All Purpose Politics and News Thread

[Darth Penguin]

Groups like IRA, INLA and ETA have spent years bombing people.

[Patty Smyth]

LOL, let's have that videotape surface first!



Are you running? Or, which party are you identifying yourself with ('our')?

Our turn as in , everyone else who didn't vote for him. the other "60%".

Don't forget we don't vote people in here in Canada we vote people out. .

In the end they all get a shot at stealing taxpayers money though.

[Patty Smyth]

But right now I could care less about stupid politics, my cat came home after being lost for 2 weeks. That's all that counts. Stupid politicians will always be stupid.

[vesper]

But right now I could care less about stupid politics, my cat came home after being lost for 2 weeks. That's all that counts. Stupid politicians will always be stupid.

What your kitty was missing for 2 weeks and came home? WOW! That is amazing! You going to post a pic of your cat? Yahoo!!

[vesper]

Oh never mind... I see your cat Oreo pic on your sig!

[Patty Smyth]

Oh never mind... I see your cat Oreo pic on your sig!

He was trapped somewhere, he has not eaten, he is so thin but he must have had access to some water, he is filthy and his nose is all raw from pushing against something.

[DaveP]

But right now I could care less about stupid politics, my cat came home after being lost for 2 weeks. That's all that counts. Stupid politicians will always be stupid.

That's great Patty! We've had two kitties since december when we rescued them from the snow. They're very much part of the family already, I can just imagine the relief you felt when your kitty found her/his way home.

[vesper]

((( not bashing peoples beliefs... just bashing my favorite thing to bash... stupid government in general )))

IRS Spends 3 years harassing and intimidating groups whos main goal is to end Obamacare......

Then asks Obama to exempt them from Obamacare!


http://www.freedomworks.org/blog/lhe...t-of-obamacare

IRS employees who harassed and delayed tea party and conservative groups, has come out against the proposal to put federal workers into exchange-based health insurance.

Unreal! LOL!

[Patty Smyth]

Another awful story

http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/23/us/uta...othersslain11a

CNN) -- A 15-year-old Utah boy was arrested in connection with the slayings of his two younger adopted brothers, ages 4 and 10, who were apparently stabbed to death in their home, authorities said Thursday.
The oldest brother -- the eldest of six children -- was a natural child of the family and was baby-sitting his two younger siblings while the mother was out of the home with the other children, Sheriff Todd Richardson told reporters Thursday. The father, who's in the military, was in Alabama.
The mother called 911 Wednesday evening after finding her 4-year-old son dead in the home in West Point, Utah. Police then found the 10-year-old son dead in the lower part of the house, but they weren't sure whether the oldest child was a victim or a suspect, Richardson said.
Hours later, near midnight, police found the oldest brother miles away walking with blood stains on the street. The boy spoke "pretty bluntly" with investigators, who are trying to determine a motive, the sheriff said. He wasn't carrying any weapons, though police have found two weapons believed to have been used in the slayings, Richardson said.
The 15-year-old boy is facing two homicide charges, the sheriff said.
"He had been interviewed by one of our detectives, and there has been things that have been brought forth that is part of an active investigation, and as time goes on, it will be released as to why he did what he did," Richardson said.
"I don't want to speculate what was going through his mind, but he is a natural child of the family and the two children who were victims in this were both adopted," the sheriff added.
The 15-year-old boy once ran away from home, and in that incident, the family apparently received assistance from a church leader, the sheriff added.
"On that one prior time, he did a runaway, and we located him, so we don't have a longstanding history file on him," Richardson said.
The family "did an intervention through their ecclesiastic leadership, and as far as anything through law enforcement or the state, it's my understanding that they didn't" do any more, Richardson said.
Prosecutors have yet to file charges or decide whether to charge the youth as an adult, said Sgt. Susan Poulsen with Davis County Sheriff's Office.
The boy's name wasn't being released because he is a juvenile, authorities said.
The father, believed to be in the Air Force, was returning home, Richardson said.
During the initial search of the family home, deputies found the body of the 10-year-old boy, who like his younger brother, had "traumatic injuries," the sheriff's office said.
"Obviously the mother is very distraught," Richardson said.
Just before midnight Wednesday, investigators from several jurisdictions found the oldest son in the Layton area, about eight miles from West Point, and he was taken to the hospital for the evaluation of minor injuries, authorities said. He is being held in Farmington Bay Youth Detention Center.
"We believe the suspect acted alone, and no other suspects are at large," the sheriff's office said in a statement.
Both boys' "manner of death appears to be consistent with penetrating knife wounds," the sheriff's office said. The medical examiner's office has yet to determine the cause of death.
The sheriff couldn't detail the wounds Thursday.
"I've been in this job for a long time, so the things that look like defensive wounds turn out not to be," said Richardson, who has worked in law enforcement and as a paramedic for more than 25 years.

