy from ruin, and worked to provide better access to health care for all American citizens, is indefensible.

No wonder he and Sarah Palin get along so well.

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Okay I have a question.

Is this a smart person blog from which people steal their opinions?




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Courtesy of HuffPo:

Americans are losing faith. At least, that's the conclusion of a new poll on religion.

Jointly conducted by NBC and The Wall Street Journal, the poll found that 21 percent of Americans feel religion is "not that important" in their lives.

This, NBC News writes, is the "highest percentage" recorded since the survey was first conducted in 1997. "The poll showed that these less religious Americans are more likely to be men, have an income over $75,000, to live in the Northeast or West and to be under the age of 35," says NBC.

Progress can sometimes move inexorably slow, but move it does.

Every year we are seeing faith receding and critical thinking expanding.

It is almost enough to make this godless heathen shed a tear.

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Courtesy of TPM:

Health insurance offered through Obamacare must cover same-sex married couples the same as they would opposite-sex married couples starting in 2015, the Obama administration announced Friday.

"If an insurance company offers coverage to opposite-sex spouses, it cannot choose to deny that coverage to same-sex spouses," Matt Heintz, director for provider and LGBT outreach at the Department of Health and Human Services, wrote in a blog post.

"In other words, insurance companies will not be permitted to discriminate against married same-sex couples when offering coverage. This will further enhance access to health care for all Americans, including those with same-sex spouses."

The new requirement applies to all legally married same-sex couples, regardless of where they live, Heintz wrote.

Okay you just know this is going to drive the Right Wing out of their ever loving minds.

Is mental health covered by Obamacare?

Better health care, equal rights extended to gay people, a recovering economy, just what is this country coming to?

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That's right bitchez I got a new video show.

Courtesy of Capital:

Fox News contributor and former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin will be launching her own digital video channel, tentatively called “Rogue TV,” a source familiar with the project told Capital.

The channel will be available through Tapp, the digital video service founded by former CNN chief Jon Klein and former NBC Universal entertainment executive Jeff Gaspin. Subscriptions will cost $10 per month.

Rogue is expected to launch in April or May, and it would be one of the first of the digital channels offered by Tapp.

Palin’s channel will feature video commentaries from the former Republican vice-presidential candidate, discussing current events and political issues.

“Think of it as a video version of her Facebook page,” the source said.

That said, Rogue is also expected to feature footage of Palin and her family in Alaska, much as the 2010 TLC reality series, “Sarah Palin’s Alaska,” did. (TLC’s parent company, Discovery Communications, is an investor in Tapp.)

It will also have advice and guidance from Palin, such as tips for parents and recipes. There are also tentative plans to have subscribers engage in regular video chats with Palin.

Representatives for Tapp did not respond to a request for comment on the plans.

Can you believe she is calling it "Rogue TV?"

Well of course you can, what else would she call it, "Hockey Mom radio?"

You know this might finally be the perfect venue for Palin. A radio show that asks very little from her but to post the same content that she currently pays ghostwriters to write on her behalf for Facebook.

It's like scratching your ass like you do everyday, only this time somebody is paying to watch you do it.

Well at least this answers the age old question where do Fox News contributors go to die??

It is the same place that Glenn Beck went after HE was drummed off of the air at Fox.

And hey he is not doing too badly over at Blaze. I mean he's a whole lot crazier, but apparently there's a market for crazy.

So who knows, Palin might do very well in this arena. After all she is at LEAST as crazy as Glenn Beck. Probably crazier!

The only question is how long can the woman whose picture now sits next to the word "quitter" in the dictionary be willing to stick this out? And how long will her rapidly disappearing fan base be willing to pay $10 a month to listen to her babble like a schizophrenic who missed their last dose of Thorazine?

Only time will tell.

What is interesting is how isolated this radical group of Right Wingers, like Palin, Glenn Beck, and Herman Cain. have become. They are no longer considered reasonable enough to have an easily accessible platform and are instead now forced to find little media pockets where those of a like mind can seek them out and listen to their insanity for a fee.

If only Charles Manson had possessed the foresight to wait a couple of decades, instead of rotting in jail like he is today, he could have had his own show (Helter Skelter?) right alongside Sarah Palin and the other not ready for prime time lunatics.

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This from the YouTube page:

March 13th, 2014 • Sarah Palin made an unexpected call to the Dennis Prager show today. Guest host Mark Isler was interviewing co-authors Dr. Gina Gentry Loudon and Ann-Marie Murrell on their new book "What Women Really Want", and suddenly found themselves on the phone with the conservative leader as they were discussing the "War on Women" being waged by liberals.

So ostensibly the story is that Palin was driving around in her car, most likely in Arizona somewhere, and heard this show and felt the need to call in and give her two cents.

Gina Loudon, of course, also has a child with Down syndrome and she and Palin have met a few times, and this Ann-Marie Murrell woman is a right wing loon who writes for a number of conservative websites.

Isler starts of by having a mini-climax at the thought that Palin actually knows how to work the radio dial.

