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Obama Admin: “Proud” that stimulus produced jobs at $738k each (+video)

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Photo credit: merfam

Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood told The Daily Caller that he is “very proud” of the Economic Recovery Act of 2009 that put 65,000 people to work with $48 billion in federal funds for the Department of Transportation, amounting to $738,461 per job.

The Recovery Act of 2009, which in total cost taxpayers $825 billion, has been criticized because it did not prevent the unemployment rate from rising above 8 percent, contrary to what the Obama administration predicted.

“Yeah, we spent $48 billion and we put 65,000 people to work in 15,000 projects in two years with no problems,” LaHood told The Daily Caller in a video interview in Alexandria, Va., on Friday. “I’m very proud of that. I know that the governors can spend this money because over two years we gave them $48 billion, they created 65,000 jobs in 15,000 projects. This is doable. We’re going to get the money out and get people to work.”

TheDC also asked LaHood about the Obama administration’s decision to send an additional $473 million in unspent earmarks to states.

“You know what? These are old earmarks. There are earmarks that were set aside by members of Congress going back several years,” LaHood said. “We’re in the no earmark era. There are no more earmarks. This money needs to be spent because we need to get people to work.”

Glenn Beck interview with FRC shooting eyewitness General Boykin-Page 3

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GLENN BECK: Well, General, you are one of my favorite people because you never mince words and you’ve taken a strong stand to your own peril for a very long time. You’re a personal hero. Lieutenant General Jerry Boykin. Our best to the Family Research Council and everybody. How is everybody doing there?

GENERAL BOYKIN: They are doing well. Leo is an extraordinary hero and he’s doing quite well. I was with him when he came out of surgery; and the people at FRC are tough warriors, Glenn. We are not going away. We’re not going to change our position. We’re going to stand firm because we do believe that we are speaking for the majority of Americans who still maintain very traditional values.

GLENN BECK: Thank you very much, General. I –

GENERAL BOYKIN: Thank you, Glenn. God bless you.

Glenn Beck interview with FRC shooting eyewitness General Boykin-Page 2

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GLENN BECK: Well, I think the way to make sure everybody understands your point is to be a mass murderer. The media is reacting to this in their stereotypical way. General, what is the way — how do we change this? They’re ignoring the Black Panthers who have come out and said, Throw bombs into nurseries, kill crackers, as they would say, and everybody is ignoring it. The press even makes us into conspiracy freaks for bringing is up. We bring up the left is the one that always has caused 90% of the shootings and the political statement, kind of bombings, et cetera, et cetera, the terror throughout American history it’s generally from either crazy people or the left and how do we get this message out? Who do we do, General?

GENERAL BOYKIN: Well, Glenn, it’s even worse than that. It’s worse. I mean, not only are they ignoring this and don’t want to deal with it but CNN the morning after in an interview with Brian Brown from the National Organization For Marriage actually tried to justify the hate group label that was placed on the Family Research Council by this anti-American, anti-Christian, anti-sematic Marxist organization called the Southern Poverty Law Center which is a — just an evil group of people and so they actually tried to justify this hate crimes — I mean this hate group label that they gave. What do we do? Well, CNN’s ratings are already in the tank, as well as most of the mainstream media and what we do is continue to do what you are doing with both your radio program, as well as your broadcast, and other organizations like yours, we keep putting the truth out and it is starting to resonate and I think that’s the reason that the popularity of your program is growing is Americans are actually starting to look for truth. You know, Glenn, it’s important to remember that in a recent survey 80% of Americans surveyed supported Dan Cathy and his stance on traditional marriage but the mainstream media is never going to report that and the Southern Poverty Law Center is right in the middle of this culture war and I think what you’re doing and what others like you are doing, particularly with talk radio and with nontraditional means of communication is so critical to keeping the truth out for the American public today.

GLENN BECK: Okay. You made quite a statement about the Southern Poverty Law Center. Most people don’t even know who they are because — they’re quoted all the time by all of the news networks. They’re taking a look at all of the hate groups and monitoring all hate crimes. They have put the Black Panthers in the category of a right wing extremist group on the same list as FRC and the same list as David Barton. Can you — who is the Southern Poverty Law Center? Who are they?

GENERAL BOYKIN: Well, first of all, I’ve already given you my label for them and they are — in fact, they are very similar to the ACLU. They’re a group of lawyers, as well as Marxists who have, in fact, raised an awful lot of money which we understand is being kept offshore and they go after every liberal cause in America. They are — they — in fact, they just had a big meeting this week with the Muslim political action committee and that is a very anti-sematic organization and these people are dangerous, they are evil, and my question is, Glenn, who are they to have any authority to declare anybody a hate group? And, remember, they also called Hitler right wing, as well. I don’t mean SPLC but, you know, people today on the left refer to Hitler as right wing and compare conservatives to Hitler. Well, Hitler was anything but right wing. Remember, he was the nationalist socialist party.

