Elizabeth Smart is revealing the anguish she felt during her kidnapping as she promotes her upcoming memoir.
Smart, who is now 25-years-old, sat down for an interview with Meredith Vieira about the nine-month ordeal that began when she was taken from her home in the middle of the night on March 12, 2003.
‘To her I was a slave and to him I was an object,’ Smart said of her captors during a clip of the NBC interview.
The then-14-year-old Smart was taken by Brian David Mitchell and his wife Wanda Ileen Barzee who then hid her in the woods and raped her on an almost daily basis before she was found nine months later.
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00kathleenhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngkathleen2013-10-02 00:25:102013-10-02 00:25:10Elizabeth Smart Opens up to Meredith Vieira Telling how her Captors Viewed her as a ‘Slave and an Object’ (+video)
The government shutdown has forced spy agencies to furlough 70 percent of their civilian employees, according to a senior intelligence official.
The furloughed employees include both support staff and intelligence analysts, according to the official.
Furloughs are being ordered across the federal government Tuesday as officials decide which employees are “essential” and should stay on the job despite the failure of Congress to approve a funding measure.
A spokesman for the director of national intelligence warned the shutdown would hamper the ability of the United States to track threats to national security.
“The Intelligence Community’s ability to identify threats and provide information for a broad set of national security decisions will be diminished for the duration,” Shawn Turner, a spokesman for Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, said in a statement.
Canceled football games and a veterans’ insurrection were among the unexpected events that marked the first day of the federal government shutdown.
The Department of Defense released a statement early Tuesday that shocked college sports fans. The department said that all athletic competitions at the Army, Navy and Air Force academies would be postponed for as long as the government remained closed.
The Air Force and Navy are scheduled to square off in a sold-out, nationally televised football game on Saturday, while the Army has a planned match-up against Boston College. If the government impasse isn’t resolved by Thursday, both games will be suspended.
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), a graduate of the Naval Academy, told reporters that the cancelation of the Air Force-Navy game would be the “defining moment” of the shutdown.
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2013-10-02 00:20:182013-10-02 00:20:18McCain: ‘Apocalypse is Upon Us’ (+video)
“Saturday Night Live” alumnus and “Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo” actor Rob Schneider appeared in a short video (embedded below) with California Assemblyman — and Republican gubernatorial hopeful — Tim Donnelly and Politichicks reporter Ann-Marie Murrell on Monday. In the video, Schneider declared that he hasn’t worked on a film in California in seven years because of the recent rise of Democrats in state elections.
“The state of California is a mess,” Schneider declared, “and the supermajority of Democrats is not working. I’ve been a lifelong Democrat and I have to switch over because it no longer serves the people of this great state.
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2013-10-02 00:15:442013-10-02 00:15:44‘Deuce Bigalow’ Actor: I Haven’t Made a Movie in California in 7 Years Because of Democrats (+video)
A Belgian transsexual has chosen to die by euthanasia after a botched sex change operation to complete his transformation into a man left him a ‘monster’.
Nathan Verhelst, 44, died yesterday afternoon after being allowed have his life ended on the grounds of ‘unbearable psychological suffering’.
It is understood to be the first time someone in Belgium has chosen euthanasia after a sex-change, and comes soon after it emerged that it is now the cause of nearly one in 50 deaths in the country.
Born a girl named Nancy, his transformation into a man began with hormone therapy in 2009, followed by a mastectomy and finally an operation to construct a penis last year.
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2013-10-02 00:05:092013-10-02 00:05:09Belgian Transsexual, 44, Elects to Die by Euthanasia after Botched Sex-Change Operation; 1 in 50 in Country Die from Doctor Assisted Suicide
The moribund U.S. economy and the bleak jobs picture have collided to produce the highest college loan default rate in 18 years, according to data released Monday by the Department of Education.
“Some colleges are simply masking default problems until the federal government stops watching,” said The Institute for College Access and Success vice president Pauline Abernathy. “These kinds of deceptive tactics protect colleges while putting students and taxpayers at even greater risk after the school is off the hook.”
Student loan default rates have risen for the sixth year; 14.7 percent of federal student loan cohorts had defaulted on their loans within three years. The year prior, the three-year default rate was 13.4 percent. Between October 1, 2010 and September 30, 2011, more than 475,000 college students—an average 10 percent—defaulted on their loans.