Palin then weighs in with her oh so well thought out and researched opinion:

"Hey I just wanted to call in and thank the gals for working so extremely hard to combat this BS "war on women" stuff, and explain to America that we are the party that are the true women liberators, because we are the ones fighting against this government control over all of us. And we care so much about every woman and every ounce of positive potential in every woman, so much so that we want to protect even our littlest sisters. They're the ones in the womb. We're the party with the plank in the platform. And you gals are the ones preaching it and i love you and I thank you."

The two women gush over this praise (I think one of them even cries.), proceed to praise her appearance at CPAC.

Isler than makes the claim that Republicans don't see gender and only see people as people. (You know people who work for a living and have value, and less important people who need to stay home with the kids and make me a damn sandwich when I tell them to make me a damn sandwich!)

Palin: "Exactly, who is it that is stereotyping women? Is it those who believe that every woman is a powerful, capable, strong individual? And we judge them on individual merits? Or is it, these who would lump women, especially, together and try to create this victimization..um..envelopment of these women? (In high pitched voice) Women are stronger, and more capable, and deserve better than that. So it just amazes me that there are some quasi intelligent women who buy into this crap. It just..it..it..it blows my mind and when I find out a woman does buy into it, I'm like 'Dang, she disappoints me, now I realize she's not that smart."

To be clear this is Sarah Palin, you know the one who could not get through an interview with the MSM without making a fool of herself and setting the women's movement back 50 years, suggesting that women who realize that it is the Democratic party that has worked to help them get paid equally to men, have paid time off for childbirth, and gain access to free birth control under the ACA, are somehow stupid.

Palin goes on to promise to endorse their new book (Uh oh!) and tweet about it to her fan(s).

Isler then suggests that the education system indoctrinates children into liberalism, and expresses surprise that any person can remain conservative in that environment, while also pointing out how the liberal media "attacked" Palin over the years.

Palin: "Yeah well, they're...they're taking the shots, and they continue to take the shots at all of us, but we're still standing. And I believe we are winning. I believe, especially this year, that people's eyes are opening. It is a great awakening in America where people are realizing 'Ah we've been sold a bunch of hooey, and we're not going to take it anymore.' Look at Obama's poll numbers, that's indicative of, they've got a problem. We're going to win!"

So the message here, if I can find I underneath all of this predigested word salad, is that liberals are working against women, conservatives are working to empower women, and education is hurting America.

Well yeah that makes all kinds of sens.....wait a minute!

I actually looked for this book and could not find a mention of it on Amazon, so perhaps it is only sold subversively to people they don't think have good reading comprehension and critical thinking skills.

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This took place Tuesday during a Senate hearing on single payer healthcare. Here is the pertinent exchange courtesy of the Chicago Tribune:

North Carolina Senator Richard Burr

BURR: Why are doctors exiting the public system in Canada?

MARTIN: Thank you for your question, Senator. If I didn’t express myself in a way to make myself understood, I apologize. There are no doctors exiting the public system in Canada, and in fact we see a net influx of physicians from the United States into the Canadian system over the last number of years.

What I did say was that the solution to the wait time challenge that we have in Canada -- we do have a difficult time with waits for elective medical procedures -- does not lie in moving away from our single-payer system toward a multipayer system. And that’s borne out by the experience of Australia. So Australia used to have a single-tier system and did in the 1990s move toward a multiple-payer system where private insurance was permitted. And a very well-known study by Duckett, et al., tracked what took place in terms of wait times in Australia as the multipayer system was put in place.

And what they found was in those areas of Australia where private insurance was being taken up and utilized, waits in the public system became longer.

BURR: What do you say to an elected official who goes to Florida and not the Canadian system to have a heart valve replacement? (This reference is to Newfoundland Premier Danny Williams, whose decision to have a heart valve procedure in Miami, near where he owns a condo, rather than Canada, is widely viewed in Canada as a rich man's failure to investigate the care available to him closer to home.)

MARTIN: It’s actually interesting, because in fact the people who are the pioneers of that particular surgery, which Premier Williams had, and have the best health outcomes in the world for that surgery, are in Toronto, at the Peter Munk Cardiac Center, just down the street from where I work.

So what I say is that sometimes people have a perception, and I believe that actually this is fueled in part by media discourse, that going to where you pay more for something, that that necessarily makes it better, but it’s not actually borne out by the evidence on outcomes from that cardiac surgery or any other.

(The ultimate zinger came at the end of the exchange, when Burr thought he had Martin down for the count about wait times in Canada, and she neatly put the difference between the Canadian and U.S. systems in perspective.)

BURR: On average, how many Canadian patients on a waiting list die each year? Do you know?

MARTIN: I don’t, sir, but I know that there are 45,000 in America who die waiting because they don’t have insurance at all.

Ouch! That's going to leave a mark.

I have to admit that I, like many Americans, believed the propaganda that America has the best health care system in the world. It was only after the whole health care debate started that I learned what a pile of steaming excrement that is. (In fact I should thank IM's Canadian visitors who quickly straightened my ass out about the price of care, the actual wait times, and the lies about their citizens coming here to meet their health care needs.

Now after reading this I am kind of on the side of the Teabaggers in that I want ACA repealed as well. Only I want it replaced with a single payer system, so that America can finally have the health care system it deserves.

