Beyond The Broken Spectrum

White House officials announced Friday that they had counted exactly how many jobs were created or saved by recent stimulus spending: 640,329.

So how many were saved and how many created? They don’t know.

In a briefing with reporters, officials acknowledged they can’t tell the difference between jobs “saved,” and jobs “created” by the $787 billion stimulus package.

They said they also can’t tell the difference between private sector jobs and government jobs.

And they said that they had found and corrected significant errors in the data submitted in 57,000 separate reports to the federal government by Recovery Act funding recipients.

Story at Politico

Be honest with yourself. Is the White House feeding you a line of crap? They have no idea whether they saved jobs or created them. On top of that they have no idea how many of those jobs were government jobs, and how many of them were private sector jobs. To add insult to injury, their numbers aren’t even straight.

Yeah, Obama is a one termer, unless my fears are true and we have enough people still willing to re-elect him in four years. I guess it all depends on how clueless and gullable these people are. Hopefully the Libertarians and Republicans put up good candidates.

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN— According to sources at the Pentagon, American quagmire-building efforts continued apace in Afghanistan this week, as the geographically rugged, politically unstable region remained ungovernable, death tolls continued to rise, and the grim military campaign persisted as hopelessly as ever.

In fact, many government officials now believe that the United States and its allies could be as little as six months away from their ultimate goal: the total quagmirification of Afghanistan.

“We’ve spent a lot of time and money fostering the turmoil and despair necessary to make this a sustaining quagmire, and we’re not going to stop now,” President Barack Obama said in a national address Monday night. “It won’t be easy, but with enough tactical errors on the ground, shortsighted political strategies, and continued ignorance of our vast cultural differences, we could have a horrific, full-fledged quagmire by 2012.”

Added Obama, “Together, we can make Afghanistan into a nightmarish hell-scape Americans will regret for generations to come.”

The U.S. plan to build a lasting quagmire in Afghanistan calls for the loss of at least 5,000 coalition troops, nearly 1,500 of whom have already been killed, and a wasted investment of nearly $1 trillion, a quarter of which has thus far been spent.

Article continued at The Onion

Reality?

Billed as the First Annual National Government Sucks Day Rally, the event is being held by and for small government and no government activists only.

Karen De Coster, writing from her lewrockwell.com web page, has extended an open invitation to all “Libertarians, Anarchists, Objectivists, and followers of Ron Paul. Front porch radicals and independents are free to attend, as well. No Astroturf’ers allowed.”

That last refers to widespread evidence that many Tea Party protests, whether openly or covertly, have been hijacked by the Republican Party, and since the 9/12 Project is the brainchild of conservative Fox News ranter Glen Beck, both movements are seen by many libertarians as primarily anti liberal government rather than anti big government. (”Astroturf” in this context denotes a “fake grassroots” event.)

As Kevin Tuma’s postings on Facebook Causes make clear, this event represents:

• One day to tell the government how we feel
• A true libertarian convergence full of harmonial goodness

The rally takes place in Hillsboro, Texas on Saturday, November 7, at the site of the Middlefaire Renaissance Festival.

The lineup of scheduled keynote speakers, as of this writing, include:

• Karen De Coster – Libertarian activist, freelance writer, LewRockwell.com columnist, and self-described “theoretical Rothbardian.”
• Mary Ruwart – Longtime Libertarian Party activist and candidate, and former board member of ISIL, FIJA, and the Michigan chapter of Heartland Institute.
• R. Lee Wrights – writer, political activist, American History buff, Libertarian Party At-Large Representative, and co-founder and editor of the free speech online magazine Liberty For All.

  

Other speakers, according to the Libertarian Party of Texas newsletter, include Texas LP Chair Patrick Dixon and Executive Director Robert Butler.

Also scheduled is a “Special Event” by Kevin Tuma, enigmatically called “The Kangaroo Court Military Tribunal of Uncle Sham.”

Tuma is best known as the prolific creator of uncompromising freedom movement political cartoons (many examples of which can be seen at Kevin Tuma’s Blog and Tuma’s Toons) but is also a freedom writer at Tuma’s Voice.

