Reality Check

FEMA Denies Assistance to Minot (ND) flooding residents - Please help!

2011-06-27T00:32:00.000-04:00

This video was made by a friend of mine, her hometown of Minot ND has experienced horrific flooding. FEMA has turned residents down for assistance, please show your support by signing the petition demanding FEMA reconsider. The Red Cross is also accepting donations...please help if you can in any way. Video and information are below. Much thanks :)

New updates indicate that the water in Minot is no longer fit to drink without boiling as well. If you can please donate $10 (or whatever you can afford) to the Minot Red Cross: http://www.minotredcross.org OR you can text MINOT to 80888 to donate to the Red Cross. Mailing address for donations is:

Red Cross
P.O. Box 456
Minot, ND 58701-0456

ALSO! Please read, sign, and share the petition below.

www.thepetitionsite.com/1/demand-FEMA-reconsider-denial-of-Individual-Assistance-to-ND-residents

Further Reading:

FEMA announces disaster help for Burleigh, Ward flood victims

Congressional Delegation Stresses Need of Individual Assistance for ND's Flood Impacted Counties

FEMA rejection letter released

Political Poop, Positioning & Poppycock

2011-06-24T14:00:00.000-04:00

The hype, political positioning, and basically CRAPOLA coming out from DC are nothing but nuggets of drama to keep a veil over the public's eyes, who can't seem to remember what happened the month before, much less last year.

Last week in an interview w/NBC's Ann Curry, Obama implied his family is fine with one term. “Michelle and the kids are wonderful in that if I said, `You know, guys, I want to do something different,’ they’d be fine.”

This is called positioning. Obama is not stupid, after all he is the President. He knows that he will likely win a second term, but he is just saying that to keep his opponents calm.

Because in the same interview, he said that one term is not enough and that he feels the work he started is not yet complete. What work would that be? Completely bankrupting small business in the country? Stimulus spending into oblivion that only benefits the banks and Wall Street? Expanding the wars and American empire even further into the middle east?

In March, we entered Libya. In his press conference on March 22 Obama said the activity we were getting into in Libya would be a matter of "days, not weeks."

So here we are 3 months later, and NATO (you might as well say the U.S.) is still there and the resulting civilian casualties are increasing. Nevermind they said the areas to be targeted were mainly *unpopulated*.

Then there's all this hype about Obama's speech the othernight about withdrawing 10,000 troops from Afghanistan. Big freaking whoop! There are nearly ten times that number currently deployed there. Is that what you call withdrawal? Again, it's more positioning, folks. A war that has cost over 400 BILLION (with a B) dollars and how many lives now? Does we really even know? Of course, there has been NO MENTION of Iraq lately from anyone.

The White House is in full campaign mode, and this positioning is intended to satisfy his unfufilled campaign promises made 3 years ago about ending the wars.

And on the economy & deficit? They've been supposedly hammering out this 'budget' since February. Remember, back in the first week of April, all the hype over the government will inevitably shut down if no agreement on the budget was reached?

Drama and political gaming continues while the little guy suffers.

While I'm on the subject, what has President Obama done to help small business owners recover from the "mess he inherited"?

He would likely respond to this question by referring to 'small business recovery plan' enacted 2 years ago - remember the one that was supposed to loosen up credit markets? Try asking any small business owners you know if that has benefited him or her in any way. You'll likely not get a favorable response.

It does appear however that he continued to help boost the small business bankruptcy rate. Business bankruptcies for the first quarter of 2011 were 12,376, double the amount compared to the same time frame in '07 (before the recession hit). And to top it off, the total annual business bankruptcy filings in '09 and '10 were the at the highest number since 1994.

I suppose we can call it the worst recovery since the great depression.

To his credit, Obama has not acted alone in the above *accomplishments*. His predecessor and Congress have been complicit, as well as the citizenry, for standing idly by and allowing this demolition of the American dream to continue.

There's an old saying, "That government is best which governs least". Corruption is rampant in our too-big-to-fail government, filled with scandal at every turn. Huge government sets the stage for this type of corruption.

