George Washington’s Thanksgiving Proclamation: Would Barack Hussein Obama Agree?

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Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor…

Congress [has]…requested me “to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.”

Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be.

That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks, for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation, for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his providence, which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war, for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed, for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted, for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions…

To enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually, to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed…

To grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.

Christie’s Approval Rating Soars

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photo credit: bob jagendorfNew Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has seen a dramatic bump in his approval rating in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, the super-storm that pummeled his home state late last month.

The Republican governor, who served as the keynote speaker at this year’s Republican National Convention and is widely considered a potential 2016 Republican presidential candidate, is now seen favorably by 67 percent of New Jersey voters. That’s a rise of 19 percentage points from October in the poll from Rutgers University released Wednesday.

Christie will face reelection next year, and is likely to face popular Newark Mayor Cory Booker (D) in the contest. But if the governor is able to solidify some of the gains earned by his handling of the storm’s aftermath, he could significantly improve his chances of winning a second term.

But there is a concern that Christie’s short-term reward for working closely with President Obama could hurt his long-term prospects within the Republican Party. Already, some prominent conservatives have argued that Christie’s embrace of the president in the days following the storm hurt GOP nominee Mitt Romney’s electoral chances.

Read more from this story HERE.

Romney Adviser Calls GOP Attacks on Former Nominee ‘Stunning’

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photo credit: gage skidmoreDan Senor, a top adviser to the Mitt Romney campaign, said it was “stunning” how quickly the Republican establishment turned on the GOP challenger in the wake of his election loss.

“It is stunning,” Senor told MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on Wednesday.

“The Friday night before the election, we were in Cincinnati for this huge rally … Tens of thousands of people, you could feel the energy, a hundred top-tier Romney surrogates were at the event,” Senor added. “I’m backstage with some of them, I won’t mention their names, but they’re talking about Romney like he’s Reagan. ‘His debate performances were the best performances of any Republican nominee in presidential history. He’s iconic.’ They were talking about him because they believed he was going to win in four or five days. And in fact, some of them were already talking to our transition [team] to position themselves for a Romney Cabinet.”

Senor declined to name anyone specifically, but indicated the offending parties had been high-profile Romney supporters up through Election Day.

“I won’t say who they are,” Senor said. “They know who they are. They were on television, it was unbelievable, it was five, six days later, absolutely eviscerating him.

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Voting For Obama Keeps Families Away From Each Other For Thanksgiving

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Ah, Thanksgiving. A little turkey, some cranberry mold, maybe apple pie with ice cream, some football on TV. Getting together with the cousins. Catching up beside the fire. Togetherness.

On second thought: Scratch that. What were we thinking? This was an election year.

“The Thanksgiving table will be a battleground,” says Andrew Marshall, 34, of Quincy, Mass.

Like many extended families across the country, Marshall’s includes Democrats and Republicans, conservatives, liberals and independents. And so, like many families that count both red and blue voters in their ranks, they’re expecting fireworks. Things had already gotten so bad on Facebook, the family had to ban political banter.

“It was getting brutal,” says Marshall.

Read more from this story HERE.

Marco Rubio ‘Being Romneyed by Media’ for Giving Obama’s Answer to Genesis Question (+video)

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A question about the age of Planet Earth is turning into a media feeding frenzy against Sen. Marco Rubio ever since the Florida Republican said he was not a scientist and didn’t think he was qualified to answer such a question.

In an interview with GQ magazine, Rubio, who many think may run for president in 2016, was asked, “How old do you think the Earth is?”

Rubio responded: “I’m not a scientist, man. I can tell you what recorded history says, I can tell you what the Bible says, but I think that’s a dispute amongst theologians and I think it has nothing to do with the gross domestic product or economic growth of the United States. I think the age of the universe has zero to do with how our economy is going to grow. I’m not a scientist. I don’t think I’m qualified to answer a question like that.

“At the end of the day, I think there are multiple theories out there on how the universe was created and I think this is a country where people should have the opportunity to teach them all. I think parents should be able to teach their kids what their faith says, what science says. Whether the Earth was created in seven days, or seven actual eras, I’m not sure we’ll ever be able to answer that. It’s one of the great mysteries.”

New York Times editorial page editor Juliet Lapidos called Rubio’s answer “ludicrous.”

See how Obama answered the question:

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Two More US Military Commanders Relieved for Misconduct

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Two more senior American Navy commanders have been added to the growing list of high-ranking military officers relieved of duty due to ‘personal’ misconduct.

Two commanding officers in US Navy’s 6th Fleet based in Italy were stripped of their commands on Monday pending investigations into “allegations of misconduct,” US-based journal Foreign Policy quoted a Navy statement on Tuesday.

