Jan 27, 2012

Mitt Romney hands Newt Gingrich his head over investments

Don't be fooled by Mitt Romney's "innocent" looks. There's some "fight" in that man, especially over his investments. During the Florida debates when Newt Gingrich tried to raise doubts about investments by Mitt Romney, as shared on CNN.com, the ex-governor gave Gingrich a verbal spanking in front of millions—and Gingrich took it.

File:Mitt Romney 2007 profile portrait.jpg
Photo credit: Steve Jurvetson

During the video, the look in Romney's eyes is unmistakable. He was offended and unwilling to take any more of Gingrich's mud-slinging. The tone in his voice demonstrated he wasn't giving memorized lines provided by a speech-writer. He spoke from his gut, and—by golly—the audience liked it. It was a joy to watch someone neuter the Newt in front of so many.

Accentuating Gingrich's faults, as demonstrated in the South Carolina debates when Newt Gingrich exposed himself as a candidate above questioning, is easy. He seems to believe himself above questions which journalists and Americans want to ask. What Mitt Romney did, though, was even better. He showed himself as willing to face off with a little man who believes himself better than the same questions every other candidate has ever endured. Mitt Romney showed the nation he's willing to fight back.

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Jan 24, 2012

I'm Proud to Be a Friend of Jessica Ahlquist - from Yahoo! News

COMMENTARY | To my better Christian friends, what would you think of living in a world filled with others threatening your life for standing by your beliefs? Do you feel those people who would do so should be proud of behaving so evilly? I'd guess not. Would you defend yourself or any other believer thusly attacked? Of course you would.

That's why I'm proud to say Jessica Ahlquist is a friend of mine. In a recent report on TheBlaze.com, she and the Freedom From Religion Foundation have filed a complaint* against a florist for refusing to deliver flowers sent to her by one of her fans. In their defense, they claimed to need police protection for delivering flowers. That police protection wouldn't be from the actions of Ahlquist but from the religious extremists who threaten her, as revealed on the blog for...Go here for the rest.

(*The original version says "lawsuit," which is inaccurate.)

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Jan 21, 2012

Stem cell therapies make the next step in their evolution

COMMENTARY | Since the discovery of progenitor cells, aka stem cells in 1978, scientists the world over have been abuzz over the possibility to treat a wide range of diseases and medical conditions. The promise of treating not only genetic diseases, but hopefully one day, the restoration of missing limbs and damaged organs is one step closer to reality.

South Korean government officials have approved the sale of a new stem cell drug named “Cartistem,” which re-grows cartilage in the knee for patients with degenerative arthritis and is injected during surgery. Oh, the joys and wonders of science. This certainly comes as good news for anyone who has ever lived with osteoarthitis – a debilitatingly painful joint disease.

Thus far, investors have committed a total of approximately 23.7 million dollars into the project and the possibilities of return for investors far out-weigh any risks. With an estimated 21 million people living with osteoarthritis in the US alone, the market certainly exists and is hopeful for any scientific advances which show promise.

South Korea's Medipost – along with other drug manufacturers - is hoping for a worldwide license to market the new drug, meanwhile, clinical trials have been ongoing in the US for the past year. Americans are expected to be able to access Cartistem by 2015.

Many of the religious and/or ethical concerns over the use of human stem cells have been addressed. With the discovery of pluripotent stem cells, embryonic stem cells are no longer necessary to develop any of the 220 different tissue types in the human body. Pluripotent stem cells are those which have been taken from an adult human's own body and treated in such a way as to make them embronic-like in their flexibility.

But even with these latest developments in mind, there still remains a debate over the ethics of the possibility of human cloning. But so far, scientists and researchers are not so much looking to clone entire humans, but rather, individual organs and body parts. For the patient waiting for a heart transplant, to simply have a copy made of their own could make all the difference.

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President Obama Rubs America's Gullibility In Our Faces

After shooting down the Keystone XL pipeline, which would have created more jobs and lessened our dependence upon OPEC for our oil, Obama's first re-election campaign ad brags about the effectiveness of his energy policies. *Author scratches head.*

Yeah. That piece made me do a double-take too.

I especially loved how he bragged on – wait for it – Solyndra! For those who don't pay much attention, they're a solar energy development firm in Arizona whom after having received millions in guaranteed loans from the Obama Administration conveniently went into bankruptcy.

