Rick Santelli's Chicago Tea Party: 2011

Saturday, December 31, 2011

Rick Santelli's Chicago Tea Party

Banks Face Off For Facebook IPO
Beaver Borough Bans Non-Residents From Sledding
SOPA opponents may go nuclear and other 2012 predictions
The 10 biggest vaccine news stories of 2011
Banks Face Off For Facebook IPO
Santorum leads with Tea Party base
South Carolina Tea Party Convention to coincide with debate
Tea Party-backed freshmen face scrutiny

Posted: 30 Dec 2011 05:42 PM PST

By LIZ RAPPAPORT and RANDALL SMITH, WSJ.com

This year has been lackluster for Wall Street bankers. But next year, there’s Facebook Inc.

Up for grabs is the lead investment-banking role in the social-networking site’s initial public offering, and long-time rivals Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Morgan Stanley are considered front-runners, bankers and venture capitalists say.

The Menlo Park, Calif., company plans to file its offering documents in early 2012, a person familiar with the matter has said, meaning that a decision on bankers could be soon. Some bankers have been waiting by the phone over the holidays for the call that they will be participating in the company’s IPO in some way, another person said.

As they gear up for the offering, Facebook executives have held a new round of meetings since Thanksgiving with Wall Street firms, according to people familiar with the situation.

The deal will be one of the most hotly contested offerings of the decade, with hundreds of millions of dollars in potential fees and bragging rights on the line.

Facebook’s stock sale could be as big as $10 billion, valuing the company at $100 billion or more. Fees for IPOs of that size have averaged 2.2%, according to Dealogic, which tracks new issues. That would mean a possible total payoff of as much as $220 million, though the company could negotiate lower fees because the Facebook deal is such a trophy.

Beaver Borough Bans Non-Residents From Sledding

Posted: 30 Dec 2011 05:39 PM PST

From: CBSPittsburgh.com

It won't be long before the rain of today gives way to the snow of tomorrow and that means sledding.

But in Beaver Borough, residents just got a newsletter, alerting them to restrictions on sledding in two popular parks.

"Some are completely prohibited and some are restricted," Whitney Brady, borough manager, told KDKA's Jon Delano. "There are safety measures attached to these restrictions to insure the safety of the community."

Brady says after an accident in Wayne Square Park, borough council decided to ban sled riding in that park.

SOPA opponents may go nuclear and other 2012 predictions

Posted: 30 Dec 2011 05:36 PM PST

By Declan McCullagh, CNET News

It was Google co-founder Sergey Brin who warned that the Stop Online Piracy Act and the Protect IP Act “would put us on a par with the most oppressive nations in the world.” Craigslist founder Craig Newmark, Twitter co-founders Jack Dorsey and Biz Stone, and LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman argue that the bills give the Feds unacceptable “power to censor the Web.”

But these companies have yet to roll out the heavy artillery.

When the home pages of Google.com, Amazon.com, Facebook.com, and their Internet allies simultaneously turn black with anti-censorship warnings that ask users to contact politicians about a vote in the U.S. Congress the next day on SOPA, you’ll know they’re finally serious.

True, it would be the political equivalent of a nuclear option–possibly drawing retributions from the the influential politicos backing SOPA and Protect IP–but one that could nevertheless be launched in 2012.

“There have been some serious discussions about that,” says Markham Erickson, who heads the NetCoalition trade association that counts Google, Amazon.com, eBay, and Yahoo as members. “It has never happened before.” (See CNET’s SOPA FAQ.)

Web firms may be outspent tenfold on lobbyists, but they enjoy one tremendous advantage over the SOPA-backing Hollywood studios and record labels: direct relationships with users.

The 10 biggest vaccine news stories of 2011

Posted: 30 Dec 2011 05:32 PM PST

By: Mike Adams, NaturalNews.com

A lot happened in the vaccine industry in 2011 — a year of accelerating change and increased awareness among the people. One of the big realizations that hit home in 2011 is that vaccines are far more dangerous than most people previously thought, and even conventional scientists are starting to question the over-vaccination of infants and children.

Here are the 10 biggest vaccine news stories of 2011, reported on NaturalNews.com:

#1 – Japanese children die from vaccines

Yet more evidence emerges of the deadly side effects of vaccines:

http://www.naturalnews.com/031616_v…

#2 – U.S. government recruits churches to push flu shots on congregation members

Take that flu shot, or you’ll go to Hell! That’s the new message the U.S. government is trying to pound into the heads of church pastors and priests:

http://www.naturalnews.com/034394_c…

#3 – Top CDC vaccine scientist indicted for fraud

You probably never read this story elsewhere, but one of the CDC’s top researchers was indicted for allegedly stealing vaccine research money and using it to buy fancy vehicles and a luxury home:

http://www.naturalnews.com/032216_T…

#4 – IOM admits MMR vaccines cause seizures and measles

In a groundbreaking report, the Institute of Medicine openly admitted that vaccines actually cause the very measles they claim to prevent. The mainstream media, of course, misreported this research and utterly failed to cover the real story.

http://www.naturalnews.com/033447_I…

Banks Face Off For Facebook IPO

Posted: 30 Dec 2011 12:46 PM PST

By LIZ RAPPAPORT and RANDALL SMITH, The Wall Street Journal

As they gear up for the offering, Facebook executives have held a new round of meetings since Thanksgiving with Wall Street firms, according to people familiar with the situation.

The deal will be one of the most hotly contested offerings of the decade, with hundreds of millions of dollars in potential fees and bragging rights on the line.

Goldman and Morgan face stiff competition from rival investment banks vying for the prize of becoming the lead manager. Still, both are seen as having a leg up on competitors, even though each has possible knocks against them.

