RIOT IN STEM CELL BLOCK NUMBER 666: Those claiming "religious" objections to stem cell research have been slapped down by the mighty hand of the courts. Hell-aloo-yuh!
By E.J. Gauthier Super Stem Cell Supporter
(CNS) WASHINGTON - - Christopher Reeve would be proud.
The late actor and stem cell research activist would have greatly enjoyed the major ruling of a U.S. appeals court today, stating that any opponents of taxpayer-funded stem cell research are not likely to succeed in any lawsuits to ever prevent it.
In its 2-1 decision, the U.S. court of appeals panel in Washington overturned a judge's opinion from last August that would have permanently blocked taxpayer funding for stem cell research. The previous judge had claimed that this type of research "likely" violates a law against federal funding of embryo destruction.
Well, it ain't "likely" anymore - now it's downright unlikely. The 1996 law, which the previous judge referred to, had prohibited the use of taxpayer dollars in work that harms an embryo, so private money had been used to cull batches of the cells. However, since 1996, several other forms of synthetic embryos have been developed, which made the old law a moot point, anyway.
Such batches can reproduce in lab dishes indefinitely, and now the Obama administration has issued rules permitting taxpayer dollars to be used in work on them.
The White House praised the decision. Nicholas Papas, a White House spokesman, said, "Today's ruling is a victory for our scientists and patients around the world who stand to benefit from the groundbreaking medical research they're pursuing."
Researchers hope one day to use stem cells in ways that cure spinal cord injuries, Parkinson's disease and other ailments.
"We're thrilled with this decision and look forward to allowing federally funded scientists to continue with their work without political constraints," said Sean Tipton, a spokesman for the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.
Opponents had predictably wanted to block such measures, touting their usual uncivilized and backward attitude of "let's not play god." One can easily imagine what would have happened to every disease-curing scientist throughout history if each time he produced a success, it was turned down for use by society at large because it was an example of "playing god."
Plus, even engaging in the bible-thumping fantasy world for a moment, isn't some "god" actually responsible for making such research possible in the first place? Since a "god" can do everything, one such "deity" could easily have hidden from scientists all such curative possibilities, and any avenues to them, from day one!
And now back to reality: Several threats of lawsuits, counter suits, court opinions, funding maneuvers, etc., have come and gone since 2001 when the stem cell debate really heated up, but attempting to fill in the background on all that here would be a huge waste of time and print space.
So we've mainly concentrated on this most recent decision, and hopefully it will also be the last. Now go ahead and cure stuff, stem cell dudes!
MUDDYING THE PAPER-LINED POND: This latest pathetic attempt proves the birthers were right. There are more holes in it than a slice of swiss cheese - which we at least know was born in Switzerland!
By Ed Gauthier Not Shocked, Just Snickering
Whoops! Looks like somebody working in Washington needs to take some Photoshop lessons.
Apparently, possible presidential candidate Donald Trump has President Obama jumping through hoops, but if so, Obama failed to get through this one. The White House offered an alleged long form birth certificate online today, but it appears to be a fraud, and not even a very good one at that.
So this is all we get after waiting over two years?
It should come as no shock to most birthers that this latest offering is most likely just a photo-manipulated fabrication, done with either an actual Photoshop or other similar program, according to computer image experts.
(Please note the fact that no, despite claims to the contrary, all documents do not look the same under photo image scrutiny. Standard scans show very few unnatural artifacts, but when something has been tampered with, it is clearly evident, like many measles dotted over the surface of the skin.)
The edited quotes that follow below are various message board comments made about this latest chapter in the "Bama BC" soap opera, in order to provide a broad sweep of how this dubious document was received by the politically - and photographically - savvy public. (For privacy and related reasons, contributor names have been left out.)
ANOTHER SUSPICIOUS CERTIFICATE: AMERICA SPEAKS
"I pulled this PDF apart with Adobe Illustrator myself. This thing is clipped all to heII and back. 3 of the clipped in bits are easily visible to the naked eye. The two dates, bottom right and left in the form area, with text lighter than the other type-set on the document are clipped in. The '1' on the end of 1961 in each case is also original, and *also* has the darker type set. Likewise, the 'None' on line 17a is also clipped. the 'e' is original, however the 'Non' was edited in front of the original 'e'. I cant see what was there originally, but these layers are definitely not it. Lastly, the date and attest signature at the bottom of the page are also layered in. There is also a block section of the background pattern tagged in above the April 25, 2011 date as well. Download the illustrator yourself, open the doc with it, go to select, object, and toggle clipping masks."