You'd think a re-election campaign ad would perhaps, oh I don't know, talk about something he might have done right? But no, not this president. And to think, I was beginning to like President Obama. Then he rubs it in our faces just how big of suckers we all are.

Maybe his next ad will celebrate how big of a success he was at getting Guantanamo closed or how pleasant Joe Biden is. We Americans are certainly gullible to play along.

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Jan 19, 2012

So, Rick Perry dropped out. Was it from the backlash over “Strong?”

COMMENTARY | With today's resignation of Rick Perry, America breathed a collective sigh of relief that there's now not a Republican's chance at an orgy of the man becoming the next Republican nominee for the office of the presidency. Anyone who would pander so hard for the Christian vote that he would stoop to the level of doing his “Strong” ad on YouTube must seriously be in love with the idea of power.

He just about had a chance for the nomination too, until that ad came out. In a nutshell, he told America he'd inflict his personal religious beliefs on everyone else, whether we wanted to be a Christian or not. It's not that Rick Perry (or anyone) doesn't have a right to believe as he sees fit. It's that he wasn't “Strong” for what he said. He was wrong for what he said. And his poll numbers showed it from then on out.

When he decried “gays serving openly in the military,” he was disrespecting men and women who were serving at the time he said it. He was telling some of the very people who were currently fighting overseas he had no use for them.

When he accused Obama of “waging a war on religion,” he simply wasn't acknowledging the truth of the matter, in that there isn't one. All Obama's done to be accused of “waging a war on religion,” is to recognize that Christianity isn't the only religion in America. (Heck, some of us practice no religion) What Perry was really whining about was that his team wasn't so all-powerful anymore.

When Rick Perry said he “wasn't ashamed to admit he was a Christian,” millions of minds in America thought “How brave to admit he's a Christian in America.” Try that in Saudi Arabia. Now, that would've shown some balls.

When Rick Perry did his “Strong” ad on YouTube, he actually managed to get more “dislikes” (747,612 as of this blog posting) than Rebecca Black's “Friday.” He set a record for disapproval on YouTube. History will show that his message in that particular ad was the down-turning point for his campaign. I'm just glad we got to see what sort of a bigoted turd he was before he got the job. Now, on to destroying his endorsement, Newt Gingrich.

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Jan 18, 2012

Ron Paul is Facing Something Less Than a Conspiracy

COMMENTARY | According to The Washington Post's Mention Machine, the media has only mentioned the name Ron Paul 2,821 times - but as of January 17, 2012 - his name has been invoked 266,874 times in general. Still, the headline reads as if it's Mitt Romney's big week. Right. Obviously, Romney may be the media darling, but it's Ron Paul who's the people's candidate-of-choice among the Republicans.

Anybody else also notice it was Ron Paul who received Senator Tom Davis' endorsement? In a powerfully-worded statement on SenatorTomDavis.com, he states "I'm endorsing Ron Paul because enough is enough. Despite this wave of unprecedented government spending, our unemployment rate has remained above 8 percent for the last 34 months and 146.4 million Americans - one out of every two people in this country - are now classified as poor or low-income."

Before he chose to endorse the Texas Congressman, the Senator's endorsement was "vital." Now, conveniently, it's not all that important. Is there anything the Libertarian candidate can win which doesn't immediately get downgraded to unimportant? Has there been a debate, poll or survey where Ron Paul has done well, but another candidate's horn gets tooted? No, not one. Why?

My guess is it's not a conspiracy, in any way. A "conspiracy" would imply some sort of secret plan to engage in criminal behavior. And all of this is not the criminal behavior - the criminal behavior is reserved for after a candidate wins the office. No, this is no criminal conspiracy.

From what I've surmised, the media - every website, newspaper, radio and television station in America - is no longer in the news business. They're now strictly advertising - all advertising, all the time. And while Ron Paul is popular among the voters of the U.S. because he has honesty, consistency and more than one good idea, other candidates simply bought their favor. Mitt "Waffles" Romney is in the pocket of every media outlet he can be. Nothing personal. It's just business.

It's understandable. Every business on Earth must pay their employees, bills and also earn a profit. So, saying and doing what a sponsor says is their job, like it or not. But, has Romney spent enough to guarantee he'll out-shine a candidate who makes all other politicians look bad in comparison? Or, will Ron Paul offering a good plan trump the power of the almighty dollar?