Goldman orchestrated a $1.5 billion private offering of Facebook shares in January, indicating a value for the company of $50 billion. Morgan Stanley is the leading bank for Internet IPOs this year, both in the U.S. and world-wide.

Santorum leads with Tea Party base

Posted: 30 Dec 2011 12:43 PM PST

From The State Column

Voters who identified themselves as Tea Party Republicans in an NBC poll are extremely divided. Mr. Santorum leads among the Tea Party base with 20 percent, and Mr. Paul and Mr. Romney are tied among Tea Party Republicans with 17 percent, while Mr. Gingrich finished with 16 percent and Mr. Perry drew 15 percent of the Tea Party vote.

Surprisingly, Ms. Bachmann, who seemed to have drawn the majority of her support from the Tea Party in recent months, finished last among Tea Party voters with just 10 percent.

Another result shown from this poll is that Mr. Paul has not suffered in Iowa from the negativity surrounding his campaign regarding the series of racist newsletters that ran under his name in the 1980s and 90s. The Texas congressman placed in first or second place in all of the polls of Iowa voters released this week.

Earlier this week, prior to his surge in the polls, Mr. Santorum summed up the Iowa caucuses into "three primaries."

"There's really three primaries going on here," Mr. Santorum posited to reporters in Adel, Iowa Tuesday, according to The Associated Press.

South Carolina Tea Party Convention to coincide with debate

Posted: 30 Dec 2011 12:34 PM PST

By Tim McGinnis, CarolinaLive.com

When the GOP candidates for president debate in Myrtle Beach on January 16th, many of them will be attending another event as well.

The South Carolina Tea Party Convention will take place at the Springmaid Resort on January 15th and 16th.

Candidates Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum and Michele Bachmann have agreed to speak, as well as South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley and Senator Jim Demint among many others.

Convention organizer Joe Dugan who heads the Myrtle Beach Tea Party says it’s a great opportunity to get various Tea Parties around the state together to share ideas.

Dugan says, “the Tea Parties were so successful in 2010 electing the great people we sent to Congress, that we’re preparing now and we want to work even closer together, sharing resources for the 2012 election.”

Tea Party-backed freshmen face scrutiny

Posted: 30 Dec 2011 07:50 AM PST

By Alan Gomez, USA TODAY

Donna McClure is in a tough position.

The Tea Party leader in Corpus Christi, Texas, really likes Rep. Blake Farenthold, a surprise winner in 2010 when he unseated a 28-year incumbent as part of a wave of freshmen that helped reclaim the House of Representatives for the GOP.

But then he voted to increase the nation’s debt ceiling, which members of the Tea Party fought hard to oppose. He voted for multiple short-term spending plans that the Tea Party felt didn’t cut enough federal spending. And just this month, he supported the National Defense Authorization Act, which McClure said she feels infringes too much on Americans’ civil liberties.

“He’s a really good guy. I think he’s worked really hard. I know it’s tough being a freshman up there and he’s a vast improvement on what we had before,” said McClure, 47, a registered nurse. “But we’re a little disappointed, obviously. If they came up with somebody who would do a more conservative job and stay closer to the Constitution, I’d vote for somebody else.”

McClure echoes the conflicted sentiment of many local Tea Party groups as the freshman class they helped get elected finishes its first full year in Washington.

As soon as last year’s elections were over, Tea Party groups immediately warned the first-time Republicans that they would face challenges in the 2012 GOP primaries if they didn’t stick to the defining principles of the movement: fiscal responsibility, limited government and a strict adherence to the Constitution.

Friday, December 30, 2011

Rick Santelli's Chicago Tea Party

Richard Lugar: Tea Party Cost GOP Senate Control In 2010
CHiPs to Peer Into Driver Windows to Catch Cell Phone Use
Iowa state chairman stuns Michele Bachmann with switch to Ron Paul’s camp
Stocks End Near Lows, S&P Negative for 2011
GIRL SCOUTS BOOK REFERS READERS TO LIBERAL GROUP MEDIA MATTERS TO CLEAR UP ‘MEDIA MISINFORMATION’
Moms Stage “Nurse-In” at Target Stores

Richard Lugar: Tea Party Cost GOP Senate Control In 2010

Posted: 29 Dec 2011 12:43 PM PST

By DOUG MATACONIS, Outside the Beltway

Richard Lugar has been in Washington since 1977 and has been among the most visible Senate Republicans for decades now. On foreign policy, he's perhaps one of the most knowledgable members of the Senate at this point and, if he manages to get re-elected and Republicans gain control of the Senate, he would become the President Pro Tempore and third in line to the Presidency. That "manages to be re-elected" part is the problem for him, though. It's not likely that he'd lose to a Democrat in a General Election, but right now he's facing a Tea Party backed challenge in the primary that will be held on May 8th and there's little love lost between Indiana's Senior Senator and the insurgent Republican movement. This past Sunday, for example, Lugar said that he believed that it was the Tea Party that cost Republicans control of the Senate in the 2010 elections:

Sen. Dick Lugar (Ind.), facing a primary contest from the right in his reelection bid, said past Tea Party-backed challenges had "killed off" Republican efforts to take the Senate in the past and could undermine a GOP majority again in 2012.

"A Republican majority in the Senate is very important, and Republicans who are running for reelection ought to be supported by people who want to see that majority," Lugar said in an interview that aired Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union."

"I think the majority of Tea Party people understand that too," he added.

(…)

Republicans lost the seats before in Nevada and New Jersey and Colorado where there were people who were claiming they wanted somebody who was more of their Tea Party aspect, but they killed off the Republican majority."