"The certificate he produced has been tampered with and the term African for race of father is a mental and very stupid error. People of color were listed as being Negro not African. African was not considered a race during the time he was born. He was born in Kenya, Africa and has said so to groups before being elected President."
"It is a very poor fake. Look at the signatures, some are digitized, and some are painted in. The Obama one is painted in. An imager can never scan with type of perfection that the Obama signature shows. Whoever did this was very inexperienced with creating fake documents."
"To me, the smoking gun is where his father was born. Since he is supposed to be so well versed in the Constitution but seems to have no problem abusing it, I am sure he is familiar with Article II, as well as the 14th Amendment which is addresses citizenship of children born in the US to ambassadors from another country. This is why he talks about the Constitution being restrictive and a negative document. According to Historian, David Ramsey, (1749-1815) regarding Article II in the Constitution means that to run for president you must be a natural born citizen of the U.S.A. It also means that a natural born citizen must be born as well to parents who were born in the U.S.A., both of them, and his father therefore disqualifies him. That makes Obama not eligible to be president no matter where he is born. It lists his father as being born in Kenya."
"Given that the POTUS is a fraud and a goonda, the fact that he waited so long to “release” his birth-cert (when his campaign demanded such from John McCain) suggests that all is not well."
"But as for the birth certificate, I ask myself, why did he spend a few millions dollars to block any investigation about “Who is BHO”? Sorry, but something doesn‘t’ sit right with me. If you have nothing to hide, you don’t spend millions trying to hide nothing!"
"There is something about this president that he doesn’t want us to know. I pray Trump keeps digging and forces BO‘s hand again, to unblock all of his school records, his passport. and how he went to school as an Indonesia citizen and still managed to be an American cititzen. Why did he use two names? This has nothing do with his color - it has to do with who did we elect to be our Commander and Chief?"
"Here is concrete proof Obama is NOT an American citizen. To get an American passport you must be an American citizen. Obama admits to have traveled to Pakistan in 1981. What passport did he use? There are only three possibilities: 1) He traveled with an American passport–WRONG. Pakistan was on the US State Department’s NO TRAVEL list in 1981. 2) He traveled with a British passport–if so, that proves he was born in Kenya on August 4, 1961 and NOT in Hawaii as he claims. 3) He traveled with an Indonesian passport–if so, that proves that he RELINQUISHED whatever citizenship he held prior to being adopted by his Indonesian step-father in 1967. It’s that simple."
"Obama's birth certificate is a fraud, just like the liar himself. These idiots think the American people are stupid. A 10-year-old can see this is a fake!"
________________________________________
And now here's a Top 20 of related observations gathered from an article at SmokingGun.com, as well as the resulting comments - a few items may echo what we already covered, but then some things do deserve repeating, anyway:
1. The patterned background is too seamless for a document kept in a bound volume. 2. The “Date Accepted” is four days later than “Date of Birth.” 3. Smudges in box next to name of attendant. 4. M.D. who signed the document conveniently died eight years ago. 5. Two mysterious Xs above “twin” and “triplet.” 6. Unexplained “8991” on document's right side. 7. “41” at right of document looks suspicious. 8. Birth certificate of someone born at the same hospital a day later has a lower number. 9. There is no official seal. 10. Still says “Certificate of Live Birth.” (Which indicates short form only.) 11. Instead of “African” under father's race, “Colored” or “Negro” would have been used in 1961. 12. The type for “Caucasian” is too perfect, not possible for a typewriter from 1961. 13. No ink footprint. 14. No birth weight listed. 15. Signature of mother and attendant are too similar. 16. Under hour of birth, the “M.” in “P.M.” is a different font. 17. Address for Obama's childhood home is the middle of a highway. 18. Hawaii's Governor until recently claimed there was no birth certificate. 19. Obviously Photoshopped. Layers! 20. We all know his real name is Barry Saetoro, and he changed his name to Barack Obama only after visiting Pakistan years later!
INBRED IDIOTS: No one will be allowed in without an invitation - unless, of course, they're a fellow dictator!
By Ed Gauthier Holy Hive Royal Jelly Wedding Planner
Yes, chronic anglophiles, it looks like another wedding of two rotten "royals" is just around the corner. It's set for this week on April 29, a Freaky Friday, which is certainly appropriate.