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Jan 16, 2012

The Bible is Anti-American-Video

When someone says a comment such as mine, that the Bible is anti-American, I can imagine the sounds of panties getting into bunches all over the country. But it's true, just the same. All feelings aside, that book is not a source for any guidelines of a free and just society.

Let's be clear: I'm not saying goodness ia anti-American. I'm not saying morality is anti-American. The people of America are – in fact – some of the best, most moral and even generous people who have ever lived. This commentary has nothing to do with any of that though.

Read that book. I won't accept anyone saying “but I have.” If you can try telling me that book has anything to do with liberty and freedom, then I can call bullshit, because you've obviously never read those legends about the brutal dictator of a sky god humanity once worshiped. I hope you enjoy the video.


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5 Predictions for 2012 and the USA and a challenge to psychics everywhere

Psychics are bullshit. I'm going to prove it too. Not only am I going to make 5 disprovable predictions, I'm also going to hit about half of them right.

As well, I challenge any and all fraud psychics everywhere to do the same thing as I've done here. They won't. And maybe then, their victims will see the truth.



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Jan 15, 2012

Was it tebowing which got two basketball players beat up?

So lately, it seems a popular fad is to go “Tebowing” during sporting events. Because, y'know, God® is such a big sports fan... First off, let me say that, personally, I don't give a rat's ass what Tim Tebow – or any other athlete – does on the sidelines. I don't care if they wanna pray, sit there quietly, sacrifice a goat or have an orgy. Believe it or not, there are bigger issues in my world and some football stars personal rituals are no more a part of that world than any of the drama of the Kardashians. I find it all silly.

So, earler today, as reported on FOX News two basketball players were allegedly beaten by players from a rival team for “tebowing.” At least that's what the mother of one of the players says. Of course, since there's a religious connection to all of this, people on the web are going right along and the ensuing commentary is taking it all as if it's a hate crime.

Of course, it had to be for tebowing. Obviously, right? Because – obviously again - HER baby boy would NEVER have talked smacked to an opposing player during the game SHE raised him better than that! OBVIOUSLY. This must be due to those evil atheists and their war on religion. Oh LORDY LORDY! These two poor persecuted souls are beaten up for expressing their faith during a game and not because of anything they might've said to students from a rival school!

I bet the assailants from that other team were baby-eating atheists. I bet, as they lie in wait for these two innocent, virtuous, saintly high-school children they were probably just cleaning the last few scraps of baby meat off of some baby bones while waiting to hurt these two innocent little kids. Right? A mother just knows these sorts of things and besides that's what he told her and would her baby lie?

Nah! Of course not. It has to be because these two were praying. It can't be due to any other sort of behavior on the parts of these two poor innocent waifs who were just going outside where there were no adults present to get a fresh breath of the Lord's air – not smoking a cigarette or pot or anything like that. It has to be due to their tebowing during the game. Sounds legit to me!


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Jan 14, 2012

Home Made Mayonnaise Made Easy – Yum!

Since we're dealing with raw eggs, it's vital to make sure all parts are as clean as possible and that everything goes into the refrigerator as quick as possible. With that being said, I may never buy store-bought mayonnaise ever again!

What you'll need to make delicious home made mayonnaise easy:

2 eggs
1 ½ cups vegetable oil (Some folks swear by olive oil, others canola and still others soybean oil. Really, any oil works and it's all a matter of taste preference)
¼ teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
2 Tablespoons sugar or honey

How to make delicious home made mayonnaise easy:

In a blender, add your eggs, salt and sugar. Blend well, until it starts to look like mayonnaise. Stop blending and add half of your oil a drop or small dribble at a time. Blend again until you see it looking whipped. Add your lemon juice or apple cider vinegar and the rest of your oil. Blend on high until you think it looks enough like mayonnaise.

Refrigerate in a sealed jar any portions not eaten right away.

Experiment with hot sauce, chili powder, mustard, dill or any other flavorings you might want to. There are no rules. You might just invent the next food trend. Leave me a comment so I hear what you've tried and how it worked out for you.

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Home-Made Delicious Pecan Butter Made Easy

First, to tell you where I got the idea. We just got a new blender and I love love LOVE making “All Things Blended.” Smoothies, home made mayo, you get the idea. So, I went looking for a home-made peanut butter recipe and found this one from a friend who writes for Yahoo! Voices.