[DaveP]

^^That is just awful. Losing two of your children at the hands of a third. Really, they've lost all three. Horrible.

[Patty Smyth]

OMG something really stinks here.

In the video they show the boys face. Really? Do they think the parents will accept the story? They take them for fools or what?

http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/10/us/ken...rpt/index.html

(CNN) -- Bearing the loss of a child is unimaginable to most.
What's even more unimaginable for the Johnsons of Valdosta, Georgia, is how their 17-year-old son died: by suffocating after falling headfirst into a rolled-up gym mat at his high school on January 11.
"It felt unreal. You know I sent my child to school for an education and he did go to school one way and came back dead," his mother, Jacquelyn Johnson said.
How could Kendrick Johnson, a three-sport athlete, fall into an upright mat while reaching for his shoe and not get out, as investigators said? It was an accident, police said, as there were no bruises on the body and no signs of foul play.
But the bizarre circumstances didn't sit right with the family, even though they're not sure what happened to their son.
The teen's parents, Kenneth and Jacquelyn, allege the local sheriff department did not follow protocol on the case, moving the body and mishandling evidence. They also believe the sheriff was too quick to make a judgment call on what happened.
Within 24 hours of finding the body, Lowndes County Sheriff Chris Prine announced that investigators had no reason to believe there was foul play.
Lowndes County Coroner Bill Watson agrees with the family, saying that the body had been moved before he arrived. He also told CNN he was not contacted until six hours after the body was found, although Georgia law states the coroner should be notified immediately.
The final autopsy report, released just last week, stated that the teen died of accidental suffocation; it's what the preliminary autopsy from January 14 said, too.
Taking to the streets

A rally for Kendrick Johnson on April 18.


The Johnsons buried their boy in January, but they were still waiting for answers.
After months of waiting for the final autopsy report, the family started speaking up. They've taken to the streets, organizing rallies for justice.
Chants booming over a megaphone have become a daily scene since April in this south Georgia city of about 56,000. "No justice! No peace!" protesters shout.
"I don't feel that there was any investigation until there was protesting and all this attention coming to them," Kenneth Johnson said. "That's when they started to act like they were doing an investigation."
Despite the family's persistent protests and claims that protocol was broken, Lt. Stryde Jones of the Lowndes County Sheriff's Office maintains investigators were "actively working" on the case from the time Kendrick's body was found on January 11 until the final autopsy was released on May 2.
After taking testimony and looking at the physical and forensic evidence, Jones said an accident was the only scenario that fit. More than 100 people, including students, teachers and parents, were interviewed, he added.
Chevene King Jr., the attorney for the Johnsons, has alleged that if Kendrick had been white, the investigation would have gone differently.
But Jones said the case was handled as professionally as in any case.
"Race never played into it," he said. "The victim played into it. That's who we're working for is the victim and the victim's family."
No matter who you are, how much money your parents have, the color of your skin, everyone deserves justice. Everyone.
Kenneth Johnson, Kendrick's father



Kendrick's aunt Keisha Moore has been alongside her family at many of the protests. Her son and her nephew were close and played basketball and football together at Lowndes High School.
"We are just hoping that the truth will come out. It's hard not sleeping at night not knowing," Moore said. Like Kendrick's parents, she believes he was beaten to death, referring to a gruesome postmortem photo of Kendrick shown on protest posters. "The perp is still out there and we don't know if it's a person at the school."
The family isn't rallying alone -- hundreds have joined the movement, from friends to Valdosta residents who barely knew or never met Kendrick.
Local businessman and iReporter Larry Johnson -- no relation to the family -- is a concerned community member who has been protesting. He has known Kendrick's mother for several years and met the teen once or twice, he said.
"It's emotional because it's my community," he said. "Even though a tragedy happened, to see that many people come out and support someone in the community, it made me proud to be from here."
Watch videos from a recent rally for Kendrick
Complete strangers are rallying alongside the Johnsons, too.
Bonita Lacy first heard about Kendrick Johnson through her involvement with the Atlanta chapter of the National Action Network. The 53-year-old drove down to Valdosta from Decatur to rally alongside family and community members on April 18 and again on May 4.
Lacy did not know Johnson, but decided to join the rally because he reminded her of her own grandsons. "I am a grandmother of two boys whom I want to have the right and opportunity to live, grow up, travel and go to school anywhere they please without fear or intimidation, or death by cloudy statements," she said.
Race never played into it. The victim played into it. That's who we're working for is the victim and the victim's family.
Lt. Stryde Jones, Lowndes County Sheriff's Department