Remember a little while back when Kate Middleton dumped bald Willie Windsor, and they had their big "breakup"? Ya, right - as if the Queen would ever have allowed that insult! For the rest of her life, Middleton would have happily been able to say, "Ya, I had him, but he wasn't any big deal, so I threw him back!"
So sure enough, they were forced back together. At least it doesn't quite work that way over here, since folks like former John Kennedy Jr. lover Daryl Hannah can always say, "Thank goodness I already dumped the guy before he went down in that plan with that other chick!"
Meanwhile, getting back to the lizard lovers trampling on today's news, I have to wonder how long after the evil spawn brats are released from her loins that the new wife will hear her king say, "Off with her head!" or "Crash her car!"
And now here's some cool coverage of this pair of putrid pukes and their pals by the good people over at A. J. Central (link to full story at bottom):
MODERN BRITISH ROYALTY: EUGENICISTS, NAZIS AND NEO- FEUDALISTS
Steve Watson and Alex Jones Infowars.com
The upcoming royal Wedding of William Mountbatten-Windsor, heir in waiting to the British throne has the UK media in a frenzy of vomit inducing worship and stomach churning sycophantic fawning.
Even the US media is pouring over the royals to such an extent that commentators have pointed out that had the modern day corporate media covered the Revolutionary War, it would have firmly supported the British.
The US fought a bloody war of independence against British control of its government and economy, yet the American media has fast become fascinated with an institution that represents everything America is not. This despite the fact that in a recent poll only 6% of Americans said they were at all interested in the event.
Two billion people are estimated to watch this weekend’s royal wedding. Despite the three war fronts, radioactive meltdown in Japan, the evolving 2012 presidential field and any number of other stories, the media’s collective lens will be turned exclusively on a snobbish pompous ceremony that is costing already extremely strained British taxpayers tens of billions to stage.
While the British government balks at the unfolding events in Syria and elsewhere where protests and demonstrations are being brutally curbed, those wishing to protest the antiquated old world elitist values Britain is still forced to accept as “cultural” under the monarchy will be met with stern resistance and a gargantuan police presence this weekend on the streets of London.
WHY SO STUCK UP? Welcome to SNOBFEST 2011. Yet again, the same old groups will perform. (yawn)
April 29: Other noteworthy happenings on this same date in history:
711 – Islamic conquest of Hispania: Moorish troops led by Tariq ibn-Ziyad land at Gibraltar to begin their invasion of the Iberian Peninsula (Al-Andalus). 1910 – The Parliament of the United Kingdom passes the People's Budget, the first budget in British history with the expressed intent of redistributing wealth among the British public. 1916 – World War I: The British 6th Indian Division surrenders to (German) Ottoman Forces at the Siege of Kut in one of the largest surrenders of British forces up to that point. 1916 – Easter Rebellion: Martial law in Ireland is lifted and the rebellion is officially over with the surrender of Irish nationalists to British authorities in Dublin. 1945 – World War II: The German Army in Italy unconditionally surrenders to the Allies. 1945 – Adolf Hitler marries Eva Braun in a Berlin, Germany bunker. 1946 – Former Prime Minister of Japan Hideki Tojo (and 28 former Japanese leaders) are indicted for war crimes by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East. 2011 – Wedding of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Kate Middleton, some Brit-twit chick he met awhile back.
THE BOSS WANTS TO SEE WHAT? Disputed: In the "burned memo" the CIA director allegedly wrote: "Lancer [JFK] has made some inquiries regarding our activities, which we cannot allow."
By Daily Mail Staff
An uncovered letter written by John F Kennedy to the head of the CIA shows that the president demanded to be shown highly confidential documents about UFOs 10 days before his assassination.
The secret memo is one of two letters written by JFK asking for information about the paranormal on November 12 1963, which have been released by the CIA for the first time.
Author William Lester said the CIA released the documents to him under the Freedom of Information Act after he made a request while researching his new book 'A Celebration of Freedom: JFK and the New Frontier.'
JFK UFO MEMO#1 In one of the secret documents released under the Freedom of Information Act, JFK writes to the director asking for the UFO files.
The president’s interest in UFOs shortly before his death is likely to fuel conspiracy theories about his assassination, according to AOL News.
Alien researchers say the latest documents, released to Mr Lester by the CIA, add weight to the suggestion that the president could have been shot to stop him discovering the truth about UFOs.
