Presidential Radio Address for 121308

President Bush Radio Address

President Bush: "Good morning. This week, our country received good news in the fight against illegal drugs. New data show that illicit drug use amongst young people continues to decline -- and that we are making good progress in our efforts to help thousands of Americans renew their health and hope.

Substance abuse is a serious challenge for our Nation. Addiction breaks hearts, destroys families, and keeps our citizens from fulfilling their God-given potential. The drug trade also enriches our enemies, and brings crime and violence to our streets. So in 2002, I committed our Nation to an ambitious effort to cut drug use by limiting demand, reducing supply, and helping addicts get treatment.

Over the past six years, we've made great strides toward these goals. Parents, teachers, mentors, and counselors have done fantastic work to educate children about the dangers of drug abuse. Law enforcement officers have risked their lives to cut the supply of drugs on city streets. And with help from our international partners, we're pursuing drug dealers around the world, and interdicting supply before it reaches our shores. This year, the Coast Guard took possession of more than 360,000 pounds of South American cocaine -- an all-time record.

To help Americans break the chains of addiction, we've built strong partnerships with faith-based and community groups. These groups open minds and change hearts in a way no government bureaucracy can -- so my Administration has supported their life-changing work. Through our Access to Recovery program, addicts receive vouchers they can redeem at treatment centers of their choice -- including faith-based centers. So far, this program has helped more than 260,000 addicts along the path toward clean lives.

Taken together, our efforts to reduce demand, cut supply, and help people break the chains of addiction are yielding measurable results. Over the past seven years, marijuana use by young people has dropped by 25 percent. Methamphetamine use by young people is down by 50 percent. And the use of cocaine, hallucinogens, steroids, and alcohol by America's youth are all on the decline. Overall, illegal drug use by Americans is down by 25 percent -- meaning we have helped approximately 900,000 young people stay clean.

These statistics reflect successful government policies. They also represent the courage and compassion of Americans who are determined to help their fellow citizens win their struggle against drugs. On Thursday, I met with some of these people at the White House, and I am inspired by their stories.

I was especially interested in a young man named Josh. At age 19, Josh had never touched drugs or alcohol. He had a promising life and career ahead of him. Yet after a car accident left him injured and unable to work, Josh started abusing alcohol and cocaine. He put his marriage and career in jeopardy. Eight different treatment programs failed to turn his life around -- but the intervention of his grandmother, the support of his wife, and the loving influence of God did. Today, this young man is free of drugs. He's a caring husband and father. And Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers is one of the best players in Major League Baseball. More importantly, he and his wife Katie make time to share their blessings. Through their ministry, they're helping other Americans avoid the suffering their family endured.

Josh Hamilton shows that the devastation of drug addiction can happen to anyone -- but that with faith and determination, anyone can turn a life around. So today I ask every American with a drug or alcohol problem to seek treatment -- because your life is precious to the people who love you, our Nation needs your contributions, and there is a more hopeful future ahead. I ask all Americans to reach out to your neighbors in need -- and do your part to help our Nation win the fight against illegal drugs. Thank you for listening."

So Much For Global Warming

From The Emails For Friday 121208

Hey folks,

Happy Friday to you. What do I have to say about the Auto Bailout failing? GOOD. Until our Intellectually Deficient Leaders decide to start bailing out US, you know, we the people, I say end this Bailout Mania. Instead of giving all these multi Billion dollar companies MORE Billions, what about the PEOPLE? One way to HELP the people is to stop the insanity that the PEOPLE will have to pay for.

OK. So it's Friday, time to go to the Emails. This just in. From LA, no, not the city, "Tell me again when Global Warming is coming. I'm freezing here."

Rare Snow Coats Louisiana

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A rare snowfall blanketed south Louisiana today, with accumulations of up to four inches in some areas. Heavy snow was blowing through downtown New Orleans.

Schools in some parishes were closed and police reported accidents on major highways, especially in the Baton Rouge area.

Forecasters said the mix of sleet and snow was expected to diminish later in the day as the weather system generating the white stuff moved east.

The wintry weather is rare in south Louisiana, though the state's northern parishes see it about once a year. New Orleans' last snowfall, in 2004, was a dusting that came nine months before Hurricane Katrina struck. The record snowfall for the city is about 5 inches, recorded December 30th, 1963.

Al Gore must be going to Louisiana today. Seems wherever he goes they get unseasonably cold weather. What do you think? Maybe someone is trying to tell us something? Anyway, have a GREAT Friday. See you soon.
Peter

LINK:
WLOX-TV - Rare Snow Coats Louisiana

Note: "From The Emails" is a weekly segment in the Friday edition of the OPNtalk Blog. If you care to send in News Articles, Comments, Stories, or anything else you may wish to share, please feel free to send it to opntalk@aim.com As always, you never know what you are going to see here.

Gov. Blagojevich Arrested For Corruption

We do not have all the facts yet.

Hey folks,

OK. Here I sit talking to you about Governor Blagojevich being arrested . Meanwhile my Niece is on the phone talking with this guy, who sells a product, and is also an inside guy with the talent of the WWE {World Wrestling Entertainment}. Now my Niece, during this two hour long conversation says to this guy:

"Hey guy. You know that my Uncle is a very influential member of the New Media. You know he is all over the Internet. You know people listen to what he says. So if you do this for me, I know Pete can help you out. I want you to get, Triple H to go to the ring on the next TV tapping of WWE "Smackdown" and talk about Pete's Blog OPNTalk.

You know how much Pete really likes Triple H. You also know that if Trip H was to do this, millions more fans from all around the world will check out Pete's Blog and in turn, Pete will be able to rake in the big bucks via advertising on his site.

Now if you do this, I can guarantee you that Pete will write a favorable article about YOU, and your product and this will bring you more riches. Pete will make you famous all over the Internet. Who knows, maybe he will put you in charge of the new Advertising Department at OPNTalk."

Meanwhile, here I sit, talking to you about Governor Blagojevich and his Chief of Staff being arrested for attempting to sell Obama's vacated Senate Seat. Yeah, I heard all the news about this. I know that President Elect was mentioned 44 times during the conversation. I know that Obama wanted Valerie Jarrett, a longtime friend, to succeed him. I know that she is "Senate Candidate 1." I know that most likely, "Senate Candidate 2" is Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan. Emil Jones, an Illinois state legislator, is "Senate Candidate 5." Along with "Senate Candidate 6" appears to be J.P. Pritzker, a wealthy Chicago businessman. Additionally, Rahm Emanuel, is referred to in the affidavit as "President-elect Advisor."

I know that Blagojevich was trying to sell Obama's vacated Senate Seat. I know he was not happy with the offers he was being made. I know he was dropping the F-Bomb, all over the place and even called Obama a MFer. I know that Blagojevich and his Chief of Staff Harris were arrested simultaneously at their homes at about 6:15 a.m., according to Frank Bochte of the FBI. I know they were called ahead of time to get ready.

I know that Blagojevich was also demanding the firing of Chicago Tribune editorial board members responsible for editorials critical of him. If they did this, he would help with the sale of Wrigley Field. We do know a lot about how corrupt Gov. Blagojevich seems to be.

But what we do NOT know, is what Obama knew and when he knew it. Going back to that conversation taking place between my Niece and the "guy." I'm here talking to you. I have no knowledge whatsoever that this conversation is taking place, nor did I agree to offer "Guy" anything. But since this is my Niece, and my name was used, I MUST be involved? No. Not really.

Could Obama be involved in this? Of course he could be. Could I have told my Niece to call "Guy?" Of course I could have. But I didn't. Could Obama be clueless as to this two hour conversation? Of course he could be. Let me share some things that are bothering me a bit about this.

First, if the FBI had been recording the Governor since October, and Obama himself talked to him, would Obama NOT be on some tape somewhere? Two. Is it at lease not within the realm of possibility that it was actually Rahm Emanuel, the one referred to in the affidavit as "President-elect Advisor" that was the one that actually TOLD the FBI about this?