"This is one of the reasons why we have a minority in the Senate right now," he claimed.

CHiPs to Peer Into Driver Windows to Catch Cell Phone Use

Posted: 29 Dec 2011 12:39 PM PST

By Tony Bizjak, The Sacramento Bee

Cellphone talkers and texters, beware. California Highway Patrol officers around Sacramento have special marching orders on Friday and Saturday:
Find you and ticket you.

“If someone is driving distracted, we want officers to issue citations,” said CHP spokesman Adrian Quintero.

Also on Friday, plainclothes officers and volunteers with clipboards will be stationed on foot at several major intersections around Sacramento, peering into passing car windows and noting the types of distracted driving they see.

Similar tallies will be taken in the Auburn and Stockton areas. They won’t be ticketing. They’ll be gathering data to be forwarded to the California Office of Traffic Safety as part of an emerging statewide campaign to understand and combat distracted driving.

Iowa state chairman stuns Michele Bachmann with switch to Ron Paul’s camp

Posted: 29 Dec 2011 12:37 PM PST

By JASON NOBLE and MARY STEGMEIR, DES MOINES REGISTER

In a stunning, late-breaking Iowa caucus turnabout, the state chairman for presidential candidate Michele Bachmann ditched her campaign Wednesday night to endorse Ron Paul, a rival in the race for the GOP nomination.

The defection of Kent Sorenson, an Iowa state senator, came just six days before Iowa's first-in-the-nation caucuses, and caught the Bachmann campaign by surprise. Sorenson had chaired Bachmann's caucus efforts here for months, and even attended a Bachmann event in Indianola on Wednesday afternoon just hours before appearing at a Paul rally in Des Moines to announce his endorsement.

"I believe we're at a turning point in this campaign," Sorenson said in his announcement at the Paul rally "… I thought it was my duty to come to his aid, just like he came to my aid during my Senate race, which was a very nasty race."

Sorenson, an Indianola Republican, was elected to the state Senate in 2010 with support from Paul and his legion of Iowa backers. His announcement was greeted with sustained applause from a crowd of roughly 500.

Many rose to their feet and hoisted Paul campaign signs above their heads when Sorenson added: "We're going to take Ron Paul all the way to the White House."

Stocks End Near Lows, S&P Negative for 2011

Posted: 29 Dec 2011 07:42 AM PST

By: JeeYeon Park, CNBC.com

Stocks finished near their worst levels Wednesday, with the S&P falling into negative territory for the year, as the euro tumbled and investors remained on the sidelines amid what is expected to be a light news week.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 139.94 points, or 1.14 percent, to finish at 12,151.41, led by BofA [BAC 5.4584 -0.0016 (-0.03%) ] and Alcoa [AA 8.60 -0.03 (-0.35%) ].

The S&P 500 fell 15.79 points, or 1.25 percent, to end at 1,249.64, snapping a five-day winning streak and slipping back into negative territory for 2011. The Nasdaq tumbled 35.22 points, or 1.34 percent, to close at 2,589.98.

The CBOE Volatility Index, widely considered the best gauge of fear in the market, jumped above 23.

All 10 S&P sectors finished firmly in negative territory, led by energy and materials.

The euro tumbled near a one-year low against the greenback as investors were disappointed after a ECB report that showed European banks deposited a record $585 billion with the central bank. Gold fell near $1,560 an ounce, hitting a three-month low.

To read more, visit: http://www.cnbc.com/id/45804289

GIRL SCOUTS BOOK REFERS READERS TO LIBERAL GROUP MEDIA MATTERS TO CLEAR UP ‘MEDIA MISINFORMATION’

Posted: 29 Dec 2011 07:34 AM PST

By: Billy Hallowell, TheBlaze.com

In 2010, the Girl Scouts of the USA published a book called "MEdia." The publication, designed for girls in grades six through eight, is a guide that apparently offers insight into how young people should process and understand the media messages surrounding them.

Considering the pervasive nature of popular media, this seems like a viable tool. However, there's a problem — the book refers young readers to Media Matters for America as one of the primary sources for debunking lies and deceit.

On the surface, "MEdia" seems like it's an excellent resource (and in some ways maybe it is) that encourages self-reflection and skepticism — two very understandable and useful tenets. But on page 25 of the book, a very curious recommendation is given.

Under the headline, "Consider the Source," text encourages girls to go to the George Soros-funded Media Matters for America web site to clear up any media misinformation they might encounter. It reads:

The Internet is a breeding ground for "urban legends," which are false stories told as if true. Next time you receive a txt or e-mail about something that seems unbelievable, confirm it before you spread it.

The fact-checking site snopes.com investigates everything from urban legends to "news" articles and posts its findings. Media Matters for America (http://mediamatters.org/) gets the word out about media misinformation.

Moms Stage “Nurse-In” at Target Stores

Posted: 29 Dec 2011 07:30 AM PST

By Natalie Martinez, NBC Chicago

Nursing moms upset with breastfeeding preferences at Target stores staged a “nurse-in” Wednesday at locations in Chicago and across the country.

Local moms say the demonstration is meant to raise awareness about controversies over nursing in public. This latest outcry, they say, stems from a recent incident in Texas.

Michelle Hickman, a Houston mother of four, apparently was nursing in a remote area of a Target store when staffers told her to move into a fitting room.

There were so many employees confronting her, she said, that it was time to speak up.

“Basically I got harassed by a whole handful of women Target employees,” she said.

Hickman complained to the corporate headquarters, and Target sided with her. Representatives said it has always been the store’s policy to make women feel comfortable when breastfeeding.

