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Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Sunday that the United States is not about to “get gouged” by Pakistan — which despite having received billions in U.S. aid is demanding $5,000 for every truck that carries supplies into Afghanistan across its border. The dispute over the border crossing is once again in the spotlight after Pakistan sentenced to 33 years in prison the Pakistani doctor who helped the CIA track down Usama bin Laden. Panetta on Sunday called that decision “disturbing,” though he said the U.S. government will continue to “work at” its troubled relationship with Pakistan. Yet with Islamabad continuing...

Here's a great way to reduce overhead and be effective at running a national organization dedicated to infringing on the gun rights of everyday people all at the same time... Have cities hire your people for you so that tax payers cover 1/4 of your people’s salary and benefits, pay for most of their operational costs, and finance all of their other resources! It also embeds your people as leaders in city government so that you don’t have to lobby there! Sounds like another conspiracy theory from the tinfoil hat brigade... Right? Back in March, while researching the repeal of...

If Democratic voters were rapidly increasing in number and Republican voters rapidly decreasing, it should be pretty big news, shouldn’t it? Not when at issue is a third rail of American social commentary: race. Recently I wrote a piece on race and voting patterns, using as a lede the story about how white births now account for less than 50 percent of the U.S. total for the first time in history. And while most respondents agreed with my analysis, some reacted predictably: Uncomfortable even hearing about race and/or frightened by what lies ahead, they rationalized away obvious facts. And here...

The archbishop of Washington on Sunday accused the network news programs of having "missed the boat" by largely ignoring lawsuits filed this past week by Catholic institutions challenging the Obama administration's so-called contraception mandate. Cardinal Donald Wuerl, speaking on "Fox News Sunday," was responding to an analysis by the conservative Media Research Center of how the networks' evening newscasts treated coverage of the dozen federal lawsuits filed Monday. According to the center, CBS spent 19 seconds on the story after it broke, while the other networks gave it no coverage. "It is puzzling, particularly since they're focusing so much attention...

The Obama campaign’s latest attack tells the story of workers at an Indiana office supply company who lost their jobs after a Bain-owned company named American Pad & Paper (Ampad) took over their company and drove it out of business. Here’s what the Obama Web video doesn’t mention: A top Obama donor and fundraiser had a much more direct tie to the controversy and actually served on the board of directors at Richardson, Texas-based Ampad, which makes office paper products. Jonathan Lavine is a long-time Bain Capital executive and co-owner of the Boston Celtics. He is also one of President...

The ham-handed Barack Obama campaign attack ads on Mitt Romney's former firm Bain Capital have drawn a lot of ire from other Democrats. And not just because they were sloppily fact-checked (the ads hit Romney for layoffs long after he left Bain) and because a leading Obama money bundler is a Bain executive himself. Chiming in with various degrees of disapproval were Newark, N.J., Mayor Cory Booker ("nauseating"), former Rep. Harold Ford, Obama car czar Steven Rattner, Sen. Mark Warner and former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell. There are other signs of unease among Democratic elites. Obama contributions from Silicon Valley...

Ex-NY Times CEO clashed with chairman's girlfriend-reportReuters – 6 hours ago REUTERS - Arthur Sulzberger Jr.'s new girlfriend and the New York Times Co's declining business led to the ousting of Janet Robinson as the newspaper company's chief executive in December. A New York magazine article published this week reconstructs the events that led to Robinson's departure after 28 years of service, working her way up from advertising sales to the corner office in 2004, becoming Sulzberger's most trusted lieutenant in the process. http://tinyurl.com/6oameoz The article is based on interviews with more than 30 sources described as "intimately familiar with...

After nearly two weeks of heated debate over whether President Obama should attack Republican Mitt Romney’s tenure at a private-equity firm, Democratic leaders across the country say they are largely united behind the strategy, even as some concede an uncertain outcome and new polls show Obama has lost ground nationally. The Democratic leaders, in numerous interviews over the last week, said they are hearing little or no resistance among the party faithful in their states to a strategy that Republicans have characterized as anti-capitalist. And Obama has no plans to back off; his campaign will roll out more stories in...

    The FReeper Canteen Observes ------------------------Memorial Day 2012 ------------------------     HistoryMemorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service. There are many stories as to its actual beginnings, with over two dozen cities and towns laying claim to being the birthplace of Memorial Day. There is also evidence that organized women's groups in the South were decorating graves before the end of the Civil War: a hymn published in 1867, "Kneel Where Our Loves are Sleeping" by Nella L. Sweet (see below) carried the dedication "To...

