i know, i get the same feeling. they are so sweet on each other, but in the public eye constantly. so it’s inevitable he camera will catch some private moments–which makes them public displays.
i think flotus is trying to signal him to keep it clean, the way she’s holding her head and face. but he’s a romantic guy, and with her in his arms, he just gets lovey-dovey.
this is a family that has given up so much of their private life for us! thanks again obama family! we love you!
I’m sure all of you realize what the President has achieved, politically, in the past few weeks.
He now has the GOP firmly documented in the minds of all Americans as being anti-contraception & pro-big oil. Add, that he’s tax plan and actions prove he’s for all Americans not just the rich, and, well the GOP now face political suicide no matter what they do …
USA – No ambiguity. Anyone saying 'drill' to 'cheap gas' is either clueless or a liar. End Oil Subsidies. Invest in clean energy. TY #OBAMA
I’ve always wanted to visit Miami and I was actually looking into moving to Florida when I was still young and in college.
Right now I’m on pins and needles waiting to hear something about the CDC job I applied for over 2 weeks go, but since it’s a federal job, they tend to take a lot longer to process information. The announcement said that it could take up to 45 DAYS!! before getting an answer or an update. Still I’m checking obsessively every day just to see if there is some update.
It’s just frustrating because I gonna have to try to put certain life decisions on hold until I found out about the job, i.e. I need to either renew my apartment lease or pay an increased rate and later have to break it if I get the job at CDC. I’m seriously thinking about returning to school for a graduate degree, but I kinda need to know if I’ll be living in ATL or not before I apply to any school or before I can search for a program. Also, I’ve been seriously debating buying a home or more likely a condo, but all that has to wait until I hear more from CDC.
Take a chill pill and breathe. Whatever happens don’t make it a forced issue. Wants and wishes don’t always line-up with needs. The path of least resistance is often the best. 🙂
We have 4 events in our area, I attended one. 10 women ranging in age from 35 to 70.
the underlying themes
They strongly support President Obama
The Republicans have gone too far
–
About half of these women did not do anything beyond voting last time. This time it is just too serious, they had to get involved.
I was also struck by how informed they were, they had their sources, DAily Kos, Facebook pages of a political friend, Twitter, 2/3 of the group knew about the VA decision to back down on hte probe, almost all of them watched Stewart and Colbert. Almost al of them were disgusted with MSM. T had thought it was just me and all of us here on TOD. I was hopeful that through various channels the truth is getting out there.
The first lady was articulate, gracious and inspiring as you would expect.
If anyone else attended and has not yet shared their story, I invite you to comment below. This was a wonderful event and I strongly encourage you to get invlved. The groups that met are being invited into the main neighborhood OFA team. I got 8 “I’m In” cards and many folks said they wanted to get involved like tomorrow….
WiW, that’ great. I had 40 women for obama at my meeting. They were so excited to hear from the First Lady via conference call and are mad as heck at the GOP. They were full of great ideas and are ready to work hard for the President.
WIW–I loved that someone said she just voted last time, but this time was so serious she had to get involved. That’s just the attitude that will make all the difference in this campaign. It would be beyond wonderful if the number of people involved in this campaign exceeded 2008.
I went to a Women for Obama meeting yesterday and here is my story:
There were seven women including the hostess. I arrived a little late because I had to work and when I arrived we listened to the first lady speak for a good half hour. She was so cute, she took about three questions then had to go take care of the girls (she is Mom first y’all). She asked us all to recruit friends/family/neighbors, get involved in this campagin, how important it is to continue the work that she and PBO are doing. All the women were very impressed and inspired. Most of the women were middle aged and four were retired. One of the women also indicated they had not gotten involved in getting a candidate elected in their entire life but because of the over reach by the GOP they wanted to do more than just vote.
I told them about The Obama Diary and there is a regular OFA meeting on Thursday in my area. I plan to go tonight to start volunteering on a regular basis.
I, also, went to my local OFA Women For Obama event. There were around 120 women present. I signed the petition to put President Obama on the primary ballot in NJ. There were a lot of women signing up to volunteer. I had already signed up to do phone banking, and took some forms to register voters last week. They’re really trying to get people to sign on to volunteer.
This is a good program for both the communities and young doctors to help them with their student loan debt. It’s, also, amazing that the United States faces a shortage of 21,000 primary care doctors by 2015 due mainly to high student loans and low pay…
There is never a shortage of lawyers…
Wouldn’t you love to hear — just once — one of these ‘moderators’ at these Republican debates to ask exactly what Republicans will do about the cost and availability of health care in America if ‘Obamacare’ is sooooo terrible?!?!
I’d like Santorum to say how he will help rural areas in PA and in the South receive health care and be able to afford it. He expect these people to vote for Republicans — how are they going to address our health care crisis?
Just once, I’d like to hear questions like this…….
The answer, I’m sure, is pray, ask the church for help or don’t get sick. The real answer is he could care less. If you get sick and die, it’s okay as long as you’ve procreated enough to leave more people to vote Republican (as people tend to do in the South and rural areas). At a meeting today, I heard someone familiar with Santorum say that he is one of the most mean-spirited men you could ever hope not to meet. And he has a truly vile temper. That’s why I think that health care doesn’t matter to him as long as he and his immediate family are adequately covered.
well, market forces would take care of that, of course! just like they have been–and isn’t it grand how everyone is thrilled with their economical insurance plans and health providers? we can thank market forces for that!
Alright, so I posted about Ron Paul and Mittens campaign seeming to be in cahoots and how the other rivals and others in the village are beginning to make note of it.
So here’s more from TPM and IMHO, it just throws gas on the conspiracy fire:
I know my brother LOVES Ron Paul and Rand Paul. He does not like Mitt Romney. But I bet he would vote for Romney if Rand Paul were his running mate. He already told me if Ron Paul was not running as a third party he’d write him in. If Ron Paul supporters combined with Mitt they might have enough voters to make it scary for us. I had never thought of them teaming up as I didn’t think it would meet Ron Paul’s standards.
Not sure, I think Rand Paul is such a complete crackpot he’d scare off any semi-moderate voter. And he’d certainly alienate the Jewish vote. But Ron Paul’s attacks on Santorum and non-criticism of Willard do suggest there’ll be some kind of pay-back, maybe this is it? But I doubt it.
I’m not scared at all. A Romney Rand/Paul ticket is a horrible ticket and Ron Paul supporters claim to hate just what Romney likes…Big government, Wall Street, Corporations, etc. If Romney chooses Rand Paul as his running mate, that would be even worse than McCain/Palin ticket. Ron Paul has his so-called supporters thoroughly deceived if he thinks he’s just going to drop out and endorse Romney and expect his supporters to be on board…
Another thing I want to add is that a vote for Romney/Paul is a vote for racism and pre-civil rights policies. I don’t think America wants to have a world reputation as the country that voted to move 50 years backwards in 2012.
OG, Rand Paul has zero charisma and is not very bright. I can see him making a ton of gaffes a la Palin because he has very little understanding of what is expected on a national stage. Rick Perry seemed unbeatable from the confines of Texas, but he couldn’t make it in the big leagues. Rand has even less experience and hasn’t had the big time pushback he would get as a national candidate. Ron Paul is quirky enough to get away with things that his son would not be so easily forgiven for.
I love love love to see the Youth getting Fired Up for 2012!
We are starting to see more and more of our youth coming into my local OFA office to volunteer for the ’12 election. This is truly a good sign that we will have that voting bloc turning out to vote for pbo again in record numbers this Fall.
Poor Mitt he doesn’t have a clue as to what he will be up against this Fall and I’m loving it!
Donna, I think a lot of people mistook the low youth turnout in 2012 as a lack of enthusiasm for the president when it was really a reaction to the fact that the president WASN”T on the ballot. Anyone who thought that young people would sustain an abnormally high level of enthusiasm for mid-year elections was dreaming. That was never going to happen and it won’t happen in 2014 either. The dynamic presence and charisma of the president is so powerful because it’s so darned rare. If down stream candidates had even a small fraction of this chemistry that would burn up the votes. But they don’t. The Republicans saw the lower 2010 turnout and thought PBO had lost his touch with young people. To which I say, “fat chance.”