JFK UFO MEMO#2 In the second memo, sent to the NASA administrator, the president expresses a desire for cooperation with the former Soviet Union on mutual outer space activities.
The previously classified documents were released under the Freedom of Information Act to teacher William Lester as part of research for a new book about JFK.
He said that JFK’s interest in UFOs could have been fuelled by concerns about relations with the former Soviet Union.
‘One of his concerns was that a lot of these UFOs were being seen over the Soviet Union and he was very concerned that the Soviets might misinterpret these UFOs as U.S. aggression, believing that it was some of our technology,’ Mr Lester told AOL News.
‘I think this is one of the reasons why he wanted to get his hands on this information and get it away from the jurisdiction of NASA so he could say to the Soviets, “Look, that's not us, we're not doing it, we're not being provocative.
But conspiracy theorists said the documents add interest to a disputed file, nicknamed the ‘burned memo’, which a UFO investigator claims he received in the 1990s.
The document, which has scorch marks, is claimed to have been posted to UFO hunter Timothy Cooper in 1999 by an unknown CIA leak, but has never been verified.
In a note sent with the document, the apparent leaker said he worked for CIA between 1960 and 1974 and pulled the memo from a fire when the agency was burning some of its most sensitive files.
The undated memo contains a reference to ‘Lancer,’ which was JFK's Secret Service code name.
On the first page, the director of Central Intelligence wrote: ‘As you must know, Lancer has made some inquiries regarding our activities, which we cannot allow.
‘Please submit your views no later than October. Your action to this matter is critical to the continuance of the group.’
The current owner of the ‘burned memo’, who bought it from Timothy Cooper in 2001 told AOL News that it shows that when JFK asked questions about UFOs that the CIA ‘bumped him off’.
UFO investigator Robert Wood said he has tested the paper it was printed on, the ink age, watermarks, font types and other markings.
He said: ‘I hired a forensics company to check the age of the ink and check several other things that you can date, using the same techniques you’d use in a court of law.’
_____________________________ First posted by Daily Mail Online 4/19/11 Original headline: Was JFK Killed Because Of His Interest In Aliens? Secret Memo Shows President Demanded UFO Files 10 Days Before Death
SAYING YES TO NO NUKES: As of this week, Germany is speeding up plans to close all of its nuclear reactors by 2022, as criticism over the government's nuclear plans has quickly grown since the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster in Japan.
Regardless of any gripes one may have had against modern Germany (such as flip-flopping and then joining the corrupt Euro scam), this latest move has washed most of that away. Over 75% of all people there are anti-nuke.
Typically three quarters to four fifths of all energy in any country is made up of NON-nuke energy, anyway.
By the huge move of closing it nukes, Germany is now making every nuke-using country look like total idiots.
The US should take a lesson from Germany, and do the same.
A very interesting vid popped up this week (see above), and naturally went into a viral spiral on Jack Kirby's Boom Tube (AKA YouTube). So it was only a matter of time before the goofy gubmint up in Ruskytown would try to come up with some lame reasoning as to how this latest proof of the alien presence on this planet is a "fake."
This time they're claiming that a couple of local students just randomly did it as a stunt, creating the whole thing out of "bread" and other foods. That's right - not clay, or paint or anything else. And what are they going to punish the kids for - illegal building of a non-approved puppet? Good luck with all that!
But gee, last I checked, food would have fallen apart and turned to mush rather rapidly when laying outside on some soggy snow. Not to mention that if it was really food of any kind, then all nearby animals would have quickly chewed it to bits!
The hastily cobbled together flimsy model that police are now trying to foist off as being the originally photographed item is clearly not the same very solid object as shown in the video. For one thing, the police-touted "prank" model is blue. But in the video, the alien's skin is orange.
The commie cop model was obviously made after the fact, in a sloppy effort to discredit the actual alien body. Not only does the model shown by authorities not closely enough resemble the actual alien body, but it's also smaller than the one in the video! Is anyone paying attention to this ridiculous coverup?
But it should come as no surprise - remember, the powers that be usually use lies like "swamp gas," "weather balloons" and "mass hypnosis" to explain away most UFO/alien matters.
So adding "food parts" to their silly list of excuses really isn't going to hurt their reputation for truth any - mainly because they haven't got one!
APRIL FOOLS MONTH? Uh, haven't we seen these same numbers before somewhere? They're not just inside jobs - they also sound like inside jokes.
