The prevalence of ADHD diagnoses soared 43 percent in the United States in the first decade of the century, with more than one in 10 youths now diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, researchers said Tuesday.
ADHD is the most commonly identified mental disorder in the United States, often treated with psychological therapy and prescription stimulants like Ritalin to improve behavior and focus.
Its precise causes are unknown, though some research has pointed to difficulties during pregnancy, exposure to toxins and family history as playing a role. . .
When researchers looked specifically at teenagers, they found the diagnoses had risen 52 percent since 2003.
“This analysis suggests that 5.8 million US children ages five to 17 now have this diagnosis. . . (Read more from “US Children Diagnosed with ADHD Explodes 43% in Last Decade” HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2015-12-11 00:13:252016-04-11 10:55:15US Children Diagnosed with ADHD Explodes 43% in Last Decade
A “Times Square-scale mural” mocking American soldiers has been erected in the Iranian capital city of Tehran, according to pictures published by an advocacy organization pushing for democracy in Iran.
The sprawling mural mocks U.S. Marines by parodying the famous Iwo Jima memorial by depicting American soldiers as planting an American flag on the backs of dead Muslims, according to pictures published by the Foundation for Democracy in Iran, or FDI.
The anti-American mural is just the latest propaganda from Iran meant to foster distrust and hatred for the West, according to the foundation. (Read more from “Mural in Tehran Mocks U.S. Soldiers” HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2015-12-11 00:12:272016-04-11 10:55:16Massive Mural in Tehran Mocks U.S. Soldiers
By Dan Lamothe. After slipping away alone from his tiny base in Afghanistan under cover of darkness in 2009, Army Pfc. Bowe Bergdahl had a sinking thought: His plan to draw attention to himself by spawning a massive manhunt was going to lead to a “hurricane of wrath” from his commanders.
Bergdahl decided then to deviate from his plan to head straight from his platoon’s base, Observation Post Mest, to the larger headquarters 20 miles away, Forward Operating Base Sharana, he said on an episode of the podcast “Serial” published Thursday. It marked his first media interview since he was released in May 2014 after being held in captivity for five years by a group affiliated with the Taliban.
Bergdahl, comparing himself to a fictional action hero, said he decided to collect intelligence and look for the Taliban before turning himself in as a way of limiting the amount of trouble he faced.
“Doing what I did is me saying that I am like, I don’t know, Jason Bourne…. I had this fantastic idea that I was going to prove to the world that I was the real thing,” Bergdahl said. “You know, that I could be what it is that all those guys out there that go to the movies and watch those movies, they all want to be that, but I wanted to prove that I was that.”
The plan fell apart quickly, however. He got lost in some hills and was taken prisoner by enemy fighters on motorcycles who found him in open desert, he said. Military officials have said previously that he was captured June 30, 2009, just hours after disappearing. (Read more from “In New ‘Serial’ Podcast, Bowe Bergdahl Says He Likened Himself to Jason Bourne Before Capture” HERE)
______________________________________________
Congress: Obama Broke Multiple Laws in Freeing Bergdahl
By Mary Chastain. The House Armed Services Committee has concluded that President Barack Obama “misled the public” and broke several laws when he swapped five Taliban leaders for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl.
“Our report finds that the Administration clearly broke the law in not notifying Congress of the transfer,” declared committee chairman Rep. Mac Thornberry. “Leading up to the transfer, DOD officials misled Congress as to the status of negotiations. Pentagon officials best positioned to assess the national security risks were left out of the process, which increases the chances of dangerous consequences from the transfer.”
The committee presented several findings in its report.
The transfer of the Taliban Five violated several laws, including the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014. The constitutional arguments offered to justify the Department of Defense’s failure to provide the legally-required notification to the Committee 30 days in advance are incomplete and unconvincing. The violation of law also threatens constitutional separation of powers…
The Committee was misled about the extent and scope of efforts to arrange the Taliban Five transfer before it took place. The Department of Defense’s failure to communicate complete and accurate information severely harmed its relationship with the Committee, and threatens to upend a longstanding history and tradition of cooperation and comity.