What you have said here is the absolute truth and the off year elections frustrate me for the very reasons that you stated. Often PBO will will make the statement during his stump speeches “that this is not about him, that its never been about him, its about us”. I always find myself saying quietly, “nahhh it really is about You Mr. President”. He wants us to engage in politics to be an informed citizenry but most people just aren’t that interested (until something affects them personally). He is the charm and there is no denying it. The man that the pundit class like to say is aloof is adored in this country. Even the Repubs like his character and personality. He is a model husband and citizen. He inspires us with his oratory and amazes us with his brilliance and is pretty easy on the eyes as well. There has been no politician like him since JFK. The Repubs are terrified of this man’s charisma and ability to move and motivate his supporters. And they well should be…..
Hey there O folks! I missed the O train this morning. Anyway looking at that last pic that starts this thread, who invited Charlie Sheen and why is he on the wrong side of the rope line?
President Obama is teaching and preaching about why the oil prices are high. He is educating the American people on the facts. Just imagine the number of people who are hearing this for the first time.
Anybody who tells you there is a quick fix well……
They don’t know what they are talking about or they are not telling the truth.
The media HATES it when PBO tells the American people the truth. Mark Knoller is busy on Twitter pushing lies from Boner’s spokesperson about gas prices. I’m calling him out.
Exactly, President Obama just poked a big hole in the MEDIA FIREWALL. Perish the thought, some facts got out. about the real cause of high gas prices. And Mark Knoller is busy carrying water for Boner. Imagine that? The jackals “SUCK” at their jobs.
HF, yes, and he’ll be talking directly to the American people more and more now that the campaign is getting heated up. I love that the local media is so excited and willing to actually report on what he says, rather than shove out R talking points. Every time he goes on the road and tells it directly, he has thousands of more people who can deliver his message. Today at a meeting people were talking about the gas price issue and wondering what PBO would do about it. And I asked, ” what are you going to do about it?” We can’t leave all the heavy work to the president. Everyone in the room knew that gas prices are a complex issue outside of any president’s control, so I just encouraged them to start talking to everyone they know and meet to push back against the “everything is the president’s fault” GOP meme.
Well, there is one relatively obscure option. Algae, given the right conditions, can grow exponentially without requiring complex nutrients, which is why so many people want a practical method to turn it into, say, bio-diesel.
Put algae in a biogas digester, and let it rot down into methane, CO2 and a decayed semi-solid remnant. Recycle the “waste products” back into your system, including the exhaust of any methane burned or passed through fuel cells on site (creating more CO2 and water vapor).
To speed the decay of cellulose in your system, either use microbes from the stomachs of ruminants (found in their stomachs, and possibly in their cuds) or simply resign yourself to having algae decaying a lot longer in your biogas digester, and getting a much larger solid leftover.
Your excess solid remnant can then be dried out and rendered into charcoal with a low-oxygen burn — and that charcoal can be activated by a high-temperature mix of CO2 and steam (one slightly less hot than the CO2/water vapor exhaust of, say, burning methane).
Gasoline powered cars can run on compressed natural gas with only sleight modifications — the gas cylinders in your trunk or truck bed, some hoses, and a switch on your dashboard to switch from gas to natural gas. Compressed natural gas requires very high pressures… but much lower pressures if allowed to adsorb into, say, activated charcoal.
There’s a ton of other, related industrial and agricultural applications, almost all of which could be managed by most remote, pre-industrial villages using little more than scrap.
My parents live across the street from UM and my dad was in front of his house when PBO drove by in the motorcade. My dad waved and PBO waved back!!! Since I was at work, my dad called to brag 🙂
yes, rikyrah – Chipsticks and The Obama Diary is one of the GREATEST blogs we are fortunate to have at our disposal for knowledge and truth. The laughter, pics and videos are added treats 🙂
Chips and TOD family. Here’s latest PPP poll results in Washington. PBO up BIG! But what I find fascinating is the chart they have comparing PBO’s numbers in certain states with Gore and Kerry’s performance. PBO won those states by huge landslide.
Hello Chips, I have tried all three of the above three named outlets and not able to get anything. I am on an IPad. Can you helpe me out? If not, I will wait for you to post the whole thing, which I know you will. That is only ONE reason that I appreciate your hard work. Thanks and enjoy.
Hi LDS, I always have trouble with video on my iPad, most of the time even YouTube videos don’t work (I get sound, but no picture!). I’ve just posted the intro below and will have the end of the speech soon – I’ll post the full video as soon as it shows up on YouTube. Thanks so much LDS.
I have found on my iPad and iPhone that if I don’t get video with the YouTube clicking on the YouTube icon to go to the YT site will give both.
Also I second/third/fourth all the commenters on how wonderful you are and how great the TOD community is! We appreciate you!
So true Debz, it’s just stunning to me that neither PBO nor his team of advisors understand that the height of trees could swing this election. I can only guess that he’s ignoring the big trees’ issue because his shoes had a bad experience last time he planted them??
I’m sorry, Chips, that’s not good enough for us. We demand a picture of PBO standing in front of trees that are exactly the right height. Those look a little puny to me. I’m sure Mittens would agree.
I remember back when Obama first came into office and he was trying to stop the free-fall in the economy, polling consistently showed that the auto bailout was the least popular of his emergency measures. Of course, the bailout originated with the Bush administration which provided a bridge-loan to keep the industry afloat until Obama could settle on a strategy. I was always a little confused about why people were so hostile to the idea of saving the auto industry. I have deep roots in Michigan and went to college there, so I understand the culture. And I kind of chalked up the national polling numbers to the fact that most people are not familiar with Michigan’s culture and did not understand the kind of devastation they were facing. I’ve read that even today, though, Republicans in Michigan oppose the bailout. I don’t know how to explain that at all. My best guess is that the right-wing media wurlitzer is so effective at reaching Republican voters that it can make them believe anything, no matter how contrary to their experience and culture.
It’s a mystery to me that Mitt Romney is polling even with Santorum in Michigan. After advocating a liquidation of General Motors and Chrysler, I’m surprised Romney can even walk freely in the state. Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) does a great job of eviscerating Romney’s positions on the bailout in today’s Detroit Free Press.
Your tweet inspires me to quote the ever-quotable Barney Frank, as he dealt time and time again with an anti-choice GOP congress who insisted on cutting childrens’ health and early education: “Republicans believe life begins at conception and ends at birth.”
Bravo, Tally! You and Bobfr are surely taking the fight to the GOP on twetter! The GOP can run but can’t hide! You are exposing their lies and telling the TRUTH about what that party represents.
THE FLIP FLOPPING PATHOLOGICAL LIAR & CLIMATE CHANGE
Sorry Guys, Mitt Has Always Been Squishy on Climate
By Kate Sheppard (10/28/11)
=========================================
Later that year, Romney released information about his policy platforms, including his stance on global warming. Ryan Lizza noted this in a New Yorker profile of the candidate:
In it, Romney refers to the “debate” over “how much human activity impacts the environment”—code words for the global-warming-denial crowd. He offers no plan to “dramatically” curtail emissions of CO2, just an aside that “we may well be able to rein in our greenhouse-gas emissions.”
This is Romney’s M.O.: He says things that sound vaguely reasonable, but he doesn’t commit himself to anything. And then when it comes time to actually take action, he jumps ship.
Democrats Hold Hearing on Contraceptives & Women’s Health
===============================================
Washington, DC
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Georgetown Law Center student Sandra Fluke testified before the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committe on women’s health and contraception.
She was blocked from testifying at a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee the previous week on the 2010 health care law regulation requiring employers and insurers provide contraception coverage to their employees. The first panel of the hearing only had men as witnesses.
Ms. Sandra Fluke, a third-year law student at Georgetown University, was the only witness scheduled. Democrats wanted her to testify at last week’s hearing on the administration’s contraceptives policy, but Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), House Oversight Committee Chair, blocked her appearance. Instead, five clergymen — and no women — testified.