Now I know, some of you will say, yeah, of course he did. He did so to shield Obama from any further investigation and appearance of any wrong doing. I know that some of you are saying that U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, who said, "The breadth of corruption laid out in these charges is staggering," ended this investigation when he did to protect Obama. Maybe you are right. But right now that is mere speculation.

I'm sorry folks, but I'm not ready to jump on the get Obama bandwagon on this one just yet. The simple fact is, all the facts are not in yet. Until they are, I will give Obama the benefit of doubt here. But whoever WAS on Obama's team doing the talking needs to be FULLY investigated and THAT person needs to be charge if found guilty. We will have to wait and see.
Peter

Sources:
Chicago Tribune - Illinois Gov. Blagojevich, chief of staff arrested
Smoking Gun - Obama Senate Seat For Sale?

Conspiracy Theories On Obama Assassination Attempts

The threat from within.

Hey folks,

Remember I said yesterday that I was going to rant today. I SAID, no articles, no links. I told you that I was debating someone this past weekend that just really ticked me off. Well, on my SECOND point, one I was not going to talk about today, the Politico DID just posted a piece yesterday that illustrates my second point. So THAT is what I will talk about today.

OK. So I'm having this debate with this person, and we are talking about how "great" Obama is. I will rant about THAT soon. But they actually said this. "Well, you might not have to worry about Obama anyway. You know that some Racist White guy will attempt to take him out."

I said to this person. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. I heard it all before. But why not look INSIDE for the threat." Now in the first five minutes I could tell that this person drank the Obamaid. That they were completely taken in to believe that this guy was the closest thing to God we have ever seen. They just could not grasp what I was talking about.

I have heard all these conspiracy theories before. What they all have in common is that some White, Redneck, KKK, member, or the Republicans themselves, will attempt to take out Obama. Some I heard even say on or before the Inauguration. So let me throw something out there for all the conspiracists out there.

Look at JFK. Some say that this was an inside job. That his own people took him out. Here is a guy that came along and promised a lot of people a lot of things that he KNEW he would never be able to keep. He lead many people into believing in things that were and never would be true. So, they got him elected and then when he didn't do what he said, they arranged to have him killed.

Now look at Obama. Obama came along and promised EVERYONE something. He made all these promises that he could never keep, even if he wanted to. He has lead many people to believe things that are not and never will be true. He is already backing away from a lot of his promises, and he isn't even officially in office yet. The far Left Wing Loony Fringe, the LWL, are NOT happy.

According to the Politico - Liberals voice concerns about Obama

Liberals are growing increasingly nervous – and some just flat-out angry – that President-elect Barack Obama seems to be stiffing them on Cabinet jobs and policy choices.

Obama has reversed pledges to immediately repeal tax cuts for the wealthy and take on Big Oil. He’s hedged his call for a quick drawdown in Iraq. And he’s stocking his White House with anything but stalwarts of the left.

Now some are shedding a reluctance to puncture the liberal euphoria at being rid of President George W. Bush to say, in effect, that the new boss looks like the old boss.

“He has confirmed what our suspicions were by surrounding himself with a centrist to right cabinet. But we do hope that before it's all over we can get at least one authentic progressive appointment,” said Tim Carpenter, national director of the Progressive Democrats of America.

Remember folks, "Progressive" equals Socialist.

OpenLeft blogger Chris Bowers went so far as to issue this plaintive plea: “Isn't there ever a point when we can get an actual Democratic administration?”

Told you that the once great democrat party is gone. Completely taken over by the LWL.

Even supporters make clear they’re on the lookout for backsliding. “There’s a concern that he keep his basic promises and people are going to watch him,” said Roger Hickey, a co-founder of Campaign for America’s Future.

Yeah, they are watching him VERY closely. Very closely.

Obama insists he hasn’t abandoned the goals that made him feel to some like a liberal savior. But the left’s bill of particulars against Obama is long, and growing.

Obama drew rousing applause at campaign events when he vowed to tax the windfall profits of oil companies. As president-elect, Obama says he won’t enact the tax.

Obama’s pledge to repeal the Bush tax cuts and redistribute that money to the middle class made him a hero among Democrats who said the cuts favored the wealthy. But now he’s struck a more cautious stance on rolling back tax cuts for people making over $250,000 a year, signaling he’ll merely let them expire as scheduled at the end of 2010.

Obama’s post-election rhetoric on Iraq and choices for national security team have some liberal Democrats even more perplexed. As a candidate, Obama defined and separated himself from his challengers by highlighting his opposition to the war in Iraq from the start. He promised to begin to end the war on his first day in office.

Now Obama’s says that on his first day in office he will begin to “design a plan for a responsible drawdown,” as he told NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday. Obama has also filled his national security positions with supporters of the Iraq war: Sen. Hillary Clinton, who voted to authorize force in Iraq, as his secretary of state; and President George W. Bush’s defense secretary, Robert Gates, continuing in the same role.

The central premise of the left’s criticism is direct – don’t bite the hand that feeds, Mr. President-elect. The Internet that helped him so much during the election is lighting up with irritation and critiques.

“There don't seem to be any liberals in Obama's cabinet,” writes John Aravosis, the editor of Americablog.com. “What does all of this mean for Obama's policies, and just as important, Obama Supreme Court announcements?”

“Actually, it reminds me a bit of the campaign, at least the beginning and the middle, when the Obama campaign didn't seem particularly interested in reaching out to progressives,” Aravosis continues. “Once they realized that in order to win they needed to marshal everyone on their side, the reaching out began. I hope we're not seeing a similar ‘we can do it alone’ approach in the transition team.”

This isn’t the first liberal letdown over Obama, who promptly angered the left after winning the Democratic primary by announcing he backed a compromise that would allow warrantless wiretapping on U.S. soil to continue.

You see folks. We know these people, the LWL are nuts. We know that the Left are vengeful, angry, ignorant people that THINK that THEY are smarter than the average person and they are those that want to change this country into a Socialistic, Centrist Government run country. The NEW USSA.

You see what happens when you promise EVERY ONE of these nut cases and idiotic groups all these things. They MAKE you. These loons and the Mainstream Media, got Obama elected. The Sheeple out there blindly and out of greed, Voted for him. Now they want him to anti up. When you let someone else make you. They can also break you.

Now this goes on and one. But here is Obama's response to some of this criticism from the LWL. It is such a generic answer, it can be used to cover a VAST amount of things.

“My economic team right now is examining, do we repeal that through legislation? Do we let it lapse so that, when the Bush tax cuts expire, they're not renewed when it comes to wealthiest Americans?” Obama said on “Meet the Press.” “We don't yet know what the best approach is going to be.”

On Iraq, he says he’s just trying to make sure any U.S. pullout doesn’t ignite “any resurgence of terrorism in Iraq that could threaten our interests.”

Obama has told his supporters to look beyond his appointments, that the change he promised will come from him and that when his administration comes together they will be happy.

“I think that when you ultimately look at what this advisory board looks like, you'll say this is a cross-section of opinion that in some ways reinforces conventional wisdom, in some ways breaks with orthodoxy in all sorts of way,” Obama recently said in response to questions about his appointments during a news conference on the economy.

Basically, Obama is saying, hey times have changes and we must change with them. You know, I have no idea what I'm going to do yet, so just relax. Love me, do not question me. I am the Messiah. Yet, it seems the Disciples are getting restless.

So if you really are going to talk about those that may wish to harm Obama, let's not leave out the threat from within. Then again, do not forget one more point. The Clintons are right there inside as well. {Smile}
Peter

Sources:
Politico - Liberals voice concerns about Obama

What Elections SHOULD Be All About

If the Democrat Loons in charge WON'T do the right thing, YOU can.