Obama refines economic pitch by focusing on steady jobs growthBy Amie Parnes - 05/27/12 04:30 PM ET Obama is highlighting job growth and a steep decline in the unemployment rate to convince voters his policies are working. President Obama’s campaign is highlighting job growth and a steep decline in the unemployment rate over the last year to sell the public on the idea that his economic policies are working. Obama’s greatest challenge this campaign cycle is convincing voters to give him another four years to try to improve the economy, the central issue of the 2012 campaign. Republican Mitt Romney...

All users posting to websites would have to post their real name and address, non-compliant posts would be axed When people think anonymity, Anonymous and their iconic Guy Fawkes masks often pop into mind these days. But long before the members of that controversial hacker collective were a mere twinkle in their mothers' eyes, another anti-authoritarian rabble-rouser was using anonymous protest to stir up revolt against a totalitarian ruling elite. His name was Thomas Paine, and his anonymously published work Common Sense helped ignite the colonists in revolution against Britain. I. Want to Post? Put Your Legal Name and Address...

The number of taxpayers making more than $200,000 declined in 2009 for the second straight year, government figures Friday showed, with almost four million American filers falling into the category of people who are at the most risk of facing higher tax rates at year's end. The Internal Revenue Service said 3.92 million individual-income tax returns reported adjusted gross income of $200,000 a year or more in 2009. The peak year was 2007, when almost 4.54 million Americans fell into the highest income category. President Barack Obama has proposed that Bush-era tax cuts should expire for households making more than...

Iran may agree to negotiate its ongoing enrichment of uranium to higher levels if the West recognizes it has the "right" to do so for peaceful purposes, its foreign ministry spokesman said on Sunday, according to a report by Iranian news agency IRNA. However, another news agency quotes the spokesman differently. "If Western countries (accept) that our 20 percent enrichment program is peaceful and then ask us not to do it, the Islamic Republic of Iran will think about their demand," Ramin Mehmanparast was quoted by IRNA as saying. Iran previously rejected the demand to stop higher level enrichment and...

I know I know.. ya already plan to eat and drink enough this week-end to sustain a small squad of recons a month in the bushes.. and the latest news on nascar and its green 'bent' of late probably grates ya like crazy Don't forget to budget in the 600 miler after the Indy 500.. run at King JJ's home track no less. It should be a real feast, a smorgasboard of action.. if we're lucky. ;-]

The District Governor of the Shechem (Nablus) District in the Palestinian Authority called upon the international community Sunday to intervene quickly and provide the Palestinian Authority with protection from Jews. AlBakri warned that "The ongoing aggressiveness of the settlers will lead to violence in the entire region, the results of which cannot be predicted. The continued violence by settlers requires international intervention, he argued. He said that the Jews are interested in "widening" the cycle of violence in the summertime, in order to cause Arab farmers financial losses. "The escalation in attacks by settlers would not have occurred were it...

In some way, we all prepare for the diversity and changes life is sure to throw at us. But, some put a lot more thought and effort into it than others. They call themselves “preppers” and there are many living among us. When disaster strikes, they’re ready for the worst-case scenarios. In part one of Preparing for Disaster; we introduced you to Justin Teet. Teet lives in a heavily populated suburb of Mobile and is ready to “bug out” if disaster strikes. He has stockpiled provisions for his family, but with a panicked population, he feels the best place for...

Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz on Sunday classified Democratic efforts in the Wisconsin recall election as a “test run” for the presidential race. “It’s given the Obama for America operation an opportunity to do the dry run we need of our massive, significant dynamic grassroots presidential campaign,” the Florida representative said of the battleground state on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

A German teenager has been rescued from a Bosnian couple who are accused of starving and beating her for years and of harnessing her to a horse cart and making her pull it.The 19-year-old, kept in a hamlet near the northeastern town of Kalesija since 2004, had been taken to safety and the couple had been detained for investigation, regional prosecutors said on Sunday. Damir Arnautovic, a spokesman for the prosecution in Tuzla, said the woman had been in a bad physical and psychological state and had no papers. She was not named. He said Milenko Marinkovic, 52, and his...

The 96th running of the Indy 500 coming up shortly on ABC.

Hugo Chavez In Amerca: A 2nd Obama Term Means No Indepdendent Judiciary President Obama’s most blatant first term abuses can be struck down by the check on Presidential power by an independent judiciary. For example, last year Obama purported to make “recess” appointments to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), when the Senate was not in recess. But the first time the NLRB so constituted tries to bring any enforcement action for any violation of any of its regulations, the defendant can nullify the prosecution by arguing it was not authorized by a legally constituted Board. Similarly, the so-called Consumer...