“We kind of just refreshed our team members on our policy to make sure that any guests that come into the store aren’t uncomfortable at all,” said Chicago Target spokeswoman Ashley Krehoff.

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Rick Santelli's Chicago Tea Party

IRS Tax Tips: Six Ways to Lower Your Taxes Before the Year Ends
MF Global chief missing $1.2B is financial adviser to EPA
Tweeting the word ‘drill’ could mean your Twitter account is read by U.S. government spies
Technology Civil War? South’s Tech Sector Thrives
Taking multi-vitamin pills ‘does nothing for our health’
Nashville gets its own Tea Party branch
Johnson the Libertarian could snag some of state’s electoral votes

IRS Tax Tips: Six Ways to Lower Your Taxes Before the Year Ends

Posted: 28 Dec 2011 09:42 AM PST

By Gwen Ruelle, Bed-Stuy Patch

There are only a few days left in 2011, but it is not too late to take advantage of a few options that will lower your 2011 taxes. Remember that December 31st is the final deadline, so act fast!

Here are six year-end tips from the IRS:

Make Charitable Contributions – If you itemize deductions, your donations must be made to qualified charities no later than Dec. 31 to be deductible for 2011. You must have a canceled check, a bank statement, credit card statement or a written statement from the charity, showing the name of the charity and the date and amount of the contribution for all cash donations. Donations charged to a credit card by Dec. 31 are deductible for 2011, even if the bill isn’t paid until 2012. If you donate clothing or household items, they must be in good used condition or better to be deductible.

Install Energy-Efficient Home Improvements – You still have time this year to make energy-saving and green-energy home improvements and qualify for either of two home energy credits. Installing energy efficient improvements such as insulation, new windows and water heaters to your main home can provide up to $500 in tax savings. Homeowners going green should also check out the Residential Energy Efficient Property Credit, designed to spur investment in alternative energy equipment. The credit equals 30 percent of the cost of qualifying solar, wind, geothermal, or heat pump property. For details see Special Edition Tax Tip 2011-08, Home Energy Credits Still Available for 2011 on the IRS.gov website.

Consider a Portfolio Adjustment – Check your investments for gains and losses and consider sales by Dec. 31. You may normally deduct capital losses up to the amount of capital gains, plus $3,000 from other income. If your net capital losses are more than $3,000, the excess can be carried forward and deducted in future years.

Contribute the Maximum to Retirement Accounts – Elective deferrals you make to employer-sponsored 401(k) plans or similar workplace retirement programs for 2011 must be made by Dec. 31. However, you have until April 17, 2012, to set up a new IRA or add money to an existing IRA and still have it count for 2011. You normally can contribute up to $5,000 to a traditional or Roth IRA, and up to $6,000 if age 50 or over. The Saver's Credit, also known as the Retirement Savings Contribution Credit, is also available to low- and moderate-income workers who voluntarily contribute to an IRA or workplace retirement plan. The maximum Saver's Credit is $1,000, and $2,000 for married couples, but the amount allowed could be reduced or eliminated for some taxpayers in part because of the impact of other deductions and credits.

Make a Qualified Charitable Distribution – If you are age 70½ or over, the qualified charitable distribution (QCD) allows you to make a distribution paid directly from your individual retirement account to a qualified charity, and exclude the amount from gross income. The maximum annual exclusion for QCDs is $100,000. The excluded amount can be used to satisfy any required minimum distributions that the individual must otherwise receive from their IRAs in 2011. This benefit is available even if you do not itemize deductions.

To read more, visit: http://bed-stuy.patch.com/articles/six-year-end-tax-tips-from-the-irs

MF Global chief missing $1.2B is financial adviser to EPA

Posted: 28 Dec 2011 09:37 AM PST

By Jim McElhatton, The Washington Time

During two days of recent congressional hearings into how as much as $1.2 billion disappeared from MF Global customer accounts, the chief operating officer of the imploding investment firm responded again and again that he did not know.

Yet as the House and Senate interrogated Bradley I. Abelow and other top executives at MF Global Holdings Ltd., lawmakers did not mention Mr. Abelow's role as a financial adviser for the Environmental Protection Agency, which as of Tuesday listed him as the chairman of its financial advisory board.

Even as he finds himself the public face of a bankruptcy and admitted to lawmakers that he had no idea how client funds disappeared, Congress and the administration have voiced no public concern about Mr. Abelow's role advising the $8.6 billion government agency on its finances.

"EPA relying on Wall Street for financial guidance is like the blind leading the blind," said Jeff Ruch, president of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, a nonprofit environmental advocacy group based in Washington.

"In Abelow, you have a Wall Street executive who just presided over the disappearance of $1 billion in investor funds purporting to help guide federal infrastructure financing."

The EPA did not respond to multiple messages concerning Mr. Abelow's status with the board, though the EPA's website still reports that he is its chairman and notes his job at MF Global.

To read more, visit: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/dec/27/mf-global-chief-missing-12b-financial-adviser-epa/

Tweeting the word ‘drill’ could mean your Twitter account is read by U.S. government spies

Posted: 28 Dec 2011 09:34 AM PST

By Rob Waugh, Daily Mail

The Department of Homeland Security makes fake Twitter and Facebook profiles for the specific purpose of scanning the networks for ‘sensitive’ words – and tracking people who use them.

Simply using a word or phrase from the DHS’s ‘watch’ list could mean that spies from the government read your posts, investigate your account, and attempt to identify you from it, acccording to an online privacy group.

The words which attract attention range from ones seemingly related to diseases or bioweapons such as ‘human to animal’ and ‘outbreak’ to other, more obscure words such as ‘drill’ and ‘strain’.