Hey folks,

This is what elections should be all about. Now I'll tell you the truth. I wasn't going to post any links today. I wasn't going to discuss any one specific article or comment on any one top news story. I was going to RANT. That's right RANT. I heard two things over the Weekend that just drives me absolutely nuts. I was going to RANT about the stupidity of one of these today. But then I saw the following.

LA Times / AP - Indicted Louisiana Rep. William J. Jefferson loses reelection bid

Reporting from New Orleans -- Voters in Louisiana ousted indicted Democratic Rep. William J. Jefferson on Saturday, electing instead a Republican attorney who will be the first Vietnamese American in Congress.

Unofficial results showed Anh "Joseph" Cao denying Jefferson a 10th term. Republicans made an aggressive push to take the seat from Jefferson, 61, who has pleaded not guilty to charges of bribery, money laundering and misusing his congressional office.

WAIT!!! History has been made in Louisiana. The FIRST Vietnamese American in Congress. Maybe we need to name a Holiday after him. What do you think?

Cao, 41, won Louisiana's majority-black 2nd Congressional District, which covers much of New Orleans. Just 11% of registered voters in the district are Republicans. Turnout appeared to be light.

Voters reelected Jefferson in 2006 even after news of the bribery scandal broke. Late-night TV comics made him the butt of jokes after federal agents said they had found $90,000 in alleged bribe money hidden in his freezer.

Cao came to the United States as a child after the fall of Saigon in 1975 and went on to earn degrees in philosophy, physics and law.

The election was one of two in Louisiana postponed because of Hurricane Gustav. In the other, Republican physician John Fleming defeated Democratic Dist. Atty. Paul Carmouche, 48% to 47%, to replace retiring Rep. Jim McCrery, a Republican.

Jefferson was charged with racketeering, soliciting bribes, wire fraud, money laundering, obstruction of justice, conspiracy and violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. He allegedly solicited bribes for himself and his family, bribed a Nigerian government official and set up shell companies to help hide the money. He was caught on VIDEO taking the said bribes and the money, minus a little bit, was found in his Freezer.

Yet Traitor Pelosi put him in a leadership position in Homeland Security. Duh. You see, it seems Republican corruption equals Evil. Democrat corruption equals "good job".

Since the Loons in charge did nothing but REWARD this FELON, it was up to the PEOPLE. The PEOPLE in Louisiana Voted and threw him out. That is what elections should be about. This HELPS a bit, restores a very minute piece of faith I have in humanity and public morals. VERY minute. However, I was VERY glad to see this.

Congratulations SENATOR Cao. I wish you nothing but the best. The people of Louisiana deserve nothing less. They have put their trust in you, now show them they were right.

I'll rant tomorrow. See you then.
Peter

Sources:
LA Times/ AP - Indicted Louisiana Rep. William J. Jefferson loses reelection bid

Congratulations PSL

Preview for Sunday 120708

Hey folks,

Happy Sunday to you. I am so very tired today. But I had a GREAT TIME last night. I attended the grand opening of the new Port Saint Lucie Florida Civic Center. It was My Wife Laura, Joshua, Selina, her friend Sky, and myself. They had a little Carnival going on and lots of things to do.

Sky 17, and Josh 3, fell in love with each other and he pretty much never left her side the whole time we were there. {Smile} She took him on rides, I'm a little too big for, and even held his hand through most of the time there.

Then there was the Parade of Lights. That was great. Josh LOVED the Police cars. Following that, NO EXAGGERATION AT ALL, the GREATEST fireworks display I have ever seen. I talked with one of the Police Officers there who informed me that the Fireworks were all paid for by those in the Parade and local businesses. Not a dime of tax payer's money went to it. That's good since there had to be at least $25 to $30,000 dollars worth. It lasted for about 25 minutes.

Good time had by all. Sky can hangout with us anytime she wants to. {Smile} Then today, I have this thing this afternoon. BUSY Weekend and a look ahead at a busy week. Coming right up today?

Sad But True
Abortion Has Negative Effects On Mental Wellness
The Experts Say They Are All Nuts
IWA For Sunday 120708

I even did something that I have never done before today. I sent a copy of the IWA to the IWA Winner. {Smile} I do not await a response, but I thought she should know.

OH, by the way, congratulations to OJ. 15 years. Well, I guess he will not be getting into trouble for a while. ABOUT TIME.

Anyway, Like I said, BUSY Weekend and upcoming week. So let's get right to it.
Peter

Sad But True

You wonder why some Americans see Obama as the Second Coming?

Hey folks,

I really do not have much to add to this. This is from BG, sent to me on Thursday. It's by Walter E. Williams. You know that old saying that knowledge is power? Well ignorance gives OTHERS power over you. Here is his article.

Ignorance Reigns Supreme

How about a few civics questions? Name the three branches of government. If you answered the executive, legislative and judicial, you are more informed than 50 percent of Americans. The Delaware-based Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI) recently released the results of their national survey titled "Our Fading Heritage: Americans Fail a Basic Test on Their History and Institutions." The survey questions were not rocket science.

Only 21 percent of survey respondents knew that the phrase "government of the people, by the people, for the people." comes from President Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. Almost 40 percent incorrectly believe the Constitution gives the president the power to declare war. Only 27 percent know the Bill of Rights expressly prohibits establishing an official religion for the United States. Remarkably, close to 25 percent of Americans believe that Congress shares its foreign policy powers with the United Nations.

Among the total of 33 questions asked, others included: "Who is the commander in chief of the U S. military?” "Name two countries that were our enemies during World War II." "Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the federal government. What is one power of the federal government?" Of the 2,508 nationwide samples of Americans taking ISI's civic literacy test, 71 percent failed; the average score on the test was 49 percent.

ISI findings about cultural illiteracy and academic incompetence are nothing new. A 1990 Gallup survey for the National Endowment of the Humanities, given to a representative sample of 700 college seniors, found that 25 percent did not know that Columbus landed in the Western Hemisphere before the year 1500; 42 percent could not place the Civil War in the correct half-century; and 31 percent thought Reconstruction came after World War II.

In 1993, a Department of Education survey found that among college graduates 50 percent of whites and more than 80 percent of blacks couldn't state in writing the argument made in a newspaper column; 56 percent could not calculate the right tip; 57 percent could not figure out how much change they should get back after putting down $3.00 to pay for a 60-cent bowl of soup and a $1.95 sandwich, and over 90 percent could not use a calculator to find the cost of carpeting a room. But not to worry. A 1999 survey taken by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni of seniors at the nation's top 55 liberal-arts colleges and universities found that 98 percent could identify rap artist Snoop Dogg and Beavis and Butt-Head, but only 34 percent knew George Washington was the general at the battle of Yorktown.

With limited thinking abilities and knowledge of our heritage, we Americans set ourselves up as easy prey for charlatans, hustlers and quacks. If we don't know the constitutional limits placed on Congress and the White House, politicians can do just about anything they wish to control our lives, from deciding what kind of light bulbs we can use to whether the government can take over our health care system or bailout failing businesses. We just think Congress can do anything upon which they can get a majority vote.

The Intercollegiate Studies Institute has one finding that I find both a bit perplexing but encouraging. Roughly 70 percent of Americans, even those who failed the test, agreed that our history, culture and institutions are important and should be taught to our college students. They might even agree with Thomas Jefferson who warned, "If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be."


Explains A LOT! Does it not?
Peter

Abortion Has Negative Effects On Mental Wellness

Two new Studies prove this.

Hey folks,

Here is something you will most likely not see in the Mainstream Media. Two new studies just released proves that Abortion DOES have a negative effect on the mental wellness of the Woman involved.

This is something that I've talked about in the past. I have told the story of a couple of Women I know that have had abortions and they regret this VERY much. I have told the story of my friend Jen that just broke down one night. I asked her what was the matter, and after a bit of prying, she opened up and told me that she was just thinking "what if." Then she proceed to tell me her story. I ended up holding her for about an hour after while she cried. I had no idea that she had an abortion.