GLENN BECK: Are you more optimistic, less optimistic, or about the same as you were a year ago for the health of the nation?

GENERAL BOYKIN: I am so concerned, Glenn. I must tell you, I’m angry. I’m really angry. I’m angry because people like you and the FRC and others are standing up and speaking for what I believe is the majority of Americans, while Americans, you know, sit at home and cheer you on but they’re doing very little to actually get involved in this culture war and I’m optimistic that people are starting to wake up and as tragic as this event was, Glenn, I think that it is just another way that people are being shaken and people are being brought to an awareness that we are losing our country and the average American that stands on traditional values, the average Christian that believes in a biblical world view have got to get involved and they’ve got to put their time, their effort, their money, and their speech behind what is happening here. So, thank you for what you’re doing.

Read more at the final Page 3 HERE.

Army morale hits rock bottom due to Obama-loving generals, loss of discipline

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Photo credit: US Army

Only a quarter of the Army’s officers and enlisted soldiers believe the nation’s largest military branch is headed in the right direction — a survey response that is the lowest on record and reflects what some in the service call a crisis in confidence. The detailed annual survey by a team of independent researchers found that the most common reasons cited for the bleak outlook were “ineffective leaders at senior levels,” a fear of losing the best and the brightest after a decade of war, and the perception, especially among senior enlisted soldiers, that “the Army is too soft” and lacks sufficient discipline.

The study, ordered by the Center for Army Leadership at Fort Leavenworth in Kansas, also found that one in four troops serving in Afghanistan rated morale either “low” or “very low,” part of a steady downward trend over the last five years. But the most striking finding is widespread disagreement with the statement that “the Army is headed in the right direction to prepare for the challenges of the next 10 years.” “In 2011, [active duty] agreement to this statement hit an all-time low,” according to the survey results, a copy of which were provided to The Boston Globe. “Belief that the Army is headed in the right direction is positively related to morale.” In 2010, about 33 percent of those surveyed didn’t agree with the statement; the number was 38 percent in 2006.

The apparent lack of confidence poses a new set of challenges to the Army as it undergoes budget cuts and shrinks its ranks. The Army’s top officer, General Raymond T. Odierno, says he is taking the findings to heart. “It is very important for us to be introspective, and we are committed to continual self-assessment,” Odierno told the Army Times newspaper in a statement. A major concern that the survey identified was whether the Army would be able to keep top-notch leaders as it cuts its ranks, as well as fears it would be stretched too thin to meet unforeseen demands. Junior officers were particularly concerned about retaining good leaders.

The active-duty Army, which is currently about 570,000 strong, is preparing to reduce its ranks by about 90,000 soldiers in the coming years, as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan wind down and the Pentagon budget is subject to a government-wide belt-tightening. “Comments on downsizing the force reflected concerns by leaders that troop reductions would significantly impact the Army’s ability to respond to future conflicts,” the study’s authors wrote.

The Army has historically surveyed attitudes within the ranks to improve professional education and training. But since 2005 it has undertaken the empirically based Army Leader Development Survey each year in an effort to identify trends and leading indicators for leadership problems and signs of dissatisfaction.

Read more from this story HERE.

DC shooting spurs debate: do pro-marriage organizations deserve the “hate group” label?

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By Jordy Yager. The shooting of a security guard Wednesday at the Family Research Council (FRC) has spurred a torrent of heated accusations from both sides of the gay-rights debate about claims that the conservative organization is a “hate group.”

The National Organization for Marriage (NOM), one of the nation’s leading opponents of same-sex marriage, told The Hill the shooting was a direct result of the Southern Poverty Law Center’s decision in 2010 to place the FRC on its list of hate groups for its rhetoric on gays.

Brian Brown, the president of NOM, pointed to a recent blog post by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), one of the largest gay-rights groups in the country. The post, “Paul Ryan Speaking at Hate Group’s Annual Conference,” called attention to the vice presidential candidate’s scheduled appearance at the FRC’s national summit next month.

“Today’s attack is the clearest sign we’ve seen that labeling pro-marriage groups as ‘hateful’ must end,” Brown said in a statement issued following the shooting.

“For too long national gay-rights groups have intentionally marginalized and ostracized pro-marriage groups and individuals by labeling them as ‘hateful’ and ‘bigoted.’” Read more from this story HERE.

