US Congress passes authoritarian anti-protest law
The bill—H.R. 347, or the "Federal Restricted Buildings and Grounds Improvement Act of 2011"—was passed by unanimous consent in the Senate, while only Ron Paul and two other Republicans voted against the bill in the House of Representatives (the bill passed 388-3). Not a single Democratic politician voted against the bill.
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Time to play "What if Alberto Gonzales said that?"
Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. asserted on Monday that it is lawful for the government to kill American citizens if officials deem them to be operational leaders of Al Qaeda who are planning attacks on the United States and if capturing them alive is not feasible."Given the nature of how terrorists act and where they tend to hide, it may not always be feasible to capture a United States citizen terrorist who presents an imminent threat of violent attack," Mr. Holder said in a speech at Northwestern University's law school. "In that case, our government has the clear authority to defend the United States with lethal force."
While Mr. Holder is not the first administration official to address the targeted killing of citizens — the Pentagon's general counsel, Jeh Johnson, did so last month at Yale Law School, for example — it was notable for the nation's top law enforcement official to declare that it is constitutional for the government to kill citizens without any judicial review under certain circumstances. Mr. Holder's remarks about the targeted killing of United States citizens were a centerpiece of a speech describing legal principles behind the Obama administration's counterterrorism policies.
***Still, the speech contained no footnotes or specific legal citations, and it fell far short of the level of detail contained in the Office of Legal Counsel memo — or in an account of its contents published in October by The New York Times based on descriptions by people who had read it.
The administration has declined to confirm that the memo exists, and late last year, The Times filed a lawsuit under the Freedom of Information Act asking a judge to order the Justice Department to make it public. In February, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a broader lawsuit, seeking both the memo and the evidence against Mr. Awlaki.
John Yoo and David Addington were pikers.
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Say this for Rick Santorum: At least he's honest about his agenda.
During an appearance on Sunday on Chris Wallace's Fox News Sunday, Rick Santorum again defended his "moral objection" to contraception:
WALLACE: You say that you believe that birth control is wrong. [...] Senator, the Centers for Disease Control say that 99 percent of the women in this country, between the ages of 15 and 44 who had sexual activity -- and this includes Catholic women, they say that 99 percent of them at some point in their lives have used artificial birth control.Are you saying that all of those women have done something wrong?
SANTORUM: I'm reflecting the views of the church that I believe in. And we used to be tolerant of those beliefs. I guess, now, when you have beliefs that are consistent with the church, somehow or another, you are out of the mainstream. And that to me is a pretty sad situation when you can't have personal health belief.
But that's not what the issue is about. The issue is about whether the government can force you to do things that are against your conscience. And that's what we've been talking about on the road. We haven't been talking about my own moral beliefs. We've been talking about what the government can do in forcing people to change or violate those beliefs.
Uh huh. So Rick Santorum demands that our national health care policies adhere to the views of his church and his "personal health belief"—whatever the hell that's supposed to mean, since most people would agree that actual medicine trumps "personal health beliefs"—but it's not about his "moral beliefs." No, it's just about reflecting the views of his church. Because that's how Rick Santorum believes laws should made in this country.
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SC County GOP: If You've Had Pre-Marital Sex, You Can't Be A Republican
Betty Bowers says, "Remember: If you never plan to get married, none of the sex you have is premarital. #Loopholes #OutSmartingBusybodies"
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CEO and GM of Hawaiian radio station announced that KPUA has discontinued Rush's show "effective immediately."
"We have always encouraged spirited discussion about national and local issues on KPUA and from time to time those discussions may be deemed by some to be objectionable. We are strong believers in the first amendment and have recognized Mr. Limbaugh's right to express opinions that often times differ from our own, but it has never been our goal to allow our station to be used for personal attacks and intolerance. The most recent incident has crossed a line of decency and a standard that we expect of programming on KPUA whether it is locally produced or a syndicated program like the Rush Limbaugh show.
While much of the national debate regarding this issue is now being framed in political terms, the decision for us is one of decency and responsibility. Regardless of one's political views on the issue being discussed, we feel the delivery was degrading and the continued comments over several days to be egregious. As a result, we are discontinuing the Rush Limbaugh program on KPUA effective immediately."
More. Of. This. Please.
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AOL has announced that they are pulling ads from the Rush Limbaugh show.
"one of our core values is that we act with integrity. We have monitored the unfolding events and have determined that Mr. Limbaugh's comments are not in line with our values."
Also, Peter Gabriel has asked Rush to stop using his song "Sledgehammer"
Peter Gabriel has asked that this response be published when he found out that his track 'Sledgehammer' has been used on the Rush Limbaugh show:
'Peter was appalled to learn that his music was linked to Rush Limbaugh's extraordinary attack on Sandra Flute. (sic) It is obvious from anyone that knows Peter's work that he would never approve such a use. He has asked his representatives to make sure his music is withdrawn and especially from these unfair aggressive and ignorant comments.'
Sandra Fluke reacts to Limbaugh's non-apology apology:
"I don't think that a statement like this issued, saying that his choice of words was not the best, changes anything, and especially when that statement is issued when he's under significant pressure from his sponsors who have begun to pull their support."
Meanwhile, in Missouri, it has been decided that Limbaugh should be honored with a bust in their Hall of Famous Missourians within the Missouri State Capitol. They're gonna need a lot of clay.
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Last week, a local Delaware council in Wilmington voted 8-4 for a resolution "that asks state legislatures and U.S. Congress to enact laws that forbid men from destroying their semen"
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Apparently "Romneying" — defined as "accidentally bragging about your place high up in the economic stratosphere" — runs in the family.
His wife, Ann Romney, inexplicably talked about her wealth this afternoon during an interview on Fox News. "We can be poor in spirit, and I don't even consider myself wealthy, which is an interesting thing, it can be here today and gone tomorrow," she said.
The couple made $20.9 million last year, making more in a day than an average American makes in a year, and are worth about $250 million overall.
From discussing his NASCAR team-owning friends, to saying he likes firing people, to bragging about Ann's two Cadillacs, Mitt also has a problem with accidentally and inappropriately touting his enourmous wealth.
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