Now over the years, I have seen Doctors come out and say that there is no effect on the Woman at all. Pure and unadulterated BUNK! I know different from experience. When I tried, and still to this day, when I try, to discuss this issue, there is no shortage of Pro-Choice Sheep that argue "You're not a Doctor. I'll listen to them." Of course you also get, "You're not a Woman, so you have no right to say anything about it." Well, now we have the "Experts" saying what I have been talking about for years. Two new studies out this week add to the body of research evidence clearly showing again that abortion is associated with increased risk of adverse mental health effects. The two studies were published in the British Journal of Psychiatry and the Journal of Psychiatric Research. Both had strong methodology and controls for confounding or alternate variables.

Moira Gaul, Family Research Council's Director of Women's and Reproductive Health wrote this Article over at the Family Research Council's Website.

New Mental Health Studies Dispel Myth That Abortion is a 'Non-Event'

News of note this week is that two new studies published in peer-reviewed journals continue to link abortion and negative mental health effects.

The first paper [PDF], published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, analyzed data from the National Comorbidity Survey, the most comprehensive national dataset on the prevalence of psychological disorders, was analyzed to explore associations between abortion history and mental health. Abortion was found to be associated with an increased risk of a number of mental health problems including: panic attacks, panic disorder, agoraphobia, post traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder, and major depression. The four study authors presented their research on topic at a panel discussion at the Family Research Council in October 2008.

The second paper [PDF], written by New Zealand researcher David Fergusson, analyzed data from a 30-year longitudinal study. The methodology, analysis employing two types of models of for concurrent and long-term health effects, strong control for confounding variables, and comparison groups were all strengths of the study. The results indicated abortion to be associated with an increased risk of mental disorders, including major depression, anxiety disorder, illicit drug dependence, and suicide ideation.

The results of both studies add to the strong body evidence detailing the causal association between abortion and mental health disorders. These findings continue to raise important implications concerning informed consent in healthcare. Women in this country deserve quality healthcare which provides accurate information on the associated risks accompanying abortion.

Also making news yesterday was a review paper published by researchers at Johns Hopkins University. In their own press release the university/dept. cited the review paper as the most rigorous review of the literature to date which purported that "studies with the most flawed methodology found negative mental health sequelae of abortion." This is an insult to Johns Hopkins as a credible academic research institution. The exclusion of numerous studies published in peer-reviewed journals was a gaping omission. The ties of senior author Robert Blum to the Alan Guttmacher Institute as a board member and previous board chair as well as the funding of the university's department of Population, Family, and Reproductive Health, where three of the four study authors work, by Planned Parenthood of Maryland, serve as evidence of the political motivation behind the publishing of the study. Johns Hopkins should be admonished for stamping such sham science.

Women are increasingly coming forward to share about the negative impact abortion has played in their lives. Clinicians treating women for mental health disorders are increasingly stepping forward to tell the truth about the large numbers seeking treatment due to the fallout from abortion. The repeated lies from the pro-abortion community that abortion is a nonevent or somehow "therapeutic" in women's lives is being dispelled and the truth clearly elucidated by scientific findings.

Something happens to a Woman when she becomes pregnant. Natural instincts kick in to nurture and protect that little life inside her. Over the nine months, they become as one and this is followed the rest of both their lives. Logically speaking, if a Woman LOOSES the child, DEVASTATING results can occur. So why then would anyone in their right mind, EVER, think that purposely ENDING THAT LIFE inside her would be a non-issue?

Yes. The Pro-Choice people will continue to argue that it means nothing. Just a medical procedure. It is not a life. If they could ever agree on when it actually "becomes one." Therefore, no harm, no foul. Well, that has always been and will always be wrong.
Peter

Sources:
Family Research Council

The Experts Say They Are All Nuts

Health and Science Segment 120708

Hey folks,

We're back. OK. So in the Health and Science Segment this week, we find out by the "Experts" that Young People are pretty much all nuts and in desperate need of help. The problem of course, is cost. Some cannot get this help they so desperately need. Well, without Universal Healthcare that is. {Smile}

Not only is this completely idiotic article a shadowed pitch for Universal Healthcare, but it is also an EXCUSE to increase funds. Funds to the Psychobabble Community, and "Big Drug." It is also yet another example that nothing is really your fault. After all 1 in 5 young adults has mental problems. {Laughing} According to the AP - 1 in 5 young adults has personality disorder by LINDSEY TANNER, AP Medical Writer Lindsey Tanner, Ap Medical Writer – 52 mins ago

CHICAGO – Almost one in five young American adults has a personality disorder that interferes with everyday life, and even more abuse alcohol or drugs, researchers reported Monday in the most extensive study of its kind.

Now go ahead and read this. I'll of course, as I always do, point out the OBVIOUS flaws in this completely absurd article.

The disorders include problems such as obsessive or compulsive tendencies and anti-social behavior that can sometimes lead to violence. The study also found that fewer than 25 percent of college-aged Americans with mental problems get treatment.

Because they can't afford it.

One expert said personality disorders may be overdiagnosed. But others said the results were not surprising since previous, less rigorous evidence has suggested mental problems are common on college campuses and elsewhere.

{Laughing} So they are over dosed, yet, forget about it. This must be true.

Experts praised the study's scope — face-to-face interviews about numerous disorders with more than 5,000 young people ages 19 to 25 — and said it spotlights a problem college administrators need to address.

Study co-author Dr. Mark Olfson of Columbia University and New York State Psychiatric Institute called the widespread lack of treatment particularly worrisome. He said it should alert not only "students and parents, but also deans and people who run college mental health services about the need to extend access to treatment."

So they want COLLEGES to TREAT these young people?

Counting substance abuse, the study found that nearly half of young people surveyed have some sort of psychiatric condition, including students and non-students.

So add to the numbers, you have a beer, YOU HAVE A MENTAL DISORDER!!!! You are sick. It is not your fault.

Personality disorders were the second most common problem behind drug or alcohol abuse as a single category. The disorders include obsessive, anti-social and paranoid behaviors that are not mere quirks but actually interfere with ordinary functioning.

The study authors noted that recent tragedies such as fatal shootings at Northern Illinois University and Virginia Tech have raised awareness about the prevalence of mental illness on college campuses.

They also suggest that this age group might be particularly vulnerable.

"For many, young adulthood is characterized by the pursuit of greater educational opportunities and employment prospects, development of personal relationships, and for some, parenthood," the authors said. These circumstances, they said, can result in stress that triggers the start or recurrence of psychiatric problems.

OK so they just did this study and published it. Right? WRONG. Get this.

The study was released Monday in Archives of General Psychiatry. It was based on interviews with 5,092 young adults in 2001 and 2002.

Olfson said it took time to analzye the data, including weighting the results to extrapolate national numbers. But the authors said the results would probably hold true today.

I do not even need to comment on that statement. Do I?

The study was funded with grants from the National Institutes of Health, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and the New York Psychiatric Institute.

Dr. Sharon Hirsch, a University of Chicago psychiatrist not involved in the study, praised it for raising awareness about the problem and the high numbers of affected people who don't get help.

So this Doctor was not involved in the study. So how many DOCTORS, you know EXPERTS DID do this study?

Imagine if more than 75 percent of diabetic college students didn't get treatment, Hirsch said. "Just think about what would be happening on our college campuses."

The results highlight the need for mental health services to be housed with other medical services on college campuses, to erase the stigma and make it more likely that people will seek help, she said.

In the study, trained interviewers, but not psychiatrists, questioned participants about symptoms. They used an assessment tool similar to criteria doctors use to diagnose mental illness.

{Laughing. Banging hand on desk.} READ THAT AGAIN.