While it's painfully obvious that some government services are necessary, the bureaucracy involved with various agencies to administer them could be shrunk drastically. Programs such as welfare and financial assistance could be done locally or at a state level and not require such huge institutions. One advantage of doing this would be that the recipients could be worked with more closely, and encouraged to become less dependent and more self-reliant.

And while the games in DC continue, we are involved in 3 wars (dont be surprised if another soon follows), NOTHING is being done to cut these expenses. People are broke, unemployed, homeless - and the guys & gals on the hill talk about cutting public 'entitlements'??

Government for the sake of government solves nothing.

What's with Obama? First, he was Irish, then British, and now Polish?

2011-06-05T16:51:00.002-04:00

I came across a little-known story about our illustrious President the other day. His ancestral background of course, has been a mystery to many, but did you know that in addition to his Kenyan, Irish, and British roots, that he is also part Polish? Check out this interesting little exchange from the webanswers.com forum that prompted the following response from me:

This was news to me, I had heard something about the Irish thing, apparently a great-great grandaddy on his maternal side was from the little town he visited last week, Moneygall, Ireland, population 300. Ever the photo-opp president, he publicly drank a Guiness. Now after seeing your question, I looked it up and he evidently made the crack "If you live in Chicago and you haven't become a little bit Polish, then something's wrong with you."

Ok so now he's just adding lineage as he goes along trotting the globe? Will he be part Mexican the next time he stops to visit there? Perhaps he will be part Eqyptian, in the near future. Who knows? I mean come on, lots of us are mutts - I have roots in Germany, France, Belgium and Austria, but I was born here, of two US citizens, and I don't go around saying I'm a German-French-Belgian-Austrian-American. Either you are American or you're not.

My guess is he's going for the whole President-of-the-World title. Maybe he can trade in his non-deserved Peace Prize for that one.

Evidently the Polish-roots-connection came out in 2008, there was a shot taken at O by Polish Foreign Affairs Minister Radoslaw Sikorski who quipped, "Why does Barack Obama have Polish roots? Because his grandfather ate a Polish missionary."

http://www.webanswers.com/politics/politics/what-s-with-obama-first-he-was-irish-then-british-and-now-polish-where-will-this-end-438184

Climate Change - WHO Be Crazy? Deniers or Believers?

2011-05-24T17:32:00.000-04:00

So the climate-change debate is roaring on thanks to the disastrous increase of tornadoes, flooding, earthquakes,tsunamis and such occuring all over the planet.

While most of what I am seeing lately is what I'll call pro-cc and anti-cc arguments, the topic is whether or not IT (Climate Change) is happening.

The pro-cc folks will say "Hey moron, yes it is happening, can't you see that?" They will then proceed to slam the GOP for promoting the whole Global-warming-aka-climate-change-is a hoax standpoint.

While I will join in with them and be the first to say screw the GOP, what do the Democrats (really) think they can do about it? Let me point out just a few facts.

FACT 1- The earth is millions of years old.
FACT 2- YES. Climate Change is real.
FACT 3- YES. The earth's climate has changed dramatically on its own, over the course of time. Remember the Ice Age?

Scientists say that in the past 400,000 years (only a miniscule amount of time in comparison to the millions of years good ole' mother nature has been around), that carbon has never been present above 300 ppm, except until our lifetime.

Now I am not a scientist, nor do I claim to be, but my first question, as a critic thinker is...How exactly do they know what it was 400,000 years ago? Much less, 200 years ago? I mean, the technology to measure such levels surely hasn't been around more than a half-century, right?

One side of the argument is that when we burn fossil fuels (coal,gas) the carbon in the fossilized material that has been locked into the earth for millions of years is released back into the atmosphere in the form of Carbon Dioxide (CO2). This leads to the position that CO2 needs to be drastically reduced.

FACT 4- Even if carbon dioxide (and methane, which I haven't even discussed) emissions stopped entirely today, climate change will still continue:
A: Due to the length of time that both compounds remain present in the atmosphere, and
B: Because the earth does go through its own, natural, cyclical heating and cooling stages.