John Boehner spokesperson hates that PBO is putting the truth out about the REAL reason for gas prices. He is trying to rebutt PBO’s truth with lies and Mark Knoller is pushing his LIES on Twitter. I am blasting Knoller and calling him out!!
Seeing the excitement from those young folks, now we know why the Republicans are trying to suppress the votes of the young, blacks, latinos,. They know that is these people turn out like they did in 2008, it’s a landslide re-election for President Obama. We can’t let them suppress our votes. We have to turn out for the President and to defeat what the GOP is trying to do.
Exactly. And 2012 won’t be anything like 2010, when Barack Obama was not on the ballot, and most of these people probably didn’t know (or care) who their house rep was.
If you have the time, read the Court’s decision. It is a masterful painstakingly detailed EVISCERATION of every single one of The Orange One’s”bi-partisan” (please!) legal advisory group’s “arguments” in “support” of DOMA. I actually laughed out loud when reading that in support of one of its arguments, BLAG actually submitted to the Court an article posted on Salon.com. SERIOUSLY? The Court’s smackdown of that was brilliant, “This is a three-page non-scientific article by an author with no professional expertise in child development, published by a popular online magazine without peer review.” The fact that this decision was written by a “Dubya” appointee is the icing on the cake.!
ANYBODY WHO IS HAVING PROBLEMS UNDERSTANDING THE CAUSES BEHIND FLUCTUATING GAS PRICES…SHOULD HAVE LISTENED TO PBO TODAY IN MIAMI…REALLY LISTENED. ENERGY CONSERVATION IS NOT A QUICK FIX…IT TAKES A FULL COMMITTMENT TO NEW OPTIONS FOR ENERGY DEVELOPMENT. TILL THEN…WE ARE SUBJECT TO THE SPECULATORS AND REACTION TO MIDEAST TURMOIL. I DON’T KNOW HOW MANY TIMES OUR PRESIDENT HAS HAD TO REPEAT THIS CALL FOR CHANGE. AND…OH SO TRUE…WE CAN’T DRILL OUR WAY OUT OF IT…NEED I REMIND ALL THOSE GAS SUCKING PICK-UP AND SUV DRIVERS IN INDIANA WHO OWN VECHICLE ALMOST AS LARGE AS A BUS…GOTTA DRIVE THAT EGO…TILL THE WALLET’S EMPTY!
Well, we definitely need to conserve and use energy wisely, no matter how clean or renewable our sources might become. Waste heat and electromagnetic fields have their own issues…
Having said that, try rotting down exponentially increasing masses of algae in a biodigester, recycling most “waste products” back into the system, and compress the resulting natural gas.
Compressed natural gas can be burned in your gasoline-powered car with minimal modifications. Said system could produce a ton of other basic products — industrial and agricultural — whether directly or indirectly. But you could generate all of your cars’ “gas” locally, cheaply and using extremely basic technology.
Thank you, Chips. You always, always come through for us here. I do not know what I would do without this piece of heaven right here on earth. Have a great day everyone! We are so blessed to be a part of this personal journey. This is for ALL of us. Our kids, their kids generations to come. The energy is so powerful from the youth. It makes me work harder every day to help get this wonderful man re-elected.
Once again, speculators behind sharply rising oil and gasoline prices
By Kevin G. Hall | McClatchy Newspapers
=============================================
WASHINGTON — U.S. demand for oil and refined products — including gasoline — is down sharply from last year, so much that United States has actually become a net exporter of gasoline, unable to consume all that it makes.
Yet oil and gasoline prices are surging.
On Tuesday, oil rose past $106 a barrel and gasoline averaged $3.57 a gallon — thanks again in no small part to rampant financial speculation on top of fears of supply disruptions.
.
.
“Speculation is now part of the DNA of oil prices. You cannot separate the two anymore. There is no demarcation,” said Fadel Gheit, a 30-year veteran of energy markets and an analyst at Oppenheimer & Co. “I still remain convinced oil prices are inflated.”
For years Presidents have been saying we need to wean ourself off of foreign oil, but nothing was done. Then when gas go up we want to complain, complain, complain. I see some of those big trucks and SUVs, you know darn well it takes lots of gas to fill them, and these people are the one complaining the loudest. President Obama is trying to do what is needed to wean this country off of foreign oil. If it had been done years ago, we wouldn’t be held hostage by the oil overseas, or the speculators who is jacking up the gas prices.
O/T New York Knicks vs. Miami Heat: Jeremy Lin, LeBron James Square Off In South Beach
The Knicks visit Miami on Thursday in their final game before the All-Star break, and Lin’s emergence has the Heat’s attention.
“It’s going to be a lot of, a lot of anticipation about this game,” Carmelo Anthony said. “We’re going down there to win. Miami is playing great basketball right now. One of the hottest teams, if not the hottest team in the NBA.
“It’ll be a great game.”
LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and teammates have been asked repeatedly in recent days about the ex-Harvard guard (Jeremy Lin), and coach Mike D’Antoni was told the word out of Miami is the Heat will be waiting for the Knicks’ back-to-back Sports Illustrated cover boy.
I just wanted to announce that we may have had a major victory against the “personhood” bill in VA. I have been working diligently with a group of women activists over the past three weeks to bring public attention to the issues in the VA legislature including the transvaginal ultrasound issue. Well we have heard from some VA state senators that the personhood bill is being sent back to Committee and that it may not be taken up again until next year. This is a major victory and I thought I would share it with many of you who I know are very interested in this issue.
The women of Virginia have been magnificent, MK. Everyone was asking, where are the women?, and they were doing their thing to get the job done. I hope these Va women stay energized and remember that it is Republican majorities and leaders who propose these anti-women measures. Answer: Vote Democratic.
I missed it. 😦 I’m at work and our wifi was out for 3 FRICKING HOURS!!!! I just about lost my evah lovin’ mind. I cannot live without the basic necessities: cable and internet. If anyone ever wanted to torture me, stick me in a room without tv and the internet. I would squeal state secrets like a stuck pig. 😐
Our prayers and positive thoughts make a difference and are appreciated…
Conversation on Prayer with President Obama
by Eugene Cho 02-21-2012 | 12:10pm
As we shook hands and shared this brief conversation, I was reminded that despite President Obama being arguably “the most powerful man in the world” – beneath it all was simply another broken and fallen man with doubts and fears – just like me and all of us. All in desperately need of the grace of God. All in need of the comfort and strength through prayer.
“I shared with President Obama that I occasionally but regularly prayed for him and this is how he responded:
“Thank you, Eugene. I really appreciate that. Can you also please pray for my wife and children? Pray for their protection.”
His demeanor changed. Perhaps, this is just me. Perhaps I’m reading and analyzing too much into all the non-verbal cues but then again, I’m a pastor and, after 21 years of doing ministry, you develop a “pastoral sense.” I genuinely sensed his gratitude for prayer and his request for prayer for his family.”
I’m with you PJ. Something about this article doesn’t sit well with me. The pastor seems to be engaging in his own self-promotion at our President’s expense.
I know what you mean, I think I said “whatever” a time or two while reading this article, but that prayer bit really got to me. I must admit that even though our beautiful FL told us during the race to the WH that we should let go of FEAR…I have held on to more than a bit of it. The vitriol, the pure hate, unlike anything I have seen in my lifetime is frightening and we must take nothing for granted. So all prayer warriors are needed on deck and if that is not your thing, then please whisper positive words in the universe for this family who is sacrificing so much for our country.
I am not conventionally religious (any more), but I definitely do keep the President and First Family in prayer. More than that, I try to only speak about them positively and fearlessly, with love and light. That is why I do not like the fact that this pastor shared this conversation.
Wow, I didn’t like that at all. I’m sorry to say this, but being a Christian I feel I can. Many of these so-called men of God are just looking to make a name for themselves. Why is the world would a pastor share something as private as this? Unless there was an ulterior motive. Shame on this man. And our President is anything but broken. I hope he knows how many people are praying for him and his family.
In fact that’s why I had to actually read the whole article just to be clear who the pastor was referring to, because it simply didn’t make sense to describe President Obama in those words. Even the context in which he describes the President is inappropriate – just because someone asks you to pray for their family doesn’t mean that they are “broken and fallen.” You are a PASTOR – isn’t that what pastors do? It’s not like PBO asked you for a facelift, or mortgage refinance! SHEESH!
