Michelle Obama Lies Yet Again: Barack “Has Been Struggling With Us”

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First Lady Michelle Obama told North Carolina voters Wednesday that President Barack Obama is still feeling the pain of Americans, despite living in the cushy confines of the White House.

At a packed rally at North Carolina Central University, Mrs. Obama said her husband has struggled each and every day since he took office nearly four years ago to make life better for people.

“Barack Obama has been working every day since the day he took office,” she told an adoring crowd of 3,000 that greeted her with deafening cheers at the historically black university. “He has been fighting for us. He has been struggling with us. And together, slowly but surely, we have been pulling ourselves out of that hole we started in.”

Obama did not mention Mitt Romney or allude to Republicans in her remarks, but the GOP nominee’s recently revealed comments about 47 percent of freeloading Americans not paying any income tax hung just out of sight as she testified to her husband’s character.

“Remind folks that Barack Obama knows the American dream because he’s lived it,” she added.

Read more from this story HERE.

GOP Minority Leader McConnell Ignores Akin in His Own Hometown, Seems to Be Supporting the Democrat

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When Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell visited St. Louis Wednesday, he did so quietly, touring Monsanto’s headquarters and holding a fundraising event for his his 2014 campaign.

Not on the Kentucky Republican’s schedule? A meeting with or an endorsement of Rep. Todd Akin, who is challenging Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill for her seat.

While Akin may have been persona non grata with virtually all Republicans after his inflammatory “legitimate rape” comments, only McConnell has so far toed the harsh line the GOP drew in the sand in August when they tried — in vain — to force him out of the race.

On the contrary, a day after the deadline for him to bow out of the race had passed, Akin was basking in the glow of endorsements from Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum and fellow Missourian Sen. Roy Blunt, among others.

“Just like all of our GOP candidates elected in the August primary, the Missouri Republican Party stands behind Congressman Todd Akin in his race for United State Senate,” said David Cole, the chair of the Missouri GOP, in one statement.

Read more from this story HERE.

U.S. Press Plays Pravda

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Given the events of the last two weeks, we may expect an acceleration of media-skepticism. Let us consider just how egregiously the press has abandoned its responsibilities to the public trust in the past few weeks:

On September 11, on the eleventh anniversary of the worst attack yet endured on our shores, U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and three aides were murdered, and their headquarters in Benghazi sacked. The U.S. Press unquestioningly accepted a White House explanation calling the event a “spontaneous demonstration” inspired by a poorly made anti-Islam film short that had been languishing online, all-but-ignored, for months.

Despite reports that the attackers had been chanting “Obama, we are all Osama,” (in reference to Osama bin Laden, whose America-effected demise was celebrated over 20 times during the recently concluded Democratic convention) the press duly reported the White House line, and they saw no First Amendment issues when the Obama administration asked Google (owners of YouTube) to remove the offending video. (Google refused.)

This is the same press, all the same bylines and faces, by the way, who fretted about the “chill wind” threatening free speech when then-White House Spokesman Ari Fleischer merely suggested that post-9/11 people might need to be cautious in their speech.

The press did not blink when the film’s creator was publicly identified, handcuffed, and brought into police custody for questioning about “a possible parole violation” in the middle of the night. In fact, some journalists—utterly incurious about the possible constitutional repercussions of establishing such a precedent—began helpfully arguing that sometimes free speech ought to be limited, darn it! The work of cultural darling Andres Serrano—whose overpraised “Piss Christ” showcases a photograph of a crucifix submerged in a bucket of Serrano’s own urine—was free speech and “art” deserving protection, while an execrably produced anti-Muslim short, made by a cultural nobody, was not.

Read more from this story HERE.

U.S. Median Household Income Down 8.2% Since Obama Took Office

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Median household incomes have fallen 8.2 percent since President Obama took office and continue to drop despite the official end of the recession, a new study shows.

Data compiled by Sentier Research found that since the economic recovery technically began in June 2009, median household income has dropped 5.7 percent. As of August, that median income was $50,678 — also down 1.1 percent from the month prior.