While the rallies have been peaceful, seven people, including Kendrick's parents, Moore and several other aunts, were arrested for obstruction at a rally on April 25, according to the Lowndes County sheriff's office. The group was blocking people from entering or leaving the Lowndes County Judicial Complex.
The rally cries have spread far outside Valdosta. Thanks to a Facebook tribute page and stories sent to CNN iReport, the Kendrick Johnson story started to spread online. Moore, Johnson's aunt, sent in an iReport that has been viewed more than 100,000 times and been shared 8,000 times on Facebook.
Moore described Kendrick as a sweet, quiet teen who had dreams of becoming a professional athlete. "He was determined to do his best and be his best," she told CNN.
Waiting for resolution
Kendrick's father has been the more vocal member of the family, at least publicly. His wife, Jacquelyn, speaks in quiet, short sentences. Her eyes still express shock.
Kenneth didn't let his wife go into the morgue to identify their son. He went alone.
Authorities told the family that blood had rushed to Kendrick's head and upper body, his father said. A photo of Kendrick's bloated, postmortem face was almost unrecognizable.
"It's indescribable. You don't expect to see your child lying down like that," said Kenneth, recalling seeing his son's body. "As handsome as my son was, the day you see him like that is crazy."
Even though the case is officially closed, the Johnsons told CNN they will keep protesting. They're still looking for a resolution.
"No matter who you are, how much money your parents have, the color of your skin, everyone deserves justice. Everyone," said Kenneth Johnson.
While he doesn't believe the official reports of how his son died, Kenneth knows he's not alone. He hopes the attention from outside Lowndes County, including the large online community invested in the story, will keep the issue alive.
"It means that people are not going to fall for anything. You know from the way they said the thing happened, people are not buying it."

[Patty Smyth]

Today is a good day

http://www.courant.com/news/politics...,1634853.story


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Michele Bachmann, a Tea Party firebrand and 2012 presidential contender, announced on Wednesday she will not seek re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives but said her surprise decision had nothing to do with multiple investigations into her campaign finances.

Bachmann, a conservative Minnesota Republican whose outspoken style and sharp criticism of PresidentBarack Obama made her a prominent and polarizing national figure, did not give a specific reason for stepping down. But she said she was not ducking the likelihood of a difficult re-election fight in her suburban Minneapolis district.

[xox2010]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/stor...-wireless.html

I'm tentatively holding my breath on this one, but here's hoping it's true:

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission has been working on the code for a number of months after a lengthy consultation process with consumers and the industry.
The new code will allow consumers to:

• Terminate their wireless contracts after two years without cancellation fees, even if they have signed on for a longer term.
• Cap extra data charges at $50 a month and international data roaming charges at $100 a month to prevent bill shock.
• Have their cellphones unlocked after 90 days, or immediately if they paid for the device in full.
• Return their cellphones, within 15 days and specific usage limits, if they are unhappy with their service.
• Accept or decline changes to the key terms of a fixed-term contract (i.e., two-year), and receive a contract that is easy to read and understand.

"Hopefully, these rules will convince the companies to treat people with a little more respect," said Steve Anderson of consumer watchdog group Open Media.

[Patty Smyth]

4 year old shoots father

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/0...n_3407551.html

[DaveP]

4 year old shoots father

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/0...n_3407551.html

Absolutely tragic. All parents should be extremely careful with anything potentially lethal around young children. Firearms, medications, sharp blades, cleaning fluids, bic lighters...

Children that age should have access to none of these. That any do and there's a tragic result is a definite parenting failure.

That said, my (now) 17 year old boy started a fire in his mattress with one of our lighters when he was 3. I was a asleep and he was playing with the lighter he'd seen me and mom use. My wife raised the alarm. Did you know you can't put a mattress fire out? Can't be done, we tried. No matter how much water you pour on it. It burns away on the inside in water impermeable areas. Had to drag it outside of our smoke choked home and let it burn.

Yeah, little kids and things that can cause harm do not mix.