The DHS also watches for words such as ‘illegal immigrant’.

The DHS outlined plans to scans blogs, Twitter and Facebook for words such as ‘illegal immigrant’, ‘outbreak’, ‘drill’, ‘strain’, ‘virus’, ‘recovery’, ‘deaths’, ‘collapse’, ‘human to animal’ and ‘trojan’, according to an ‘impact asssessment’ document filed by the agency.

To read more, visit: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2079283/Tweeting-word-drill-mean-Twitter-account-read-government-spies.html

Technology Civil War? South’s Tech Sector Thrives

Posted: 28 Dec 2011 09:29 AM PST

By Sasha Bogursky, FOXNews.com

A growing tech startup scene in the South threatens to unseat the traditional tech meccas of Boston, New York and San Francisco. Meet the next generation of entrepreneurs behind three Atlanta-based companies who come at tech from a very different perspective.

"Atlanta and the South in general is very different culturally — especially for the tech industry," GuildQuality founder and CEO Geoff Graham told FoxNews.com.

His company has provided customer satisfaction surveying for the construction and real estate industries since 2002, and he readily admits that the venture capital funding available in Silicon Valley and New York just isn’t there in Georgia.

Graham sees that as a blessing.

"We build businesses here using the money customers paid us to serve them," he said. "Instead of being funded by venture capitals we’re funded by the checks we [cut] ourselves, the money we borrow from friends and family."

From telecom to Internet security to digital media, Georgia plays a bigger role in technology than most Americans know. Atlanta in particular is a tech mecca, a place where companies launch with starkly different ideologies than their Northern competition.

To read more, visit: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/12/27/new-technology-civil-war/

Taking multi-vitamin pills ‘does nothing for our health’

Posted: 28 Dec 2011 09:22 AM PST

By Daily Mail Reporter

They are a daily essential for millions of Britons hoping to ward off ill-health.

But despite the millions of pounds spent on vitamin pills, they do nothing for our health, according to a major study.

Researchers spent more than six years following 8,000 people and found that those taking supplements were just as likely to have developed cancer or heart disease as those who took an identical-looking dummy pill.

And when they were questioned on how healthy they felt, there was hardly any difference between the two groups.

Experts said the study – one of the most extensive carried out into vitamin pills – suggested that millions of consumers may be wasting their money on supplements.

Many users fall into the category of the 'worried well' – healthy adults who believe the pills will insure them against deadly illnesses – according to Catherine Collins, chief dietician at St George's Hospital in London.

To read more, visit: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2078861/Taking-multi-vitamin-pills-does-health.html

Nashville gets its own Tea Party branch

Posted: 28 Dec 2011 08:19 AM PST

By Joey Garrison, The City Paper

Nearly three years after a wave of anti-federal government sentiment spawned a national movement, Tea Party groups in Tennessee are still popping up.

The latest is the Nashville Tea Party, launched earlier this month, marking the first Tea Party organization to use Tennessee's capital city in its title.

Ben Cunningham, who heads the Nashville-based Tennessee Tax Revolt, is the lead founder of the Nashville Tea Party, which made its entry into the local political scene through social media, adopting Twitter and Facebook pages in recent weeks.

"We're just in the very formative stages," Cunningham told The City Paper Tuesday. "So, we don't have a whole lot we can say about the structure. We'll have many more details coming out over the next few weeks and months."

The new group's website, nashvilleteaparty.com, lists three core values: "limited constitutional government, fiscal responsibility and free markets."

Cunningham, known best for his 2006 petition drive allowing Nashvillians to vote on future property tax increases, said Nashville Tea Party would announce members of its advisory board at a later time. The plan is to make inroads in Metro government, which has received little attention from Tea Party activists.

"We will be focusing on issues related to Metro government and the [Metro] Council," Cunningham said.

Johnson the Libertarian could snag some of state’s electoral votes

Posted: 28 Dec 2011 08:14 AM PST

By Steve Terrell | The New Mexican

With former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson expected to announce Wednesday his bid for the Libertarian Party nomination for president, some wonder whether that could make Johnson a real contender for New Mexico’s five electoral votes.

Johnson has scheduled a 10 a.m. news conference Wednesday at the state Capitol, at which he is expected to announce he will drop his long-shot bid for the Republican nomination and run instead as a Libertarian.

Earlier this month, a Public Policy Polling survey of New Mexico voters showed Johnson taking more than 20 percent of the vote in the general election in a three-way race with Democrat Barack Obama and either Mitt Romney or Newt Gingrich as the Republican nominee.

According to that poll, Johnson would take 26 percent to 30 percent of the Republican vote in New Mexico and win a plurality of the independent vote. Obama would win the state by 15 to 17 percentage points with or without Johnson in the race. (That is, if the election were held a couple of weeks ago, when the poll was taken.)

The state Republican Party recently lambasted PPP, which is a Democratic Party polling company, saying the company’s polls have undercounted Republicans.

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Rick Santelli's Chicago Tea Party

Jesse Jackson: SC “sinking the ship in order to protect states rights”
Tea Party Express backs Bachmann
Rep. Paul says defense bill assures ‘descent into totalitarianism’
Greater Boston Tea Party elects new president
TSA screenings aren’t just for airports anymore
Tea Party Texan blames ‘failure to communicate’ for payroll tax debacle

Jesse Jackson: SC “sinking the ship in order to protect states rights”

Posted: 28 Dec 2011 07:08 AM PST

From Nikki Haley, Governor of South Carolina:

Jesse Jackson said that we are playing to an imaginary South Carolina and “sinking the ship in order to protect states rights”. Our response: “The only thing imaginary about South Carolina is Rev. Jackson’s belief that our citizens will have better health care, better schools, and better job opportunities if the federal govt continues to try and control our state. We appreciate his concern but we’ll Keep doing what we believe is best for the state we actually live in- and will continue to watch South Carolina grow and move toward a bright future.”