According to the report, 24 American naval officers have so far been relieved of their commands this year on charges of misconduct.

Cmdr. Ray Hartman, commanding officer of amphibious dock-landing ship USS Fort McHenry was relieved of his command on Monday. Also relieved was Navy Capt. Ted Williams, top officer of the USS Mount Whitney, an amphibious command ship.

Read more from this story HERE.

Leahy Scuttles His Warrantless E-mail Surveillance Bill

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Sen. Patrick Leahy has abandoned his controversial proposal that would grant government agencies more surveillance power — including warrantless access to Americans’ e-mail accounts — than they possess under current law.

The Vermont Democrat said today on Twitter that he would “not support such an exception” for warrantless access. The remarks came a few hours after a CNET article was published this morning that disclosed the existence of the measure.

A vote on the proposal in the Senate Judiciary committee, which Leahy chairs, is scheduled for next Thursday. The amendments were due to be glued onto a substitute (PDF) to H.R. 2471, which the House of Representatives already has approved.

Leahy’s about-face comes in response to a deluge of criticism today, including the American Civil Liberties Union saying that warrants should be required, and the conservative group FreedomWorks launching a petition to Congress — with more than 2,300 messages sent so far — titled: “Tell Congress: Stay Out of My Email!”

A spokesman for the senator did not respond to questions today from CNET asking for clarification of what Leahy would support next week.

Read more from this story HERE.

Two-State Party: Nearly 30% of House Democrats from CA, NY

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Democrats and the mainstream media have tried to paint Republicans as a regional — and predominantly Southern — party of white males, but nearly 30 percent of Democrats in the House will come from just two states — California and New York — when the next Congress convenes.

Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) on Wednesday said to “take a good look when the House convenes after this next Congress is sworn in” to see that the Republican party has gotten “white and more male,” while Democrats are “majority minority and female.”

But a University of Minnesota study found that when the 113th Congress convenes, a whopping 29.4% (59 of 201) of Democrats in the House will hail from California (38 members) and New York (21 members).

The study analyzed 83 general election cycles dating back to 1850 and discovered the “Democratic Party now comprises a larger percentage of Californians and New Yorkers in the U.S. House than at any point since California joined the Union.”

According to the study, “even though California and New York are two of three most populous states in the country,” the number of representatives from both states has “remained flat over the last 50 years.”

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Left-wing ‘Watchdog’ Group Turns on Obama Admin, Demands Investigation into EPA Chief Lisa Jackson’s Secret Emails

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photo credit: USACEpublicaffairsLiberal group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), a self-described “watchdog” organization, has turned on President Barack Obama’s administration for its handling of EPA administrator Lisa Jackson’s alleged use of secret email accounts.

On Tuesday, CREW demanded the EPA’s inspector general, Arthur Elkins, investigate Jackson and other EPA employees for using the accounts.

CREW executive director Melanie Sloan said in a statement announcing the demand that Jackson’s “practice of using fictitious email accounts to conduct official EPA business, shielding the contents from public view, conflicts directly with her responsibility to follow federal records law.”

“The fact that others may have engaged in such conduct before her tenure is no justification,” Sloan said. “‘Everybody does it,’ is an excuse for kindergarteners, not cabinet officials.”

“Complying with the Federal Records Act is not optional,” Sloan added. “The EPA’s illegal and devious practices undermine the ability of Congress, outside watchdog groups, and citizens alike to request and receive full information from the agency. The IG should investigate immediately to ensure messages are being properly saved and learn what, exactly, it is that Administrator Jackson and other EPA employees are trying to hide from the American public.”

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Michigan Jail Cell Was Web Porn Executive’s VIP Office

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photo credit: adam jonesFor more than 18 months, Francis A. Sharrak was able to manage his multimillion-dollar Internet porn and strip club business using just a laptop computer and a telephone.

And he was able to do it all from his secluded office space in downtown Detroit — a VIP cell at the Wayne County Jail.

Sharrak, 44, of Farmington Hills, was awaiting sentencing on federal tax evasion charges when he was locked up in Wayne County in August 2010. Health problems and numerous requests for delays kept him there until May 2012.

He was serving as his own lawyer and asked for the laptop computer to prepare his arguments for his sentencing, court records show. But he wasn’t supposed to have it.

“Now, I am the first one ever to have a computer in the history of this jail,” Sharrak boasted to a female friend in a recorded phone call from his jail cell in January 2011. Federal prosecutors used the transcribed jail house call to further their argument to a judge that Sharrak should receive a high-end sentence because they said he failed to learn his lesson and repeatedly broke the rules.

Read more from this story HERE.