It was a way to chop him down to size. I am usually impatient with people who parse media reports and find anti-PBO bias where I feel there is none, but this article really bothers me, probably because it pushes my own personal buttons (I HATE religious hypocrisy). But, um, yeah, I feel lots of ungodly pride in this article, and lack of spiritual discernment and plain ol’ pastoral confidentiality. It stinks.
That’s exactly what this “good” pastor was doing. He was clearly trying to take the president down a peg or two under the guise of being concerned for him and his family. Another hypocritical piece of bullshyte.
A few Black evangelicals do not care for President Obama because he threatens their world view and seems to have taken away their pulpit spotlight and the usual adulation they experience while preaching a lot of misogynistic and other bigoted crap under the guise of religion.
Helloooooo. I am back and exhausted. Chasing down the president’s motorcade is hard work. I tried taking pictures and the message I got is “image not available’. Can you freaking believe that? I know my camera works because I took pictures at work and the Metro station. I asked someone else with a digital camera and they got the same thing. I did see the motorcade. I DID…..I DID….I DID!!!!!
Hello TOD, smart people. Could one of you smart people, and I mean this truly, answer the net-wide question of why tax refunds are lower this year, than last. I was perusing, trying for a reasonable explanation and came across, of all things, the free republic, as they seemed to want to explain it. Of course, we’ve been scammed by PBO and the Democrats, according to them. Actually, I would like an intelligent breakdown, otherwise I will have to expend time this evening examining this, and I have so many other financials to tend to. Would appreciate a response. I would suppose the answer is simple, but maybe someone can volunteer his/her expertise. Thank you, anyone.
Hi edp4bho, where is the data showing that tax refunds are lower this year than last? And what are the other parameters – such as total income, AGI, #of exemptions, witholding, etc?
I occasionally assist family and friends with their Tax returns and I have seen no significant decrease in Federal returns. The tax code did not change at all last year. There was no increase that I am aware of with Federal Taxes. Now I am seeing a decrease in State returns because a lot of states increased their tax rate due to budget shortages. Sorry that I cannot help anymore than that.
Here are two possible explanations. I have an adjustable mortgage interest. Mortgage interest payments for me were at an all time low -3.75%. So my mortgage interest deduction is much lower for 2011 than it was in 2010. This means that my Schedule A tax deductions are also much lower. So my refund this year is slightly lower. On top of that, I paid less payroll tax deductions, so my income was slightly higher than last year. overall, I paid less taxes in 2011 than I did in 2010, though my refund is smaller than my refund for 2010. Basically, the size of my tax refund is absolutely unrelated to the amount of taxes I paid in 2011 because, as a result of the lower payroll taxes, I was keeping more of my money than I did in 2010. Obviously, I am answering your query based on my experience. But I am certain that the size of tax refunds has absolutely nothing to do with the amount of taxes people paid. I say that because I was getting my tax refund every pay period in 2011 because my take home pay was about $150 more every month than it was in 2011.
It seems to me that this yet another cleverly manufactured outrage, like gas prices, to confuse low information voters.
Obama White House.gov
The Obama Diary 
Morning TOD.
Back from Mardi Gras and ready to roll.
And lamh is the winner:
Morning Lamh 😉
Hey, I am…
Woo woo.
Who Dat? Who Dat? Who Dat say dey gonna beat…lamh?
😀
thx for my lovely prize pics
It’s a sign, lamh35, all will be well!
(sigh) lovely, simply lovely.
Looking at that picture of POTUS and FLOTUS, I feel like I’m peeping in on something I shouldn’t be. But I love the picture.
i know, i get the same feeling. they are so sweet on each other, but in the public eye constantly. so it’s inevitable he camera will catch some private moments–which makes them public displays.
i think flotus is trying to signal him to keep it clean, the way she’s holding her head and face. but he’s a romantic guy, and with her in his arms, he just gets lovey-dovey.
this is a family that has given up so much of their private life for us! thanks again obama family! we love you!
My summation of #NEWSTAINER John King & CNN
Just wanted to be sure he only had 140 characters to read to get the message.
#PRESSON
You’re truly awesome!
Sabreen60, I completely cosign your statement. Bobfr is doing such a wonderful job! PRESSON, BOB!
Excellent. 140 characters may still be too taxing for his intellect.
BTW, thank you for the Twitter shoutout! I’m working on a piece about the GOP’s tenuous fealty to democracy, even for itself.
Tell it Bobfr! You are a force to be reckoned with in the Twitterverse! 🙂
Completely brilliant, as ever.
BRAVO Bobfr BRAVO!!!!!! (clap, clap, clap)
Thank you sabrene, LL, PurpleShoes, Chips, & GGail very much.
LL, looking forward to your next essay and always happy to assist in bringing attention to your incisive analysis.
#PRESSON
Maybe.
That’s the way! Twitter angel 🙂
Thank you df! In summation …
#PRESSON
Well Bobfr, meet Newt, Mitt, Saint Santorum, and Paul, the clueless liars.
Right on Bob! Thanks for putting this so succinctly on Twitter – it needed to be read by all!
Thank you hopefruit!
I’m sure all of you realize what the President has achieved, politically, in the past few weeks.
He now has the GOP firmly documented in the minds of all Americans as being anti-contraception & pro-big oil. Add, that he’s tax plan and actions prove he’s for all Americans not just the rich, and, well the GOP now face political suicide no matter what they do …
#PRESSON
OOOppss! Sorry – that should have been …
Regret the repeat of an earlier tweet!
#PRESSON
I love you for that!
Thank you 🙂
#PRESSON
I’ve always wanted to visit Miami and I was actually looking into moving to Florida when I was still young and in college.
Right now I’m on pins and needles waiting to hear something about the CDC job I applied for over 2 weeks go, but since it’s a federal job, they tend to take a lot longer to process information. The announcement said that it could take up to 45 DAYS!! before getting an answer or an update. Still I’m checking obsessively every day just to see if there is some update.
It’s just frustrating because I gonna have to try to put certain life decisions on hold until I found out about the job, i.e. I need to either renew my apartment lease or pay an increased rate and later have to break it if I get the job at CDC. I’m seriously thinking about returning to school for a graduate degree, but I kinda need to know if I’ll be living in ATL or not before I apply to any school or before I can search for a program. Also, I’ve been seriously debating buying a home or more likely a condo, but all that has to wait until I hear more from CDC.
Ugh…I’m on pins and needles waiting.
Take a chill pill and breathe. Whatever happens don’t make it a forced issue. Wants and wishes don’t always line-up with needs. The path of least resistance is often the best. 🙂
sending positive energy your way lamh35.. inhale exhale woosah. 🙂
Good Luck lamh35, I am also sending positive energy to you too.
I am just so proud of these young people! There is hope for this country, let’s just keep working at making it a more perfect Union.
Hi all!
HelllllLLLLLllllllooooooooo Pamela!
Working away over here in Seattle, shout out to Chips! Alex LOVED seeing herself on the blog last night, more than she loves the collar anyway! 😉
She’s purrfect!!!!
Ooh ooh she has another side! Wait for it!
😯
Is she is a Kittens Romney fan?
No way in hell! She is an OcoonCat all the way to 2017!
And although her breed is ‘Maine’ Coon, she was actually born in the bushes in Burien, a suburb of Seattle!
Now for my “Women for Obama” story
We have 4 events in our area, I attended one. 10 women ranging in age from 35 to 70.
the underlying themes
They strongly support President Obama
The Republicans have gone too far
–
About half of these women did not do anything beyond voting last time. This time it is just too serious, they had to get involved.
I was also struck by how informed they were, they had their sources, DAily Kos, Facebook pages of a political friend, Twitter, 2/3 of the group knew about the VA decision to back down on hte probe, almost all of them watched Stewart and Colbert. Almost al of them were disgusted with MSM. T had thought it was just me and all of us here on TOD. I was hopeful that through various channels the truth is getting out there.