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2015-12-11 00:11:112016-04-11 10:55:16In New ‘Serial’ Podcast, Bowe Bergdahl Says He Likened Himself to Jason Bourne; Congress Says Obama Broke Laws in Swap
In their lists of demands for the $1.- trillion omnibus spending bill, Republican lawmakers and leaders of conservative groups are calling on House and Senate leadership to stymie the federal government’s ability to use taxpayer dollars to pay insurance companies through Obamacare’s risk corridor program.
But what exactly is the risk corridor program, and how does it work?
Implemented under the health care law and in effect until 2017, the risk corridor program is one of the “three Rs”—alongside risk adjustment and reinsurance—designed to provide protections for insurers and spread the potential risk some may encounter by insuring more unhealthy patients than in the past.
[Please listen to yesterday’s interview with the author here:]
The program’s goal is to limit excess losses and gains incurred by insurance companies selling plans on the federal and state-run exchanges. Insurers that profit each year above a certain threshold pay into the program, while those that lose money receive payments from the federal government.
The crafters of the Affordable Care Act modeled the risk corridor program after a plan set up under Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage, and though the programs differ, they both seek to accomplish the same goal of spreading out the risk for insurers.
Under the risk corridor program, insurance companies selling plans on the exchanges determine the actual cost of claims compared to their expected cost of claims, which are reflected in premium prices. And that difference determines whether an insurer will share some of its profits with the federal government or receive money from the government.
According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, if an insurer’s actual claims are within 3 percent of its expected claims, the insurer will either keep the profits or bear the full losses.
However, if an insurer’s actual claims are more than 3 percent of its expected claims, the federal government will reimburse the company for at least half of what it lost.
By contrast, if an insurer’s actual claims are less than expected plans by more than 3 percent, the insurer pays the Department of Health and Human Services at least half of the excess profits.
In the event that the federal government fails to collect enough from profitable insurers to cover others’ losses, the taxpayers will be forced the cover the difference.
Though the program implemented under Medicare Part D has been called successful, Republican lawmakers, led by Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., have criticized Obamacare’s risk corridor program, calling it a taxpayer-funded “bailout” for insurance companies.
Since 2013, Rubio has been working to limit the use of taxpayer dollars for the risk corridor program, first by introducing legislation to repeal the Obamacare provision that established and administered it.
Though Rubio’s bill stalled in the Senate, Republicans negotiated a policy rider included in a must-pass government spending bill last year that limited the amount of money available for the program. Under the measure, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services was prohibited from using taxpayer dollars for the risk corridor program and instead had to rely solely on fees collected from the insurance companies themselves.
In October, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced it took in just $362 million from profitable insurers. Insurance companies that lost money, meanwhile, requested $2.87 billion.
Because the government received far less from successful insurers than what was requested by those who were less profitable in 2014, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services informed insurers they would receive 12.6 percent of their requested risk corridor payments.
Rubio is still working to repeal the risk corridor program and introduced legislation in the Senate once again doing so. Additionally, he and conservative House members are calling on House and Senate leadership to limit the use of taxpayer dollars for the risk corridor program in this year’s omnibus spending bill, which Congress has until Dec. 11 to pass. (For more from the author of “What You Need to Know About the Obamacare Program Criticized as a ‘Bailout’ for Insurers” please click HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2015-12-11 00:10:212016-04-11 10:55:16What You Need to Know About the Obamacare Program Criticized as a ‘Bailout’ for Insurers
[Editor’s note: the excerpt of this article is shared to reflect where Obama’s CDC is headed with sex education in America]
There’s no nice way to put this: Sex education in the United States sucks.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released new data today showing that fewer than half of high schools and only a fifth of middle schools teach all 16 sex education topics recommended by the agency [see below for a partial listing of these topics]. In a country where nearly half of teens report having had sex and nearly a quarter of new HIV infections occur among people under 25, that’s a dangerous level of ignorance to perpetuate.
