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Last week’s contentious resolution to oppose teachers carrying guns on campus has not ruffled as many feathers this week. Several students and faculty do not plan on attending tonight’s public forum on the issue. The Associate Students of the University of Arizona ruled in favor of hosting a public forum to allow students and faculty to voice their opinions regarding the state Senate bill, which would allow teachers to carry guns on campus. While some agreed the forum could be productive, many said they do not plan to give their opinion publicly. “We want to make sure to hear from...

Republicans have significantly narrowed the gap with Democrats on who is trusted to deal with the country's problems and have sharply reduced several of President Obama's main political advantages, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. The survey paints a portrait of a restless and dissatisfied electorate at the beginning of a critical election year. More than seven in 10 Americans disapprove of the job Congress is doing, and as many say they're inclined to look for new congressional representation as said so in 1994 and 2006, the last times that control of Congress shifted. Asked how they would...

An East Palo Alto police detective is taking heat in online forums for allegedly posting comments from his Facebook account that advocate shooting Open Carry gun advocates. Detective Rod Tuason apparently made the remarks in response to a friend's status update, which joked that gun advocates who carry unloaded weapons in plain view as a political statement should start doing so in places such as Oakland, Richmond and East Palo Alto "and not limit themselves to hoity toity cities." "Haha, we had one guy last week try to do it!" Tuason replied, referring to a Redwood City man who strolled...

Alert - New Legislation HB 95 Wyoming Firearms Freedom Act -2 Don't be confused by similar legislation, Miller HB 28 just doesn't go far enough. To see a comparison between HB 28 and HB 95 click here you will see Representative Jaggi (pronounced Ya-Gee) has introduced legislation with "real teeth". “As gun guy and someone that believes the federal government is out of control, I wanted to introduce legislation fitting to Wyoming” said Representative Allen Jaggi. HB 95 Wyoming Firearm Freedom Act - 2 click here This legislation is a combination of Alaska and New Hampshire's Firearms Freedom Act containing...

Alaska Firearms Freedom Act Needs Your Support HB 186 is in committee and needs your phone calls and emails. Anchorage Second Amendment Task Force Anchorage Second Amendment Task Force Anchorage, AK --(AmmoLand.com)- HB 186 is a bill pertaining to states rights regarding firearms. Currently there are 33 states that have passed or are considering similar Firearms Freedom Act legislation. The current Status of HB 186 is that it has had one hearing in the senate judiciary committee in which it was “Heard and held” there is going to be another hearing in the judiciary committee date unknown. I talked to...

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the city of King NC has received approximately six inches of snow over the last seven days. Apparently, that snowfall, coupled with limited power outages, was frightening enough that, last Friday February 5th, 2010, King Mayor Jack Warren declared a local state of emergency pursuant to North Carolina General Statute § 14-288.12. Now … the first inclination of a Minnesota resident when hearing of such a response to a snowstorm is to laugh. But this declaration was no laughing matter for the citizens of King. With the stroke of a pen, the...

A group of retired U.S. Park Service employees is warning that visitors at national parks will soon be seeing handguns and rifles at the nation’s parks because of a law sponsored by Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Muskogee, last year. The law, which goes into effect in less than two weeks, will allow people to carry firearms in parks located in states that permit the carrying of concealed weapons. Coburn’s controversial amendment was included on a bill to put new restrictions on credit card companies. Here’s a quote from Coburn from last May: “It’s not about guns. It’s about states’ rights —...

Good news! Gun owners are welcome at the Casper Starbucks. A Starbucks Representative contacted me and said "there has not been any policy change and Starbucks follows the laws of the state and municipalities they are located in" They also said "this has been a misunderstanding and apologies go out to any customers this may have inconvenienced". It is encouraging that Starbucks has taken this stand in light of the pressures being put on them to do otherwise. Say thanks, by patronizing Starbucks today!

An Arizona bill would eliminate the legal requirement to have a permit to carry a concealed handgun. The bill is SB1102, and you can see the marked-up proposed changes to existing law by clicking here. It's current status is here. Civil Liberties Examiner J.D. Tuccille already did such a good job explaining things that much of what I could say would simply be a repeat of what he has already said so well. Click here to read his commentary. Did you? OK, welcome back. Here's what I want to either add or reiterate, particularly in light of the absurd and...