The first lady was articulate, gracious and inspiring as you would expect.
If anyone else attended and has not yet shared their story, I invite you to comment below. This was a wonderful event and I strongly encourage you to get invlved. The groups that met are being invited into the main neighborhood OFA team. I got 8 “I’m In” cards and many folks said they wanted to get involved like tomorrow….
WiW, that’ great. I had 40 women for obama at my meeting. They were so excited to hear from the First Lady via conference call and are mad as heck at the GOP. They were full of great ideas and are ready to work hard for the President.
We had a great time.
Now, this IS what it’s all about and WiW you are just an exceptional patriot in the truest sense of the word.
Yes We Can … DO More Together
We Must!
WIW–I loved that someone said she just voted last time, but this time was so serious she had to get involved. That’s just the attitude that will make all the difference in this campaign. It would be beyond wonderful if the number of people involved in this campaign exceeded 2008.
Carried over from the other thread:
I went to a Women for Obama meeting yesterday and here is my story:
There were seven women including the hostess. I arrived a little late because I had to work and when I arrived we listened to the first lady speak for a good half hour. She was so cute, she took about three questions then had to go take care of the girls (she is Mom first y’all). She asked us all to recruit friends/family/neighbors, get involved in this campagin, how important it is to continue the work that she and PBO are doing. All the women were very impressed and inspired. Most of the women were middle aged and four were retired. One of the women also indicated they had not gotten involved in getting a candidate elected in their entire life but because of the over reach by the GOP they wanted to do more than just vote.
I told them about The Obama Diary and there is a regular OFA meeting on Thursday in my area. I plan to go tonight to start volunteering on a regular basis.
I, also, went to my local OFA Women For Obama event. There were around 120 women present. I signed the petition to put President Obama on the primary ballot in NJ. There were a lot of women signing up to volunteer. I had already signed up to do phone banking, and took some forms to register voters last week. They’re really trying to get people to sign on to volunteer.
Another great story that you never hear about
Administration makes $9.1 million available for primary care in underserved areas
http://www.whatisworking.com/2012/02/administration-makes-91-million.html
This is a good program for both the communities and young doctors to help them with their student loan debt. It’s, also, amazing that the United States faces a shortage of 21,000 primary care doctors by 2015 due mainly to high student loans and low pay…
There is never a shortage of lawyers…
This is great news WiW for primary care physicians are sorely needed period.
Wouldn’t you love to hear — just once — one of these ‘moderators’ at these Republican debates to ask exactly what Republicans will do about the cost and availability of health care in America if ‘Obamacare’ is sooooo terrible?!?!
I’d like Santorum to say how he will help rural areas in PA and in the South receive health care and be able to afford it. He expect these people to vote for Republicans — how are they going to address our health care crisis?
Just once, I’d like to hear questions like this…….
Especially with Ron Paul, MD in the debates.
The answer, I’m sure, is pray, ask the church for help or don’t get sick. The real answer is he could care less. If you get sick and die, it’s okay as long as you’ve procreated enough to leave more people to vote Republican (as people tend to do in the South and rural areas). At a meeting today, I heard someone familiar with Santorum say that he is one of the most mean-spirited men you could ever hope not to meet. And he has a truly vile temper. That’s why I think that health care doesn’t matter to him as long as he and his immediate family are adequately covered.
well, market forces would take care of that, of course! just like they have been–and isn’t it grand how everyone is thrilled with their economical insurance plans and health providers? we can thank market forces for that!
this story gave me an excuse to post the video where the cEO of GM says Obama saved the auto industry
New GM plant will bring jobs from Mexico to Baltimore County
http://www.whatisworking.com/2012/02/new-gm-plant-will-bring-jobs-from.html
PS – derbingle and Lorraine
I will get that ABC News story asap, thanks for the heads up
You are welcome, dear.
Great news. Thank you for posting. I will share.
Another installment of the election toolkit pages
Taxes / Income Inequality :: Election Toolkit
http://www.whatisworking.com/2012/01/taxes-income-inequality-election.html
please post any resources I can use.
Alright, so I posted about Ron Paul and Mittens campaign seeming to be in cahoots and how the other rivals and others in the village are beginning to make note of it.
So here’s more from TPM and IMHO, it just throws gas on the conspiracy fire:
“Rand Paul: ‘It Would Be An Honor’ To Be Romney’s VP Pick”
http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entries/ron-paul-it-would-be-honor-to-be
I know my brother LOVES Ron Paul and Rand Paul. He does not like Mitt Romney. But I bet he would vote for Romney if Rand Paul were his running mate. He already told me if Ron Paul was not running as a third party he’d write him in. If Ron Paul supporters combined with Mitt they might have enough voters to make it scary for us. I had never thought of them teaming up as I didn’t think it would meet Ron Paul’s standards.
Not sure, I think Rand Paul is such a complete crackpot he’d scare off any semi-moderate voter. And he’d certainly alienate the Jewish vote. But Ron Paul’s attacks on Santorum and non-criticism of Willard do suggest there’ll be some kind of pay-back, maybe this is it? But I doubt it.
I’m not scared at all. A Romney Rand/Paul ticket is a horrible ticket and Ron Paul supporters claim to hate just what Romney likes…Big government, Wall Street, Corporations, etc. If Romney chooses Rand Paul as his running mate, that would be even worse than McCain/Palin ticket. Ron Paul has his so-called supporters thoroughly deceived if he thinks he’s just going to drop out and endorse Romney and expect his supporters to be on board…
Can you imagine Rand Paul debating Joe Biden?
Another thing I want to add is that a vote for Romney/Paul is a vote for racism and pre-civil rights policies. I don’t think America wants to have a world reputation as the country that voted to move 50 years backwards in 2012.
Nailed it in one.
OG, Rand Paul has zero charisma and is not very bright. I can see him making a ton of gaffes a la Palin because he has very little understanding of what is expected on a national stage. Rick Perry seemed unbeatable from the confines of Texas, but he couldn’t make it in the big leagues. Rand has even less experience and hasn’t had the big time pushback he would get as a national candidate. Ron Paul is quirky enough to get away with things that his son would not be so easily forgiven for.
I love love love to see the Youth getting Fired Up for 2012!
We are starting to see more and more of our youth coming into my local OFA office to volunteer for the ’12 election. This is truly a good sign that we will have that voting bloc turning out to vote for pbo again in record numbers this Fall.
Poor Mitt he doesn’t have a clue as to what he will be up against this Fall and I’m loving it!
Donna, I think a lot of people mistook the low youth turnout in 2012 as a lack of enthusiasm for the president when it was really a reaction to the fact that the president WASN”T on the ballot. Anyone who thought that young people would sustain an abnormally high level of enthusiasm for mid-year elections was dreaming. That was never going to happen and it won’t happen in 2014 either. The dynamic presence and charisma of the president is so powerful because it’s so darned rare. If down stream candidates had even a small fraction of this chemistry that would burn up the votes. But they don’t. The Republicans saw the lower 2010 turnout and thought PBO had lost his touch with young people. To which I say, “fat chance.”
What you have said here is the absolute truth and the off year elections frustrate me for the very reasons that you stated. Often PBO will will make the statement during his stump speeches “that this is not about him, that its never been about him, its about us”. I always find myself saying quietly, “nahhh it really is about You Mr. President”. He wants us to engage in politics to be an informed citizenry but most people just aren’t that interested (until something affects them personally). He is the charm and there is no denying it. The man that the pundit class like to say is aloof is adored in this country. Even the Repubs like his character and personality. He is a model husband and citizen. He inspires us with his oratory and amazes us with his brilliance and is pretty easy on the eyes as well. There has been no politician like him since JFK. The Repubs are terrified of this man’s charisma and ability to move and motivate his supporters. And they well should be…..
Live links:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/live
http://edition.cnn.com/video/flashLive/live.html?stream=4
http://www.wsvn.com/video/ch2/
Thanks Chipsticks – here he comes!!!!!!!
Even more fired up in Miami….
They like him, they ‘REALLY” like him. That reception gave me goosebumps. So cool.