Organizers also hint at “a few various renaissance faire entertainment acts.”

And they definitely invite one and all to stick around for the bonfire at dusk.

Here is everything you need to know about:

THE FIRST ANNUAL NATIONAL GOVERNMENT SUCKS DAY RALLY

• Village Square at Middlefaire Renaissance Festival
• Hillsboro, Texas
• FREE ADMISSION
• Saturday, November 7 – 11 AM until Dusk
• Drinks and Hot food available for purchase (BYOB)
• Spacious flush toilets – no Port-a-Potties
• Voluntary donations to benefit National Government Sucks Day and the Libertarian Party gratefully accepted.

For location, directions, and map see the Middlefaire website.

Thanks to the Examiner

According to a 70 year old genealogist and his grand-daughter, President Obama is related to every other president except for Martin Van Buren. They all trace back to a king of England, John Plantagenet.

The story at http://www.ksbw.com/news/21404492/detail.html

So if I was writing biology text books for use in Texas or Kentucky or Missouri schools I think I would join their education authorities in demanding that the word evolution not be mentioned. Instead I would put all of my effort into explaining speciation. Show how that original bacterium could become 2, 4, 8, 20, 30, 60 … species. Could become, even after losing tens of thousands of species along the way, the tens of thousands of species, including humans, chimps, and bacteria, we see today. Explain about the movements of continents, and climate change, and its effects on both the origin and demise of species. You will find they will know about climate change in the past as a result of another misinformation campaign, but it will come in useful here.

An except from an article at the Huffington Post

As you’re getting liquored up this Halloween, remember to be safe out there. Have a good time and make sure others have a good time as well. Need a new shot for the party this year? How about some brain shots. Courteous of Geekology

bloody brain shooter
1 1/4 oz. strawberry vodka such as Stoli
1/8 oz. Rose’s lime juice
3/4 oz. Bailey’s Irish Cream
Splash of grenadine

Preparation:

Chill vodka for better smoothness. Add vodka and lime juice to a shaker, shake and strain into a shot glass. Using a straw, dip some Bailey’s Irish Cream into the shot. Once you submerge the straw into the Bailey’s put your finger on top of the straw to hold the Bailey’s in the straw. Dip the straw tip into the vodka and slowly release your top finger. The Bailey’s will curdle a little bit due to the lime juice and you should be able to make strands of Bailey’s.

Repeat the straw/Bailey’s process to build a “brain” in the shot glass. Add a splash of grenadine to the concoction to add the ‘blood’ to the mix. Down the hatch as a shot.

Article by Paul Armentano at Mises.org

If popularity was the sole measure of success then D.A.R.E., the “Drug Abuse Resistance Education” curriculum that is now taught in 80 percent of school districts nationwide, would be triumphant.  However, if one is to gauge success by actual results, then America’s most pervasive and expensive youth drug education program is (and always has been) a gigantic and incontrovertible flop.

So says the General Accounting Office (GAO) in a scathing new report that finds the politically popular program has had “no statistically significant long-term effect on preventing youth illicit drug use.”  In addition, students who participate in D.A.R.E. demonstrate “no significant differences… [in] attitudes toward illicit drug use [or] resistance to peer pressure” compared to children who had not been exposed to the program, the GAO determined.

Their critique was the latest in a long line of stinging evaluations that have plagued D.A.R.E. throughout its 20-year history.  Established in 1983 by former Los Angeles police chief Daryl—All casual drug users should be taken out and shot!—Gates, the D.A.R.E. elementary school curriculum consists of 17 lessons—taught by D.A.R.E.-trained uniform police officers—urging kids to resist the use of illicit drugs, including the underage use of alcohol and tobacco.  Upon completion of the curriculum, which often relies on scare tactics and transparent “just say no” ideology, graduates “pledge to lead a drug-free life.”  Numerous studies indicate few do.