Signaling he'd meet critics part way on health care, President Barack Obama said Tuesday he's willing to sign a bill even if it doesn't deliver everything he pursued through a year of grinding effort at risk of going down as a dismal failure. The Democrats' massive health overhaul legislation is stalled in Congress by disagreements within the party and the loss last month of their 60th Senate vote, and with it, control of the agenda. Republicans suspect that Obama's invitation to a televised health care summit Feb. 25 is a thinly disguised political trap. On Tuesday, the president tried to...

The Senate's number two Republican, Jon Kyl of Arizona, said Tuesday, "There's no way it can be acted on this week," referring to a jobs bill Democrats are poised to introduce in the chamber. The Majority Leader, Harry Reid, D-NV, repeated Tuesday that he wants to complete action on the bill by week's end, even mentioning possible weekend work, ahead of next week's President's Day recess. When asked why the bill cannot be completed this week, Kyl had a suggestion: "Ask Scott Brown!" Brown is the newest member of the Senate, a Republican who swiped a seat from Democrats in...

Obama's top counterterrorism aide John Brennan has come out and claimed that Americans who criticize Obama's anti-terror policies serve the goals of al-Qaeda. Writing an opinion piece in USA Today that can only be described as being all at once hyper-defensive, angry and whining, John Brennan clearly wanted to pen a defiant defense of Obama's thus-far inadequate, anti-terror policies. However, what emerged instead was an almost paranoid harangue which not only stretched the bounds of reason, but, more importantly, also called his fellow Americans, essentially, abettors of al-Qaeda's goals of killing Americans and destroying the US homeland. This is the...

Smug sages of mainstream politics shouldn't underestimate her ### "No new ideas." That was the most prominent of the criticisms of Sarah Palin's speech at MSNBC's too-cool-for-school "Morning Joe" on Monday. The more general critique of former Gov. Palin's future was that while she certainly had star power, she could never speak to more than a fraction of even Republicans. The proof of the latter point was made with the evidence that many important Washington Republicans could never support her for more than cheerleader to her marginal people. They also pointed out that she had kept out of races in...

Warnings about potential hepatotoxicity risks associated with use of diclofenac have been added to the labels of all products containing the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, the Food and Drug Administration said. A notice posted on the FDA's MedWatch site said that the manufacturers—Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Novartis Consumer Health Inc.—had revised the “hepatic effects” section of the diclofenac topical gel label to include new warnings and precautions about the potential for elevated liver function tests (LFTs) during treatment with diclofenac products, including the topical gel formulation marketed as Voltaren Gel 1%. There have been postmarketing reports of severe hepatic reactions, including...

In an effort to take a bit of a project budget deficit next year of over half a billion dollars, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom is considering mass layoffs of city employees. However, most of those laid off would be rehired. But they would have new contracts that call for two and a half fewer hours a week, or 37.5 hours. The plan sounds similar to one instituted in France for all businesses in an effort to reduce unemployment and improve the high quality of French life. That policy has proven controversial, and clearly, so will this one. Not on...

Audi car commercial "hits home" for Gavin Newsom and other city dwellersAudi's "Green Police" Super Bowl ad was clearly out to mock environmentalist fervor -- and it hit close to home in greener-than-thou San Francisco. Perhaps that's because it was the brainchild of Audi's advertising agency, San Francisco independent Venables Bell & Partners. Sitting squarely in the "I am white, middle-class man, hear me roar" school of ads, the Cheap Trick-scored commercial suggested a world in which the type of individual decisions that seem meaningless but in the aggregate make a difference are enforced by enthusiastic law enforcement professionals in...

Dean Murray Republican Dean Murray holds a slim lead in the special election in Suffolk County’s 3rd Assembly District, where Democrat Patricia Eddington held office since 2001. Murray had a 186 vote lead and 51 percent with all the precincts reporting, leaving Democrat Lauren Thoden with 49 percent. But 931 absentee ballots were issued in the race, and results of those votes will not be known until the election is certified, which could take a week or more...

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – Parents of some of the children who 10 U.S. missionaries tried to take out of Haiti after its catastrophic earthquake told a judge Tuesday that they freely handed over their kids, the Americans' lawyer said. The parents' testimony means no law was broken and "we can't talk any more about trafficking of human beings," attorney Aviol Fleurant told reporters.

HICKSVILLE, N.Y. (AP) - Republican Michael Montesano has won a special election for a vacant assembly seat on Long Island. Montesano led with 72 percent to 28 percent for Democrat Matthew T. Meng in nearly complete but unofficial results Tuesday night...