Hey there O folks! I missed the O train this morning. Anyway looking at that last pic that starts this thread, who invited Charlie Sheen and why is he on the wrong side of the rope line?
I love how he gets to the crux of the repugs – gas prices
step one is to drill, step two is to drill, and step three is to….drill
the American is not stupid – they know that’s not a plan!
you know there are no quick fixes to this problem
President Obama is teaching and preaching about why the oil prices are high. He is educating the American people on the facts. Just imagine the number of people who are hearing this for the first time.
Anybody who tells you there is a quick fix well……
They don’t know what they are talking about or they are not telling the truth.
The media HATES it when PBO tells the American people the truth. Mark Knoller is busy on Twitter pushing lies from Boner’s spokesperson about gas prices. I’m calling him out.
Exactly, President Obama just poked a big hole in the MEDIA FIREWALL. Perish the thought, some facts got out. about the real cause of high gas prices. And Mark Knoller is busy carrying water for Boner. Imagine that? The jackals “SUCK” at their jobs.
HF, yes, and he’ll be talking directly to the American people more and more now that the campaign is getting heated up. I love that the local media is so excited and willing to actually report on what he says, rather than shove out R talking points. Every time he goes on the road and tells it directly, he has thousands of more people who can deliver his message. Today at a meeting people were talking about the gas price issue and wondering what PBO would do about it. And I asked, ” what are you going to do about it?” We can’t leave all the heavy work to the president. Everyone in the room knew that gas prices are a complex issue outside of any president’s control, so I just encouraged them to start talking to everyone they know and meet to push back against the “everything is the president’s fault” GOP meme.
Well, there is one relatively obscure option. Algae, given the right conditions, can grow exponentially without requiring complex nutrients, which is why so many people want a practical method to turn it into, say, bio-diesel.
Put algae in a biogas digester, and let it rot down into methane, CO2 and a decayed semi-solid remnant. Recycle the “waste products” back into your system, including the exhaust of any methane burned or passed through fuel cells on site (creating more CO2 and water vapor).
To speed the decay of cellulose in your system, either use microbes from the stomachs of ruminants (found in their stomachs, and possibly in their cuds) or simply resign yourself to having algae decaying a lot longer in your biogas digester, and getting a much larger solid leftover.
Your excess solid remnant can then be dried out and rendered into charcoal with a low-oxygen burn — and that charcoal can be activated by a high-temperature mix of CO2 and steam (one slightly less hot than the CO2/water vapor exhaust of, say, burning methane).
Gasoline powered cars can run on compressed natural gas with only sleight modifications — the gas cylinders in your trunk or truck bed, some hoses, and a switch on your dashboard to switch from gas to natural gas. Compressed natural gas requires very high pressures… but much lower pressures if allowed to adsorb into, say, activated charcoal.
There’s a ton of other, related industrial and agricultural applications, almost all of which could be managed by most remote, pre-industrial villages using little more than scrap.
http://futureimperative.blogspot.com/2011/07/amazon-introduction-to-future.html
Alternatively, you can just ignore the article and enjoy your high gas prices. That works too. =)
My parents live across the street from UM and my dad was in front of his house when PBO drove by in the motorcade. My dad waved and PBO waved back!!! Since I was at work, my dad called to brag 🙂
Olivia, your Dad call to brag. That’s so cute. T
I say that I vicariously waved to the President through my father 🙂
Chips,
thanks so much for all you do. 🙂
Stop making me blush rikyrah, thank YOU!!!!
Go ahead and blush more Chips. You are the greatest!!!
yes, rikyrah – Chipsticks and The Obama Diary is one of the GREATEST blogs we are fortunate to have at our disposal for knowledge and truth. The laughter, pics and videos are added treats 🙂
yes, yes, yes!!!
PBO says every politician who wants to keep oil subsidies for oil companies need to explain why to the American people.
PBO is so cool. “I’m just sayin”.
I agree, he is the essence of cool. I’m crazy about him.
POTUS is focused and on target.
I am so happy that he explained the oil prices and called the lying repugs out.
Chips and TOD family. Here’s latest PPP poll results in Washington. PBO up BIG! But what I find fascinating is the chart they have comparing PBO’s numbers in certain states with Gore and Kerry’s performance. PBO won those states by huge landslide.
http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/main/2012/02/obama-up-big-in-washington.html
Hello Chips, I have tried all three of the above three named outlets and not able to get anything. I am on an IPad. Can you helpe me out? If not, I will wait for you to post the whole thing, which I know you will. That is only ONE reason that I appreciate your hard work. Thanks and enjoy.
Hi LDS, I always have trouble with video on my iPad, most of the time even YouTube videos don’t work (I get sound, but no picture!). I’ve just posted the intro below and will have the end of the speech soon – I’ll post the full video as soon as it shows up on YouTube. Thanks so much LDS.
I have found on my iPad and iPhone that if I don’t get video with the YouTube clicking on the YouTube icon to go to the YT site will give both.
Also I second/third/fourth all the commenters on how wonderful you are and how great the TOD community is! We appreciate you!
Intro:
Thanks Chips, I missed the beginning. As always he doesn’t connect with people. no enthusiasm.
So aloof, Debz – he really hates people, and it’s obvious they don’t like him much either. Oh well. 😆
He should spend more time talking about the proper height of trees, then they would like him more.
So true Debz, it’s just stunning to me that neither PBO nor his team of advisors understand that the height of trees could swing this election. I can only guess that he’s ignoring the big trees’ issue because his shoes had a bad experience last time he planted them??
LOL 😀
Chips, why did you have to post this pic with this particular view? Get out the naughty mats.
You know Proud, the moment I copied and pasted I thought: “Uh oh.” Nice shoes, eh?
I’m sorry, Chips, that’s not good enough for us. We demand a picture of PBO standing in front of trees that are exactly the right height. Those look a little puny to me. I’m sure Mittens would agree.
LOL!!! You’re a hoot, Chips.
Personally, I was so overwhelmed by the sight of mud on his shiny president shoes, I didn’t notice anything else.
A Sea of Nonsense and Lies
by BooMan
Thu Feb 23rd, 2012 at 12:15:30 PM EST
I remember back when Obama first came into office and he was trying to stop the free-fall in the economy, polling consistently showed that the auto bailout was the least popular of his emergency measures. Of course, the bailout originated with the Bush administration which provided a bridge-loan to keep the industry afloat until Obama could settle on a strategy. I was always a little confused about why people were so hostile to the idea of saving the auto industry. I have deep roots in Michigan and went to college there, so I understand the culture. And I kind of chalked up the national polling numbers to the fact that most people are not familiar with Michigan’s culture and did not understand the kind of devastation they were facing. I’ve read that even today, though, Republicans in Michigan oppose the bailout. I don’t know how to explain that at all. My best guess is that the right-wing media wurlitzer is so effective at reaching Republican voters that it can make them believe anything, no matter how contrary to their experience and culture.
It’s a mystery to me that Mitt Romney is polling even with Santorum in Michigan. After advocating a liquidation of General Motors and Chrysler, I’m surprised Romney can even walk freely in the state. Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) does a great job of eviscerating Romney’s positions on the bailout in today’s Detroit Free Press.
http://www.boomantribune.com/story/2012/2/23/121530/485#13
Your tweet inspires me to quote the ever-quotable Barney Frank, as he dealt time and time again with an anti-choice GOP congress who insisted on cutting childrens’ health and early education: “Republicans believe life begins at conception and ends at birth.”
Bravo, Tally! You and Bobfr are surely taking the fight to the GOP on twetter! The GOP can run but can’t hide! You are exposing their lies and telling the TRUTH about what that party represents.
THE FLIP FLOPPING PATHOLOGICAL LIAR & CLIMATE CHANGE
Sorry Guys, Mitt Has Always Been Squishy on Climate
By Kate Sheppard (10/28/11)
=========================================
Later that year, Romney released information about his policy platforms, including his stance on global warming. Ryan Lizza noted this in a New Yorker profile of the candidate:
In it, Romney refers to the “debate” over “how much human activity impacts the environment”—code words for the global-warming-denial crowd. He offers no plan to “dramatically” curtail emissions of CO2, just an aside that “we may well be able to rein in our greenhouse-gas emissions.”