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2013-10-02 00:01:012013-10-02 00:01:01College Loan Defaults Hit 18-Year High
The U.S. government began a partial shutdown Tuesday for the first time in 17 years, potentially putting up to 1 million workers on unpaid leave, closing national parks and stalling medical research projects.
Federal agencies were directed to cut back services after lawmakers could not break a political stalemate that sparked new questions about the ability of a deeply divided Congress to perform its most basic functions.
“Unfortunately, we do not have a clear indication that Congress will act in time for the president to sign a continuing resolution before the end of the day tomorrow, October 1, 2013. Therefore, agencies should now execute plans for an orderly shutdown due to the absence of appropriations,” wrote OMB director Sylvia M. Burwell in a memorandum circulated at 11:45 Eastern time.
The federal government was shut down twice in 1995-96, when Bill Clinton was president and Newt Gingrich was the Speaker of the House, but has not closed since then.
Burwell, as President Barack Obama did repeatedly Monday, urged Congress to pass short-term legislation that would extend the funding for the remainder of the fiscal year and “restore the operation of critical public services and programs that will be impacted by a lapse in appropriations.”
Government agencies were directed to “execute plans for an orderly shutdown” late Monday as Congress failed to pass a funding bill that would prevent the disruption of some government services.
The Office of Management and Budget, tasked with administering the shutdown, urged Congress “to restore the operation of critical public services and programs” impacted by the failure of the House and Senate to reach an agreement on how to continue funding the government by 12:01 a.m. Tuesday.
While the most essential government services will basically continue business as usual, the lack of funding for many others will be a minor headache for some Americans, and a serious concern for others.
In remarks Monday, President Barack Obama said children, seniors, and women would be “hamstrung” if the government were to shut down.
“The shutdown will have a very real impact on real people right away,” he said.
Government shutdown: Get up to speed in 20 questions
By Holly Yan.
Let’s start with the obvious question: What happens now that a shutdown is in place?
Republicans and Democrats could not agree on a spending plan for the fiscal year beginning Tuesday as they wrangled over Obamacare, leaving federal coffers short.
Here’s a quick Q&A to get you caught up on what happened on Monday and what to expect going forward.
1. Why did the government shut down?
Congress has one key duty in the Constitution — pass spending bills that fund the government. If it doesn’t, most functions of government — from funding agencies to paying out small business loans and processing passport requests — grinds to a halt. Key services, like Social Security, air traffic control and military pay continue to be funded. Oh, Congress gets paid, too.
Usually there is some give and take if there is a genuine willingness between individuals to find an agreement.
As the US careens towards a government shut down there has been no indication from Senate leader Harry Reid, or President Obama, of any willingness to find common ground with the House of Representatives (the people’s house) on moving forward with a “Continuing Resolution” to keep the government running.
Even the use of a “Continuing Resolution” in lieu of a regular budget is a failure of executive leadership to find ways to work together.
In the past, it has worked in the Presidents favor to pretend he is an outsider in the process and point his finger at those “anarchist/terrorist” Republicans in the House who just fail to act reasonably….By doing it his way.
The usual suspects in the main stream media are starting with the drumbeat of blaming the Republicans for this latest impasse.
But this time there is a huge elephant in the living room and many folks have started to notice it.
Fresh on the heels of President Obamas eagerness to negotiate with two known terrorist states, Syria and Iran, as well as his high profile acquiescence to Russias President Putin in averting a violent confrontation in the Mideast…Has many questioning why he won’t even sit down and negotiate with fellow Americans of another political party to find a budget solution.
President Obama’s decree that the House of Representatives need to do their job…In other words, sit down, shut up and rubber stamp what President Obama and Harry Reid want.
In the face of the urgency, President Obama spent a leisurely weekend golfing and attending parties. Over the weekend, Harry Reid let the Senate go home and enjoy family time…..The House of Representatives stayed on the job throughout the weekend offering alternatives, trying to find a way to get an agreement.
The main bone of contention has been the implementation of the heavily flawed Obamacare legislation. The bill has so many defects, that President Obama himself has made exceptions, carve outs and delays to many of his supporters….This in itself is an admission the law is not ready to be enacted on the rest of the country. This is also an unlawful way to re write legislation.