These include:

• A 1991 University of Kentucky study of 2,071 sixth graders that found no difference in the past-year use of cigarettes, alcohol or marijuana among DARE graduates and non-graduates two years after completing the program.
• A 1996 University of Colorado study of over 940 elementary school students that found no difference with regard to illicit drug use, delay of experimentation with illicit drugs, self-esteem, or resistance to peer pressure among D.A.R.E. graduates and non-graduates three years after completing the program.
• A 1998 University of Illinois study of 1,798 elementary school students that found no differences with regards to the recent use of illicit drugs among D.A.R.E. graduates and non-graduates six years after completing the program.
• A 1999 follow-up study by the University of Kentucky that found no difference in lifetime, past-year, or past-month use of marijuana among D.A.R.E. graduates and non-graduates 10 years after completing the program.

In fact, over the years so many studies have assailed D.A.R.E.’s effectiveness that by 2001 even its proponents admitted it needed serious revamping.  However, rather than shelving the failed program altogether, D.A.R.E.’s advocates called for expanding its admittedly abysmal curriculum to target middle-school and high-school students—a move that was lauded by many federal officials and peer educators despite a track record that would spell the demise for most any other program.

So why does D.A.R.E. remain so immensely popular with politicians (Both Bush I and Clinton endorsed “National D.A.R.E. Day.”) and school administrators despite its stunning lack of demonstrated efficacy?  Researchers writing in the American Psychological Association’s Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology offer two explanations.

The first is that for many civic leaders, teaching children to refrain from drugs simply “feels good.”  Therefore, advocates of the program perceive any scrutiny of their effectiveness to be overly critical and unnecessary.

The second explanation is that D.A.R.E. and similar youth anti-drug education programs appear to work.  After all, most kids who graduate D.A.R.E. do not enage in drug use beyond the occasional beer or marijuana cigarette.  However, this reality is hardly an endorsement of D.A.R.E., but an acknowledgement of the statistical fact that most teens—even without D.A.R.E.—never engage in any significant drug use.

Of course, those looking for a third explanation could simply follow the money trail.  Even though D.A.R.E. has been a failure at persuading kids to steer away from drugs, it has been a marketing cash cow—filling its coffers with hundreds of millions of dollars in annual federal aid.  (According to the GAO, exact totals are unavailable but outside experts have placed this figure at anywhere from $600 to $750 million per year.)

In addition, police departments spend an additional $215 million yearly on D.A.R.E. to pay for their officers’ participation in the program, according to the New York Times.  But this total may be only the tip of the iceberg.  According to a preliminary economic assessment by Le Moyne College in New York, the total economic costs of officers’ training and participation in D.A.R.E. is potentially closer to $600 million.

Regardless of its ultimate financial cost to taxpayers, there is no doubt that D.A.R.E. has become its own special interest group—aggressively lobbying state and federal governments to maintain its swelling budget.  Like a junkie, D.A.R.E. is addicted to the money, and will do whatever it takes to get it.  Meanwhile, its proponents remain in a state of denial, caring more about political posturing than embracing a youth drug education program that really works.  After 20 years of failure, isn’t it about time someone dares to tell the truth?

Omari Roberts, 23, was widely praised after tackling Tyler Juett, 17, and a 14-year-old accomplice when he caught them breaking into his mother’s home.

He chased the 14-year-old off, then returned to the house to find Juett still there. They scuffled and Juett suffered a six-inch stab wound that severed vital arteries.

Juett was rushed to hospital but later died from his injuries.

Websites which were set up in his memory were swamped with messages backing the right of householders to protect their property.

But yesterday Roberts appeared in court accused of murdering Juett and wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

The burglary was at the home of foster carer Jacqueline McKenzie-Johnson in Old Basford, Nottingham in March.

Neighbours living near the scene of the killing claimed the area had suffered a number of burglaries and householders were “on edge”.

Yesterday Roberts listened intently as Nottingham magistrates heard how he first discovered the 14-year-old inside his mother’s house.

Lee Shepherd, prosecuting, said Roberts chased the youngster down the street before returning to the property to find himself confronted by Juett.