This is Romney’s M.O.: He says things that sound vaguely reasonable, but he doesn’t commit himself to anything. And then when it comes time to actually take action, he jumps ship.
=========================================
http://motherjones.com/mojo/2011/10/mitt-romney-climate-change
Democrats Hold Hearing on Contraceptives & Women’s Health
===============================================
Washington, DC
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Georgetown Law Center student Sandra Fluke testified before the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committe on women’s health and contraception.
She was blocked from testifying at a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee the previous week on the 2010 health care law regulation requiring employers and insurers provide contraception coverage to their employees. The first panel of the hearing only had men as witnesses.
Ms. Sandra Fluke, a third-year law student at Georgetown University, was the only witness scheduled. Democrats wanted her to testify at last week’s hearing on the administration’s contraceptives policy, but Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), House Oversight Committee Chair, blocked her appearance. Instead, five clergymen — and no women — testified.
===============================================
http://www.c-span.org/Events/Democrats-Hold-Hearing-on-Contraceptives-Womens-Health/10737428508-1/
John Boehner spokesperson hates that PBO is putting the truth out about the REAL reason for gas prices. He is trying to rebutt PBO’s truth with lies and Mark Knoller is pushing his LIES on Twitter. I am blasting Knoller and calling him out!!
End of speech:
Seeing the excitement from those young folks, now we know why the Republicans are trying to suppress the votes of the young, blacks, latinos,. They know that is these people turn out like they did in 2008, it’s a landslide re-election for President Obama. We can’t let them suppress our votes. We have to turn out for the President and to defeat what the GOP is trying to do.
Exactly. And 2012 won’t be anything like 2010, when Barack Obama was not on the ballot, and most of these people probably didn’t know (or care) who their house rep was.
YAAAAAAAAY!
Rick Santorum haz a major sad. He must be at the bar right now downing vodka.
hopefruit2, No, No, No, not Santorum, he is to holy.
And the judge was — wait for it — a GWB appointee.
If you have the time, read the Court’s decision. It is a masterful painstakingly detailed EVISCERATION of every single one of The Orange One’s”bi-partisan” (please!) legal advisory group’s “arguments” in “support” of DOMA. I actually laughed out loud when reading that in support of one of its arguments, BLAG actually submitted to the Court an article posted on Salon.com. SERIOUSLY? The Court’s smackdown of that was brilliant, “This is a three-page non-scientific article by an author with no professional expertise in child development, published by a popular online magazine without peer review.” The fact that this decision was written by a “Dubya” appointee is the icing on the cake.!
ANYBODY WHO IS HAVING PROBLEMS UNDERSTANDING THE CAUSES BEHIND FLUCTUATING GAS PRICES…SHOULD HAVE LISTENED TO PBO TODAY IN MIAMI…REALLY LISTENED. ENERGY CONSERVATION IS NOT A QUICK FIX…IT TAKES A FULL COMMITTMENT TO NEW OPTIONS FOR ENERGY DEVELOPMENT. TILL THEN…WE ARE SUBJECT TO THE SPECULATORS AND REACTION TO MIDEAST TURMOIL. I DON’T KNOW HOW MANY TIMES OUR PRESIDENT HAS HAD TO REPEAT THIS CALL FOR CHANGE. AND…OH SO TRUE…WE CAN’T DRILL OUR WAY OUT OF IT…NEED I REMIND ALL THOSE GAS SUCKING PICK-UP AND SUV DRIVERS IN INDIANA WHO OWN VECHICLE ALMOST AS LARGE AS A BUS…GOTTA DRIVE THAT EGO…TILL THE WALLET’S EMPTY!
THAT’S ‘VEHICLES’ OR BUSES…WHICHEVER TERM YOU CARE TO USE FIRST! RIDICULOUS…COMPLAINING AND DRIVING GUZZLERS!
Well, we definitely need to conserve and use energy wisely, no matter how clean or renewable our sources might become. Waste heat and electromagnetic fields have their own issues…
Having said that, try rotting down exponentially increasing masses of algae in a biodigester, recycling most “waste products” back into the system, and compress the resulting natural gas.
Compressed natural gas can be burned in your gasoline-powered car with minimal modifications. Said system could produce a ton of other basic products — industrial and agricultural — whether directly or indirectly. But you could generate all of your cars’ “gas” locally, cheaply and using extremely basic technology.
Brilliant, love it! Thanks defytheodds.
You’re welcome! And thank you for all that you do!!
The Ron Paul/Romney ticket =The Crack-pot/Flip-flop ticket.
America, enough is enough. We do NOT want to be stupid again like we was in 2001 and in the eighties.
You get what you get when your ignorant, racist and a Pharisee.
THIS.
Thank you, Chips. You always, always come through for us here. I do not know what I would do without this piece of heaven right here on earth. Have a great day everyone! We are so blessed to be a part of this personal journey. This is for ALL of us. Our kids, their kids generations to come. The energy is so powerful from the youth. It makes me work harder every day to help get this wonderful man re-elected.
Once again, speculators behind sharply rising oil and gasoline prices
By Kevin G. Hall | McClatchy Newspapers
=============================================
WASHINGTON — U.S. demand for oil and refined products — including gasoline — is down sharply from last year, so much that United States has actually become a net exporter of gasoline, unable to consume all that it makes.
Yet oil and gasoline prices are surging.
On Tuesday, oil rose past $106 a barrel and gasoline averaged $3.57 a gallon — thanks again in no small part to rampant financial speculation on top of fears of supply disruptions.
.
.
“Speculation is now part of the DNA of oil prices. You cannot separate the two anymore. There is no demarcation,” said Fadel Gheit, a 30-year veteran of energy markets and an analyst at Oppenheimer & Co. “I still remain convinced oil prices are inflated.”
=============================================
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2012/02/21/139521/once-again-speculators-behind.html
For years Presidents have been saying we need to wean ourself off of foreign oil, but nothing was done. Then when gas go up we want to complain, complain, complain. I see some of those big trucks and SUVs, you know darn well it takes lots of gas to fill them, and these people are the one complaining the loudest. President Obama is trying to do what is needed to wean this country off of foreign oil. If it had been done years ago, we wouldn’t be held hostage by the oil overseas, or the speculators who is jacking up the gas prices.
Americans don’t fall for the Republicans bull crap. Use your common sense. Know that they are playing politics.
From my twitter timeline:
RT @ppppolls: In WA #Obama leads Santorum by 12 (52-40), Paul by 13 (51-38), Romney by 15 (53-38), Newt by 20 (55-35): http://bit.ly/zCuJTZ
O/T New York Knicks vs. Miami Heat: Jeremy Lin, LeBron James Square Off In South Beach
The Knicks visit Miami on Thursday in their final game before the All-Star break, and Lin’s emergence has the Heat’s attention.
“It’s going to be a lot of, a lot of anticipation about this game,” Carmelo Anthony said. “We’re going down there to win. Miami is playing great basketball right now. One of the hottest teams, if not the hottest team in the NBA.
“It’ll be a great game.”
LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and teammates have been asked repeatedly in recent days about the ex-Harvard guard (Jeremy Lin), and coach Mike D’Antoni was told the word out of Miami is the Heat will be waiting for the Knicks’ back-to-back Sports Illustrated cover boy.
“At the airport?” he joked.
Go LeBron – Go Heat! 🙂
I just wanted to announce that we may have had a major victory against the “personhood” bill in VA. I have been working diligently with a group of women activists over the past three weeks to bring public attention to the issues in the VA legislature including the transvaginal ultrasound issue. Well we have heard from some VA state senators that the personhood bill is being sent back to Committee and that it may not be taken up again until next year. This is a major victory and I thought I would share it with many of you who I know are very interested in this issue.
Well it looks official now. Here’s a link from TPM – http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entries/virginia-legislature-kills-personhood-bill-postpones-ultrasound-bill
The women of Virginia have been magnificent, MK. Everyone was asking, where are the women?, and they were doing their thing to get the job done. I hope these Va women stay energized and remember that it is Republican majorities and leaders who propose these anti-women measures. Answer: Vote Democratic.