Roske/APHiram Monserrate vows to fight his expulsion from the state Senate. ALBANY - The state Senate voted to boot embattled Sen. Hiram Monserrate on Tuesday night, citing the lawmaker's conviction in the assault on his girlfriend. The vote was 53 to 8 with one abstention. The dramatic vote came after hours of impassioned closed-door debate - the only question seemed to be just when Monserrate would be expelled. Senate Democratic leader John Sampson, wanted to make the ouster effective on June 30, giving Monserrate time to appeal his conviction of misdemeanor assault against his girlfriend. But with Republican support, there...

"The IDF did more to safeguard civilians in a Combat zone than any Army in History." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NX6vyT8RzMo&feature=player_embedded

Michelle Obama expressed confidence Tuesday that Congress will enact some sort of change to improve the nation's health care system. "We don't have a choice," the first lady told CNN's Larry King in an interview to air Tuesday night. "When we look at these statistics, we're spending billions of dollars on preventable diseases, and new health care legislation could go a long way to improving prevention, first and foremost.: She addressed the need for people to have access to specialists such as pediatricians who can gather critical information and track it. "So we have to get this done and I'm...

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GOP may skip health-care talks if Dems won't dump billsBy Michael D. Shear The Washington Post Posted: 02/09/2010 01:00:00 AM MST WASHINGTON — Leading House Republicans raised the prospect Monday night that they may decline to participate in President Barack Obama's proposed health-care summit if the White House chooses not to scrap the existing reform bills and start over. In a letter to White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, House Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio and Minority Whip Eric Cantor of Virginia expressed frustration about reports that Obama intends to put the Democratic bills on the table for...

Tuesday, February 9, 2010‘Prank' lands UNC student in stinky mess Teen arrested for porch fire Sharon Dunn An apparent prank gone bad put a Greeley college student in jail early Sunday. Greeley police arrived at a home in the 1100 block of Cranford Place to find a homeowner detaining Andrew Charles Donahue, 18, who he accused of leaving a burning bag of dog feces on his front porch. “We don't know, but we assume it was a prank,” said Greeley police spokesman Sgt. Joe Tymkowych. Donahue is a freshman at the University of Northern Colorado. The suspect — others may...

Just over two years ago, Rajendra K. Pachauri seemed destined for a scientist’s version of sainthood: A vegetarian economist-engineer who leads the United Nations’ climate change panel, he accepted the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of the panel, sharing the honor with former Vice President Al Gore.But Dr. Pachauri and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change are now under intense scrutiny, facing accusations of scientific sloppiness and potential financial conflicts of interest from climate skeptics, right-leaning politicians and even some mainstream scientists. Senator John Barrasso, a Wyoming Republican, called for Dr. Pachauri’s resignation last week.Critics, writing in Britain’s Sunday...

Pennsylvania Survey of 1,000 Likely Voters Conducted February 8, 2010 By Rasmussen Reports 2010 Pennsylvania Senate Race Pat Toomey (R) 47% Arlen Specter (D) 38% Some other candidate 5% Not sure 10%

The New York Senate has passed a resolution opposing trials of terrorists being held in New York City. The resolution passed Tuesday urges President Barack Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder to move trials of those linked to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks back to the military tribunal system.

Mayor Daley’s son Patrick has left his home and his job in Moscow after being summoned back to active duty in the U.S. Army, the mayor disclosed today. “My son had a responsibility. He served fours years in the military, and he’s re-deployed. He will serve his country just like every other son and daughter in this country does the same thing,” the mayor said. The mayor made it clear that his son did not re-enlist, but was summoned back to active duty. It was not known whether Patrick Daley was an Army reservist. The mayor refused to say where...

President Barack Obama's says he's willing to start from scratch on health care — as long as the final bill meets his goals. Answering reporters' questions Tuesday after a meeting with congressional leaders of both parties, Obama said both sides have to give ground on health care. The American people want the problems of cost and coverage addressed — and they don't want another year of wrangling in Congress, the president said. Obama said he's willing to work on medical malpractice limits — favored by Republicans. But Republicans have to come around on the need for comprehensive legislation to reduce...

