Friday, March 16, 2012

Rick Santelli's Chicago Tea Party

Rick Santelli's Chicago Tea Party

Senate Republicans Warn IRS Against Scrutiny of Tea Party

Posted: 15 Mar 2012 04:21 PM PDT

By Jonathan D. Salant, BusinessWeek.com

Senate Republicans today expressed concern that the Internal Revenue Service was singling out Tea Party groups for extra scrutiny in deciding whether to grant them tax-exempt status.

"It is critical that the public have confidence that federal tax compliance efforts are pursued in a fair, even- handed, and transparent manner – without regard to politics of any kind," the senators wrote to IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman.

Their letter followed a similar one written March 1 by House Ways and Means oversight subcommittee Chairman Charles Boustany, a Louisiana Republican, and followed a call by Senate Democrats for the IRS to cap political spending by nonprofits that don't disclose their donors.

Anti-tax Tea Party groups have backed Republicans, and gaining nonprofit status would allow them to engage in political activity while keeping their donors hidden, unlike traditional political action committees. They are applying for social welfare status under Section 501(c)(4) of the tax code, which means that political activity can't be their primary focus.

Other nonprofit groups such as Crossroads GPS, affiliated with Republican strategist Karl Rove; and Americans for Prosperity, funded in part by Koch Industries Inc. executives Charles and David Koch, spent more than $130 million on the 2010 elections, with more than $120 million of that going to elect Republican congressional candidates. The money helped the Republicans to a net gain of 63 House seats and 6 Senate seats.

Democratic Groups

On the Democratic side, a PAC supporting President Barack Obama's re-election, Priorities USA Action, has an affiliated nonprofit that can keep its contributors hidden.

Outside group spending has increased since the Supreme Court, in its 2010 Citizens United decision, removed restrictions on independent corporate and union spending on political ads.

To read more, visit:  http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-03-14/republicans-accuse-irs-of-scrutinizing-tea-party-groups

Good News: Jobless Claims Back at 4-Year Lows

Posted: 15 Mar 2012 04:18 PM PDT

From: FOXBusiness.com

New claims for unemployment benefits fell back to a four-year low last week, a government report showed on Thursday, suggesting further strengthening in the labor market.

Initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped 14,000 to a seasonally adjusted 351,000, the Labor Department said. That took claims back to a four-year low reached in February.

The prior week’s figure was revised up to 365,000 from the previously reported 362,000. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast claims falling to 356,000 last week.

The four-week moving average for new claims, considered a better measure of labor market trends, was unchanged at 355,750.

First-time applications for jobless benefits have been tucked in a tight range since mid-February, a hopeful sign for the labor market, which has enjoyed three straight months of employment gains above 200,000.

The jobless rate held at a three-year low of 8.3 percent in February.

While the Federal Reserve on Tuesday acknowledged the recent improvement in the labor market, it remained concerned with the still-high unemployment rate.

To read more, visit:  http://www.foxbusiness.com/economy/2012/03/15/good-news-jobless-claims-back-at-4-year-lows/

TSA set to test new screening protocols for elderly

Posted: 15 Mar 2012 04:16 PM PDT

By Mike M. Ahlers, CNN

After years of criticism, the Transportation Security Administration is taking the initial steps to modify screening for people age 75 or older.

Beginning Monday, the TSA will test procedures allowing those passengers to leave their shoes on, as well as light outerwear. Other changes are intended to reduce the likelihood that older passengers will be subjected to a pat-down.

The tests will be conducted at four airports: Chicago’s O’Hare, Denver International, Portland International in Oregon, and Orlando International. If they are successful, the TSA could expand the procedures to checkpoints nationwide.

The new protocols closely parallel changes implemented last fall for passengers age 12 and under, and for the same reason — intelligence indicates that they are unlikely to be involved in a terrorist attack, the TSA said.

TSA spokesman Greg Soule said the agency is trying to “move away from the one-size-fits-all approach” to security screening. The changes will manage risk, but not eliminate it, he said.

At the selected checkpoints, passengers 75 and older will be allowed to leave their shoes and light outerwear on. If the full-body scanner detects an anomaly, the passenger will be allowed a second pass through the machine to resolve the issue.