Dr. Stephanie Zaza, director of the CDC’s Division of Adolescent and School Health, told The Daily Beast that, in comparison to findings from previous years, this year’s data shows a “mostly flat” trend, or “a lack of increase in the topics being taught in schools throughout the country.”
In other words, it’s not getting better.
The CDC’s findings are based on a 2014 survey that asked middle and high schools in 44 participating states what percent of schools cover essential topics ranging from the benefits of abstinence to STD prevention to condom use. These aren’t particularly radical topics; the CDC is hardly recommending that schools teach teens about sadomasochism or proper orgy etiquette. (Read more from “CDC Gives U.S. An F for Sex Ed” HERE)
*How to access valid information, products and services related to sexual health
*Preventive care that is necessary to maintain reproductive and sexual health
*Efficacy of condoms
*Importance of using condoms consistently and correctly
*Importance of using a condom at the same time as another form of contraception
*How to obtain condoms
*How to correctly use a condom
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00kathleenhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngkathleen2015-12-11 00:02:392016-04-11 10:55:16Sick CDC Gives U.S. An F for Sex Ed; Too Many States Teach Abstinence, Not Condom Use
Earlier today, the political social media world erupted with universal sanctimony and outrage over Donald Trump’s comments suggesting the U.S. bar all Muslims from entering the country. Let’s put aside, for a moment, the problematic nature of Trump’s position in which he included citizens among those he’d exclude. Obviously, that is unconstitutional (exclusion of non-citizens is absolutely constitutional). The political elites are expressing moral outrage and righteous indignation over such an expression of bigotry.
Well, I just want you to consider the following two facts and juxtapose them to each other.
First, over the next 10 years, the U.S. is likely to admit over 1 million immigrants from predominantly Muslim countries. That does not include the well over 1 million from those countries who will likely enter on long-term non-immigrant visas, most prominently, student visas. And these are conservative estimates.
Now consider the following study from Pew Research in 2010 regarding views of individuals living in Muslim countries towards Jews which Mark Levin mentioned it on his show tonight.
Now keep in mind the state of Europe in regards to Islamic immigration and the increasing frequency of stories of racist treatment of Jews. Now pair this with the first fact listed above with regard to the source of America’s Islamic immigration.
Which immigration policy reflects true compassion, humanity, and tolerance?
Anyone who is not concerned about this trend and what it portends for American Jews is being sanctimonious and not concerned with actual tolerance.
The chart speaks for itself. (For more from the author of “What Does the Muslim World Think of Jews?” please click HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2015-12-10 01:56:182016-04-11 10:55:16What Does the Muslim World Think of Jews?
Congress is set to vote on Thursday on what some have called an “unprecedented” right that would allow immigrants easier access to relocate to the United States, according to new legislation offered by a Democratic senator.
The legislation, which is being offered by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D., Vt.) as an amendment to a larger bill governing nuclear safety, would prohibit the U.S. government from barring any individual from entering the country based on their religion.
The bill comes amid a fierce national debate about immigration to America, particularly for individuals coming from Muslim-majority nations. Critics of the Obama administration’s refugee plan, which would permit up to 10,000 Syrians into the country, maintain that there are not enough oversight measures in place to ensure that immigrants are not linked to terrorists or various terror organizations, such as the Islamic State.
The bill, a copy of which was obtained by the Washington Free Beacon, would express Congress’ sense that “the United States must not bar individuals from entering into the United States based on their religion, as such action would be contrary to the fundamental principles on which this Nation was founded.”
The legislation is a direct amendment to current U.S. laws already on the books. (Read more from “Congress to Consider Easing Passage into U.S. For Immigrants” HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2015-12-10 01:55:582016-04-11 10:55:16Congress to Consider Easing Passage into U.S. For Immigrants
“This power over the purse may, in fact, be regarded as the most complete and effectual weapon with which any constitution can arm the immediate representatives of the people, for obtaining a redress of every grievance, and for carrying into effect every just and salutary measure.” James Madison, Federalist #58
This week will serve as the harbinger for how dramatically Obama will be able to “fundamentally transform” America during his final year in office — coinciding with a time of unprecedented domestic and international security threats.