And since Obama took office in January 2009, the median income has fallen 8.2 percent, from $55,198 to its present figure.

“The August decline in real median annual household income is indicative of a struggling economy,” Sentier said in its report.

“Even though we are technically in an economic recovery, real median annual household income is having a difficult time maintaining its present level, much less ‘recovering.'”

Read more from this story HERE.

Bombshell Lawsuit: Organs taken from Live Patients that Doctors were Pressured to Declare Brain Dead

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The New York Organ Donor Network pressured hospital staffers to declare patients brain dead so their body parts could be harvested — and even hired “coaches” to train staffers how to be more persuasive, a bombshell lawsuit charged yesterday.

The federally funded nonprofit used a “quota” system, and leaned heavily on the next of kin to sign consent forms when patients were not registered as organ donors, the suit charged.

“They’re playing God,” said plaintiff Patrick McMahon, 50, an Air Force combat veteran and nurse practitioner who claims he was fired as a transplant coordinator after just four months for protesting the practice.

The suit, filed in Manhattan Supreme Court, cited four examples of improper organ harvesting.

In September 2011, a 19-year-old man injured in a car wreck was admitted to Nassau University Medical Center. He was still trying to breathe and showed signs of brain activity, the suit charged.

But doctors declared him brain dead under pressure from donor-network officials, including Director Michael Goldstein, who allegedly said during a conference call: “This kid is dead, you got that?” the suit charged.

Read more from this story HERE.

China Launches Its First Aircraft Carrier, Experts Doubt Its Strategic Value

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In a ceremony attended by the country’s top leaders, China put its first aircraft carrier into service on Tuesday, a move intended to signal its growing military might as tensions escalate between Beijing and its neighbors over islands in nearby seas.

Officials said the carrier, a discarded vessel bought from Ukraine in 1998 and refurbished by China, would protect national sovereignty, an issue that has become a touchstone of the government’s dispute with Japan over ownership of islands in the East China Sea.

But despite the triumphant tone of the launching, which was watched by President Hu Jintao and Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, and despite rousing assessments by Chinese military experts about the importance of the carrier, the vessel will be used only for training and testing for the foreseeable future.

The mark “16” on the carrier’s side indicates that it is limited to training, Chinese and other military experts said. China does not have planes capable of landing on the carrier and so far training for such landings has been carried out on land, they said.

Even so, the public appearance of the carrier at the northeastern port of Dalian was used as an occasion to stir patriotic feelings, which have run at fever pitch in the last 10 days over the dispute between China and Japan over the East China Sea islands, called Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China.

Read more from this story HERE.

America’s Churches Must Speak Out: Pulpit Freedom Sunday, October 7, is their Opportunity

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The 2012 U.S. presidential election season is getting vicious, and the nation recognizes that there is a great deal riding on this election. Despite the constant bantering and outright verbal attacks (between friends on Twitter and Facebook), the widespread interest is frankly much better for American than listless hopelessness. People care.

As it does on a regular basis, Americans United for Separation of Church and State is getting after churches for caring too much. Americans United has sent out a letter warning churches not to engage in politicking because, “tax law prohibits 501(c)(3) groups from supporting or opposing candidates.” The letter even warns about voter guides that are too one-sided in how they address the issues.

Most churches would like to keep their 501(c)(3) status and continue to offer tax deductions for tithes and offerings. They therefore tread very carefully during election time. Some pastors, however, are weary of being muzzled. These believe the church has a responsibility to address political issues, just as men of God have done throughout history, and they want to fight for their First Amendment right of free speech in their churches. These pastors will be speaking out very clearly about political matters and will offer their views on specific candidates on October 7, which has been dubbed Pulpit Freedom Sunday. If lawsuits ensue, these pastors hope that they will result in a Supreme Court decision to overturn the Johnson Amendment, the 1954 amendment to the tax code forbidding politicking in churches.