By Dykes, David | Greenville Online

The Rev. Jesse Jackson said Republicans are playing to an "imaginary audience" in South Carolina for next year's presidential election and the state's electorate must brush aside the conservative rhetoric to meet the state's most pressing economic and social needs.

A spokesman for Gov. Nikki Haley, a Republican, said, however, "the only thing imaginary about South Carolina" is Jackson’s belief that the state's outlook will improve "if the federal government continues to try and control our state."

The partisan exchange came Tuesday, less than a month before South Carolina's Republican presidential primary.

Jackson, a civil rights activist and Greenville native, said the federal government must help the state live up to the promise of democracy for all.

"America's a liberal idea," Jackson, founder and president of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, said in an interview with GreenvilleOnline.com. "So all this espousing 'I am a locked-in-the-cement-conservative' misses what is essentially America."

Its multicultural and multiracial richness helped shape the nation, and past acceptance of "your tired, your poor, your huddled masses" must continue in dealing with immigration and racial issues, Jackson said.

"I just hope that somebody from the South – South Carolina – will not let people come through here and play us cheap," said Jackson, who ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988.

Tea Party Express backs Bachmann

Posted: 27 Dec 2011 11:31 AM PST

SACRAMENTO — The Tea Party Express offered support to Rep. Michele Bachmann’s bid to be the Republican Party’s presidential nominee, but stopped short of an endorsement.

The Tea Party Express, in a statement, said that while it hasn’t endorsed any candidate, it was committed to backing the conservative candidate who could best defeat President Obama in November, Roll Call reported Monday.

“While the Tea Party Express has not endorsed a presidential candidate at this time, Michele Bachmann [R-Minn.] garners strong Tea Party support because of her work and commitment to restoring fiscal responsibility to Washington, D.C.,” Tea Party Express Chairman Amy Kremer said.

The Sacramento, Calif.-based group advocated for a competitive primary, beginning with the Jan. 3 Iowa caucuses.

Rep. Paul says defense bill assures ‘descent into totalitarianism’

Posted: 27 Dec 2011 11:29 AM PST

By Jonathan Easley, The Hill

GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul warned that the National Defense Authorization Act, which was passed by Congress this month, will accelerate the country's "slip into tyranny" and virtually assures "our descent into totalitarianism."

"The founders wanted to set a high bar for the government to overcome in order to deprive an individual of life or liberty," Paul, the libertarian congressman from Texas, said Monday in a weekly phone message to supporters. "To lower that bar is to endanger everyone. When the bar is low enough to include political enemies, our descent into totalitarianism is virtually assured. The Patriot Act, as bad as its violations against the Fourth Amendment was, was just one step down the slippery slope. The recently passed National Defense Authorization Act continues that slip into tyranny, and in fact, accelerates it significantly."

The NDAA is the nearly $670 billion defense spending bill that covers the military budget and funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
One controversial provision mandates the detention of terror suspects and reaffirms the administration's authority to detain those suspected of having ties to terrorist organizations.

Greater Boston Tea Party elects new president

Posted: 27 Dec 2011 07:42 AM PST

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

Boston's Tea Party movement has had a change in its top leadership.

Christine Morabito has been elected to replace Christen Varley of Holliston as president of the unofficial political group.

Morabito is a psychiatric nurse from Haverhill who has been heavily involved in Tea Party activities since the movement's inception in 2009, the group said in a statement. She also has served as a committee chair within the Merrimack Valley Tea Party and as a member of the Greater Boston Tea Party's steering committee since its inception in 2010.

"Christine has been a dedicated activist within the movement and has exhibited outstanding leadership qualities in her writing, her public speaking, and her service to the Greater Boston Tea Party," Varley said in a statement.

Morabito branded herself both "humbled and honored" to take over the group's presidency.

"When we articulate the principles of limited government, free speech, free markets, individual liberty, and personal responsibility, we will naturally grow our numbers and have a positive effect on public policy, both locally and nationally," said Morabito.

The statement also announced that Patrick Humphries was reelected as treasurer and Varley will slip into the slot as secretary.

The terms begin Jan. 1 and end Dec. 31, 2013.

TSA screenings aren’t just for airports anymore

Posted: 26 Dec 2011 07:44 AM PST

By Brian Bennett, Los Angeles Times

Charlotte, N.C.— Rick Vetter was rushing to board the Amtrak train in Charlotte, N.C., on a recent Sunday afternoon when a canine officer suddenly blocked the way.

Three federal air marshals in bulletproof vests and two officers trained to spot suspicious behavior watched closely as Seiko, a German shepherd, nosed Vetter’s trousers for chemical traces of a bomb. Radiation detectors carried by the marshals scanned the 57-year-old lawyer for concealed nuclear materials.

When Seiko indicated a scent, his handler, Julian Swaringen, asked Vetter whether he had pets at home in Garner, N.C. Two mutts, Vetter replied. “You can go ahead,” Swaringen said.

The Transportation Security Administration isn’t just in airports anymore. TSA teams are increasingly conducting searches and screenings at train stations, subways, ferry terminals and other mass transit locations around the country.

“We are not the Airport Security Administration,” said Ray Dineen, the air marshal in charge of the TSA office in Charlotte. “We take that transportation part seriously.”