When the voters elect a divided government, the expectation is that each side will have to implement some policies that the other dislikes. With Republicans in control of Congress and the purse strings that come with that power, the December budget bill will be the last opportunity to redress the grievances from which the American people seek relief. This is a time for Republicans to fight for a number of policies that, if not rescinded, will cause irrevocable damage to either our security or our economy. Particularly in Obama’s final year it is vital that Republicans preemptively curb him from consummating the great fundamental transformation.
While there are endless liberal policies conservatives would love to block in the budget bill, there are certain items that must be defunded now and cannot wait for the next president.
Stop Obama’s Dangerous Refugee Program
Republicans are floating the idea of attaching their phony refugee bill to the omnibus. Their bill will not shut down the program; the best way to prevent future radical Islamists from entering our nation. It’s time Republicans harness the overwhelming public opposition to refugee resettlement and defund the entire program for the rest of the fiscal year until the Government Accountability Office conducts a full audit of the program’s security problems and fiscal cost. As Sen. Jeff Sessions noted, if Republicans fund refugee resettlement in the omnibus, December 11 will truly be a date that will live in infamy. The details of the San Bernardino terror attack demonstrate just how dangerous our immigration policies can be. The budget bill will provide Congress with the last chance to block the new immigration of radical sharia-adherent Muslims from Syria and potential terrorists like Tafsheen Malik.
Republicans should force Democrats into the awkward position defending terrorists.
Defund Amnesty
The release of tens of thousands of dangerous criminal aliens into our communities is undoubtedly the biggest threat to our security for the remainder of this presidency.
But the problem is not only limited to sanctuary cities. It’s localities, such as Frederick County, Maryland, that want to cooperate with ICE but are stymied from doing so. Why? Because Obama has essentially repealed the Secure Communities and 287(g) programs designed to coordinate and train local law enforcement in helping with immigration enforcement. Republicans must condition funding for DHS to the reinstatement of Secure Communities and 287(g). They must also defund DACA, which is still incentivizing a massive border surge to this very day. And obviously, they must defund sanctuary cities. We cannot afford another year of mass illegal immigration. Yet, at present, as Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) noted, Republicans are planning to fund every aspect of Obama’s amnesty agenda in the Omnibus.
At a time when we have record immigration from the Muslim world, in conjunction with no deportations, no visa tracking, and an open border, we have never been more vulnerable to a terror attack. This cannot stand another year.
Defund Planned Parenthood
Republicans will never have as much momentum behind defunding Planned Parenthood as they do now. Given the shocking video exposés of their harvesting and selling of baby organs and the fact that the organization is under criminal investigation, there is no excuse for Republicans to grant them new taxpayer funds. Besides, there is never a bad time to defund taxpayer-funded murder.
Stop Arming Syrian Rebels and Iraq Army
We should not spend another dime and another year arming rebels in Syria that are either infiltrated or over-run by Al Qaeda. Ditto for the Iraqi army, which is either inept or a proxy for Iran. Let’s stop arming our enemies and save ourselves hundreds of millions while we are at it. What is so disconcerting is that Syed Farook, the San Bernardino terrorist, had contacts with Al Nusra, the very terror group that has received light and heavy arms from our very own CIA. This cannot be allowed to continue.
Stop Aid to the Palestinian Authority
It’s never a bad time to stop funding the Palestinians. But with the sick stabbing intifada under way in Israel, and now under way in some U.S. cities, isn’t it time we end the $500 million in U.S. aid to this decedent and corrupt organization? Republicans should also defund the United Nations Relief and Works Agency. Every year, the U.S. contributes roughly $275 million a year to this multinational group that has long harbored Palestinian terrorists under the guise of humanitarian aid. Republicans should force Democrats into the awkward position defending terrorists.
