You may have been reading the torture memos – and if so, you will be feeling pretty sick. It's all there: the old Nixonian presumption that "it's not illegal if the President does it"; the mealy-mouthed cloaking of horror in the blandest of language (such as the "rare instances" where eleven days of sleep deprivation might produce "abnormal reactions"); the combination of legal strictures with weasel words and let-out clauses that allow the interrogators to do what they want, so long as their "intention" is to comply.

The whole episode is shameful – and not just because was crude, brutal and dishonest. It was also stupid: it's as if, blinded by the promise of limitless support and resources from the White House, the CIA's professionals forgot all their trade-craft and signed up instead to the simpler doctrines of the military's SERE program, in which participants are tortured because – of course – that's what other, less sophisticated, countries do. In particular, they set aside the lessons of what some call the inquisitor's Bible: John Tolliver's The Interrogator, a study of the Luftwaffe's Hanns Joachim Scharff.

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The 26th amendment (granting the right to vote for 18 year-olds) took only 3 months & 8 days to be ratified! Why? Simple! The people demanded it. That was in 1971...before computers, before e-mail, before cell phones, etc.

Of the 27 amendments to the Constitution, seven (7) took 1 year or less to become the law of the land...all because of public pressure.

Congressional Reform Act of 2011

1. Term Limits.

12 years only, one of the possible options below..
A. Two Six-year Senate terms
B. Six Two-year House terms
C. One Six-year Senate term and three Two-Year House terms

2. No Tenure / No Pension.

A Congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they are out of office.

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The guy who came to install the new septic tank had some advice for the President – who, sadly, wasn't there, so he gave it to me to pass on in case Mr. Obama ever comes to visit. “It's basic,” said the septic-tank guy: “he just needs to ship back the illegals, cancel all bonuses, reserve jobs for Americans, cut taxes, increase defense spending, bomb Iran. Bingo: problem solved.” The words “it's not that simple” were forming on my lips, but it's rarely a good idea to alienate someone on whom depends the whole future of your plumbing, so I steered the conversation around to the job at hand: “say, why’d you mark the site way down the yard like that? Shouldn't you dig it nearer the house?” “It's not that simple,” he retorted: “you look like you got boulder clay at the top of the yard. Site it there, your tank‘s likely to back up in a couple of years. Down the way seems to me more like gravel, so you could get a natural leach field. I could be wrong; I won't know for certain till I get the backhoe in and dig down six or seven feet. Then we'll see where we stand.”

The septic-tank guy was doing what we all do, revealing a basic human quality that appears again and again, in lab experiments and real life alike: the less we know about a subject, the more cocksure we are about our answers. In one study, people who were actually betting against the researchers in real money insisted, at 100-to-1 odds, that more Americans die from homicide than suicide and that the potato originated in Ireland. It seems that the fewer close dealings we have with a topic, the more important it is to have a quick answer, even if that answer is wrong. This isn’t necessarily a sign of stupidity; it’s just another way our thrifty brains save on scarce mental resources. After all, when you’re certain of something, you can stop thinking about it – so, yeah, the capital of Colombia is Caracas. Of course I'm sure. Next!

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So, you think you know where you stand, politically. Think again.
The result from this short test may surprise you and give you some food for thought.

You'll be asked just 10 questions, and then it instantly tells you where you stand

politically. It shows your position ( in their opinion) as a red dot on a "political map" so you'll see exactly where you score.

The most interesting thing about the Quiz is that it goes beyond the Democrat, Republican, and Independent. The Quiz has gotten a lot of praise. The Washington Post said it has "gained respect as a valid measure of a person's political leanings." The Fraser Institute said it's "a fast, fun, and accurate assessment of a person's overall political views." Suite University said it is the "most concise and accurate political quiz out there."

Take a look at this and just remember elections in Nov. 2010.

U.S. House & Senate have voted themselves $4,700 and $5,300 raises.



IN 2010 YOU WILL HAVE A CHANCE TO GET RID OF THE SITTING CONGRESS:
Up to 1/3 OF THE SENATE, AND 100% OF THE HOUSE.

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Do you remember the scene? The Senate. Barbara Boxer hearing from a Brigadier General? Silly General! He addresses Barbara as "Ma'm", and she CORRECTS him, telling him she's "worked SO hard to earn the title, "Senator", so please to use that when speaking to her.

Get a load of this letter!

Read the letter sent to Sen. Barbara Boxer from an Alaskan Airlines pilot below.
Many of us witnessed the arrogance of Barbara Boxer on June 18, 2009 as she admonished Brigadier General Michael Walsh because he addressed her as "ma'am" and not "Senator" before a Senate hearing.

This letter is from a National Guard aviator and Captain for Alaska Airlines named Jim Hill. I wonder what he would have said if he were really angry. Long fly Alaska !!

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A man, whose family was German aristocracy prior to World War II, owned a number of large industries and estates. When asked how many German people were true Nazis, the answer he gave can guide our attitude toward fanaticism. 'Very few people were true Nazis,' he said, 'but many enjoyed the return of German pride, and many more were too busy to care. I was one of those who just thought the Nazis were a bunch of fools. So, the majority just sat back and let it all happen. Then, before we knew it, they owned us, and we had lost control, and the end of the world had come. My family lost everything. I ended up In a concentration camp and the Allies destroyed my factories.'

We are told again and again by 'experts' and 'talking heads' that Islam is the religion of peace, and that the vast majority of Muslims just want to live in peace.Although this unqualified assertion may be true, it is entirely irrelevant. It is meaningless fluff, meant to make us feel better, and meant to somehow diminish the spectre of fanatics rampaging across the globe in the name of Islam.

The fact is that the fanatics rule Islam at this moment in history. It is the fanatics who march. It is the fanatics who wage any one of 50 shooting wars worldwide. It is the fanatics who systematically slaughter Christian or tribal groups throughout Africa and are gradually taking over the entire continent in an Islamic wave. It is the fanatics who bomb, behead, murder, or honor-kill. It is the fanatics who take over mosque after mosque. It is the fanatics who zealously spread the stoning and hanging of rape victims and homosexuals. It is the fanatics who teach their young to kill and to become suicide bombers.

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Sometime later this year, we Taxpayers may again receive an Economic Stimulus Payment. The Obama Administration is very excited about this new program. Let me try to explain to you how it works using a simple Q and A format:



Q. What is an Economic Stimulus payment?
A. It is money that the federal government will send to taxpayers.

Q. Where will the government get this money?
A. From taxpayers.

Q. So the government is giving me back my own money?
A. Only a smidgen.

Q. What is the purpose of this payment?
A. The plan is that you will use the money to purchase a high-definition TV set, thus stimulating the economy.

Q. But isn't that stimulating the economy of China ?
A. Shut up.

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