Tea Party Texan blames ‘failure to communicate’ for payroll tax debacle

Posted: 26 Dec 2011 07:42 AM PST

By Jonathan Easley, The Hill

Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Tex.), a member of the House Tea Party caucus, blamed Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) for the fiasco over the payroll tax extension.

"What we have here is a failure to communicate," Gohmert said Monday on Fox News.

House Republicans initially balked on passing a two-month extension after it passed the Senate with overwhelming support, but the House GOP eventually relented and passed the short-term option.

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Rick Santelli's Chicago Tea Party

Fed’s Once-Secret Data Compiled by Bloomberg Released to Public
Congress To Fund Massive Expansion Of TSA Checkpoints
Discover the doomsday seed vault’s secrets
Alleged Tea Party HD Scammer Countersues Former Business Partners
Paul criticizes Dems & GOP, elevates tea party, Occupy movement
Over 40 Internet Companies Come Out Publicly Against SOPA
Rep. West: Payroll tax extension deal ‘a sad day for America’

Fed’s Once-Secret Data Compiled by Bloomberg Released to Public

Posted: 23 Dec 2011 02:49 PM PST

By Phil Kuntz and Bob Ivry, Bloomberg.com

Bloomberg News today released spreadsheets showing daily borrowing totals for 407 banks and companies that tapped Federal Reserve emergency programs during the 2007 to 2009 financial crisis. It's the first time such data have been publicly available in this form.

To download a zip file of the spreadsheets, go to http://bit.ly/Bloomberg-Fed-Data. For an explanation of the files, see the one labeled "1a Fed Data Roadmap."

The day-by-day, bank-by-bank numbers, culled from about 50,000 transactions the U.S. central bank made through seven facilities, formed the basis of a series of Bloomberg News articles this year about the largest financial bailout in history.

"Scholars can now examine the data and continue the analysis of the Fed's crisis management," said Allan H. Meltzer, a professor of political economy at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and the author of three books on the history of the U.S. central bank.

The data reflect lending from the Asset-Backed Commercial Paper Money Market Mutual Fund Liquidity Facility, the Commercial Paper Funding Facility, the Primary Dealer Credit Facility, the Term Auction Facility, the Term Securities Lending Facility, the discount window and single-tranche open market operations, or ST OMO.

Bloomberg News obtained information about the discount window and ST OMO through the Freedom of Information Act. While the Fed initially rejected a request for discount-window information, Bloomberg LP, the parent company of Bloomberg News, filed a federal lawsuit to force disclosure and won in the lower courts. In March, the U.S. Supreme Court decided not to intervene in the case, and the Fed released more than 29,000 pages of transaction data.

Congress To Fund Massive Expansion Of TSA Checkpoints

Posted: 23 Dec 2011 02:45 PM PST

By: Paul Joseph Watson, Infowars.com

Congress is set to give the green light on funding for a massive expansion of TSA checkpoints, with the federal agency already responsible for over 9,000 such checkpoints in the last year amidst increased fears America is turning into a police state following the passage of the 'indefinite detention' bill.

The increase in funding has nothing to do with the TSA's role in airports – this is about creating 12 more VIPR teams to add the federal agency's 25 units that are already scattered across the country and responsible for manning checkpoints on highways, in bus and train terminals, at sports events and even high school prom nights.

"The TSA's 25 "viper" teams — for Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response — have run more than 9,300 unannounced checkpoints and other search operations in the last year. Department of Homeland Security officials have asked Congress for funding to add 12 more teams next year," reports the L.A. Times.

The demand for $24 million in extra funding is in addition to the $110 million spent in fiscal year 2011. The figures are completely independent from the federal agency's role inside the nation's airports, which costs taxpayers $5 billion a year.

The extra money is being demanded despite the fact that there is "no proof that the roving viper teams have foiled any terrorist plots or thwarted any major threat to public safety," according to the L.A. Times report, which also highlights how the TSA's sniffer dogs are used to single out people for questioning if the dog smells the scent of the owner's pets on their clothing.

The appearance of thousands more checkpoints on America's highways and at key transport hubs will only heighten concerns that the country is headed towards a Soviet-style police state.

Discover the doomsday seed vault’s secrets

Posted: 23 Dec 2011 02:41 PM PST

By: PF Louis, NaturalNews.com

Are you aware of the Arctic Circle Doomsday Seed Vault? Technically it’s the Svalbard International Seed Vault. The media has hailed it as an attempt to create a doomsday ark containing a wide variety of seeds to ensure the future of agriculture in the event of widespread crop disasters. A closer look behind the curtains finds some suspicious characters heavily vested in the vault’s activity.

The doomsday vault’s operation

The doomsday seed vault is situated on the island of Spitzbergen, Norway, located in the Svalbard island group within the Arctic Circle. It exists in an old copper mine, which is connected by a long steel tunnel from outside of the mine’s mountain. It is steel and concrete fortified with all the latest technological innovations for supplying power and maintaining seed security.

It is considered a safety deposit box back up for all other seed banks located throughout the world, of which there are many. Because of its remote but accessible location, entrance at 400 feet above sea level, and the permafrost protection for the vault if there is a power failure. On the surface, the project makes ecological sense.

Norway technically owns the vault, and endows those who place seeds into the vault with absolute ownership and access of the seeds. The Global Crop Diversity Trust based in Rome is the prime coordinating international agency for the doomsday vault, and they have strong Rockefeller connections.

An earlier LA Times article mentioned that all seeds are accepted, except for genetically modified seeds. However, this stipulation wasn’t noticed on the vault FAQs web page. The doomsday vault donors listed include the Gates Foundation, Rockefeller, Monsanto, and Syngenta, an international counterpart to Monsanto based in Switzerland.