In the study, trained interviewers, but not psychiatrists, questioned participants about symptoms. They used an assessment tool similar to criteria doctors use to diagnose mental illness.

So NON - Doctors asked people, "How do you feel today." {Laughing}

Dr. Jerald Kay, a psychiatry professor at Wright State University and chairman of the American Psychiatric Association's college mental health committee, said the assessment tool is considered valid and more rigorous than self-reports of mental illness. He was not involved in the study.

Yeah, he wasn't involved in the study either. {Smile}

Personality disorders showed up in similar numbers among both students and non-students, including the most common one, obsessive compulsive personality disorder. About 8 percent of young adults in both groups had this illness, which can include an extreme preoccupation with details, rules, orderliness and perfectionism.

Kay said the prevalence of personality disorders was higher than he would expect and questioned whether the condition might be overdiagnosed.

You think?

All good students have a touch of "obsessional" personality that helps them work hard to achieve. But that's different from an obsessional disorder that makes people inflexible and controlling and interferes with their lives, he explained.

Obsessive compulsive personality disorder differs from the better known OCD, or obsessive-compulsive disorder, which features repetitive actions such as hand-washing to avoid germs.

OCD is thought to affect about 2 percent of the general population. The study didn't examine OCD separately but grouped it with all anxiety disorders, seen in about 12 percent of college-aged people in the survey.

The overall rate of other disorders was also pretty similar among college students and non-students.

Substance abuse, including drug addiction, alcoholism and other drinking that interferes with school or work, affected nearly one-third of those in both groups.

Slightly more college students than non-students were problem drinkers — 20 percent versus 17 percent. And slightly more non-students had drug problems — nearly 7 percent versus 5 percent.

In both groups, about 8 percent had phobias and 7 percent had depression.

Bipolar disorder was slightly more common in non-students, affecting almost 5 percent versus about 3 percent of students.

Just do the math folks. REALITY does not add up to 1 in 5, EVEN with the addition of substance abuse, which by the way, IS NOT A MENTAL DISORDER. Sorry. But it just isn't. I'm so tired of garbage like this. All this junk psychobabble does is make people rich. All it does is take away any responsibility from the PERSON committed such acts. EID, ADD, ADHD, OCD, Bipolar, Schizophrenia, even "eco-therapy" or "ecopsychology," are all OVER DIAGNOSED. If not just plain made up bunk.

So think about this the next time you think to yourself, what is with the youth these days? According to the experts, they are all nuts.
Peter

Sources:
AP - 1 in 5 young adults has personality disorder

IWA For Sunday 120708

This Lady is too stupid to be a teacher.

Hey folks,

It's Sunday. TIME for the IWA. I saw this Saturday morning while checking Emails and scanning news for today's Blog, and I just sat here and read it THREE times. I read it. Thought "What in the Hell is this lady thinking." Read it again. Thought "This Lady is a complete Moron. She should be fired immediately." Then on the third read, I found myself questioning who was the bigger Idiot. The Teacher, or this Moronic Superintendent, for NOT issuing ANY discipline whatsoever. I also find myself in the camp and would without hesitation join the NAACP on this one.

OK. So what am I talking about? You are a History Teacher. You are teaching a Seventh Grade Class about Slavery. What do you do? Do you show them historic pictures of Slaves in chains? No. Do you show them Documentaries? No. Do you show them historic documentations {Bills of sales for people, ownership documents, the written laws at the time} No. What do you do? You tie up two Black Girls and make them crawl under their desks. {Sigh}

According to the AP - Teacher sorry for binding girls in slavery lesson by JIM FITZGERALD, Associated Press Writer Jim Fitzgerald, Associated Press Writer – Fri Dec 5, 6:27 pm ET

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. – A white social studies teacher attempted to enliven a seventh-grade discussion of slavery by binding the hands and feet of two black girls, prompting outrage from one girl's mother and the local chapter of the NAACP. After the mother complained to Haverstraw Middle School, the superintendent said he was having "conversations with our staff on how to deliver effective lessons."

"If a student was upset, then it was a bad idea," said Superintendent Brian Monahan of the North Rockland School District in New York City's northern suburbs.

The teacher apologized to the mother who complained and her 13-year-old daughter during a meeting Thursday that also included a representative of the local NAACP. But the mother, Christine Shand of Haverstraw, said Friday she thinks the teacher should be removed from the class.

Maybe extreme, but I actually AGREE. This Teacher is too stupid to BE a Teacher.

"I think the teacher should have gotten some discipline," Shand said. "I know if that was me, I would be uncomfortable going back to that class. Why should my daughter have to switch?"

I'm with ya Ms. Shand.

Monahan refused to say what, if any, measures were taken against the teacher, Eileen Bernstein, who was still working on Friday. The school district said she was not available for comment.

WHY? I guess this is OK in the eyes of the Mr. Monahan. As a matter of fact, this next statement is a little disturbing.

"We encourage our teachers to deliver the curriculum in a variety of ways, to go beyond just reading the textbook," the superintendent said. "We don't want to discourage creativity. But this obviously went wrong because the student was upset."

Wait a second. So what does that mean? Does that mean that as long as a Student doesn't complain, ANYTHING GOES? What a patently absurd statement that is.

On Nov. 18, Bernstein was discussing the conditions under which African captives were taken to America in slave ships. She bound the two students' hands and feet with tape and had them crawl under a desk to simulate the experience, Monahan and Shand said. Monahan said the girls were not the only blacks in the class.

SO WHAT?

Gabrielle Shand burst into tears at home, her mother said.

"There are other ways to demonstrate slavery," Christine Shand said Friday. "It doesn't matter the color of the kids, it's just not right to tie them up. My daughter is still upset, still embarrassed. She didn't go to school today."

In the day and age we live in today, just this LIVE demonstration of BINDING two YOUNG Teenage girls in front of a bunch of puberty crazy Boys is another aspect of this that no one seems to care about. Young Boys start fantasizing about Girls they just see with a tight little shirt or short skirt walking down the hall. Imagine some of the things going through their mind while they watch this FEMALE Teacher tie up two Girls rendering them helpless. ANY WAY you chose to look at this, it is just flat out WRONG.

Wilbur Aldridge, director of the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said the history demonstration, first reported in The Journal News, "went wrong when she started to do that binding."

AMEN! I'm with you.

"I don't care what color, no one should be put in the position of having their hands and feet bound," he said.

Well said Mr. Aldridge. Well said.

Aldridge said he feared that the teacher still "didn't get it" after their meeting. He said the teacher apologized "because Gabrielle was upset, not because she admitted she did something wrong."

One of the problems here is that this Superintendent seems to be encouraging this type of thing. It is not wrong until a Student complains. Maybe Mr. Monahan should be the one removed.

At any rate, CONGRATULATIONS Eileen Bernstein, for being this stupid and seeing nothing wrong with it, you ARE the Idiot of the Week. If I were in your District, I assure you, I would be standing on the front yard of that school, SIDE BY SIDE with Mr. Aldridge. I would be doing everything I could to educate the other Parents of kids in your class. If the school will not do anything, then the Parents should refuse to let their kids go to your class. No kids. No reason for you to be there.
Peter

Sources:
AP - Teacher sorry for binding girls in slavery lesson

Update on Perdido

From the Emails 120508

Hey folks,

I know I say this often, but it's very true. Sometimes you folks make deciding which Email to highlight VERY difficult. I may have to discuss some of them on Sunday. As for today, this is just flat out impressive.

Remember back on Wednesday August 20, 2008, I posted this. Ten to Fifteen Years I was talking about the sad and completely incorrect argument that it would take ten to fifteen years for us to see ANY domestic oil from drilling. Then I posted the Video of Perdido. I said this.