The Obama campaign blasted presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney Friday for his comments on a visit to an inner-city school that smaller class sizes are not a guarantee of a good education. “I’m not sure what universe he’s operating in,” said Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, speaking to reporters on behalf of the president’s reelection campaign. “It’s clear that Mitt Romney is out of touch with reality.” Mr. Romney visited a charter school in west Philadelphia Thursday and, during a roundtable discussion with teachers, noted that a McKinsey Global Institute study found that class size was not a factor when...

Van Jones Slams the Tea Party Again: ‘The So-Called Patriots…Smashing Down Every American Institution’By Madeleine Morgenstern | The Blaze – 14 hrs ago **SNIP** “At this point in this struggle, it’s the so-called patriots who are the ones who are smashing down every American institution….It’s the so-called patriots, the ones who come out here with their Tea Party and the flags and call themselves patriots — they’re the ones that are smashing down our unions, smashing down public education, smashing down every American institution that we built, and our parents built, and our grandparents built to make this country great.”...

Alan Simpson Decries 'Wretched Group of Seniors' Over Social SecurityBy Michael Ono | ABC OTUS News – Wed, May 23, 2012 Former Wyoming Senator Alan Simpson sent an fiery letter filled with expletives to the California Alliance for Retired Americans for a flyer the group sent out slamming the Bowles-Simpson commission report for proposed cuts to Social Security as one way to deal with the long-term deficit. "Your little flyer entitled "Bowles! Simpson! Stop using the deficit as a phony excuse to gut our Social Security!" is one of the phoniest excuses for a "flyer" I have ever seen," said...

Firing of Dobbs Elementary teacher upheld for aiding students on testsBy Jaime Sarrio The Atlanta Journal-Constitution 5:59 p.m. Wednesday, May 23, 2012 The firing of a fifth teacher in the Atlanta Public Schools cheating scandal was upheld Wednesday by a tribunal. Derrick Broadwater, a teacher at Dobbs Elementary, was accused of helping students with words they didn't know and prompting them to recheck answers if he suspected something was incorrect. The tribunal voted to uphold APS' decision to terminate Broadwater after hearing recordings of the teacher talking to GBI investigators in March 2011. “I always tell my kids to go...

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms is taking a rare step of allowing public comments prior to issuing a decision on a study that could result in outlawing certain types of shotguns currently available to citizens. The ATF completed a study regarding the importability of certain shotguns. The basis for a possible ban is based on a loosely defined “Sporting Purpose” test. Using the vague definition almost all pump-action and semi-automatic shotguns could be banned as they are all capable of accepting a magazine, box or tube capable of holding more than 5 rounds. Other characteristics determined to be “military”...

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Sunday Chapel ~ MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND 2012 ~ TAPS Canteen Mission Statement Showing support and boosting the morale ofour military and our allies' militaryand family members of the above.Honoring those who have served before. In honor of those who lost their lives while serving our country, we would like to share with you President Ronald Reagan’s 1986 Memorial Day remarks at Arlington National Cemetery: Today is the day we put aside to remember fallen heroes and to pray that no heroes will ever have to die for us again. It’s a day...

Legislation would limit sea-level plans to past patternsBy Patrick Gannon Last Modified: Thursday, May 24, 2012 at 11:23 a.m. A controversy is churning over projections for sea-level rise through the end of this century and whether they should be used in drafting development policies along the coast today. Draft legislation circulating among state lawmakers, lobbyists and advocacy groups would prohibit state and local government agencies from using projections of accelerated sea rise – due mainly to global warming and the melting of polar ice caps – when forming coasting development policies and regulations. If enacted as written, the measure would...

Florida Voting Purge a Thorny Legal Issue Ahead of PrimaryBy William Browning | Yahoo! Contributor Network – 23 hrs ago Several civil rights groups sent a letter to Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner on Thursday outlining their objections to the proposed removal of names on a list of registered voters. WFSU reports that up to 180,000 potentially ineligible voters will be scrutinized as they are cross-referenced in other state databases and a federal one. The groups threatened legal action if the process continues. * Victor Dimaio believes the targets of the purge are minority groups. "The majority of the...