Alleged Tea Party HD Scammer Countersues Former Business Partners

Posted: 23 Dec 2011 12:44 PM PST

By: JILLIAN RAYFIELD, TPMMuckraker

A conservative businessman, accused of scamming investors in a Tea Party television venture, is countersuing his former business partners, claiming that they conspired against him and that he "has suffered shame and humiliation" as a result of their suit.

In his countersuit, California businessman Anthony Loiacono asks for $1 million in damages each from Bill Hemrick and five other Tennessee investors, over a video website, Tea Party HD, aimed at tea partiers.

Hemrick and the others sued Loiacono in November, claiming that he never put in his share of the start-up money and used the rest of the funds as his "personal bank account." The complaint says he used the money to pay himself, his employees, and even his family members "exorbitant rates" for just a few TPHD projects.

"The alleged purpose of Tea Party HD was to be the 'world's first HD provider of news about the Tea Party,'" the initial lawsuit stated. "In reality it was an investment scheme to defraud politically conservative-minded citizens who support the Tea Party mission." The suit requested $19 million in punitive damages and a return of the initial investments.

Loiacono claims that he and Hemrick came up with the idea in 2010, and each agreed to invest $60,000 and split ownership of the company. Hemrick was in charge of raising money, and Loiacono was in charge of producing the video. "Extensive amounts of time and effort were expended by" Loiacono and employees of Heads & Tails, Inc., in "the production, editing, and presenting of videos and other media materials for Tea Party HD, LLC, on its internet website." Loiacono adds that the videos were "of high professional quality and were well accepted by the public, and produced income from advertisers."

But, Loiacono claims, Hemrick "was unable or unwilling to fulfill his obligation of raising capital for the venture" and that "as capital for the venture dwindled, the investors became polarized against him." He also claims that the investors pressured him to buy them out, and conspired to violate the initial agreement among the group.

Paul criticizes Dems & GOP, elevates tea party, Occupy movement

Posted: 23 Dec 2011 08:45 AM PST

By Shannon Travis, CNN.com

Cedar Rapids, Iowa – Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul rolled out some equal opportunity scorn late Thursday in Iowa, criticizing Democrats and Republicans while elevating the concerns of the tea party and Occupy Wall Street movements.

But before he zinged the two political parties, the Texas congressman began his speech in front of over 300 people in Cedar Rapids with a joke about a matter he takes very seriously.

“I was told we were having a little trouble with our microphone,” Paul said as the mic screeched with mild feedback. “First thing I thought was, ‘Ben Bernanke got to us, you know. It was a sabotage. The Fed is after me.’”

“Thank you very much for coming,” Paul continued. “We have been very busy these last couple of days. And we’ve been very encouraged. Has anybody noticed that the polls have changed significantly?”

Over 40 Internet Companies Come Out Publicly Against SOPA

Posted: 23 Dec 2011 08:41 AM PST

By Alexia Tsotsis, TechCrunch.com

Since the list of 120 or so SOPA supporting companies hit the Internet yesterday, the lines have been drawn; People are publicly promising to pull thousands of domains from domain registrar Godaddy after it appeared on the list as a supporter. Other people are calling those people "bullies."

Whether you're for or against it SOPA has become somewhat of a pain point amongst techies, with the overwhelming majority, including myself and almost every other writer on the TechCrunch team, leaning heavily towards "against."

SOPA (the Stop Online Piracy Act) essentially allows ISPs to block entire domains because a piece of hosted content infringes copyright. As the bill approaches deliberation in House of Representatives next month, a steady stream of Internet companies have taken anti-SOPA stands. After all, sacrificing innovation to save a dying business model is a close as it gets to anathema in these parts.

Rep. West: Payroll tax extension deal ‘a sad day for America’

Posted: 23 Dec 2011 08:32 AM PST

By Justin Sink – The Hill

Tea Party freshman Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.) said Thursday that the agreement to extend the payroll tax was “a sad day for America” and an example of when “the politics of demagoguery trump policy and also principle” in a post to his Facebook wall.

“I cannot support this, but it seems the politics of demagoguery have won over policy and principle with the concession to enact tax policy on two-month basis,” West wrote. “This is a sad day for America and further evidences our continuing decline. Men and women of principle are become a dying breed in this Republic.”

West went on to criticize a conference call held by House Republican leadership Friday in which the deal, in which Republican agreed to pass the two-month extension of the tax cuts in exchange for a promise to appoint conferees to strike a year-long deal by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.).

“The conference lasted less than 15 minutes and we were not allowed to ask questions,” West wrote. “We were told that by unanimous consent the House will pass the Senate Amendment with a correction to the new payroll reporting procedures. Harry Reid agreed to appoint conferees but we were not told any timeline for this move.”

In an interview later Thursday on Fox News, West warned that the American people “were duped by the president of the United States.”

“The American people lose out because this is bad policy. You cannot do tax policy every two months. And I think all across the world, people are laughing at us right now,” West said.

He also said that other Tea Party freshmen were similarly upset with the establishment congressional leadership.

Rick Santelli's Chicago Tea Party

Saturday, December 31, 2011

Rick Santelli's Chicago Tea Party

Rick Santelli's Chicago Tea Party

Friday, December 30, 2011

Rick Santelli's Chicago Tea Party

Rick Santelli's Chicago Tea Party

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Rick Santelli's Chicago Tea Party

Rick Santelli's Chicago Tea Party

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Rick Santelli's Chicago Tea Party

Rick Santelli's Chicago Tea Party

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Rick Santelli's Chicago Tea Party

Rick Santelli's Chicago Tea Party

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