To read more, visit:  http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/14/travel/tsa-elderly-screening/index.html

DARPA Unveils Drone-Slaying War Laser

Posted: 15 Mar 2012 04:13 PM PDT

BY NEAL UNGERLEIDER, FastCompany.com

DARPA is unveiling a portable laser weapons system, HELLADS, which seems like something out of a sci-fi movie. The new laser application, created by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems with a custom power system from Saft Batteries, will help change the way the American military fights future wars. Current military laser systems are bulky contraptions which are mainly the size of a passenger jet, while the proposed DARPA weapon can fit on the back of a flatbed truck. The 150-kilowatt, solid state laser weapon is strong enough to take down drones or other aerial targets; a prototype is expected to be available by the end of 2012.

HELLADS stands for High Energy Liquid Laser Area Defense System. Since laser beams work at the speed of light, it’s effectively impossible for aerial targets to dodge them. The use of laser beams against land targets is complicated by line-of-sight issues, but the miniaturization of laser technology makes them perfect for use against aerial and naval targets. The demonstration laser for DARPA will be the first 150-kilowatt laser weapon of its kind. DARPA plans to use the completed prototypes against targets at White Sands Missile Range in early 2013–this will include ground testing against rockets, mortars, and surface-to-air missiles.

Although video footage of HELLADS is not available yet, this clip of a previously developed American-Israeli laser system (which will be discussed later) from Northrop Grumman gives a good idea of how the system will work.

The big advance with these weapons is in the strength of the lasers and in their portability. Saft’s Annie Sennet-Cassity told Fast Company that while previous military laser prototypes were stronger, they were also about the size of a passenger jet. This creates obvious difficulties in battlefield or aerial use. A 150-kilowatt laser beam is powerful enough to destroy aircraft.

Previous military laser weapons primarily relied on blinding pilots with laser beams, rather than destroying the aircraft itself. For the United States Air Force, the ultimate goal is to equip bombers and UAVs with HELLADS weaponry.

However, the United States is not the only nation developing laser weapons. The Israeli government and American defense contractors have quietly been working for years on the Nautilus laser system, which in the words of Wired’s Danger Room blog, gave the country a "ray gun defense." Russia has been working on aerial military lasers since at least 2010, and India has also been developing a laser weapon system of its own.

While the idea of military lasers, death rays, and ray guns encourage all sorts of futurist fantasies, there will be major limitations to these weapons. Despite the fact that DARPA’s laser can destroy airplanes, the strength of the laser beam is greatly weakened by clouds, haze, and dust clouds—something that can limit on-the-ground use in warzones.

To read more, visit:  http://www.fastcompany.com/1823017/darpa-hellads-military-drone-laser

Science declares war on eating meat: Pharma pills may be introduced to induce nausea when people consume beef or pork

Posted: 15 Mar 2012 04:10 PM PDT

By:  Ethan A. Huff, NaturalNews.com

There is a concerted effort currently underway to demonize all things meat, regardless of how it is raised or produced, by blaming disease, obesity, and now even global warming, on human meat consumption. And a recent paper put out by S. Matthew Liao, a professor of philosophy and bioethics at New York University, outlines some outlandish solutions for how to combat so-called man-made climate change, including a recommendation that pharmaceutical companies develop drugs to induce nausea when people eat beef or pork products.

In a recent interview with Ross Anderson from The Atlantic, Liao presents his case for why he believes humans need to be micromanaged, controlled, and ultimately genetically-engineered (GE) for the betterment of the planet. Cutting greenhouse gas emissions and implementing various environmental measures are simply not enough, in Liao’s mind, to stop his theory of man-made climate change, which has led him to envision a world where human beings are genetically redesigned with “eco-friendly” characteristics, and where pharmaceutical drugs are used to reprogram the way people think and act.

Drug-induced vegetarianism to ‘save the planet’

Making no differentiation between meat that comes from grass-fed, pasture-based livestock, and meat from genetically-modified (GM), grain-fed, confined livestock, Liao claims that “livestock farming” in general is responsible for a large bulk of man-made global warming. So his solution to this alleged problem is to urge drug companies to create a pill or patch that would induce nausea when a person consumes a meat product.