By Ed Gauthier Dates And Nuts Farmer
You'd think they'd have been a lot more original. Hey, conspiracy theorists - think both the WTC bombing and the Japan nuke meltdown happening on the 11th was a big deal?
Then just check out the April Connection, baby!
April 4, 1841: President William Henry Harrison dies of "pneumonia." April 4, 1866: Attempted assassination of Alexander II of Russia. April 4, 1949: N.A.T.O. created in New York. April 4, 1967: Martin Luther King, Jr. delivers his "Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence" speech in New York. April 4, 1968: Martin Luther King, Jr. is assassinated. April 4, 1973: The World Trade Center is officially dedicated in New York. April 4, 1975: Microsoft founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen. April 4, 1991: Penn. Senator John Heinz is killed in a plane hit by a helicopter.
April 19, 1943: Warsaw Ghetto Uprising began. April 19, 1961: Bay Of Pigs debacle. April 19, 1993: Day of WACO siege conclusion - 81 killed. April 19, 1993: South Dakota governor George Mickelson and seven others are killed when a state-owned aircraft crashes in Iowa. April 19, 1995: Day of Oklahoma city bombing - 168 killed. (That same day, convicted murderer Richard Wayne Snell, who had ties to one of the bombers - Timothy McVeigh - is executed in Arkansas on a different charge.) April 19, 2005: Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger is elected the 265th Pope of the Catholic Church. April 19, 2011: Fidel Castro resigns from the Communist Party of Cuba's central committee after 45 years.
April 20, 1889: Day of Adolph Hitler's birth. April 20, 1985: The ATF raids The Covenant, The Sword, and the Arm of the Lord compound in northern Arkansas. April 20, 1999: Columbine High School massacre in Jefferson County, Colorado: Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold - 13 killed before the two commit suicide. April 20, 2007: Johnson Space Center Shooting: Man with a handgun barricades himself in NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas before killing a hostage and himself. April 20, 2010: Day of BP oil rig explosion - 11 killed.
LEAVING LOUSIANA? NOT FOR AWHILE, CHAMP: Nic, haven't you figured it out, yet? Sure, they'll fawn over you in Hollywood, but your old line that goes, "I can do whatever the heck I want, since I'm Francis Ford Coppolla's nephew" just doesn't fly in the southern states. Learn it, know it, live it.
By Michael Luke Eyewitness News
(WWLTV.COM) NEW ORLEANS - - Actor Nicolas Cage was arrested in New Orleans early Saturday, according to the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office website.
A nephew of Francis Ford Coppola, the actor who is filming a movie in New Orleans was booked into Orleans Parish Prison at 6:33 a.m.
New Orleans police confirmed the actor's arrest after being inundated with phone calls from celebrity and national news organizations.
He was charged with domestic battery and disturbing the peace, according to sheriff’s office website.
Police have not divulged the circumstances surrounding his arrest.
Cage has a long relationship with New Orleans, professing his love for the city in multiple articles and late-night talk shows, owning several multi-million dollar homes in the city throughout the years and reining as Bacchus in 2002.
In 2009, Cage put two homes, one in the French Quarter, the LaLaurie mansion on Royal Street, and another one on Prytania Street in the Garden District, on the market. The sale of the homes came after Cage's mounting financial problems, including a public spat with the IRS over millions in unpaid taxes. Cage ended up losing the homes in foreclosure.
"I was born in Los Angeles, but you could say on some level I was reborn in New Orleans," Cage told the Montreal Gazette after filming the last movie he shot in New Orleans, "The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans" in 2009 -- a story of rogue cop addled with gambling and drug addictions in post-Katrina New Orleans.
Cage is reportedly still in custody at OPP and is awaiting a bail hearing.
________________________
UPDATE: (4/17/11) Well, it looks like "Hurricane Cage," 47, who hit Weezy-Anna this weekend, has just been helped by an unlikely ally after his arrest in the French Quarter area of New Orleans - reality TV show star Duane Chapman, AKA Dog the Bounty Hunter. He posted a $11,000 bail bond for the actor, who is scheduled to appear in court May 31. Can a vital tweet on this matter from Snooki be far behind?
Chapman told E! News that "I am a truly dedicated fan of Mr. Cage and will not be granting any interviews about my client as I wish to respect his privacy. I performed my duties as a bail bondsman and not in connection with our show. This is what I do for a living. There are two sides of my job: I release my clients after they have been arrested; and pick them up if they don't show up in court. I do not believe the latter will be the case for Mr. Cage."