Her recipe sounded really good but when I checked my cupboard (cue ominous background music) NO PEANUTS! What to do? What to do! Okay, I told myself “Self, you're just going to have to try something unique.” So I did.

While we didn't have any peanuts, I remember having had almond butter and other nut butters and that's when it hit me: We have a bag of pecans in the fridge! So, I went with that.

While Ms Morris' peanut butter recipe probably works just fine as it is (in fact, it sounds damn good and I must try it soon) I had to make a few changes for successful pecan butter. Here are my ingredients and steps to make the world's easiest and most delicious pecan butter.

What you'll need:

2 cups shelled pecans, crushed
4 Tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
4 Tablespoons honey or sugar
A blender with varying settings

What you'll do to make the world's easiest, most delicious home made pecan butter:

In the blender, chop up your pecans until they're very nearly powdery. Add your oil and mix on low until it's blended. Then add your honey and mix until it's blended.

Once the ingredients are well-mixed, blend on high (or “puree” if you speak “fancy-talk.”) until it's a consistency which looks like, well...peanut butter.


Here's what mine looked like. But, I've always been a fan of "chunky" myself. You might want to keep pureeing longer.


Spoon out into your container and whatever you don't eat right then needs to be refrigerated, since there are no preservatives. Multiplying this recipe in equal portions of four could probably make enough to justify using a mason jar. It doesn't pour like fresh home made peanut butter, so you'll need to scoop it out with a spatula.

A Tablespoon of the final product is surprisingly filling and gratifying. The next time I make it, I'm going to experiment with flavorings. Chocolate might be a bit too much (Never thought you'd see those words in the same sentence, did ya?) but I'm thinking cinnamon or vanilla might work just right. Maybe butterscotch. Anyways, you're welcome. And enjoy!

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Jan 13, 2012

Have We Been Unfair to President Obama? Exposing Three Myths

Here we are in yet another election cycle. With November 2012 coming sooner than we'll really be ready for, we're going to have to once again choose who holds the Oval Office and the nuclear codes. So far, the incumbent President Obama has had the position and in spite of what many may claim, he hasn't done too terrible of a job.

I don't believe in much in life, but I do believe in being fair. And, if President Obama isn't re-elected on the basis of the issues, that's fine. I don't believe in re-electing anybody, really anyway. Still, even though I've done what I can to support my guy Ron Paul, I think we Americans should consider the job President Obama's actually done so far.

I've heard three major complaints from those who don't like the president, and at one time I bought into them too, until I started looking into the stories myself. Those three topics which wrankle the most cankles of the Tea Party movement in the US are: Obama's “apology tour” in his early presidency, military spending and of course, jobs. Let's look at them, shall we?

President Obama myth number 1) Obama went on an apology tour when he first became president. - This just doesn't pan out. According to Washington Post's Fact Checker blog, as a new president, Barack Obama was expected to travel the world and meet with heads of state of other nations, so it wasn't an “apology tour,” but simple diplomacy. As well, any quotes used against him were taken out of their original context.

President Obama myth number 2) Obama cut military spending and weakened Americn defenses. - This one is blatantly wrong. Anyone making this claim (Mitt Romney) needs to be aware that military spending is – in fact – public knowledge and therefore easily checked. Herp Derp.

According to U.S News and World Report, not only has military spending not been cut, under President Obama, it's gone up – significantly! In 2008 the Pentagon spent $594 billion then $666 billion. And in 2011, it was $739 billion! If you can convince me the increases are a cut, I'll eat my nacho hat.

President Obama myth number 3) Jobs - Holy crap, where do I begin? This might upset some folks, but when President Obama first took office, he actually was straddled with the after-effects of former President Bush. Just because he had taken the Oath of Office didn't mean there were any policies in place yet. Again, according to the previously referenced U.S. News and World Report article, the president has ended up creating an estimated 3 million private sector jobs over the last 22 consecutive months. (Actually, the businesses doing the hiring are the job creators. But that's a fine point which seems to confuse some folks so I'll just play with the same terminology folks are used to.)

Granted, all of those jobs aren't the type which might feed a family and fund the dreams of an Ivy League education, but when times are tough, even a part-time job can make all the difference. The jobs are there. Corporations are turning profits under President Obama. The economy is recovering. Granted, I might've done it differently, myself. But it seems like America is almost working again.