But perhaps the most insulting part of the law is that President Obama, Congress political appointees and their staffs are exempted or specially subsidized from it….and that is creating a lot of resentment.
The latest rumored proposal from the House is that they want to delay the individual mandate for Obamacare for one year, just like what President Obama gave to corporations. Additionally, a demand that all political leaders in Washington be subject to Obamacare. All other provisions of the “Continuing Resolution” would be funded.
All indications from Harry Reid and President Obama are that they will accept no changes to their demands and want the budget resolution bill passed intact with Obamacare untouched.
If anything comes out of this, it will magnify the Presidents unwillingness to negotiate with Republicans on almost any level, yet he seems eager to negotiate with terror states and repressive regimes.
It is also high time for the politicians that pass laws for the American people, be subject to those same laws…..America went through a revolution to rid themselves of royal decrees 237 years ago and Obamacare is starting to smell like a royal decree.
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Ed Farnan is the conservative columnist at IrishCentral, where he has been writing on the need for energy independence, strong self defense, secure borders, 2nd amendment, smaller government and many other issues. His articles appear in many publications throughout the USA and world. He has been a guest on Fox News and a regular guest on radio stations in the US and Europe.
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2013-10-01 01:18:492013-10-01 01:18:49Dear President Obama-Negotiate Doesn’t Mean “My Way or the Highway”
Immigration overhaul legislation has been dormant in the House for months, but a few Republicans are working behind the scenes to advance it at a time the Capitol is immersed in a partisan brawl over government spending and President Barack Obama’s health care law.
The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. Bob Goodlatte, has been discussing possible legal status for the estimated 11 million immigrants living in the U.S. illegally. He’s also been working with House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, a fellow Virginia Republican, on a bill offering citizenship to immigrants brought illegally to the U.S. as children.
Reps. Raul Labrador, R-Idaho, and Ted Poe, R-Texas, are working on a plan to create a visa program allowing more lower-skilled workers into the country.
Goodlatte and the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, Rep. Mike McCaul, R-Texas, hold out hopes for floor action by late October on a series of immigration bills that already have passed their committees.
“I would think that would be the next agenda item in the queue after we’re done with this mess,” McCaul said this past week, referring to bitter divisions over the health law, the level of government spending and the growing federal debt.
Fairbanks, Alaska. September 30, 2013 — Joe Miller today blasted President Obama, Harry Reid and the Democrats for refusing to take up consideration of a second US House Resolution to fund the government. The US Senate voted to table the resolution on a straight party-line vote.
“It is unconscionable for Senator Begich to blatantly disregard the will of Alaskans regarding Obamacare,” Miller said. “Our junior senator is making it abundantly clear that when push comes to shove, he’s not going to look out for his constituents. He’s going to work with Barack Obama and Harry Reid to hold America hostage to their failed socialist agenda.”
With the specter of a partial government shutdown just hours away, it is now unlikely that Congress will come to a resolution on funding before the deadline.
Mark Begich was the 60th and deciding vote for Obamacare and continues to support and defend it rather than his constituents and the Constitution he has sworn to uphold. The senator stands by his flawed vote despite the many ills the Affordable Care Act is in the midst of foisting upon the American people including: skyrocketing healthcare costs, higher unemployment, underemployment (due to the 30 hour week cap incentivized by the law), doctor shortages, and the very real possibility of rationed care.
Joe Miller will work side-by-side with reformers like Ted Cruz, Mike Lee, and Rand Paul to stop Washington politicians from busting the budget, hiking the deficit, destroying our Constitutional rights and leveling our economy. He will work tirelessly to repeal Obamacare, and restore a health care system based on the free-market system.
“It’s apparent that Mark Begich is more interested in carrying the water for Harry Reid and Barack Obama, than working for Alaska,” said Miller. “Since the senator will not listen to Alaskans now, I believe they will send him an unmistakable message next fall.”
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2013-10-01 01:14:582013-10-01 01:14:58Miller Blasts Begich, Democrats For Holding Americans Hostage To Obamacare
Canceled football games and a veterans’ insurrection were among the unexpected events that marked the first day of the federal government shutdown.