So let's recap. No oil. A structure larger than the Eiffel Tower, weighing as much as 10,000 cars, that will be producing oil from THREE different fields, and a product to market within 2 years. Do not tell me we can't do it. Do not tell me we can't drill our way out of foreign dependency. Out of outrageous gas prices, and do not tell me that this will kill the planet. We can do whatever we set our minds to. THAT is what has always, and will always, keep us great.

Well folks, we have an update. I received this from Jane over at API on this past Wednesday.

Hello, Pete!

Remember the video about the Perdido offshore platform? Apparently Perdido is doing very well in the Gulf of Mexico and has broken the record for deepwater drilling. Here’s the AP story:

HOUSTON (AP) - Shell Oil Co. said Tuesday it has set a world water-depth record by drilling and completing an oil well in 9,356 feet (2,852 meters) of water in the Gulf of Mexico.

The well is part of Shell's Perdido Development project about 200 miles (322 kilometers) south of Houston. It easily topped the previous record for a completed oil well in 6,950 feet (2,118 meters) of water -- also set by Shell in the Gulf of Mexico. Anadarko Petroleum Corp. has completed natural-gas wells in about 9,000 feet (2,700 meters) of water in the Gulf.

Production at Perdido is scheduled to begin around 2010. Shell says the project, which dates to a lease sale in 1996, will be capable of producing 130,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day.

Deepwater drilling in the Gulf dates to 1979 when Shell began production, but development really didn't take off until the 1990s as technological advancements made it more feasible. Today most continental U.S. oil and gas production comes from the deepwater Gulf of Mexico, according to the U.S. Energy Department.

Shell's new record-deep well is the latest indicator of how long it takes to bring ultra-deepwater projects to fruition and the ever-mounting exploration efforts oil companies are taking to find new sources of fossil fuels. Shell didn't disclose Perdido's costs, but such ventures can cost billions of dollars.

It took 10 years from the lease sale for Shell to evaluate the site and opt for commercial development; hydrocarbons were discovered there in 2002.

The U.S. Minerals Management Service, which oversees offshore drilling, said Tuesday that of the 68 rigs currently drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, 35 were in water deeper than 1,000 feet (300 meters) and 16 were in depths greater than 5,000 feet (1,520 meters).

MMS spokeswoman Eileen Angelico said companies have drilled exploratory wells in depths greater than 10,000 feet (3,050 meters), but none have proceeded to the point of being ready for production.

At Perdido, three fields named Great White, Tobago and Silvertip will be tied together by a spar platform moored in about 8,000 feet (2,400 meters) of water. Spars are huge structures consisting of a large cylinder that supports a drilling and production platform.

Instead of extending all the way to the seafloor, the cylinder is tethered to the bottom by cables and lines. Perdido is held in place by nine polyester mooring lines averaging more than 2 miles (3 kilometers) in length.

Shell said it plans to top the new record with a well at 9,627 feet (2,900 meters) in the Tobago field. It eventually plans to drill 35 wells from Perdido.

Oil and gas produced by the project will be transported to the Texas coast by 77 miles (124 kilometers) of oil export pipelines and 107 miles (172 kilometers) of gas export pipelines.

Shell, the U.S. arm of Royal Dutch Shell PLC, operates the platform and has a 35 percent stake in the project. Chevron Corp. owns 37.5 percent and BP PLC holds 27.5 percent.

Thank you Jane. This is impressive. Truly impressive. Tell me again what we can and can not do? Now as long as Congress and the New President says out of this, we will be FAR better off.
Peter

Sorry, no links. But please visit our friends at :

API
Energy Tomorrow

Note: "From The Emails" is a weekly segment in the Friday edition of the OPNtalk Blog. If you care to send in News Articles, Comments, Stories, or anything else you may wish to share, please feel free to send it to opntalk@aim.com As always, you never know what you are going to see here.

Automakers, Congress, and God

Sounds like the start of a bad joke.

Hey folks,

It really does. But it is real. The Automakers went begging to Congress to have them give them $34 Billion MORE dollars to bail them out. What did Senator Reid say?

"I just don't think we have the votes to do that now." But he wasn't done. He let you get a little inside information here. He wants to CONTROL the Automakers. He wants Government to say what their Contracts with their Unions should be. I'm not kidding.

You see, the Automakers promised labor concessions and restructuring. Reid is all for that. He said this.

"I think it's too bad that negotiated contracts between labor and management are going to have to be changed. But it's obvious to everyone - as strong of a union guy as I am - it's obvious that there has to be some changes made."

What do you think those may be? Sixty one percent of you oppose providing the auto companies with billions in federal assistance. This is according to a CNN Opinion Research Corp. poll released Wednesday. Over halve of those Polled said it would not help the economy. How would it. Really?

But there is another piece to this puzzle. God. Yup. God. Bishop Charles H. Ellis III and Greater Grace Temple are reaching out to all auto industry workers with a word of hope and encouragement. It happens at their special "Prayer and Consecration Service" on Sunday, Dec. 7 at 11:00 a.m.

Folks, there is so much wrong with this concept I do not even know where to begin.

"Detroit (Southeast Michigan included) is facing its most crucial economic season in my 50 years of life," says Bishop Ellis. The future of numerous businesses and thousands of individuals are hanging in the balance as we await the outcome of Congress' decision regarding the aid being sought by the automotive industry. Lifestyles including the basics (home, transportation, food, education, health insurance, etc.) are in serious jeopardy. It is my firm belief that the religious community should engage its most potent weapon during this most dire hour and that is Prayer and Consecration."

The service is aimed at all persons employed in the auto industry from executives to UAW workers to suppliers, and even business people who depend on the industry. During the service, Bishop Ellis will bring a special message entitled "A Hybrid Hope." There will be a special prayer and anointing for all in attendance. Anointing with oil is symbolic of the conferring of God's blessing and favor upon an individual.

I REALLY do not know where to start. So Bishop Ellis is going to ask God to intervene and FORCE the US Congress to take $34 Billion of YOUR money, and give it to Automakers and Unions. This is what this day of prayer, and Anointing of Oil, is all about. Not the cure for disease. Not world peace. Not Salvation. No it is for $34 BILLION dollars.

So since you, 61 percent are against this, Reid said "Hey Bush can do this."

Reid said the administration could act unilaterally to use a portion of the Wall Street bailout program for loans to the automakers, but the White House has consistently resisted that approach.

"There's talk going around now that the Bush White House may ask for" the second $350 billion installment of the $700 billion financial industry rescue fund, Reid said.

But if Bush's team doesn't act, he said, "I think that we are probably going to have to try to do something" in Congress.

All this taken place the eve on the TELEVISED debate today. Can you say SHOW? That leads me to another question. If the debate is today, which it is, and the Bush Administration does not seem all that interested in doing this, then why is the Bishop waiting until Sunday? Does he think God can only hear you on Sundays?

Anyway, this really is a joke. Let's say, like the bailout to Banks that either hoarded the money or bought OTHER Banks, we give the Automakers this EXTRA $34 Billion. How DOES that help YOU.

Where is MY bailout? It's not fair that someone like Rush has three or four houses and I have to pay the morgage on my one house. Where is MY Bailout. Why does the Government not swoop in and pay off MY Morgage and therefore I would have all this extra money to put back in the economy. Think about it. I would have over $1300 a month with no obligations. I buy stuff, which fuels the Manufacturers and Retailers, brings the prices down, and helps those less fortunate than I. Wait. Better Idea. They could just take one of his houses and give it to me. I mean really, why does he need four? Just take one of his, give it to me. Then It would not cost them ANYTHING and we would have the same result. Maybe I should say a prayer about that. I bet you I have just as much chance of this happening as does the Automakers being given another $34 Billion. Unless of course, the Government can then control them.