Don't know the cagey "Mr. Cage" very well, do ya, Dog?
MUCH MORE THAN A HANGOVER: About one in 10 cancers in men and one in 33 in women in western European countries are caused by current and past alcohol consumption, according to a study released on Friday.
PARIS (AFP) - - About one in 10 cancers in men and one in 33 in women in western European countries are caused by current and past alcohol consumption, according to a study released today.
For some types of cancer, the rates are significantly higher, it said.
In 2008, for men, 44, 25 and 33 percent of upper digestive track, liver and colon cancers respectively were caused by alcohol in six of the countries examined, the study found.
The countries were Britain, Italy, Spain, Greece, Germany and Denmark.
The study also showed that half of these cancer cases occurred in men who drank more than a recommended daily limit of 24 grammes of alcohol, roughly two small glasses of wine or a pint of beer.
The cancer rates for women in the same countries, along with the Netherlands and France, was 18 percent for throat, mouth and stomach, 17 percent for liver, five percent for breast and four percent for colon cancer.
Four-fifths of these cases were due to daily consumption above recommended limits, set for women at half the level of men.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has long maintained that there is a causal link between alcohol consumption and cancers, especially of the liver, colon, upper digestive tract and, for women, breast.
But few studies have tried to connect the dots across a large population between cancer rates and total alcohol consumption, or the proportion of the disease burden occurring in people who drink more than guidelines would allow.
"Our data show that many cancer cases could have been avoided if alcohol consumption is limited to two alcoholic drinks per day in men and one alcoholic drink per day in women," said Madlen Schutze, an epidemiologist at the German Institute of Human Nutrition in Potsdam and lead author of the study.
The findings also suggest that the limits set by many national health authorities may not be stringent enough to avoid the disease, she said.
"Even more cancer cases would be prevented if people reduced their alcohol intake to below recommended guidelines or stopped drinking alcohol at all," she said in a statement.
The results, published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), are drawn from the so-called EPIC cancer survey of 363,000 men and women who have been tracked since the mid-1990s.
Other risk factors that might have also led to cancer -- especially smoking and obesity -- were taken into account, the researchers said.
Nearly 44 percent of men in Germany exceeded the 24-gramme daily limit, followed by Denmark (43.6 percent) and Britain (41.1 percent).
Among women, Germany still topped the list, with 43.5 percent of women there exceeding limit, with Denmark (41 percent) and Britain (37.7 percent) coming in second and third.
_________________________ First posted by AFP: 4/8/11 Original headline: Alcohol 'A Major Cause Of Cancer' Photo credit: AFP/File/Greg Wood
RETIREMENT READING GOES GREEN: In this Feb. 11, 2005 file photo, trays of printed social security checks wait to be mailed from the U.S. Treasury's Financial Management services facility in Philadelphia. Social Security will stop mailing annual earnings statements to workers this month as a budget-cutting move and to direct more people to the agency's website. (A.P. Photo/Bradley C. Bower)
By Stephen Ohlemacher Associated Press
(AP) WASHINGTON - - Those yearly statements that Social Security mails out — here's what you'd get if you retired at 62, at 66, at 70 — will soon stop arriving in workers' mailboxes. It's an effort to save money and steer more people to the agency's website.
The government is working to provide the statements online by the end of the year, if it can resolve security issues, Social Security Commissioner Michael Astrue said. If that fails, the agency will resume the paper statements, which cost $70 million a year to mail, he said.
"We'll provide it, we expect, one way or another, before the end of the calendar year," Astrue told The Associated Press. "We're just right now trying to figure out the most cost-effective and convenient way to provide that to the American public."
The statements, mailed to 150 million people each year, project future benefit payments, helping workers plan for retirement.
The decision to suspend the mailings was unrelated to the talk of a possible partial government shutdown. It was, however, related to the agency's operating budget, which has essentially been frozen at 2010 levels — minus about $350 million in economic stimulus money the agency had been using to handle claims.
LOOKING FOR THE SILVER LINING: When life gives you silver, why is it wrong to open a silver aid stand? OR LIBERTY SILVER MINTER LOSES LIBERTY AND/OR NOTHAUS SENT TO THE JAILHOUSE
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - - Federal prosecutors on Monday tried to take a hoard of silver "Liberty Dollars" worth about $7 million that authorities say was invented by an Indiana man to compete with U.S. currency.