In an analysis of the history behind the Johnson Amendment, James D. Davidson of Purdue University said in 1998, “The ban on electioneering has nothing to do with the First Amendment or Jeffersonian principles of separation of church and state. The First Amendment speaks of religious freedom; it says nothing that would preclude churches from aligning themselves with or against candidates for political office…” Davidson argues that it was then-Senator Lyndon Johnson’s push against McCarthyism and effort to hold Democratic control over the Senate that motivated the amendment in 1954.

Even now, though, there’s no law that says churches cannot offer a microphone to political causes. They may right now, under current law, preach for or against candidates all they want. Churches and charities just may not keep their 501(c)(3) tax exempt status if they engage in overt campaigning.

What Should Churches Do?

Jesus told his disciples, “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.”(Matthew 5:14) That applies first and foremost to the Spirit of God in us, shining out in our everyday lives. Living for Jesus Christ and putting him first in our lives is the most vital thing we can do, whatever our political positions.

Because the government of the United States is in the hands of the people, though, Americans are in a greater position to move things politically than were the people of First Century Rome. We Americans have a responsibility to oversee our representatives, to hold them accountable, and to make our voices heard. Individual Americas, whatever their religious beliefs, are not only free but should speak out to make sure that our local and federal public servants are doing their jobs well.

Read more from this story HERE.

Ahmadinejad Meets With Farrakhan, New Black Panther Party While in NYC

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By Jason Howerton. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who is in the U.S. for the United Nations General Assembly this week, met with Nation of Islam Minister Louis Farrakhan and other religious “leaders” on Tuesday, according to a photo posted on an English translation of Ahmadinejad’s website.

In the photo [above], Farrakhan can be seen sitting and smiling in front of an Iranian flag, just one seat away from Ahmadinejad (Second from the left).

Farrakhan is one of the most controversial religious figures in all of America. He is openly anti-Semitic and anti-American and harbors extremist views. He has claimed that Jesus was black, accused Barack Obama of being a “murderer” after Libyan dictator Muammar Gadaffi was killed and called Jews “bloodsuckers” — just to name a few.

Ahmadinejad’s website says the Iranian president “made the remarks in a meeting with leaders of Abrahamic religions and peace activists” who share his same views on a new and just world order. Read more from this story HERE.

Click HERE for the source material from the Iranian president’s website.

Spain’s Economic Implosion Pushing Outlying Regions to Consider Secession

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The government’s drive to rein in regional overspending as part of its austerity measures has prompted a flare-up in independence fervor in Catalonia, the wealthy northeastern region that generates one-fifth of Spain’s economic output.

Just as the euro zone crisis has strained relations between wealthier nations of the north and heavily indebted countries to the south, Spain’s crisis has aggravated tensions between the central government and its self-governing regions.

Catalonia needs a 5 billion euros bailout from the central state to meet debt payments this year, but Catalans are convinced they bear an unfairly large share of the country’s tax burden.

More than half say they want independence from Spain, the highest level ever.

Artur Mas, the conservative president of Catalonia, announced on Tuesday he would hold early elections in November after Rajoy rejected his call for more tax autonomy. Mas’s Convergence and Union, or CiU, party is likely to win an absolute majority in the regional parliament, which he can use to battle Rajoy over spending cuts.

On Wednesday Mas took things further, saying Catalonia should also hold a referendum on independence, which the central government says would be unconstitutional.

Although an independent Catalonia is a remote possibility, the political instability sends a worrying message to investors. Rajoy’s People’s Party has threatened to take control of the budgets of regions that fail to meet deficit reduction targets despite Catalonia already having made tough austerity measures.

Read more from this story HERE.

Video: Obama Voters Got Burned in 2008; Now Changing Their Vote

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Although I don’t believe that Romney will turn this country around, he’s a far cry better than Obama.

The following ads feature voters that recognize they’ve been snookered and are striking a different path in November.

Let’s hope Romney-Ryan doesn’t let them down, too.

Here’s the short 30 second ad:

And the longer version:

This series of ads is sponsored by a group that says, “Americans who voted for Barack Obama in 2008 share why they’re changing their vote in 2012 and will be casting their ballot for Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan in November. Learn more at WhyIChangedMyVote.com.”