District Judge John Stobart said he was taking the “rare decision” to continue to grant bail because of Roberts’ flawless record of reporting for bail since March.

But he agreed to remand him in custody at least until today after the prosecution said it wanted to appeal against the decision. Outside court Mrs McKenzie-Johnson, 46, a manager at Nottingham City Council, questioned the CPS’s decision to prosecute her son. Daily Express

Alcohol and tobacco are more harmful than many illegal drugs, including LSD, ecstasy and cannabis, according to a paper from a drugs expert.

Professor David Nutt, chairman of the government’s advisory committee on the misuse of drugs, criticised politicians for “distorting” and “devaluing” the research evidence in the debate over illicit drugs.

But he also said some “top” scientific journals had published “horrific examples” of poor quality research on the alleged harm caused by some illicit drugs.

The Imperial College professor argued for a new way of classifying the harm caused by both legal and illegal drugs.

“Alcohol ranks as the fifth most harmful drug after heroin, cocaine, barbiturates and methadone. Tobacco is ranked ninth.

“Cannabis, LSD and ecstasy, while harmful, are ranked lower at 11, 14 and 18 respectively,” said Nutt in the paper from the centre for crime and justice studies at King’s College, London published tomorrow .

Read the rest of the article at the Guardian

If you haven’t heard already, a Home Depot employee was fired from a Florida store for a dress code violation. Sounds pretty clear cut and straight forward; he broke the rules, refused to follow the rules he agreed to when signing his contract of employment, and as a result was fired for insubordination. This wouldn’t even be a news story if not for the content of the pin he was fired over.

As a company policy in an attempt to be a neutral company to its customers, Home Depot has long had a blanket policy requiring that any pins or patches worn at work must be company issued. The same goes for hats and other articles of clothing, in that they cannot display any sort of logo or message unless it has been authorized by Home Depot. My uncle works for Home Depot and is not allowed to wear his Texas A&M hat due to company policy, because it could be offensive to a customer. It is a very sound policy that is entirely non-discriminatory in manner.

The employee was fired for wearing a pin that read “One nation under God, indivisible.” In what sounds like a sobbing manner, the guy made the statement “I’ve worn it for well over a year and I support my country and God, I was just doing what I think every American should do, just love my country. It feels kind of like a punishment, like I was punished for just loving my country.” If this is about patriotism, Home Depot offered him a pin that reads “United We Stand”, but he rejected that offer. It seems the guy was just looking for trouble and believed he was above the company policy that he agreed to.What is eye catching here is that Home Depot waited a year before approaching him about his pin, which they didn’t do until after the employee started bringing a bible to work. That’s a screw up on their part and it only serves to fuel this guy’s supporters, even though ultimately, its irrelevant that they were late in confronting him about his dress code violation since a violation is a violation.

I find it funny that he refuses to take responsibility for his actions and admit he was wrong, and would rather play the religious discrimination card and play to people’s emotions about their patriotism and God. I would hope any sensible person would not fall for such a trap, and would come to the realization that this employee is in the wrong. This has nothing to do with God or patriotism, but a person’s refusal to follow a rule that they agreed to.

So now Home Depot is being sued over the matter. Though I would hope it is unlikely that Home Depot would lose such a clear cut case, there is really no telling these days as more and more Judges are ruling on emotion rather than by facts and laws.

Lets be honest here, its safer to drive under the influence of marijuana than it is alcohol. People under the influence of alcohol are more likely to be reckless and drive at higher speeds while people under the influence of marijuana tend to slow down and follow traffic laws closer than they would normally. However the bottom line is it isn’t safe to drive under the influence of any mind altering substance, especially in younger, more inexperienced drivers.

The increasing number of patients with arthritis has caused much alarm to medical experts. To this date, there has been no success in finding a specific cure for the disease. In other words, the phenomenon of joint destruction is causing more and more people much pain.

Why is arthritis painful?

When the body’s immune response causes the joints to inflame, this causes much destruction in the area. Once the joint has been destroyed by the body’s own immune response, cartilage and bone is left to rub on each other and this rubbing is what makes arthritis very painful. Since there is still no treatment for this specific phenomenon, only pain relief is given.