Bernard von NotHaus, 67, was convicted last month in federal court in Statesville on conspiracy and counterfeiting charges for making and selling the currency, which he promoted as inflation-proof competition for the U.S. dollar.
His Charlotte-based lawyer, Aaron Michel, is appealing that verdict. He wrote in a motion filed Thursday that von NotHaus did nothing wrong because he didn't try to pass the Liberty Dollars off as U.S. dollars.
"The prosecutors successfully painted Mr. von NotHaus in a false light and now the U.S. Attorney responsible for the prosecution is painting the case in a false light, saying that it establishes that private voluntary barter currency is illegal," Michel wrote.
The trial was scheduled to resume Monday in Statesville. The case involves more than five tons of Liberty Dollars and precious metals seized from a warehouse, which the government wants to take by forfeiture, according to federal prosecutors and Michel.
Von NotHaus began issuing Liberty Dollars in 1998, as head of the Evansville, Ind.-based National Organization for the Repeal of the Federal Reserve and Internal Revenue Code. In 2007, the group's headquarters were raided along with the Sunshine Mint in Coeur D'Alene, Idaho, where the coins were made. The case is being tried in Statesville because one of the organization's top officers is based in Asheville, and because an undercover investigator made contact with the group in North Carolina.
Federal prosecutors successfully argued that von NotHaus was, in fact, trying to pass off the silver coins as U.S. currency. Coming in denominations of 5, 10, 20, and 50, the Liberty Dollars also featured a dollar sign, the word "dollar" and the motto "Trust in God," similar to the "In God We Trust" that appears on U.S. coins.
"Attempts to undermine the legitimate currency of this country are simply a unique form of domestic terrorism," U.S. Attorney Anne Tompkins said in a statement after von NotHaus was convicted.
Von NotHaus has argued it's not illegal to create currency to privately trade goods and services. He also has said his organization took pains to say the Liberty Dollars shouldn't be called "coins" and shouldn't be presented as government-minted cash. Among other benefits, Michel's motion argues, the Liberty Dollars were a means to help keep currency in local communities by creating networks of merchants and consumers who used the money.
Numerous cities and regions around the country have experimented with local currency, but laws restrict them from resembling U.S. bills or from being passed off as money printed by the federal government.
AND DON'T FORGET THE GUARANTEE: Silver also works against werewolves.
The concerns raised by von NotHaus and his group are finding resonance among some state lawmakers, too. About a dozen states have legislation that would allow them to produce their own currency backed by gold or silver in the event of hyperinflation striking the U.S. dollar. North and South Carolina are among those states.
That's partly why von NotHaus' group has been followed for years by the Southern Poverty Law Center, a group that tracks political extremism. Long before the government began its investigation into von NotHaus, the group was raising concerns about the popularity of Liberty Dollars among fringe groups on the far right.
"He's playing on a core idea of the radical right, that evil bankers in the Federal Reserve are ripping you off by controlling the money supply," said Mark Potok, spokesman for the group. "He very much exists in the world of the anti-government patriot movement, whatever he may say. That's who his customers are."
Von NotHaus is currently free on bond. If the conviction against him is upheld, he faces up to 25 years in prison and a fine of $750,000. A sentencing date has not been set yet.
_____________________________ First posted by AP April 6, 2011 Original headline: 67 Year Old Man Arrested For Minting Silver Coinage
SO LONG, SUSHI, BYE BYE, BASS: All swimming things are (or soon will be) swimming with radiation as well. Watch out, Sponge Bob!
By E.J. Gauthier Vegetarian By Default
(CNS) JAPAN - - Don't eat fish on Fridays - or any other day, folks.
Japan screwed the... plankton for all of us. Yes, this week Japan finally stopped a highly radioactive leak into the Pacific ocean. But the Japanese government has just set its first radiation notice, which also affects fish, and the nautical news is not favorable.
To put in terms of most of those living there, they have "dishonored" both themselves and their ancestors in one fell nuclear swoop. If they hadn't messed with General Electric's rotten nuke plant design, or followed the horrible geographic building positioning of their surveyors, this threat would not be looming today.
Workers have prevented a highly radioactive source from leaking further into the Pacific, off Japan's flooded nuclear complex, but the plant is far from stabilized, engineers are preparing an injection of nitrogen to deter any new hydrogen explosions, and the fish are fried - but not in a good way.