When the Washington Post revealed recently Mitt Romney's past as a cruel boarding-school tyrant, conservatives cried foul. Where were the stories about Barack Obama's days as the entitled son of a governor? What was the media hiding? Finally, David Maraniss, in his upcoming Obama biography, Barack Obama: The Story, has found the dark truth of Obama's past. It turns out that Obama was a bully as well — someone who threw his weight around and terrorized even those closest to him. Barry also had a knack for interceptions. When a joint was making the rounds, he often elbowed his way...

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Wisconsin recall: DNC’s Debbie Wasserman Schultz sees no national impact if Democrats losePosted by Felicia Sonmez at 03:38 PM ET, 05/25/2012 The chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee said Friday that if Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett (D) doesn’t prevail over Gov. Scott Walker (R) in next month’s Wisconsin recall election, there won’t be any ramifications for Democrats nationally. “I think, honestly, there aren’t going to be any repercussions,” Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) said in a broad-ranging interview on C-SPAN’s “Newsmakers.” “It’s an election that’s based in Wisconsin. It’s an election that I think is important nationally because Scott Walker...

In a video posted online yesterday, Obama took credit for tapping out a perfect, efficiency-maximizing 140-character long tweet (apparently, a 'twoosh') about green energy during a Thursday Twitter Q&A session. Hate to burst your bubble POTUS, but we see an extra space after 'wind' and an extra period right at the start. And isn't "bio fuels" all one word? So, really, it should only be 137-characters long. No twoosh for you!

Via Meadia has been watching the New York Times‘ coverage of the Wisconsin recall race with some bemusement. [....] Let us stipulate that in the view of the Times, Scott Walker is a skunk and a cad. And let us stipulate that everything bad in Wisconsin, all the ill feeling and all the turmoil is entirely because this sinister enemy of all that is noble and good has been riding roughshod over every decent principle in public life. But what Times readers will not learn from this piece is that the skunk is winning. Walker is overwhelmingly favored to win...

In a major case involving gay rights at CalPERS, the nation's largest public pension fund has been ordered to offer its long-term care insurance program to same-sex partners of California workers. A federal judge in Oakland struck down portions of the federal Defense of Marriage Act that have prevented the California Public Employees' Retirement System from extending the insurance to gay spouses and domestic partners. In a ruling released Thursday, U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken said the ban served no "legitimate governmental interest" and was apparently "motivated by anti-gay animus."

In the last few weeks, President Barack Obama has reached out to military voters with the aim of slicing away pieces of what has been a reliable part of the Republican base. The most recent Wall Street Journal/NBC poll shows that presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney leads Obama among military voters, but by eight percent. That single-digit difference is significant and it follows on the heels of other polls showing Obama performing well among veterans, particularly veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

15 desperate emails and texts from the Obama campaignBy The Week's Editorial Staff | The Week – Fri, May 25, 2012 Did you hear you can win an evening with President Obama, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Anna Wintour? If you're on Obama's mailing list, there's no escaping the news. **SNIP** 7. "Throw Bo a bone on his anniversary" From: BarackObama.com, April 14 Main pitch: "On April 14th, 2009, Barack followed through on his promise to Malia and Sasha — the Obamas welcomed Bo into their home. Now he's got three years under his collar as the First Dog. This April,...

MIDDLETON, Mass. — As the lone Democrat seeking to challenge Elizabeth Warren in the Senate primary in Massachusetts, Marisa DeFranco has been ridiculed, admonished and, worst of all, ignored. But for the moment, Ms. DeFranco, an immigration lawyer with high energy and a scrappy band of volunteers, is enjoying a burst of momentum. She surprised party insiders by collecting enough valid signatures by the May 1 deadline — more than 10,000, gathered everywhere from town meetings to town dumps — to qualify for the Democratic primary on Sept. 6. If Ms. DeFranco clears one more hurdle — winning 15 percent...

Germany will not "pour money into a bottomless pit" and patience with Greece is growing thin ahead of a new election in the Mediterranean country, a conservative member of Chancellor Angela Merkel's cabinet was quoted on Saturday as saying. Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich told the Leipziger Volkszeitung newspaper that Germany, Europe's largest economy and the biggest contributor to rescue efforts, is glad to help Greece help itself but expects it to honor its agreements. "We're not willing to pour money into a bottomless pit," he told the newspaper. "Anyone who wants to see help and solidarity from us has to...

In many ways, I’ve never been a big fan of Donald Trump. I saw him as an arrogant snobbish extremely wealthy individual who had no concept what most Americans face in today’s society. However, my opinion of him has been changing over the past year. When he was contemplating a run for the White House, I was skeptical until I started to listen to some of the things he said and as much as I hated to admit it, he made sense. Trump also jumped up a notch in my opinion when he came out in support of Maricopa County...

