Hezbollah Joining Cartels in Mexico’s War

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Photo Credit: Getty Images

Photo Credit: Getty Images

The Mexican Drug War has killed an estimated 60,000 people since 2006, but the violence has stayed out of the minds of most US citizens. That is about to change as Islamic extremist groups setting up shop in Mexico.

The House Committee on Homeland Security released a November 2012 report that reveals Islamic terror organizations and networks are indeed exploiting profits from narcotics, and the ease of weapons attainment, and the vast technological abilities of Mexican and other southern cartels that are thriving in Mexico’s lawlessness, along with other southern regions. The report, titled A Line In The Sand: Countering Crime, Violence, and Terror at the Southwest Border, details the growing involvement of Iran and Hezbollah in Mexico and other countries south of the southern US border.

In 2006, the Subcommittee reported on the presence of both Iran and Hezbollah in Latin America. Since then, that presence has continued to grow with Iran now having embassies in 11 Latin American countries that include Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Nicaragua and Uruguay.

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South Carolina Tea Party Drafts Resolution Calling for Ouster of Lindsey Graham

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Photo Credit: Getty Image

Photo Credit: Getty Image

On Monday, Breitbart News reported that South Carolina Tea Party activists have drafted a resolution calling for the replacement of Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., citing 29 points against the Republican senator.

In August, the Chesterfield County GOP passed the resolution with 98 percent of those present voting to approve the measure.

“This reflects the continued frustration of many in the party with officials who are elected as Republicans and then seem to forget the doctrine of the party when they assume office,” Joshua Cook wrote.

“The Chesterfield County Republican Party upholds traditional conservative Republican principles and we expect those who are elected under its banner to also adhere to this same standard,” said Chesterfield County GOP Executive Committeeman Glenn Gulledge. “Lindsey Graham has committed a long series of actions that we strongly disapprove of and hold to be fundamentally inconsistent with the principles of the South Carolina Republican Party.”

“The 29 points documented in this censure clearly illustrate this trend and make it clear that he is not consistently representing some of our most valued, time-honored tenets,” he added.

Read more from this story HERE.

Jobless Rate is Worse than You Think

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Photo Credit: CNN

Photo Credit: CNN

On Labor Day, we celebrate the American worker. And more than four years since the Great Recession ended in June 2009, the unemployment rate is 7.4%, a big improvement from the high of 10% in the fall of 2009. Unfortunately, the rate is hugely misleading: Most of that improvement was for all the wrong reasons.

Remember, jobless workers are not counted as being part of the labor force unless they are actively looking for work, and the decline in the unemployment rate since its peak has mostly been the result of workers dropping out of — or not entering — the labor force.

According to Congressional Budget Office estimates, if the labor market were healthy, the labor force would number about 159.2 million. But the actual labor force numbers just 155.8 million. That means about 3.4 million “missing workers” are out there — jobless people who would be in the labor force if job opportunities were strong.

Given the weak labor market, they’re not actively looking for work and so aren’t counted. If those missing workers were actively looking, the unemployment rate would be 9.4%.

We need 8.3 million jobs to get back to the prerecession unemployment rate, considering the 2 million jobs we are still down from the start of the Great Recession in December 2007 plus the 6.3 million jobs we should have added since just to keep up with normal growth in the potential labor force.

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Egyptian People Asking Why U.S. So Dead Set On Supporting Muslim Brotherhood?

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muslimbrotherhoodLike many of us concerned Americans, Egyptians are now asking why is the Obama administration so intent on helping the Muslim Brotherhood regain and maintain power and control of Egypt.

We’ve seen overwhelming evidence come out of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood government to show that they look at the US as enemies in the same way they see Israel. They have also stated that they want to see the US destroyed like Israel. In most definitions that I know of, that would clearly indicate that they are enemies of the United States.

Obama’s continued efforts to support the Muslim Brotherhood, the self-described enemies of the US, constitute treason according to Article 3, Section 3 of the US Constitution which states:

“Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort.”

Now the Egyptian people are asking the same question that I and others have been asking, which is, why is he openly committing treason by continuing to aid and abet a sworn enemy government regime.

Read more from this story HERE.

Global Cooling at Full Tilt this Summer; Scientists Blame Volcano

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Photo Credit: Accuweather

Photo Credit: Accuweather

Throughout history, large volcanic eruptions have been known to influence climate.

This summer, the Midwest experienced a cold wave referred to as “Julytober” following the June eruption of Mount Sheveluch in Russia. Experts continue to compare this eruption to others from history and debate whether it could have induced the cooler Midwestern weather.