Despite the DC shooting and ensuing debate, Obama remains silent

By Penny Starr. As of mid-morning Thursday, President Barack Obama had not yet commented publicly or released an official statement reacting to Wednesday’s shooting of a security guard at the Family Research Council’s Washington, D.C., office.

The only response from the Obama administration came from White House spokesman Jay Carney, as relayed to the public through the White House correspondents’ pool report:

The pool report noted that President Obama, traveling in Iowa, was informed of the 10:45 a.m. shooting several hours later.

Carney said the president expressed his concern for the individual as well as the belief that “this type of violence has no place in our society.”

It is unclear from the pool report whether Carney was directly quoting the president or if the words were Carney’s own.  Read more from this story HERE.

40% of US electorate will stay home in November, vast majority support Obama

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Stay-at-home nonvoters are more likely to support President Barack Obama than Mitt Romney, according to a new USA Today/Suffolk University poll out today.

Eighty million Americans — 40 percent of the possible eligible electorate — won’t vote this Election Day. And 59 percent of them say there’s no point, since nothing ever gets done and politicians continue to make empty promises, according to the poll.

Forty-three percent of nonvoters are Obama supporters, the survey found, while 20 percent of the nonvoters support Romney, 18 percent back a third-party candidate and 15 percent are undecided.

“This poll is a good news-bad news story for Barack Obama,” poll director David Paleologos said in a statement. “The good news is that there is a treasure chest of voters he doesn’t even have to persuade — they already like him and dislike Mitt Romney. He just needs to unlock the chest and get them out to vote. The bad news is that these people won’t vote because they feel beaten down by empty promises, a bad economy and the negativity of both parties. Obama has lost time — and the key — to open that treasure chest.”

Read more from this story HERE.

Obama accuses GOP of trying to “Swift Boat” him over bin Laden killing, leaks (+video)

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By Mark Hosenball. Barack Obama’s re-election campaign on Wednesday accused Republicans of trying to “Swift Boat” the president, a reference to hardball smear tactics used to attack the war record of Democratic Senator John Kerry when he unsuccessfully challenged George W. Bush for the White House in 2004.

Reuters reported on Tuesday that a group of former U.S. intelligence and Special Forces operatives was preparing to launch a media campaign, including TV ads, that scolds Obama for taking credit for the killing of Osama bin Laden and accuses his administration of leaking U.S. secrets for political advantage.

The group, the Special Operations OPSEC Education Fund Inc, unveiled a documentary-style video featuring interviews with former spies and U.S. military commandos on Wednesday.

The Obama campaign hit back.

“The Republicans are resorting to ‘Swift Boat’ tactics because when it comes to foreign policy and national security, Mitt Romney has offered nothing but reckless rhetoric,” said campaign spokesman Ben LaBolt. Read more from this story HERE.

Here’s the alleged “Swift Boat”-type documentary that Obama is so concerned about:

Obama defends Biden’s “chains” remark, rejects Palin’s advice to replace him with Hillary (+video)

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(by FoxNews.com) President Obama defended Vice President Joe Biden on Wednesday against criticism of his remarks that Republican repeal of Wall Street regulations would put voters “back in chains.”

Obama also brushed off Sarah Palin’s suggestion on Fox News that he drop Biden from the ticket in favor of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Palin, the 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee and a Fox News contributor, had said Biden’s comments are the latest example of how he “really drags down that ticket.”

“If that’s not the nail in the coffin, really, the strategists there in the Obama campaign have got to look at a diplomatic way of replacing Joe Biden on the ticket with Hillary,” Palin said. “And I don’t want to throw out that suggestion and have them actually accept the suggestion because then an Obama-Hillary Clinton ticket would have a darn good chance of winning.”

But Obama, in an interview with “Entertainment Tonight,” downplayed Palin’s comments: “We don’t spend a lot of time worrying about the chatter and the noise and this and that,” he said. “The country isn’t as divided with gaffes or some stray remark as Washington is. Most folks know that’s just sort of a WWF wrestling part of politics. It doesn’t mean anything, just fills up a lot of air time.”  Read more from this story HERE.

Here’s what Palin said on Fox about replacing VP Joe Biden with Hillary:

Homosexual volunteer carrying Chick-fil-A material open fires in pro-traditional marriage FRC office in DC

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Man carrying Chick-fil-A  materials shoots guard at Family Research Council

By Pete Williams. A gunman who shot a security guard Wednesday at the Family Research Council office in Washington, D.C., was carrying a handgun and several additional rounds of ammunition, federal investigators told NBC News.

Washington, D.C., police say the man walked into the headquarters of the conservative Christian lobbying group around 10:45 a.m. When challenged by the security guard, the gunman shot the guard in the arm with a Sig Sauer 9 mm handgun he pulled from a backpack.