A very belated heads-up (speech has started):
http://edition.cnn.com/video/flashLive/live.html?stream=4
I missed it. 😦 I’m at work and our wifi was out for 3 FRICKING HOURS!!!! I just about lost my evah lovin’ mind. I cannot live without the basic necessities: cable and internet. If anyone ever wanted to torture me, stick me in a room without tv and the internet. I would squeal state secrets like a stuck pig. 😐
Have you seen this?
http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entries/putin-blogging-for-huffpost
That’s so funny. End times, anyone. Wow.
Maybe Arrianna looking to get a summer place on the Baltic.:8:
Our prayers and positive thoughts make a difference and are appreciated…
Conversation on Prayer with President Obama
by Eugene Cho 02-21-2012 | 12:10pm
As we shook hands and shared this brief conversation, I was reminded that despite President Obama being arguably “the most powerful man in the world” – beneath it all was simply another broken and fallen man with doubts and fears – just like me and all of us. All in desperately need of the grace of God. All in need of the comfort and strength through prayer.
http://sojo.net/blogs/2012/02/21/conversation-prayer-president-obama
This hit me in the gut:
“I shared with President Obama that I occasionally but regularly prayed for him and this is how he responded:
“Thank you, Eugene. I really appreciate that. Can you also please pray for my wife and children? Pray for their protection.”
His demeanor changed. Perhaps, this is just me. Perhaps I’m reading and analyzing too much into all the non-verbal cues but then again, I’m a pastor and, after 21 years of doing ministry, you develop a “pastoral sense.” I genuinely sensed his gratitude for prayer and his request for prayer for his family.”
I wish the good pastor had kept that exchange to himself.
I’m with you PJ. Something about this article doesn’t sit well with me. The pastor seems to be engaging in his own self-promotion at our President’s expense.
This is why PBO sticks to his circle of friends and remains private. Anyone who gets close can’t wait to blab about it or profit by writing a book.
Definitely. Plus, that is a very personal sentiment that the President expressed. Why would you blab it?
I know what you mean, I think I said “whatever” a time or two while reading this article, but that prayer bit really got to me. I must admit that even though our beautiful FL told us during the race to the WH that we should let go of FEAR…I have held on to more than a bit of it. The vitriol, the pure hate, unlike anything I have seen in my lifetime is frightening and we must take nothing for granted. So all prayer warriors are needed on deck and if that is not your thing, then please whisper positive words in the universe for this family who is sacrificing so much for our country.
I am not conventionally religious (any more), but I definitely do keep the President and First Family in prayer. More than that, I try to only speak about them positively and fearlessly, with love and light. That is why I do not like the fact that this pastor shared this conversation.
I’m with you, CT. My prayers started in 2007 and have never let up.
A “broken and fallen man?” How so?
A man who faces numerous challenges – yes, but “broken and fallen” are not the words I would use to describe our President.
Wow, I didn’t like that at all. I’m sorry to say this, but being a Christian I feel I can. Many of these so-called men of God are just looking to make a name for themselves. Why is the world would a pastor share something as private as this? Unless there was an ulterior motive. Shame on this man. And our President is anything but broken. I hope he knows how many people are praying for him and his family.
Sick of these phony Christians.
In fact that’s why I had to actually read the whole article just to be clear who the pastor was referring to, because it simply didn’t make sense to describe President Obama in those words. Even the context in which he describes the President is inappropriate – just because someone asks you to pray for their family doesn’t mean that they are “broken and fallen.” You are a PASTOR – isn’t that what pastors do? It’s not like PBO asked you for a facelift, or mortgage refinance! SHEESH!
It was a way to chop him down to size. I am usually impatient with people who parse media reports and find anti-PBO bias where I feel there is none, but this article really bothers me, probably because it pushes my own personal buttons (I HATE religious hypocrisy). But, um, yeah, I feel lots of ungodly pride in this article, and lack of spiritual discernment and plain ol’ pastoral confidentiality. It stinks.
That’s exactly what this “good” pastor was doing. He was clearly trying to take the president down a peg or two under the guise of being concerned for him and his family. Another hypocritical piece of bullshyte.
A few Black evangelicals do not care for President Obama because he threatens their world view and seems to have taken away their pulpit spotlight and the usual adulation they experience while preaching a lot of misogynistic and other bigoted crap under the guise of religion.
+100. But that is typical evangelical rhetoric…
(and I say that as a former fundiegelical)
“broken and fallen man”
In what universe is President Obama a broken AND fallen man.
People REALLY need to keep their armchair opinions to themselves!!!!!!
UGHHHHHHH!!!!!
President Obama speaking at fundraiser now: http://www.ustream.tv/cbsnews
Thanks CNN is livestreaming it as well.
http://www.cnn.com/video/?/video/cvplive/cvpstream3#/video/cvplive/cvpstream3
PBO also streaming here: http://edition.cnn.com/video/flashLive/live.html?stream=4
Female Witness Hits Back At Issa: ‘I’m A Woman Who Uses Contraception, That Makes Me Qualified’ To Testify
http://thinkprogress.org/green/2012/02/22/429785/gas-prices-fact-domestic-oil-production-has-soared-under-president-obama/
Take this test and see who you match up with:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/candidate-match-game-ipad/?csp=ipadinapp
I love those things, GGail! Thanks for posting…BIG SURPRISE….PBO is MY GUY!
Helloooooo. I am back and exhausted. Chasing down the president’s motorcade is hard work. I tried taking pictures and the message I got is “image not available’. Can you freaking believe that? I know my camera works because I took pictures at work and the Metro station. I asked someone else with a digital camera and they got the same thing. I did see the motorcade. I DID…..I DID….I DID!!!!!
from my twitter timeline:
RT @ppppolls: Obama has abt 230 electoral votes he cn B pretty confident abt. It was more lk 170 4 Kerry/Gore: http://t.co/nl4RoE4H #p2
New post everyone:
http://theobamadiary.com/2012/02/23/university-of-miami-updating/
Hello TOD, smart people. Could one of you smart people, and I mean this truly, answer the net-wide question of why tax refunds are lower this year, than last. I was perusing, trying for a reasonable explanation and came across, of all things, the free republic, as they seemed to want to explain it. Of course, we’ve been scammed by PBO and the Democrats, according to them. Actually, I would like an intelligent breakdown, otherwise I will have to expend time this evening examining this, and I have so many other financials to tend to. Would appreciate a response. I would suppose the answer is simple, but maybe someone can volunteer his/her expertise. Thank you, anyone.
Hi edp4bho, where is the data showing that tax refunds are lower this year than last? And what are the other parameters – such as total income, AGI, #of exemptions, witholding, etc?
I occasionally assist family and friends with their Tax returns and I have seen no significant decrease in Federal returns. The tax code did not change at all last year. There was no increase that I am aware of with Federal Taxes. Now I am seeing a decrease in State returns because a lot of states increased their tax rate due to budget shortages. Sorry that I cannot help anymore than that.
Actually my refund was almost exactly the same as last years. I had no real change in deductions – mortgage interest, state taxes and property taxes.
You gotta link? I’d like to read it.
Here are two possible explanations. I have an adjustable mortgage interest. Mortgage interest payments for me were at an all time low -3.75%. So my mortgage interest deduction is much lower for 2011 than it was in 2010. This means that my Schedule A tax deductions are also much lower. So my refund this year is slightly lower. On top of that, I paid less payroll tax deductions, so my income was slightly higher than last year. overall, I paid less taxes in 2011 than I did in 2010, though my refund is smaller than my refund for 2010. Basically, the size of my tax refund is absolutely unrelated to the amount of taxes I paid in 2011 because, as a result of the lower payroll taxes, I was keeping more of my money than I did in 2010. Obviously, I am answering your query based on my experience. But I am certain that the size of tax refunds has absolutely nothing to do with the amount of taxes people paid. I say that because I was getting my tax refund every pay period in 2011 because my take home pay was about $150 more every month than it was in 2011.
It seems to me that this yet another cleverly manufactured outrage, like gas prices, to confuse low information voters.