“Large Russian volcano eruptions tend to cool the Midwest,” Historical Climatologist Evelyn Browning-Garriss said.

When a volcano erupts, if it is large enough, it can send debris miles into the stratosphere. The stratosphere is the atmosphere above where weather takes place.

Debris sent into the stratosphere by an eruption can include volcanic ash, chemicals and gases, specifically sulfur. This debris can influence temperatures by aiding in a decreased amount of solar radiation.

“Sulfur dioxide combines with water in the atmosphere to provide sulfuric acid aerosol droplets that reflect incoming solar radiation,” PhD Research Geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey Alaska Volcano Observatory David Schneider said.

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Obama, Biden, Kerry, Hagel, Clinton Backed ‘Reformer’ Assad During Bush Administration

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Photo Credit: AFP

Photo Credit: AFP

Kerry’s cozy dinner with Syria’s ‘Hitler’: Secretary of State and the man he likened to German dictator are pictured dining with their wives at Damascus restaurant before civil war broke out

By Anthony Bond and David Martosko.

An astonishing photograph of John Kerry having a cozy and intimate dinner with Bashar al-Assad has emerged at the moment the U.S Secretary of State is making the case to bomb the Syrian dictator’s country and remove him from power.

Kerry, who compared Assad to Adolf Hitler and Saddam Hussein yesterday, is pictured around a small table with his wife Teresa Heinz and the Assads in 2009.

Assad and Kerry, then a Massachusetts senator, lean in towards each other and appear deep in conversation as their spouses look on.

A waiter is pictured at their side with a tray of green drinks, believed to be lemon and crushed mint.

The picture was likely taken in February 2009 in the Naranj restaurant in Damascus, when Kerry led a delegation to Syria to discuss finding a way forward for peace in the region.

Read more from this story HERE.

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Photo Credit: EPA

Photo Credit: EPA

Excerpted from Washington Times: The Obama national security team that wants to go to war with Syria and demonizes President Bashar Assad is the same group that, as senators, urged reaching out to the dictator.

As a bloc on the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, President Obama, Secretary of State John F. Kerry, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Vice President Joseph R. Biden all opposed the George W. Bush administration’s playing tough with Mr. Assad.

None grew closer to Mr. Assad and promoted him in Washington more than Mr. Kerry.

“President Assad has been very generous with me in terms of the discussions we have had,” Mr. Kerry, as a senator from Massachusetts, told an audience at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in March 2011. He predicted that Mr. Assad would change for the better.

But that same month, pro-democracy demonstrations erupted in Syria that would lead to a civil war, unmasking Mr. Assad’s brutal tactics, including the Aug. 21 unleashing of nerve gas that killed more than 1,400 civilians.

Read more from this story HERE.

Another View: Men are Winning the War on Women

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Photo Credit: People.com

Photo Credit: People.com

Miley Cyrus’ performance at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards was important.

Cyrus unwittingly transmitted a critical message – Men are winning the war on women. In the 60’s and 70’s, women made a concerted effort to escape the kitchen and achieve workplace and social equality with men. And by many measures, women have made great strides toward that end. But popular culture tells a different story, and it’s the giant teddy bear on stage that we ignore at own peril. Somewhere along the way, men have hijacked the feminist message and rephrased it to their own advantage. This new mantra goes something like this — feminism means sexual freedom, and sexual freedom means having lots of sex – whenever, whenever and with whomever.

The net result of this emergent sexual freedom is feminism turned on its head. Women today are more objectified than ever. With the commitment-free “hook up” culture, sex on a date or in a relationship is an expected part of the deal. If a woman demurs, she is labeled “afraid” or “repressed.” Culturally, a woman’s ability to “say no” is at an all-time low. They’ve been duped into believing that men’s sexual expectations – promiscuity for everyone without commitment or consequences – equal female empowerment. And, in case you somehow missed this development, Cyrus’s “performance” in her flesh-colored bra and panties should’ve gotten your attention.

Look at the performance last weekend. Three fully-clothed men – Robin Thicke along with hip hop artists, 2 Chainz and Kendrick Lamar – either casually stand around or saunter across the stage with microphones in hand, while nearly two dozen half-naked women gyrate and twerk around them. The Cyrus/Thicke performance liberated no one—not the women on stage nor any woman in the estimated 10.1 million viewing audience.

And don’t kid yourself; Cyrus, Thicke, and the rest of popular media feed and strengthen this prevalent misogynistic mentality. Our culture not only tolerates it, it celebrates it.