FRiends, I almost posted this last night...but since that giant walking wanker Robert Gibbs pulled his little stunt today, I thought we ought to take it a step further. Here is my hand today: I may change it tonight or tomorrow or some time in the future, but I would suggest we all put some messages on our hands...at least for a little while. Some conversation might be generated, and you might find more people agree with you than you think! :)POST your pics to this thread, and let's have fun!

Top congressional Republicans, emerging from a 90-minute meeting with President Obama that side-stepped health care reform, said they may boycott Feb. 25 talks on health care reform. "It's going to be very difficult to have bipartisan conversations with regard to a 2,700 page health care bill that the Democrat majority in the House and the Democrat majority in the Senate can’t pass," House Minority Leader John Boehner said. "Why are we going to talk about a bill that can’t pass? It really is time to scrap the bill and start over." For now, Boehner said House Republicans are only willing...

President Barack Obama said Tuesday he’s prepared to cut deals with Republicans in order to create jobs and improve the nation’s health care system, but he said he’s seen few signs so far that the GOP is willing to support any of his policy initiatives. “I’m willing to move off of some of the preferences of my party in order to meet them halfway, but there’s got to be some give from their side as well,” Obama said during a surprise visit to the White House briefing room following a meeting with congressional leaders from both parties. However, the...

If future generations of Americans are going to have a bright future, we're going to have to get a handle on spending. Either we get these deficits under control and start paying off our debt or we're not going to remain a great nation. Moreover, given that Social Security went into the red last year and that program, combined with Medicare, represents a 100 trillion dollar unfunded liability that’s going to be coming due over the next few decades, this is an issue that’s not going away for the foreseeable future. So, with that in mind, fiscal conservatives in DC...

Critics of Michael Steele's tenure as RNC chairman are motivated by racism, Steele suggested in an interview published today. Speaking to the Washingtonian Magazine (no online version), Steele wondered why his DNC counterpart doesn't get the same criticism he does. "I don’t see stories about the internal operations of the DNC that I see about this operation," Steele said. "Why? Is it because Michael Steele is the chairman, or is it because a black man is chairman?” The RNC has experienced significant staff turnover since Steele became chairman, especially in the communcations shop. That has prompted speculation about Steele's management...

...In his first public comments since the release of President Barack Obama's proposed NASA budget last week, Mike Coats said the space center will have to find new missions besides the International Space Station to replace the waning space shuttle program and the seemingly doomed Constellation program... Of the 17,000 civil servants and contractors who are funded through Johnson Space Center's programs, 7,000 work under the shuttle and Constellation programs. ...Obama's proposed wholesale cancellation of Constellation — NASA's next-generation exploration program that entailed development of rockets to carry humans to orbit, the moon and beyond as well as a versatile...

Obama: GOP and Dems Together Can Spur Job Growth CHARLES BABINGTON WASHINGTON – Appealing for bipartisanship in a town where it's hard to find, President Barack Obama sat down with Democrats and Republicans Tuesday to spur cooperation on job creation, deficit reduction and health care overhaul. He promised to do his part — but warned he would take Republicans to task if they don't do the same. "The people who sent us here expect a seriousness of purpose that transcends petty politics," Obama said afterward, making a surprise appearance in the White House briefing room. He started his remarks to...

Employing a broad-based lobbying effort, the soft drink industry has smothered a plan to tax sugared beverages — a plan advocates said would have reduced obesity and helped finance health care reform. Only months ago, public health advocates thought the tax would be a natural for congressional Democrats looking for revenues to fund expanded health insurance coverage. The soaring costs of treating ailments related to excess weight — including diabetes and heart disease — added urgency to the issue. But the White House staff reviewing funding options never embraced the idea even after President Barack Obama expressed interest last summer....

Sen. John McCain's daughter Meghan McCain, who has crafted an image for herself as a voice for young Republicans, took on Sarah Palin and the Tea Party movement on ABC's "The View" on Monday. --snip-- McCain also took a shot at the Tea Party convention, where Palin was the keynote speaker last weekend. The convention also featured former Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.), who said in his speech, "People who could not spell the word vote or say it in English put a committed socialist ideologue in the White House -- name is Barack Hussein Obama." Tancredo added, "Thank God John...

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"Small business owners entered 2010 the same way they left 2009, depressed," said William Dunkelberg, NFIB chief economist. "The biggest problem continues to be a shortage of customers." ... Owners reported workforce reductions that average .52 workers per firm, basically unchanged for the past several months. Nine percent of the owners increased employment by an average of 3 workers per firm, but 19 percent reduced employment an average of 3.9 workers per firm (seasonally adjusted). ... still more firms planning to cut jobs than planning to add.