Bailout mania is running wild. Governors asking that their States to be bailed out. Business after business going to Congress with their hands out. Banks, Wall Street, ETC. So I guess, why not me?
Peter

Sources:
Greater Grace Temple
PilotOnline.com - Automakers plead for aid, but Senate votes lacking

Congratulations Saxby Chambliss

Saxby Chambliss Wins Georgia Senate Seat




Hey folks,

Yes. I am happy for Saxby Chambliss winning in Georgia. With 99 percent of the precincts reporting, Chambliss wins 57 percent of votes to Martin's 43 percent. There is no question that he wins this. So WHY was it necessary to have a run off in the first place?

Some say that it was the third party Candidate. That it was because of this three way Race that took votes from both Chambliss and his opponent, Democrat Jim Martin, failing to give any of the candidates at least 50 percent. Some argue it was because of ACORN'S involvement. ACORN and the lying, cheating, and stealing LWL {Left Wing Loons}.

Now that he won, some are ready to run to their local places of worship and fall to their knees to thank their Maker that Chambliss's won, as the AP puts it, "dashing Democrats' hopes of capturing enough seats in the U.S. Senate to thwart Republican filibusters." That is not entirely true. More on that in a second.

Now attention will be shifting to Minnesota. You got it. That JOKE of an election is STILL going on. Even some Minnesotans are fed up with it. Calling the whole thing ."downright ridiculous " Well, that's because Franken just refuses to crawl back under the rock of insignificance of which he came.

Seriously folks, if it were NOT for ACORN and the LWL trying to STEAL this election as well, Franken would not even have seen the light of day. This guy is a complete Moron that is not worthy of being in charge of a Rat's Nest, let alone a Senate Seat. But then again, we are talking about the Senate. {Smile}

Norm Coleman has won THREE recounts. THREE. But mysteriously, votes keep turning up. They just keep appearing form nowhere and the majority of them are for Franken. {Laughing} It is BLINDING to see how the Democrats are trying to steal this one. It really is. Follow this from the Miami Herald / AP - In Minnesota, recounting ballots is only the first step

Four weeks after Minnesotans cast 2.9 million ballots in an attempt to decide the costliest Senate contest in the nation, incumbent Coleman is clinging to a lead of 344 votes — with more than 92 percent of the ballots recounted as of Tuesday afternoon. Coleman began the recount with a lead of 215 votes.

On Tuesday, the Franken campaign said its internal count showed Coleman with a lead of only 50 votes. And Franken was expected to pick up more votes after officials in the Democratic stronghold of Ramsey County announced that 171 uncounted ballots had turned up.

Yup. They just appeared. Out of nowhere. Who's car have these been riding around in? Of course, they just HAPPEN to be from "the Democratic stronghold of Ramsey County." Do I need state that obvious?

But even the LWL leadership in the Senate may get involved. According to this.

If the Senate intervenes, as Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., now suggests it might, it wouldn't be unprecedented. The closest election in Senate history ended in 1975: After spending six weeks debating the contest between Republican Louis Wyman and Democrat John Durkin in New Hampshire, the Senate declared the seat vacant, and a new election was held.

The long race has stained Minnesota's pristine political reputation.

A poor writer, poor Comedian, and what? Now he wants to be Senator?

"If there was a Senate race this cycle that needed to end on November 4th, it was this one," said Jennifer Duffy, Senate analyst with the Cook Political Report. "It was just so nasty."

But she said the real battle will begin if Senate Democrats try to seat Franken before legal challenges are concluded.

You bet. I repeat, Coleman WON THREE RECOUNTS. Why do you think Votes just keeping appearing? The majority of them being FOR Franken? Come on. But you know what folks, it really is this simple. Now with Chambliss winning, 57 to 43, I doubt if the Senate will attempt to get involved in this one. Yes. Chambliss, on paper, DOES "dash Democrats' hopes of capturing enough seats in the U.S. Senate to thwart Republican filibusters," and even if Franken "wins" the seat they will not have enough Votes on paper to prevent that, they still have a secrete weapon. About 10 to 14 to be exact. RINOs. Republicans in name only.

The make up in the Senate being what it is, they only need "sway" three or four of these RINOs to vote with them. Even Chambliss himself went over to the Democrats at one point. Remember the Gang of ten? Sens. Saxby Chambliss, Lindsey Graham, John Thune, Bob Corker and Johnny Isakson, alongside five Senate Democrats. This "Gang of 10" announced a "sweeping" and "bipartisan" energy plan to break Washington's energy "stalemate." What they did was throw every vulnerable Democrat, and Mr. Obama, a life preserver. They almost prevented the Drilling Ban from expiring. They nearly created something MUCH worse.

So do not be so quick to celebrate Chambliss winning, and think that this is the Hope we need to prevent the Loons from complete and utter control. It really isn't. But at the same time, Franken? He just needs to go away.
Peter

Sources:
AP - Georgia Sen. Chambliss wins re-election in runoff
Miami Herald / AP - In Minnesota, recounting ballots is only the first step

Follow Up On Kids and The Internet

One way to KNOW what your kids are up to Online.

Hey folks,

Happy Tuesday to you. You know, I have been having some personal family issues, so I'll admit I get distracted from time to time, but that NEVER interferes on what my Son Josh is doing at any given time. I'll admit, right now, pretty easy, he is three. But if you have known me for more than, oh, I don't know, 5 minutes, you KNOW I care about kids. They really are our future. They really are the most precious gift you can EVER receive.

So anytime I see anything involving kids, Of course it gets my attention. Last Monday, November 24, 2008 I posted this. Kids and the Internet. I was talking about how some of these so called "Experts" seem to think that there is no threat.

Now I did, and I mean it, I did concede that our kids NEED to be Online. I see nothing wrong with kids being Online. I said this.

OK. I have no problem, {Laughing} yeah believe it or not, with kids being online. I really do not have a problem with it. In limited and fully controlled doses. I'll give Dr. Ito credit here. She is right. We do live in an age of technology. No doubt about it. Kids being online is essential. Look at this past election. One of the news agencies used Holograms. That really was cool. Before you know it, we ALL will be. We will all be beaming all over the place and meeting and spending time with each other in ways we can only imaging now. I get all that.

However, there MUST BE RULES. No, not Big Brother monitoring and censoring everything we do, we need Big Parent. Big Mom, Big Dad. THEY need to monitoring and censoring everything that their KIDS do. It really is, just that simple.

Well, I came in the OPNTalk office and my part-time Comment Checker said you HAVE to see this. So I checked it out. A person identifying themselves as pcpandora left this comment yesterday.

"Right on dude... I agree. It makes me sad that somewhere along the way, parents decided privacy was more important than parenting.

If you REALLY want to keep your kids safe online, you need to know what they are doing on the computer, and what is happening in their online lives. Monitoring software, like our PC Pandora (www.pcpandora.com), is available and people ignore it. Why? They are afraid they are "spying."

OK, so being a knowledgable parent about what your child does on the Internet is being a spy? Then I am a spy. No way am I going to let my kids roam freely. You have to know everything they do so you can talk to them about it. If you aren’t monitoring and don’t know what they are really doing, how can you be sure they are safe?

To answer your first question: Tina did know and tried to help."

So I clicked the link and found the following Article. This is really good and more people need to realize the numbers just do not add up to "no threat." Here it is.

Monitoring Software vs. Internet Predators

Simply put, predators are on the net. Some say the media has overblown the issue – but would you rather drop your guard, over-react, or take the middle ground and simply ensure safety. I wrote this blog because I use PC Pandora monitoring software – and I believe in it soo much – I want everyone to know about it (yes, they have given me permission to talk about it). Monitoring your child’s online activity is the best and smartest decision you can make as a 21st century parent.

Internet safety for young users is a hot topic right now. From sex predators, cyber bullies, and simple immaturity – kids online are facing threats from everywhere. But none of the dangers are as threatening as Internet predators.

While some experts want you to believe the news and media are blowing things out of proportion and that abductions are ‘extreme’ cases, that doesn’t nullify the fact that it still happens all the time. They may be rare cases and instances – but do you want to take the chance with your own child?