So, while the GOP position is to deny that any of this is happening and that man has any role whatsoever in it, The left side argues that we must, must, MUST tax everyone on the planet for their CO2 emissions and that will just solve the whole damn thing.

What's wrong with this picture?. Where is the middle ground? I am not a climate change denier, yet I also don't believe that carbon taxes/carbon credits will solve the earth's woes.

My position: YES it is real, YES it happens naturally, YES, man helps speed it up and makes the situation worse.

NO, denying it won't do anything other than cause this whole back/forth distractionary argument, NO, taxing the entire planet isn't going to stop a damn thing, and NO, consumers (especially Americans) are not going to give up their cars and other shiny little toys that they can't take with them when they die. It's called greed.

Bottom line - the Democrats can go screw themselves right along with the Republicans. Neither one of them have a solution and never will.

Really, there isn't much anyone can do to stop this pattern, other than to live more simply and strive for personal responsibility - to not contribute more to a bad and worsening situation. Is that going to save the planet? No, but it makes me feel a hell of a lot better.

I guess you could say living in the country has given me a new perspective on life. It's like an old country man once said, the earth is like a dog. Every once in awhile, it has to shake off all the fleas.

this blog entry was inspired by Snarkipedia's video (below)

Obama's claim to be "focused on jobs"

2011-05-11T05:59:00.004-04:00

In his weekly radio address on Saturday, President Barack Obama stated, “Although our economy hasn’t been the focus of the news this week, not a day goes by that I’m not focused on your jobs, your hopes, and your dreams."

If this statement is true, then one can't help but wonder why (in between press engagements related to the Bin Laden killing) the president made several appearances around the nation this week to speak about reducing U.S. dependence on foreign oil. The recent hike in gas prices is certainly not the primary source of our country's economic troubles. Now he is talking about immigration.

In a CNN poll released this week, 80 percent of respondents agreed the economy is in bad shape. The largest problem area according to those surveyed was unemployment. The national deficit, pain at the gas pump, housing costs and taxes rounded out the other important economic issues.
In 2007, prior to the recession, unemployment was nearly half of current levels. The U.S. Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics issued its monthly report on Thursday, indicating 244,000 jobs were added last month. Although this number exceeded economists' expectations, the national unemployment rate rose to nine percent, up from the previous month. The number of unemployed persons currently sits at 13.7 million.
It's important to note this number doesn't include over two million people who are in fact out of work, yet not counted in the unemployment figure. These are people who have been out of the labor force and have looked for work in the past year. These individuals weren't counted because they had not searched for work within the past four weeks. Essentially, they have given up.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported this week that one in seven people in the country are currently on food stamps. These staggering numbers were the subject of an interactive map and breakdown comprised by The Wall Street Journal.

Nationwide, the number of people receiving food stamp benefits saw an 11.6 percent increase compared to one year ago. The top five states with the highest percentage of its population currently receiving food stamps are:

Mississippi: 20.6%
Oregon: 20.0%
Tennessee: 19.9%
New Mexico: 19.7%
Michigan: 19.6%

So the question remains...when will the president and congress turn their attention away from the global war on terror and quest for oil to focus on the unemployment obstacle that is choking so many American families?

OBL Death Saga: The story keeps changing.

2011-05-05T15:09:00.000-04:00

Regardless of whether the Osama Bin Laden death *story* is true, there is one primary advantage (for the Obama administration) to it.

I am very skeptical about this whole report of his death, and here's why:

OBL has been on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list since 1998, when he was added as a result of the U.S. Embassy bombings in East Africa. Note: there is no mention of 9/11 on OBL's Wanted notice. In 2006, the FBI's Chief of Investigative Publicity, Rex Tomb, stated: "The reason why 9/11 is not mentioned on Usama Bin Laden's Most Wanted page is because the FBI has no hard evidence connecting Bin Laden to 9/11." To date, he has not been formally charged, either.

Then there is the statement from former Pakistani Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto, in late 2007 alleging that OBL was killed by one of the same men convicted of kidnapping and killing U.S. journalist Daniel Pearl .

Bhutto was assassinated at the end of December 2007.