As a result, this situation goes on and on, without resolution. Conventional medicines are numerous and readily available. However, with the many side effects of prescription medicines, their use has become very unpopular.

Thankfully, there have been a number of natural remedies that have proven to be good relief to inflammation and one of the many products is hemp seed oil. It comes in capsule or liquid form and it works very well as long as it is taken. It has a nutty taste and can therefore be mixed in salad dressings and dips. It can be taken mixed or on its own, and is suitable for use of vegetarians and vegans.

How Hemp Seed Oil Works

Imagine how the oil functions for an automobile. Oil in the engine of a car is used to lubricate the system. Similarly, hemp oil is used to lubricate the joint systems that have been destructed by the disease.

1. It contains a perfect balance of Omega 3, 6, and 9 that the body needs and comes with Gamma-Linolenic Acid (GLA) that can enhance body healing and boost the function of the immune system.
2. Its essential fatty acids can also improve cell growth and organ function as well as mental state and vitality.
3. It contains essential amino acids and essential fatty acids that help maintain health.

With the discovery of more natural remedies like hemp seeds, patients suffering from arthritis are able to improve the quality of life that they have without having to depend on other people. They can carry on with their lives and do the things they enjoy most and if you, too, are suffering from arthritis, know that your life does not end there. You can make your life better.

This article released by http://www.arthritisjournal.org/

They also present an article about marijuana being an alternative cure for Arthritis. Upon seeing the article link I was delighted, that was until I got into the article and took notice of this statement:

Unfortunately, because of its many recreational benefits, the use of marijuana as a treatment for certain illness and disease still pose a very big issue to the public. In the first place, marijuana is still illegal in most parts of the world and you simply cannot turn a blind eye to the many harmful effects of taking it.

For this reason, it is still very difficult to prescribe marijuana as treatment because of the risk it involves, not to mention the fact that possession of the drug can still send the bearer to prison.

Many stories of dependency and addiction have been heard about marijuana. In fact, not only teenagers are found to be at risk with using it. Often times it has become a choice between being dependent on the drug to be able to continue with their lives or being dependent on family and friends to be able to get by. It is, therefore, a very tough decision to make and often times pride gets in the way.

I’m surprised that they would make such an unfounded claim, especially with no supporting evidence. Many harmful effects such as? The only harmful effects of marijuana, especially when consumed in any way besides smoking, is a decrease in sperm and dreaming. Throw in some weight gain if the munchies get to you, but other than that there are no harmful effects. As for it being addictive, caffeine, alcohol, and the nicotine in tobacco products are all more addictive than marijuana.

For more information on the facts and myths of marijuana, visit the Drug Policy Alliance Network

All across the world, collections of global-warming protestors financed by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund gathered on October 24 to call for forceful “climate change” action at the United Nations summit in Copenhagen, Denmark, this December. Most of the gatherings were minuscule, even in big cities, but the effort did receive widespread publicity. According to organizers cited by Agence France-Presse, over 5,000 demonstrations were held in more than 180 countries.

The protestors rallied around the motif of “350” — the supposed level of carbon dioxide in parts per million that some scientists claim is an acceptable ceiling. They carried signs and unfurled banners reading 350, even forming themselves into giant human numbers to illustrate their point.

“We had no idea we would get the overwhelming support, enthusiasm and engagement from all over the world that we’re seeing,” explained Bill McKibben, a climate-change activist who founded the Rockefeller-funded organization 350.org that coordinated the day of protests. “It shows just how scared of global warming much of the planet really is, and how fed up at the inaction of our leaders.”

Ironically, recent surveys indicate that most Americans do not believe global warming is a serious problem or even caused by human activity at all. And several other ironies in this saga become immediately apparent as well.

The continual charge that so-called “deniers” are financed by oil companies should finally be put to rest, considering that a significant share of the Rockefeller family fortune came and continues to come from oil. Several oil companies have financed past McKibben efforts as well. Story continues at The New American