Japanese officials have been reporting the obvious, that there are still many challenges ahead in stabilizing reactors at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant, and halting the coastal radiation leaks that have cast a shadow on northeastern Japanese fisheries.
Yes, they have halted the leak of highly contaminated water into the ocean that rightly raised concerns about the safety of seafood, but it's already been leaking for weeks. They mentioned that fish being at any risk has "stirred worries throughout the fishing industry," which is putting it mildly.
Just how mildly? Well, look at their report: (Emphasis ours.) Radiation in waters near the plant was measured at "several MILLION times the legal limit." Certainly not a good time to be buying even a bag of fish right about now, let alone buying a fish store franchise!
The elevated levels found in some fish prompted the Japanese government on Monday to set its first standard on "acceptable levels of radiation" in seafood.
Which is a rather strange concept, given that all scientists (non-Japanese ones, anyway) have consistently agreed that radiation poisoning is cumulative - always adding, never subtracting - meaning therefore that there can be NO "acceptable" level for humans.
Wow, after recently hearing about all the growth hormone beef, bad milk and tainted fish, that dull old veggie burger is starting to look mighty tasty right about now!
UPDATE: In mid-April, after claiming that things would be sorted out "in a few weeks," then later changing that to "in a few months," Japanese authorities finally admitted that it will actually be a lot more like "the whole year." The switch from a three to nine week window versus a nine month window has confirmed that the situation is out of control.
Which means that it will be no surprise in January of next year, when even more time line excuses will be made, and the imaginary containment/cleanup deadline will be extended yet again. Frankly, at this point it looks like no end in sight, so they should have just evacuated the entire island, and declared it a total loss.
BECK GOES TO HECK: This racist Rush Limbaugh Jr. wannabe is even too moronic to be a TV conservative? Wow, that's really out there! Can you say "suicide watch"?
By Kurt Nimmo Infowars.com
Glenn Beck has finally put an end to the rumor that his popular television show will cease to be broadcast on the Fox News Network. Beck and Fox jointly announced his departure in a statement today, according to the New York Times.
The statement originally appeared on Beck’s website, The Blaze, but was taken down. Representatives for Fox and Beck did not immediately explain why, according to the Times.
Beck’s company, Mercury Radio Arts, and Fox often clashed over the content of the show. The statement said Beck and Fox will “work together to develop and produce a variety of television projects for air on the Fox News Channel as well as content for other platforms including Fox News’ digital properties.”
It was speculated Beck would break with Fox after he ramped up staff, began a subscription-based web service, and rumors circulated that he planned to takeover a cable television channel.
“I truly believe that America owes a lot to Roger Ailes and Fox News,” Beck said in the statement. He also said he would begin a “new phase” with Fox and its chairman Ailes.
Beck’s relationship with Fox became strained in 2009 after he declared Obama to be a “racist” who has a “deep-seated hatred for white people.”
A liberal group, Color of Change, managed to convince a number of advertisers to pull out of the show, including insurance giant Geico, owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, Procter & Gamble, Sargento Cheese, and Progressive Insurance.
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UPDATE (4/7/11): Although there are the usual attempts to spin this story as if Beck himself suddenly quit out of left field, that would be a load of rubbish. This week top radio star Alex Jones confirmed that as far back as two months ago, FOX insiders had already informed him that "Beck is being forced out."
THE BEST MAN: Voted at the wedding as most likely to upend the incumbent groom.
(CNS) - - Austin, TX - - To Paul or not to Paul? It now looks like the former.
Libertarian Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) said today that he plans to decide whether to run for president "in a month or so." Appearing on the Austin-based Alex Jones Show, Paul said he is "getting awfully close" to filing legal paperwork to launch his presidential campaign.
"It can't be too far off, I would think in a month or so I'm going to have to make a final decision," he said.
Paul left open the possibility of running as a third-party candidate, but said he would likely stick with the GOP.
"I guess in life, you should keep all options open. But right now, I'm still a Republican congressman and we did it last time as a Republican," he said.
Paul suggested he would likely attend a GOP primary candidates debate in May, which is sponsored by Fox News.
“We’re getting awfully close,” Paul explained, “There are just a few other things I have to iron out personally to make my final decision.”
In related news, former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura also said he would be open to returning to politics as Paul's running mate if he leaves the GOP.
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