It does seem bizarre that since 9/11, subsequent video messages allegedly from OBL show a man that looks very different from the inital videos released in 2001. In more recent years, any communications allegedly from OBL have been audio only.

Based on this, I conclude they had not found him previously because he was already dead.

The Gulf is NOT ok: What the Media Doesn't Want You To Know

2011-04-20T09:19:00.004-04:00

On the one-year anniversary of the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history, the national media coverage is hot and heavy. Topics of conversation vary: how clean the beaches are, how delicious the seafood is; how only $4 billion of the $20 billion reimbursement fund has been paid out; how the new revamped Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (formerly Minerals Management Service) has approved new permits since the moratorium was lifted, how new safety regulations are coming down the pike and how the oil companies' profits are better than ever.

Meanwhile, Gulf Coast residents are getting the shaft. No one, absolutely NO ONE (in the media, that is) will report on the actual conditions in the "isolated areas" where oil is still washing up. It is up to ordinary people to take matters into their own hands and spread the ugly truth that gets no airplay whatsoever.

A recent Associated Press (AP) article headline reads:
SCIENTISTS SAY THE OVERALL HEALTH OF THE GULF IS NEARLY BACK TO NORMAL.

Since Google and every major media outlet runs and reports on feeds from AP, that is the headline being circulated to maintain the public's blindness of the real deal. While the article admits that "Scientists cite significant declines in key health indicators such as the sea floor, dolphins and oysters. In interviews, dozens of Gulf experts emphasized their concerns, pointing to the mysterious deaths of hundreds of young dolphins and turtles, strangely stained crabs and dead patches on the sea floor."

Answer me this, Associated Press: How in the hell can you then print the headline that the health is nearly at pre-spill level??? How do you people sleep at night?

Enter the Coastal Warriors, tenacious and ticked-off residents and their supporters who are delivering the REAL truth about current conditions. These reports of course, are limited to the internet, and it is up to us to share the information.

Two such areas where Coastal Warriors are showing the mess left behind a year later: Ocean Springs, MS and Long Beach, MS.

These photos were taken just two days ago in Ocean Springs, MS. They clearly show the remaining effects and damage to the once beautiful shoreline.

Photos courtesy of Renea Hulett

Another dedicated and courageous Gulf resident, Denise Rednour, has been filming the Long Beach coastline regularly since the spill. Here is just one of the latest videos, Sad Saturday Indeed

What about the "mysterious deaths of hundreds of young dolphins and turtles, strangely stained crabs and dead patches on the sea floor?" Just about every mainstream article related to the sealife deaths is quick to point out these animals show no signs of external oil. Perhaps the cause is related to the toxic COREXIT dispersant used by BP, even after being ordered by the EPA to stop the use of this poison.

There is scant coverage of the Gulf Coast residents whose livelihoods have been wiped out by this disaster.
Video: Gulf Coast Residents Still Waiting on BP

But followed by this limited coverage, the topic is quickly changed to some fabricated, hyped-up non-issue, such as the theatrical 'debate' on cutting the deficit. It is obvious to anyone with a functioning brain that no one in Washington is serious about tackling the ever-looming economic collapse of the United States.

So when you hear that "the fishing's never been better", "the seafood is great", and that things in the Gulf are getting back to normal, think again. There are miles and miles of coastline that are still oiled and a thousand miles of fishing areas that remain closed. Yet each and every day, the BP gas stations in the United States are still brimming with customers, oblivious or just plain ignorant to the grim reality in the Gulf.

What is there to hide? TORTURE

2011-04-10T13:48:00.002-04:00

This country is becoming totally unrecognizable. Welcome to the United States of Amerikka. I urge you to see the following article by Michael Whitney on FireDogLake.com:

Quantico Blocks Official Visits by UN, Amnesty International and Rep. Kucinich to Bradley Manning

Kucinich, who sits on the Oversight Committee, wants to inspect the conditions of Manning's confinement. Yet the military's position is that this does not qualify for an official visit because he wouldnt be conducting 'official government business". Really? The last time I checked, Kucinich was a member of CONGRESS. Is that not official enough?