Block Obama’s Jailbreak
In addition to setting criminal aliens free, Obama has made it the top priority of his final year to let out as many violent criminals from the federal prison system as possible. Instead of fighting his jailbreak, Republicans at all levels, including Paul Ryan, are seeking to codify his agenda with legislative jailbreak. Republicans would be wise to reverse course and defund any additional prison release for the remainder of this presidency.
Block Gun Control
Given everything that is transpiring with the aforementioned issues — record Islamic immigration, rampant criminal aliens, and mass prison releases — there is no time of greater danger for the American people than now. Consequently, the Second Amendment is more important than ever. Yet, in all likelihood Obama will pull the trigger on gun restrictions via administrative fiat during his final year. Republicans must insert a provision prohibiting any new administrative regulation on firearms or ammo during the next fiscal year.
Block Environmental Regulations
Even if by some miracle Obama is thwarted from implementing his societal changes and threatening our security, he is inexorably committed to remaking our economy through last minute energy regulations. He already announced his intention to cut carbon emissions of power plants by 32%, essentially ensuring that not a single new power plant will be built on our soil. Give that energy is the lifeblood of our economy and Obama’s final year in office will likely be spent targeting that lifeblood, Republicans must preempt this plan by prohibiting the promulgation of any new regulations on power plants for the rest of his presidency.
Block Obama’s Social Engineering in the Military
Last week, Obama’s Defense Secretary announced a shocking plan to coerce all military service branches into opening every single combat position to women. Even if this wasn’t a time of war, such a move is absurd, dangerous, and further degrades the morale and combat readiness of our military.
The Marine Corp conducted a painstaking study on this issue and found conclusively that placing women in direct ground combat unity, much less Special Forces, would harm their effectiveness. A recent survey showed near unanimity of opinion among special operators in opposition to women joining their ranks. By allowing this new edict to slide, as most Republicans plan to do, they will be complicit in causing irrevocable damage on our military at a time of grave national security concerns. They must attack a provision to defense funding blocking the Pentagon from implementing their women in combat plan against the wishes of the commanders in the field.
Don’t hold your breath for Republicans to fight in a meaningful was on any of the aforementioned issues. But it’s important to reflect upon the common sense actions a legitimate opposition party in control of the congressional purse strings would take in defense of the nation’s sovereignty, security, and society. (For more from the author of “9 Harmful Policies GOP Must Block in Budget Bill” please click HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2015-12-10 01:55:102016-04-11 10:55:179 Harmful Policies GOP Must Block in Budget Bill
Two Afghan Air Force trainees did not report for duty Monday at Moody Air Force Base in Valdosta, Georgia, and are missing, according to officials.
U.S. military officials emphasized there are no indications the two men pose a threat, and the main concern is their failing to show up for duty.
“Both [men] are assigned to the 81st Fighter Squadron. They have been at Moody since February 2015 and were screened prior to their arrival in the United States more than a year ago,” Air Force officials said in a statement.
“The students have trained alongside American counterparts for the entirety of 2015 and do not pose any apparent threat. There is a well-coordinated process among federal agencies to locate the individuals as quickly as possible and return them accordingly to the proper authorities,” Air Force officials added.
This is not the first time that Afghan trainees have gone missing from a military training program within the U.S. In one incident in 2014 when Afghan soldiers went missing in Massachusetts and they were found attempting to seek asylum near the Canadian border. In another instance, soldiers went missing during a tour in D.C. and were later sent back to Afghanistan. (Read more from “2 Afghan Trainees Missing from Georgia Air Force Base” HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2015-12-10 01:50:412016-04-11 10:55:172 Afghan Trainees Missing from Georgia Air Force Base
And The Lord opened the mouth of the she-donkey. [Numbers 22:28]
The past 36-hour news cycle has been a demonstration of George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, in which the state-run media would display “two minutes hate” against Emmanuel Goldberg—the ultimate enemy of the state and the source of all evil in the world. From watching both the media and every GOP public figure tripping over themselves to condemn Trump in a fit of rage and flying spittle, one would think that Jihad, our border crisis, and the criminal alien emergency don’t exist. Trump is the sole source of our societal ills.