“The paper suggests that such individuals could take a pill that would trigger mild nausea upon the ingestion of meat, which would then lead to a lasting aversion to meat-eating,” writes Anderson about Liao’s idea of an anti-meat drug, which admittedly would be voluntary, at least initially. And if the drug option is not plausible, then Liao suggests an anti-meat patch that would stimulate an immune response that rejects the assimilation of meat proteins in the body.

Pasture-raised animals actually help the environment, naturally improve soil health

Liao’s short-sighted and ignorant views about meat production are concerning, because they could be used to implement tyrannical restrictions on meat consumption in the very near future. What Liao fails to grasp is the difference between the factory-farm model of raising livestock, which is destroying human health and the environment, and small-scale, pasture-based models of raising livestock, which are actually improving the environment and soil health.

Back in 2010, Lisa Abend from TIME wrote a great piece about how grass-fed livestock operations are changing the way meat is produced, and all for the better. Unlike conventional livestock, grazing animals eat grass and other forage that humans cannot eat, and naturally work manure and other organic matter into soil while they ruminate, which improves soil nutrient content and keeps carbon dioxide in the ground where it belongs (http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1953692,00.html).

In the pasture-based model, grazing animals are a vital part of the ecological cycle rather than a detriment to it, and the meat these animals produce is highly-nutritious and rich in healthy omega-3 fatty acids and other nutrients. Pasture-raised animals, in other words, are an essential component of vibrant environmental health, as opposed to their confined counterparts, which are responsible for immense environmental destruction (http://www.naturalnews.com/027199_meat_fat_cattle.html).

To read more, visit:  http://www.naturalnews.com/035248_meat_consumption_nausea_pills.html

Utah senator faces caucus challenge from Tea Party candidates

Posted: 15 Mar 2012 04:07 PM PDT

By Debbie Hummel, Reuters.com

Seeking one last term, Republican U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch is facing what may prove to be the toughest re-election of his 36-year tenure in Thursday’s Utah Republican caucus against two popular younger Tea Party-backed candidates.

Conservative and heavily Republican Utah last elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate more than four decades ago, so the Republican nominee is usually considered the presumptive winner of the general election in November.

For a senior stalwart of the Republican mainstream like Hatch, the ranking Republican on the tax-writing Senate Finance Committee, the Senate seat has long been regarded as his to lose. He was first elected in 1976 and turns 78 next week.

But former state Senator Dan Liljenquist, 37, and state Representative Chris Herrod, 46, are running this year against Hatch, saying now is the time for change.

Both have gained a strong following from the conservative Tea Party movement with campaign rhetoric focused on such themes such as reducing the size of government and lowering taxes. They have suggested Hatch’s principles have been compromised by his lengthy tenure as part of the inside-the-Beltway establishment.

“It’s time for a new generation to step up and lead,” Liljenquist said in a recent interview. “Washington will not be changed from the inside.”

To read more, visit:  http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/14/us-usa-politics-utah-idUSBRE82D0Z020120314

CHRIS ROCK ATTACKS Camera Over Tea Party Question

Posted: 15 Mar 2012 04:04 PM PDT

From: TMZ.com

Chris Rock violently attacked a journalist’s camera in January — after the guy tried to trap Rock with a question about the comedian’s controversial stance on the Tea Party — and the intense footage has just surfaced.

In case you didn’t know — Rock went OFF on the TP last year in an Esquire interview, claiming, “When I see the Tea Party and all this stuff, it actually feels like racism's almost over. Because this is the last — this is the act up before the sleep. They're going crazy. They're insane.”

So conservative writer Jason Mattera decided to question Rock about his opinion at the Sundance Film Festival in January — blindsiding Rock with a TP question … asking, “When you said the Tea Party was insane and racist …”

But before he could finish his question, Rock tried to walk away. When he discovered his path was blocked by other people, Rock turned around and grabbed Mattera’s camera and wrestled it to the ground.

A rep for Chris says the actor’s attorney is looking into the video.

To read more, visit:  http://www.tmz.com/2012/03/14/chris-rock-tea-party-attack-video/#.T2J1EhEgd8x
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