Well folks, just when you thought that there might be some hope that the anti-gun faithful members of the Maryland State Senate had learned their lesson about proposing nonsense bills like bans on so-called assault weapons, they prove otherwise. Senator Mike Lennett (D), District 19, Montgomery County, has introduced SB516, the Maryland Assault Weapons Ban of 2010. His co-sponsors are a veritable Who's Who of the anti-gun wing of the Senate. Now's the time to head this thing off before the hearing is even scheduled and let the members of the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee know that Maryland citizens will...

Marketers’ lack of confidence in the effectiveness of television spots is being reflected in smaller TV budgets, according to a fresh joint survey from the Association of National Advertisers and Forrester Research Inc. The report surveyed over 100 national advertisers whose budgets will stay flat this year; last year they allocated 41 percent of their media budgets to TV, compared with 58 percent in 2008. About 62 percent of the survey’s respondents said that TV ads have grown less effective in the past two years, citing clutter as the biggest challenge to commercial effectiveness. “As the overall marketing landscape is...

"You can't be a great country without doing great things and a great thing would be to return to the Moon and build a laboratory there and open it up to the world," Hickam said on Tuesday's MetroNews Talkline. Hickam says he's angry about the cut. "It's really a foolish decision to take away the goal of going back to the Moon. I can certainly see figuring out a better way of doing it, but simply to take away the goal, I think, is so shortsighted and so foolish that it's almost breathtaking in its stupidity."

Obama Admin Admits It Tracked Abortion Groups in Wisconsin Madison, WI -- The Department of Homeland Security admitted today that it improperly conducted a threat assessment on pro-life groups in Wisconsin. The assessment came before an expected rally last year in response to the University of Wisconsin Hospital board decided to allow abortions. http://www.LifeNews.com/state4796.html

SBI is a critical element of the larger DHS-CBP effort to increase border security, which includes construction of the border fence. Last year, Congress approved $800 million to fund SBI through FY2010. President Obama is requesting only $574 million for this program in his FY2011 budget, a $226 million cut. (FY2011 Budget Request Appendix: DHS)." --snip-- "The administration has also requested only $330 million for SCAAP - a federal program administered through the Department of Justice that helps states pay for the incarceration of criminal aliens. (FY2011 Budget Request: DOJ). Congress recently cut the annual funding level for SCAAP from...

Businesses slashed wholesale inventories sharply in December, a much weaker showing than expected and a troubling sign that companies are still too pessimistic about the economy to begin restocking shelves on a sustained basis. Economists believe that the country won't be in a sustained recovery until businesses begin restocking their depleted shelves which will mean higher orders to factories and increased demand for manufacturing workers. The Commerce Department said Tuesday that wholesale inventories were reduced 0.8 percent in December. Economists surveyed by Thomson Reuters had expected inventories to rise by 0.5 percent during the month.

The Obama administration will begin a drive this week to expel Pepsi, French fries and Snickers bars from the nation’s schools in hopes of reducing the number of children who get fat during their school years. In legislation, soon to be introduced, candy and sugary beverages would be banned and many schools would be required to offer more nutritious fare. To that end, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will deliver a speech Monday at the National Press Club in which he will insist, according to excerpts provided to The Times, that any vending machines that remain in schools be “filled with...

Drivers have also started a Facebook group called Toronto Transit Operators against public harassment, mainly in response to a video recorded by a passenger last week showing a bus driver taking an unscheduled 7-minute stop outside a doughnut shop to get his nightly coffee. The driver was subsequently suspended. Another member of the group advises operators that if they see someone filming their actions, they should pull over and request police assistance: "You don't know why these people are recording your vehicle, you just know that they are not supposed to do it." The TTC's general manager, Gary Webster, then...

Democrats in Congress are holding White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel accountable for his part in the collapse of healthcare reform. The emerging consensus among critics in both chambers is that Emanuel’s lack of Senate experience slowed President Barack Obama’s top domestic priority. The share of the blame comes as cracks are beginning to show in Emanuel’s once-impregnable political armor. Last week he had to apologize after a report surfaced that he called liberal groups “retarded” in a private meeting. While Emanuel has quelled that controversy by meeting with advocates for people with disabilities, on Capitol Hill he’s under...