There are many variations of statistics for online predators, but the most common seems to be that: 1 in 7 children between ages 13 and 17 on the Internet today are approached by a stranger online, many of those times with the agenda of sex.

But it’s not just the feared and much-talked-about and criticized social networks. A new study was just released that shows most of these predators are in simple chat rooms. The study collected data on 1,588 children aged 10 to 15 years old. The children were asked about their online experiences over the past year. Among these children, 15 percent said they had an unwanted sexual solicitation. Only one-fourth of these occurred on a social networking site, such as MySpace or FaceBook. 33 percent of the kids said they were harassed online; but only about one-fourth of the incidents occurred on a social networking site. However, 43 percent of unwanted sexual solicitations occurred via instant messaging, and 32 percent occurred in chat rooms. Harassment was most common with instant messaging, which accounted for 55 percent.

Do any research on how these predators work and it is no surprise, yet still shocking. Some of them will come right out and more or less ask for it. But others will befriend a young user and gain trust. Then they strike. Almost everyone lies about their age and real person… anonymity is their friend.

The bottom line is these guys are out there and responsible parents of the 21st century should not be taking any chances. The words, “that could never happen to me” are a death sentence. They will invoke the wrath of Pandora’s box…

Fortunately, there is something you can do about it: monitor your children.

One of the biggest responses given by parents for their lack of monitoring is that they simply don’t get the technology. They are sure that no matter what they try to do, their kids will get around it anyway because they are more technically savvy then themselves – so why bother…? I’ll tell you why!

Because YOU (parents) have a secret weapon: PC Pandora.

Simply put – PC Pandora is monitoring software. It will monitor and record everything that your kids do on the computer. That doesn’t just mean online – it means everything. Emails, IM chats, websites visited, programs run… even movies and music downloaded.

The basic function is the recorder. Actual snapshots of the computer screen are taken at intervals, allowing you to see – visually – exactly what your child sees. Think of it like a DVR for your PC. No need to wade through lots of text to find out what your kids are up to. You can see it.

To back up the recorder, PC Pandora also logs and gives detailed reports on emails, IM chats, websites visited, programs utilized or run and any peer-to-peer file sharing. Once you know what your child is up to, you can talk to them about it and set up filters and blocks to prohibit websites and programs from being accessed. (You can even customize messages to bust your kids for trying to go somewhere you don’t want them to!)

Finally, the program also comes with a feature called the IRIS. This basically is a parent’s dream. You can have detailed reports sent to your email about your child’s online activity. If you are work when they get home from school, within minutes you can know what they are doing online. It’s just as good as being there next to them.

The program runs either silently or out in the open. And they have just released a new upgraded Version 5!!

Bottom line, with technology and tools like PC Pandora available to parents – there is no reason for not knowing what your kids are doing online – and more importantly – WHO they are talking to. Don’t take the chance and think, “oh that could never happen to my kids.” It can. And what’s worse – many young users consent to dangerous activity (like meeting in real life) because, let’s face it – they are kids!

Check out PC Pandora. They get my vote!

They get mine too. I just started checking them out in more detail, but so far, if they can do what this person says they can do, it seems VERY worth wild to me. But do not take mine, or pcpandora's word for it, check them out for yourself.

See you tomorrow.
Peter

Greed, Murder, Death, and Mayhem, Sales UP

At least Retailers did better than expected.

Hey folks,

Happy Monday to you. Glad you survived Black Friday. Yup. Even though we had three confirmed and reported deaths, there is still good news. Black Friday Sales numbers are in and they are better than expected. I guess that is some good news.

According to the Patriot Ledger - Early data shows strong Black Friday shopping

CHICAGO (AP) -- The holiday shopping season got off to a surprisingly solid start, according to data released Saturday by a research firm. But the sales boost during the post-Thanksgiving shopathon came at the expense of profits as the nation's retailers had to slash prices to attract the crowds in a season that is expected to be the weakest in decades.

Sales during the day after Thanksgiving rose 3 percent to $10.6 billion, according to preliminary figures released Saturday by ShopperTrak RCT Corp., a Chicago-based research firm that tracks sales at more than 50,000 retail outlets. Last year, shoppers spent about $10.3 billion on the day after Thanksgiving, dubbed Black Friday because it was historically the sales-packed day when retailers would become profitable for the year.

But this year, many observers were expecting consumers to spend more time browsing than buying, amid contractions in consumer spending and growing fears about economic uncertainty and trouble in the global financial markets.

"Under these circumstances, it's truly amazing when you think about all the news that led into the holiday season, it certainly appears that consumers are willing to spend more than most expected," said ShopperTrak co-founder Bill Martin. "Everybody wants value for their dollar, so we saw a tremendous response to the discounts."

That is the key here folks, "it's truly amazing when you think about all the news that led into the holiday season" Maybe we are not as bad off as we have been led to believe? People's confidence was NOT, and IS not weak in themselves or private business. It IS EXTREMELY weak in GOVERNMENT. People are fearful of Obama coming into office and screwing business. Putting in place all these OPPRESSIVE taxes that will force business to rise their prices to the consumers. Big business started pulling out of the Stock Market and started to hide their money because of this as well. This really IS an Obama inspired recession.

While it isn't a predictor of overall holiday season sales, Black Friday is an important barometer of people's willingness to spend during the holidays. Last year, it was the biggest sales generator of the season while the Thanksgiving shopping weekend of Friday through Sunday accounted for about 10 percent of overall holiday sales.

Still, experts, who predict this year's overall holiday shopping period will be the weakest in decades thanks to an overall contraction in spending, caution that this year's sales growth may be hard to sustain.

Also complicating matters is a shorter buying season - 27 days between Black Friday and Christmas - instead of 32 last year.

Across the country, sales in the South were up 3.4 percent from last year while they climbed 2.6 percent in the Northeast as shoppers began scouring store aisles at midnight hoping to snag the best selection on early morning specials, some as much as 70 percent off. Elsewhere, sales rose 3 percent in the Midwest and 2.7 percent in the West.

Patty Saal, 60, of Mogadore, Ohio, began her Black Friday shopping at 5 a.m. when she and her daughters went to a Sam's Club to purchase iPods.

"We're doing fine," she said.

Really? She is?

Fifth-grade teacher Daphna Stepen, 42, spent Black Friday hunting for deals inside Macy's and at the Limited Too clothing store and headed out again Saturday. The Chicago resident said she was surprised by the discounts as well as how many coupons she'd received from stores, which helped her save even more money on already marked-down items.

"You can get almost 40 percent off stuff if you work the coupons," she said.

Which people do all the time. This is the whole point to Black Friday. Like I said yesterday, Retailers and Merchandisers learned that this was an EASY and nearly a guaranteed way to make a lot of money fast. So stores and Manufactures started to MARKET this ONE day as THE DAY. They started trying to create that next got to have item. They also cut prices and make once in a life time type deals to draw people in. This is not new.

Separately on Saturday, J.C. Penney Co. Inc. said business was strong in its sites across the country as customers responded to sales. Some of the department store's best sellers were smaller electronic gadgets and practical gifts, such as sweaters, boots, coats and luggage.

But the chain said it wouldn't provide specific sales figures.

"In light of the challenging and volatile economic climate, and shifts in this year's retail calendar, we don't believe that reporting sales data for any one day (or weekend), including Black Friday, would provide a meaningful barometer of our business," the Plano, Texas company said in a statement released Saturday afternoon.

{Laughing} OR they do not want the GOVERNMENT to know the exact figures. {Smile} They are most likely FAR better than expected. So even though we had fist fights, gun shots, and tramplings, all is well so far this year. Got to love that Holiday Spirit.

Peter

Sources:
Patriot Ledger - Early data shows strong Black Friday shopping