Quantico also is denying visits for the same reason, from both Amnesty International and the UN, which has opened an investigation into Manning's detainment.

The last paragraph of Whitney's article says it all.

"What is the government afraid that Manning will say to these officials when the Brig isn’t able to record his every move? If Manning’s torture is “meeting our basic standards,” president Obama says, what is there to hide?"

The denial of these visits is absolutely unacceptable. The man is a US CITIZEN, but that evidently means nothing anymore.

To quote a comment from user (DEEP HARM) on this subject:
The executive branch has a long, ugly history of refusing to allow insitutions, law or reason to stand in the way of retaliating against a whistleblower. And, despite growing public support for whistleblowers, retaliation is only getting worse.

Calculating the Cost of War

2011-04-07T23:58:00.001-04:00

This nifty calculator will give you your personal tax liability for just one of the illegal wars.

How much did YOU pay for war this year?

Gov't Shutdown: Hype or Reality?

2011-04-06T08:53:00.002-04:00

All the hype about our "elected officials" pointing fingers at each other about which side can't agree to cutting the astronomical U.S. Budget, is quite frankly, giving me a headache.

Article after article, interview after interview, all that is being said is that the government will inevitably SHUT DOWN ON FRIDAY if no agreement is reached.

The headlines & quotes:

Government shutdown looms as congressional budget talks stall

"I am extremely disappointed that after weeks of productive negotiations with Speaker Boehner, Tea Party Republicans are scrapping all the progress we have made and threatening to shut down the government if they do not get all of their extreme demands" - Harry Reid

Federal workers fed up with lack of information about possible shutdown

Cantor discusses budget stalemate, hopes to avoid shutdown
“I have always said that we do not want to see the government shut down,” Cantor said.

What is missing from the above headlines and corresponding articles? The all important keyword: PARTIAL

The media pundits and grandstanding politicians fail to mention the fact that the pending shutdown is a PARTIAL shutdown. In reality, the shutdown, if it comes to fruition, would look something like this:

National parks would close.
Passport offices would close.
The IRS taxpayer helpline would close.

Not quite the SHUTDOWN the media and Congress Critters would have us believe.

Of course the military, the FBI and the Coast Guard would stay on the job.

Everything the Beltway Boys & Girls are saying & doing is politically motivated, and as usual, what is good for the American people isn't even in the equation.

Operation Odyssey Dawn???

2011-03-31T10:15:00.004-04:00

When I first heard the military action in Libya was tagged "Operation Odyssey Dawn", I thought, "What a stupid and cheeky sounding name". I wondered if the military keeps these names on a list somewhere, just waiting to use them whenever the need arises.

The name has continued to nibble at my insides. First of all it sounds more like the name of a porn star or a 70's disco band than a military undertaking.

I was under the impression that the term 'odyssey' in fact meant a voyage, a trek, as in "2001 Space Odyssey". We all know what 'dawn' means. The beginning. So I decided to look the actual definition up. After doing so, it makes the Obama Administration's choice of moniker in this case, a little more puzzling. That is, if you actually believe that this will be a very short conflict. Perhaps it hints at the reality that most in the media are trying so feverishly to ignore.

The actual definition (according to Dictionary.com):

Od·ys·sey [od-uh-see]
–noun, plural -seys for 2.

1. ( italics ) an epic poem attributed to Homer, describing Odysseus's adventures in his ten-year attempt to return home to Ithaca after the Trojan War.

2. ( often lowercase ) a long series of wanderings or adventures, especially when filled with notable experiences, hardships, etc.

Hmmmm. Makes it a seemingly erroneous choice of words for what is supposed to be a brief effort. Or are we looking at 'just the beginning' of a long series of wanderings in Libya? With the first six days costing $$373 Million, this long series of wanderings will come with a hefty price tag.

O-SPIN-ION Polls

2011-03-25T21:28:00.000-04:00

Two new public (US) opinion polls were released this week, regarding the U.S.-led coalition's military action against Libya. The general consensus of these polls (as it's being reported in the mainstream media) is that the majority of Americans approve of the use of military force against Libya.