The wounded guard, identified as Leo Johnson, wrestled the gun away from the shooter and prevented him from hurting anyone else, police said. …

The suspect’s name has not been released, but two law enforcement officials told NBC News he is Floyd Corkins, 28, from nearby Herndon, Va.

Federal officials said the suspect the backpack also contained materials about Chick-fil-A restaurants.  Read more from this story HERE.

FRC Shooter was “volunteer at  a ‘gay’ and lesbian center, made negative comment about center before shooting

By WND. Law enforcement officials in Washington have identified the man who shot a security guard at the Family Research Council early today as 28-year-old Floyd Corkins II, a volunteer at a “gay” and lesbian center in Washington, and have hinted that the motive may be linked to the FRC’s conservative Christian viewpoint regarding marriage and homosexuality.

According to a report from the Associated Press, a law enforcement official confirmed that the suspect made a “negative reference” about the FRC’s work before shooting and injuring guard Leo Johnson, who was hospitalized and in stable condition.

While no specific connections were confirmed by law enforcement authorities with the District of Columbia police and FBI, which responded to the case, the FRC had been vocal in recent days in its support of Chick-fil-A President Dan Cathy, whose company was attacked by homosexual advocacy organizations after he publicly stated his support for traditional marriage. Read more from this story HERE.

White House took Five Hours to Respond to FRC Shooting

By Steven Ertelt. The White House is coming under criticism from pro-life advocates for not issuing a condemnation of the shooting of a security guard at the offices of the Family Research Council, a pro-life group.

UPDATE: Not until after 6:30 p.m. ET did the White House respond. Obama finally commented, saying “this type of violence has no place in our society.”

While President Barack Obama has yet to comment — several hours after the incident — presidential candidate Mitt Romney was swift in his response to it.

Romney commented on the shooting, saying: “I am appalled by the shooting today at the offices of the Family Research Council in our nation’s capital. There is no place for such violence in our society. My prayers go out to the wounded security guard and his family, as well as all the people at the Family Research Council whose sense of security has been shattered by today’s horrific events.”

Meanwhile, CNN took hours to finally issue a report on the shooting and it provided no live coverage of it as other television networks did. Hours later, CNN tweeted, “Shooting wounds guard at Family Research Council. on.cnn.com/OYEXq9.” Read more from this story HERE.

Catholics for Obama attempt to hide Obama’s abortion record again

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Left-leaning academics at Catholic colleges and universities are heading up the Obama’s campaign’s outreach to Catholics, according to Matthew Archbold:

Among those leading the group are several pro-abortion rights politicians along with faculty members at Catholic colleges including Sister Jamie Phelps, director of the Institute for Black Catholic Studies at Xavier University in New Orleans; Nicholas Cafardi, a canon and civil lawyer who teaches at the Duquesne Law School in Pittsburgh; Thomas Groome of Boston College, a theologian; and Stephen Schneck, director of the Institute for Policy Research & Catholic Studies at Catholic University of America.

Cafardi just last week took to the pages of the National Catholic Reporter to convince readers that Obama was more pro-life than Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. He didn’t mention in that piece that he would soon be publicly affiliated with the Catholics for Obama group. Presumably, that affiliation will be pointed out in future writings.

Schneck is on the board of directors of Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good, which was co-founded by HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius’ director of faith-based programs, Alexia Kelley, to generate Catholic support for President Obama’s policies. Last year Schneck led a faculty effort to embarrass Republican House Speaker John Boehner, when he delivered the commencement address at The Catholic University of America. In February Schneck joined with other politically liberal Catholics in an open letter “celebrating” the “accommodation” proposed by President Obama with regard to the HHS contraceptive mandate — a compromise that the U.S. bishops have explained is entirely unacceptable to Catholics, and which has still not been written into the regulations.

Also involved in the group are pro-abortion politicians — including Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro of Connecticut, Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois and Gov. Martin O’Malley of Maryland. DeLauro is a former head of a state affiliate of NARAL, a leading national pro-abortion group.

The outreach page for the new pro-Obama group says nothing of his pro-abortion record:

In 2008, Catholics from all walks of life and backgrounds came together to help elect Barack Obama as President of the United States. Today, we join together as Catholics who are committed to our faith and our country to endorse President Obama for re-election.

As Catholics, we believe that every human being is made in the image of God. From this we discern that, individually and as a nation, we share a moral obligation to care for one another. As the President has so passionately affirmed throughout his career. President Obama understands Catholics and our values, because he understands the importance of an active faith in pursuit of the common good.

Read more from this story HERE.