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Jan 12, 2012

Confessions of a smooch-a-holic

I confess. I'm a smooch addict. I love smooches. Can't get enough of them. I gotta have at least one a day. If my girlie ever stopped giving me a smooch every day, I'd probably go back to giving smooches to strangers just to fill my need.

There's nothing to be ashamed of for loving smooches. Everybody needs them. The only people who think they don't are those who aren't getting any. And once they do, they'll remember how good they are. So, in case you think you're not a smooch addict like me, go give someone a smooch and see just how happy they make you. Go on. Do it. Give your own mom a smooch if you must. Give anyone a smooch. I'm game! Get over here. SMOOOOOCH!

Smooches are the secret to world peace. How in the world could we go around killing potential smoochers to smooch? Smooches are how we should seal contracts too. The next time you make a deal or a bet or any sort of contract, instead of shaking their hand, give 'em a smooch! Imagine how great a world this would be if we each gave others more smooches. Just imagine!

I hope my message gave you a smile. I hope it helps remind you to give a smooch to those you love today. If you don't have anyone to give a smooch to, show them this and by the time they get to this line, you'll have your daily smooch no doubt. Everybody needs a smooch, so go get yours. Like other good things, smooches need to be given as much as they need to be received.

Remember to leave me a "howdy" in the comment section, so I know you stopped by. Okay? Have a wonderful day. (Give me a stumble or a tweet or a share and help me spread the message of more smooching!)

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Jan 6, 2012

Bobby Joe Rogers -- Latest Arrest in Long Line of Senseless Abortion Clinic Violence

COMMENTARY | In response to another act of ridiculous and pointless violence, federal authorities have charged one Bobby Joe Rogers, 41, with violating federal explosives laws for allegedly setting fire to a Pensacola abortion clinic on January 1, as reported on The Washington Post's website. It seems for some folks, there's just no better way to start the new year out than with some unnecessary act of violence.

Luckily for Bobby Joe Rogers, nobody was reported injured in this latest cowardly act of violence, still, the news report states he could be facing up to 20 years in prison for his actions if convicted. In addition to this fire and daily protests by people carrying bibles and crosses at the clinic, this particular location - known as "The Ladies Center" - has been the center of attention for one or more groups of Christian extremists in Pensacola for decades now, according to an Associated Press report issued today.

In spite of decades of violence - mostly involving arson, explosives and butyric acid attacks - access to abortions for women is an issue which no group of extremists has a right to stop. While there are some elements of American society who believe themselves doing "the Lord's work" in committing these acts, what they're attempting to stop is the safe and affordable abortion procedures which have been legal in the United States since 1973.

Some evangelicals who've managed to catch the public eye on the topic have made vague references to the "personhood" of an unborn fetus, but what never seems to get mentioned is there are no commandments (laws) in the Judeo-Christian bible restricting the termination of a pregnancy. Let's go so far as to put it bluntly to those considering an attack on any client or employee of an abortion clinic anywhere claiming the Biblical law as their reference - the Bible does not recognize the fetus.

In Numbers 3:15, God is said to have ordered a census where pregnant women were not considered two people. Numbers chapter 5 contains the "law of jealousy," where a husband suspecting his wife of infidelity can force her to drink an abortifacient known as "bitter water." With the Bible not condemning abortion - Genesis 38 and Hosea 13:16 even threatening the deaths of unborn children - why are modern American extremists being so violent to stop legal abortions?


For those of you needing a flash video:


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Jan 2, 2012

Top 5 Reasons Ron Paul Should be President in 2012

I have a lot of difficulty imagining a system so borked as ours allowing a guy like Ron Paul to survive a victorious presidential campaign. He simply has far too many financial interests threatened by his proposals. He's too honest. He's not crooked enough. Many have even called him naive.

I'll even agree with having some issues of my own with the guy. I don't really think he'll succeed in keeping every campaign promise. And if he lets our school's science classes get screwed up with creationist's demands to be included in curriculum, he'll have done a terrible disservice to our youth.

But even with all of these factors considered, we could still stand to learn a few things from him. Hear my 5 reasons I feel we should give him the job for four years, at least, and feel free to comment on the video page. I don't block comments or video responses.



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