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If you are long time visitors here at IM you are probably well aware that yours truly is often escorted from Palin book signings.

The above video is from the first time it happened, back in 2009 for Palin's "Going Rogue" book tour, and it came as a complete surprise.

Here is what I wrote then:

My first hint that something may be wrong down in Who-ville was when I was asked for my ID, not once, but twice. Then as Dennis and I were about to sign in, and the lady behind the desk took our picture with a little digital camera! WTF? I have never had anybody do that before at any other event that I attended as a media representative. I wondered why there was such tight security, unaware that my question was only seconds from being answered.

Almost as soon as I had my picture taken I felt a hand on my shoulder.

I turned around and came face to face with a local police officer who quickly apologized and then informed me that I was on the "banned list".

"I am on the WHAT list?" I asked.

"The banned list sir, I am going to have to escort you off of the property. This is a private event."

Both Dennis Zaki and I were escorted out that day. And it resulted in quite a backlash against Sarah Palin, her publisher Harper Collins, and the staff in charge of the Curtis C. Menard Memorial Sports Center, where the signing was held.

However I guess I never realized exactly how big of an impact it had on the poor guy who was in charge of the sports center.

The other day Dennis sent me this article from early 2010, that I somehow missed:

It wasn't the largest event ever held at the Wasilla Sports Complex, or the most lucrative.

But city recreation and cultural services manager James Hastings said the Dec. 22 book signing that publishing company HarperCollins sponsored for former Gov. Sarah Palin at the facility has been the most controversial by far.

"The event was easy. The whole thing over being told these folks (on a not-welcome list) can't be here, that was nightmarish," Hastings said.

Reporters wanted to see the contract between HarperCollins and the city. There was none, Hastings said. The publisher arranged the rental verbally and paid the city electronically. Instructions were handled by e-mail and in a walk-through with Todd Palin before the event. The only written document was instructions he handed out to his staff and three volunteers: A list of names provided by Todd Palin of four people not welcome at the event.

On the banned list were Dennis Zaki, a photographer who formerly ran the Web site Alaska Report, blogger Jesse Griffin, Anchorage radio host Shannyn Moore and Andree McLeod, an Anchorage activist who filed state ethics complaints against Gov. Palin.

While neither Moore nor McLeod attended, both Zaki and Griffin were there. After they signed in at the media table that morning, they were told they were banned from attending and escorted out of the building, even though HarperCollins paid $475 to rent only the turf court and mezzanine sections of the sports center.

Suddenly, with news of a "banned" list, the signing became big news.

Hastings said that as a result of the hubbub, he plans to end the "handshake and a gentleman's agreement" approach the city has had for one-time rentals.

"In the next 30 days we're going to have a rental agreement so you write down what you want," Hastings said.

I knew it got a lot of attention, and for awhile Dennis and I even flirted with the idea of suing Harper Collins, but eventually I figured things went back to the usual for the sports center.

Apparently I was mistaken, and our little fracas, for which I continue to proclaim my innocence, resulted in a policy change that continues to this day.

You know the other thing this did was start a trend which Tina Dupuy noticed in 2011, and which inspired her to compile her now famous Sarah Palin's Enemies List.

Of course Dennis and I are on there along with Joe McGinniss and Levi Johnston.

In fact this list became such a status symbol that people were campaigning for the right to be added.

However not to split hairs or anything, but there is "I wrote something critical and now she doesn't like me" enemies, and "The crazy lady hates me so much she keeps throwing me out of book signings" enemies.

Oh, but if you don't think she likes me now, you just wait.

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Courtesy of Raw Story:

A Texas father shot and killed a teenage boy who he found in his daughter’s bedroom early Thursday morning.

Harris County deputies said that the 16-year-old daughter snuck the 17-year-old boy into her bedroom. Her younger brother saw the boy, and notified the father.

When the father asked about the boy, the girl reportedly claimed she did not know him. The man called 911, and then he got into an argument with the boy.

The father said that he opened fire when the boy suddenly moved his hands. The 17-year-old boy died at the scene.

According to The Houston Chronicle, the father complained that he was having panic attacks, and was taken to a nearby hospital. Deputies said that the man appeared to be on medication.

You know as a teenage boy I cannot tell you the number of times that I was almost caught after sneaking into a young lady's room. Always invited of course.

To be honest I used to worry about something like this happening, but looking back I seriously doubt that any of those angry fathers would have opened fire on me. Because even though this was during the wild a wooly days of Alaska's past, we were not animals.

Simply killing somebody in a fit of anger certainly happened, but it was usually a domestic dispute between spouses or a drug deal gone bad.

It seems we are becoming less civilized, instead of more civilized.

And you KNOW, since this is Texas, that this guy will more than likely get off and use the Stand Your Ground defense to do so.

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#ObamaCare is a train wreck alright. ... ... For the @gop. pic.twitter.com/x1zuikFtEh

— amk4obama (@amk4obama) March 13, 2014

The law is catching steam and getting ready to roar past its many conservative opponents leaving them in the dust. Hopefully it will happen fast enough for the Democrats to use in the 2014 elections.

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