The GOP has been “bamboozling” Americans and running up “wild debts,” the president told an audience in Denver this week. If you’re going to be a liar in a political campaign and get away with it, there are some ground rules that must be followed. Now it’s true that if you repeat a lie three times in public, it generally sticks. Especially if you have the help of sycophantic media to trumpet your lie far and wide, comment on what it means to the world, and so forth. Wording is also important, particularly phrased in the form of a question,...

This Memorial Day, both President Obama and the Republicans dedicated their weekly address to American service members; however, the Republican address (in video above) focused mostly on their plan for the economy. Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R-Kan.), who represents Fort Leavenworth and Fort Riley, said the "blessing of liberty" should be honored. "That is why helping to create jobs and grow our economy will continue to be Republicans' focus in the weeks and months ahead." The two-term member of Congress said the Republican plan for economic growth "emphasizes long-term growth" and not "short-term stimulus."

A lawsuit filed Friday by former Penn State President Graham Spanier against the university shows the investigation into what others knew about the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse accusations, and when, may be far from over. Spanier, who was removed from office by Penn State trustees on Nov. 9 — four days after Sandusky was charged — is seeking the court’s help in getting access to a trove of emails from 1998 through 2004. According to the lawsuit, filed in Centre County court, the emails were thought not to be recoverable until a few weeks ago. The disclosure about the...

The Obama ads about Bain Capital, the private equity firm Mitt Romney used to run, are harsh. "They closed it down. They filed for bankruptcy," said a somber former employee of GST steel in a recent Obama campaign ad. "They're like a vampire. They came in and sucked the life out of us," said another worker testimonial. The irony is that some of the money to pay for these Obama television ads may have come from inside the very company team Obama is demonizing: Bain Capital. It turns out employees of Bain Capital have given $124,900 in donations to the...

Sen. Brown demands Harvard correct record on Elizabeth WarrenBy Josh Lederman - 05/25/12 01:44 PM ET Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) is calling on Harvard University President Drew Faust to correct its diversity statistics after it was revealed that his opponent, Democrat Elizabeth Warren, was listed as a minority despite failing to meet federal guidelines to be considered Native American. Brown's demand followed a Boston Globe report Friday showing that both Harvard, where Warren teaches law, and the federal government have specific criteria determining who can be listed as Native American in diversity statistics provided to the government, and that Warren...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) -- A privately bankrolled spacecraft is getting ever closer to the International Space Station for a historic docking today. The SpaceX Dragon capsule contains a half-ton of supplies. The station's crew will use a robot arm to snare the Dragon. On Thursday, the unmanned capsule came within 1½ miles of the space station in a practice fly-by. Early Friday, it returned to the neighborhood...

   ***** ~ Memorial Day Weekend Patriotic Music ~ *****~ Support The Artists ~   Support the artists you hear throughout the Canteen! Click on the links below! Keep the music going! ArtistDirect l  Internet Radio l  AOL Music l  Sonique (Lycos) l  Real Radio Live365 l  971TheRiver  l  GotRadio  l  Wherehouse  l  Target  l Shoutcast AFRTS l  VH1 l XM Radio l  BET l  audiophile l  Virgin Radio l  Soma (Alternative) Acaza l AudioRealm l VH1 l  Yahoo! Launch Music l  Radio Disney l  Live-Radio Net ITunes l Amazon l Salsa Radio l MTV l CMT l Ticketmaster...

A Marine who died during World War II was laid to rest Thursday, 68 years after his family was told he was lost at sea.

Citigroup's Automated Trading Desk (ATD) had trading losses of around $20 million stemming from Facebook's botched initial public offering on Nasdaq OMX Group's U.S. exchange, a source with knowledge of the situation said on Friday. The unit's losses were in addition to claims by market makers Knight Capital Group and Citadel Securities, which each had losses of $30 million to $35 million. UBS AG, the other large market maker involved in the IPO of the social networking company on May 18, has not disclosed any losses. Nasdaq asked firms to detail estimates of losses by Monday night. After that, the...

Why isn't the U.S. economy in a depression right now? The number one reason is because the federal government has stolen more than five trillion dollars from future generations since Barack Obama was elected and has used that money to pump up our grossly inflated standard of living. Whether the federal government spends money wisely or foolishly, the truth is that the vast majority of it still ends up in the pockets of the American people who then use it to buy the things they need for their daily lives. If the U.S. government had not borrowed and spent an...