One could agree or disagree with Trump’s comments. One could think they are repulsive, unhelpful, imprudent, or—in the case of barring citizens (but not foreign nationals)—unconstitutional. But where is the sense of proportionality? Where is the sense of perspective about the real problems we face? One might think Trump is not the solution; one might think he’d be a harmful solution. But for goodness sakes, he is not the problem.
The problem is pan-Islamic supremacism, open borders, and a completely malfeasant political class in both parties.
Yesterday, I listed nine urgent and harmful Obama policies that must be addressed or we will face irrevocable damage to our sovereignty, security, society, and economy in the coming year. Yet, there is not a peep from Mitch McConnell, Paul Ryan, or any other GOP establishment figure. Where is the outrage over the harvesting of baby organs by Planned Parenthood, which is still receiving taxpayer funds? Where is the outrage over Obama’s continued suspension of deportation for criminal aliens, including murderers who committed homicides after being released?
And as it relates to the issue of Islamic terror, sharia law, and immigration, why is there a sudden focus on the straw-man position of barring every last Muslim from anywhere, forever, for any reason? That might be a silly or repugnant solution—depending on your personal views—but that is not the problem. The problem is suicidal immigration policies and open borders. Focusing on those who want to bar every last Muslim instead of clamping down on the current reality of mass and indiscriminate migration from the Middle East or the 935% increase in student visas from Saudi Arabia is morally dyslexic.
It’s akin to those who want to distract from the abortion debate and focus on the rare exceptions and extenuating circumstances as an excuse not to have a mature discussion over mass abortion on demand, including late-term and partial birth abortions. Even if one personally believes that those seeking to ban abortion in all circumstances are wrong, he or she is not the problem. The problem is baby-killing on demand.
The same principle applies here. We are committing national suicide by irresponsibly making Middle East immigration our fastest growing subset of immigration at a time of tragically successful cyber jihad and with the paradigm of Europe starkly and ominously warning us of what this policy of open borders portends.
Where is the outrage from Susan Collins on a single one of these issues? Nowhere to be found, apparently, as she crawled out of her witness protection program and almost blew a fuse condemning Trump.
How ironic that on the same day Trump made his comments, a naturalized Syrian immigrant, was arrested for smuggling arms to Syrian terrorists. The government refuses to release his immigration history and the media and beltway “conservatives” are completely uninterested in finding out more information.
Instead, the oleaginous “right-thinking” pundits all over twitter flirt with the idea that Trump is like Hitler. These same people evidently depleted their reserves of outrage and had nothing left to condemn DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson for speaking at a Mosque affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood, a group that quite literally shares Hitler’s goal of exterminating Jews.
While the professional conservative thumb-suckers savagely censure Trump for his solution, they have refused to voice support for Ted Cruz’s common sense and constitutional bills on refugees, designating the Muslim Brotherhood a terror group, and stripping ISIS fighters of their U.S. citizenship. In fact, they are insidiously trying to shame Cruz into joining in the chorus of maniacal hate against Trump to take him off his positive and constructive message addressing the problems they refuse to confront.
This is all about the establishment Republicans and the beltway “conservatives” frenetically begging the media to accept them as good and humane people.
Spare us the sanctimony and self-righteousness, folks. We don’t need acceptance from those who blithely ignore the harvesting of baby organs; though clearly the conservative political elites pine for their approval.
Our future security and the preservation of western civilization in this era of global Jihad is an issue that requires a mature discussion about geo-political realities. It is a discussion that is greater than any one person and their political ambitions. And it is the very discussion the political elites on both sides of the pale-colored political divide seek to avoid. (For more from the author of “Trump, Sovereignty, Security and the GOP’s Perverted Priorities” please click HERE)