The Gallup Poll Headline:
Americans Approve of Military Action Against Libya

While the poll results were that more respondents approved of the military action than disapproved, the 47 percent approval rating is the lowest approval rating for any military action ever.

The highest approval rating was in 2001, when 90 percent of Americans approved of the invasion of Afghanistan, in response to the September 11th attacks.

Quite a difference between then and now.

Reuters also conducted a poll this week in which it reports that a majority, 60 percent, support the U.S. and its allies in bombing Libya.

What is not being as widely reported is that the 60 percent breaks down like this:
20 percent of respondents who 'strongly supported' the action
40 percent of respondents who 'somewhat supported' the action.

How do you 'somewhat suppport' something? You either support it or you don't.

Regardless of how these numbers and headlines are spun, the numbers speak for themselves. There is NOT overwhelming public support for the United States' involvement in military action against Libya.

The big news today is that NATO is to take over completely from coalition forces in Libya. But what does that really mean?

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) includes twenty-eight (28) member countries, including the United States.

From the NATO Core Tasks And Principles:

"The political and military bonds between Europe and North America have been forged in NATO since the Alliance was founded in 1949...and that link remains strong as ever.

The security of NATO members on both sides of the Atlantic is indivisible. We will continue to defend it together, on the basis of solidarity, shared purpose and fair burden-sharing."

The United States is the backbone of NATO. Regardless of whether our involvement is via U.S.-led coalition forces OR via U.S. involvement in NATO forces, the people do not want the U.S. involved at all.

It appears that battle lines are being drawn in the Middle East, and it doesn't look like the U.S. involvement will be ending anytime soon. No matter how it is twisted and spun, the majority of Americans do not support this involvement.

The only way to change that perception is for people to speak out against it. Whether it is through online forums, YouTube, blogs, social networking sites or protesting in the streets...the only way to change it is to be vocal and visible.

Dumbed Down...Dazed, Dense and Dim

2011-03-22T08:15:00.001-04:00

NEWSWEEK gave 1,000 Americans the U.S. Citizenship Test--38 percent failed. The country's future is imperiled by our ignorance.

How Dumb are We?

Almost half were clueless about the Bill of Rights. But I bet they can tell you all about Charlie Sheen or some other idiotic topic. Pathetic.

Libya. Here we go again (to war).

2011-03-21T14:39:00.003-04:00

Of the number of trendy revolutionary 'uprisings' that began in the middle east last month, it seems that only 2 have been of interest to the US government. Why, pray tell, do you think this is? As any real estate broker or savvy businessperson would say..."Location, location baby, location".

First off - Egypt. The Egyptian revolution was not so much about establishing 'democracy' there, but rather a mass of unemployed/underemployed debt slaves that had their fill of the growing and persistent income inequality.

Yet day in and day out we heard about Egypt and so little about the other 'revolutions' going on in neighboring countries.

And the target of the day now is Libya, Egypt's neighbor.

The globalist foreign policy think tanks were abuzz (and probably drooling) this week, pleading Obama to get into the mix in Libya.
One such organization, The Foreign Policy Initiative, spun it as a humanitarian mission (of course) when they wrote "...the United States and its allies should stand with the men, women and children of Libya who seek a future of peace and dignity."

Hmm....Would that be the same "peace and dignity" currently prevailing in Afghanistan and Iraq?

Admittedly, US Officials haven't produced evidence that Qaddafi has been "attacking civilians". US Department of Defense's Robert Gates and Admiral Mullen in fact, both confirming "We’ve seen no confirmation whatsoever."

An important to note to ponder, that received very little attention: Egypt's military (now no longer under Mubarak control) has begun shipping arms to Libyan rebels with Washington's knowledge.

Is it me or is it deja vu? Doesn't this eerily seem to be another compilation of, well, I'll call them 'excuses"...to justify and instigate war in yet another country that is advantageously close in proximity to Iran?

It seems that the Globalists are using a regional strategy to destabilize and take over key target nations in the Middle East - one at a time. As each nation falls, the long journey leading toward World Government gets that much shorter.