Don’t blame Miley. Thank her. At least she got your attention.

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Amy Efaw is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, the mother of five children, and a self-described “soccer mom extraordinaire.” A former Army officer and freelance journalist, Ms. Efaw now lives in Denver, Colorado. She has written novels for teens, and she plans to write many more.

Born with Down Syndrome, Newark Man Wins Respect Powerlifting (+video)

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Photo Credit: Jennifer Corbett

Photo Credit: Jennifer Corbett

Sitting at the kitchen table in his family’s Newark home, Jon Stoklosa comes across as a laid-back, almost shy guy. He answers questions with a word, preferring instead to look out the backyard window and let his parents, Hank and Liz, do the talking.

But the medal he clasps in his right hand offers a glimmer of the personality that hides beneath his sturdy 5-foot-5 frame.

It’s from a recent powerlifting competition in upstate New York, one where he bench-pressed a personal best of 402.5 pounds and came in third in his age division. He also picked up the “Most Inspirational” award, a unanimous choice by other competitors, many of whom gathered to watch the 31-year-old make his lifts.

Friends and family say Jon, who was born with Down syndrome, is an example of what is possible when people aren’t tethered by labels.

In addition to being able to bench-press more than 400 pounds, Jon can squat 440 pounds and dead-lift an identical amount. He has excelled at the sport, winning a gold medal in the Special Olympics World Games in 1999.

Read more from this story HERE.

The Most Dangerous Domestic Spying Program is Common Core

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Photo Credit: ben swann

Photo Credit: ben swann

Earlier this year, revelations about the Department of Justice spying on the Associated Press were quickly followed by revelations that the NSA was collecting phone data on all Verizon, and then all American cell phone, users. Edward Snowden’s whistleblowing drew yet more attention to the issue, and domestic surveillance programs have remained a top issue in people’s minds ever since.

While Americans focus on institutions like the CIA and NSA, though, programs are being implemented which would lead to a much more institutional way of tracking citizens. Obamacare is one of these, but Common Core Standards – the federal educational program – is the most eyebrow-raising.

Bill Gates was one of the leaders of Common Core, putting his personal money into its development, implementation and promotion, so it’s unsurprising that much of this data mining will occur via Microsoft’s Cloud system.

Even the Department of Education, though, admits that privacy is a concern, and that that some of the data gathered may be “of a sensitive nature.” The information collected will be more than sensitive; much of it will also be completely unrelated to education. Data collected will not only include grades, test scores, name, date of birth and social security number, it will also include parents’ political affiliations, individual or familial mental or psychological problems, beliefs, religious practices and income.

In addition, all activities, as well as those deemed demeaning, self-incriminating or anti-social, will be stored in students’ school records. In other words, not only will permanently stored data reflect criminal activities, it will also reflect bullying or anything perceived as abnormal. The mere fact that the White House notes the program can be used to “automatically demonstrate proof of competency in a work setting” means such data is intended to affect students’ futures.

Read more from this story HERE.

Justice Department Bids to Trap Poor, Black Children in Ineffective Schools

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Barack Obama, Arne Duncan, Joe BidenNine OF 10 Louisiana children who receive vouchers to attend private schools are black. All are poor and, if not for the state assistance, would be consigned to low-performing or failing schools with little chance of learning the skills they will need to succeed as adults. So it’s bewildering, if not downright perverse, for the Obama administration to use the banner of civil rights to bring a misguided suit that would block these disadvantaged students from getting the better educational opportunities they are due.

The Justice Department has petitioned a U.S. District Courtto bar Louisiana from awarding vouchers for the 2014-15 school year to students in public school systems that are under federal desegregation orders, unless the vouchers are first approved by a federal judge. The government argues that allowing students to leave their public schools for vouchered private schools threatens to disrupt the desegregation of school systems. A hearing is tentatively set for Sept. 19.

There’s no denying the state’s racist history of school segregation or its ugly efforts in the late 1960s and early 1970s to undermine desegregation orders by helping white children to evade racially integrated schools. These efforts included funneling public money to all-white private schools. But the situation today bears no resemblance to those terrible days. Since most of the students using vouchers are black, it is, as State Education Superintendent John White pointed out to the New Orleans Times-Picayune, “a little ridiculous” to argue that the departure of mostly black students to voucher schools would make their home school systems less white. Every private school participating in the voucher program must comply with the color-blind policies of the federal desegregation court orders.

Read more from this story HERE.