President Barack Obama asked Congress for the authority for US military operations against Libya. On Friday the House of Representatives sent a resounding vote of no. In a repudiation of the commander in chief, the House voted overwhelmingly against a resolution that would have favored letting the mission continue for one year while barring American ground forces.
Even after Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton made a final hour plea the vote was 295-123, with 70 Democrats abandoning Obama's stance on Libya. The Republican leader of the House, Speaker John Boehner, said he supported the president's authority as commander in chief. "But when the president chooses to challenge the powers of the Congress, I as speaker of the House will defend the constitutional authority of the Legislature," he said.
House Republicans and some Democrats are furious with Obama for failing to seek congressional authorization as required under the War Powers Resolution. The 1973 law, often ignored by Republican and Democratic presidents, says the commander in chief must seek congressional consent for military actions within 60 days. That deadline has long passed.
Earlier this month, the House voted 268-145 to rebuke Obama for failing to provide a "compelling rationale" for the Libyan mission and for launching US military forces without congressional approval.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Pottermore - All Things for the Harry Potter fan
Today famous author J.K. Rowling introduced the newest saga for the Harry Potter fan. Pottermore. The announcement was made via youtube and had been eagerly awaited for months by Potter fans. Details about the site come after months of guessing and social media hype.
The site goes live on July 31 when 1 million registered users will be chosen through an online competition to help flesh out the Pottermore world. Visitors can register now to enter that competition.
Rowling said she created the website to give back to Harry Potter's "muggle" followers. At Pottermore, users will be able to share comments, ideas and drawings about all things Harry Potter and even buy Harry Potter e-books. There is also a puzzle map called "Secret Street View," where users can enter secret map coordinates that spell out p-o-t-t-e-r-m-o-r-e.
The site lets fans delve into Harry Potter's beloved Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. They can shop for wands in Diagon Alley, travel to Hogwarts from the imaginary Platform 9 3/4 at London's King's Cross train station and be sorted into Hogwarts school houses by the perceptive Sorting Hat.
The deal brings longtime e-book refusnik Rowling into the digital fold, but comes as a bitter potion to established booksellers, who will be shut out of the latest chapter of a vastly profitable saga.
"You can't hold back progress," Rowling told reporters in London. "E-books are here and they are here to stay."
Rowling reiterated that she will not write any more Harry Potter books and that she is done writing in the immensely popular series. There could be an encyclopedia compiled though. The seven Harry Potter novels have made Rowling one of the world's richest women, with a fortune estimated by Forbes magazine at $1 billion.
The site goes live on July 31 when 1 million registered users will be chosen through an online competition to help flesh out the Pottermore world. Visitors can register now to enter that competition.
Rowling said she created the website to give back to Harry Potter's "muggle" followers. At Pottermore, users will be able to share comments, ideas and drawings about all things Harry Potter and even buy Harry Potter e-books. There is also a puzzle map called "Secret Street View," where users can enter secret map coordinates that spell out p-o-t-t-e-r-m-o-r-e.
The site lets fans delve into Harry Potter's beloved Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. They can shop for wands in Diagon Alley, travel to Hogwarts from the imaginary Platform 9 3/4 at London's King's Cross train station and be sorted into Hogwarts school houses by the perceptive Sorting Hat.
The deal brings longtime e-book refusnik Rowling into the digital fold, but comes as a bitter potion to established booksellers, who will be shut out of the latest chapter of a vastly profitable saga.
"You can't hold back progress," Rowling told reporters in London. "E-books are here and they are here to stay."
Rowling reiterated that she will not write any more Harry Potter books and that she is done writing in the immensely popular series. There could be an encyclopedia compiled though. The seven Harry Potter novels have made Rowling one of the world's richest women, with a fortune estimated by Forbes magazine at $1 billion.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Michelle Obama wasting American taxpayer dollars on another vacation
Well it seems Michelle Obama is off on another one of her famous "vacations". Last fall it was Spain where US taxpayers picked up the tab for Air Force One and $100s of thousands of dollars for 70 secret service and security personnel. This time it is Africa and the taxpayer is footing the bill once again.
Just so Michelle Obama, her mom and kids can go on a vacation to Africa? There's our taxpayer dollars hard at work! Oh, my bad. It is an official visit according to the White House. Botswana? Seriously? A safari? Dinner at a game preserve? Sounds like an official visit to me.
Fresh off the "London Leisure Tour" that the American taxpayers funded and now off to Botswana with the entire family in tow. Isn't it wonderful that we give millions upon millions of our money to countries that hate us. Now we have to fund vacation after vacation for the President's family and friends.
A trip to Africa to inspire African youth....how about trying to inspire American youth. How about instead of wasting $10 million taxpayer dollars on a trip to Africa we put that money to work in towns in the USA that have a need?
Just so Michelle Obama, her mom and kids can go on a vacation to Africa? There's our taxpayer dollars hard at work! Oh, my bad. It is an official visit according to the White House. Botswana? Seriously? A safari? Dinner at a game preserve? Sounds like an official visit to me.
Fresh off the "London Leisure Tour" that the American taxpayers funded and now off to Botswana with the entire family in tow. Isn't it wonderful that we give millions upon millions of our money to countries that hate us. Now we have to fund vacation after vacation for the President's family and friends.
A trip to Africa to inspire African youth....how about trying to inspire American youth. How about instead of wasting $10 million taxpayer dollars on a trip to Africa we put that money to work in towns in the USA that have a need?
Friday, June 3, 2011
Some disheartening facts about the Barack Obama Presidency
Here are some facts about the Barack Obama Presidency thus far. Nothing short of disheartening to say the least.
1. Doubled the national debt in a single year
2. Proposed to double the debt again within 10 years
3. Joined the country of Mexico and sued a state in the United States to force that state to continue to allow illegal immigration
4. Put 87,000 workers out of work by arbitrarily placing a moratorium on offshore oil drilling on companies that have one of the best safety records of any industry because one foreign company had an accident
5. Used a forged document as the basis of the moratorium that would render 87,000 American workers unemployed
6. Spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to take his First Lady to a play in NYC
7. Reduced your retirement plan holdings of GM stock by 90% and given the unions a majority stake in GM
8. Given Gordon Brown a set of inexpensive and incorrectly formatted DVDs, when Gordon Brown had given him a thoughtful and historically significant gift
9. Given the Queen of England an iPod containing videos of his speeches
10. Visited Austria and made reference to the nonexistent "Austrian language"
11. Stated that there were 57 states in the United States
12. Flown all the way to Denmark to make a five minute speech about how the Olympics would benefit him walking out his front door in his home town
13. Been so Spanish illiterate as to refer to "Cinco de Cuatro" in front of the Mexican ambassador when it was the 5th of May (Cinco de Mayo), and continued to flub it when he tried again
14. Burned 9,000 gallons of jet fuel to go plant a single tree on Earth Day
15. Ok'd Air Force One flying low over millions of people followed by a jet fighter in downtown Manhattan causing widespread panic
16. Failed to send relief aid to flood victims throughout the Midwest with more people killed or made homeless than in New Orleans
17. Created the position of 32 Czars who report directly to him, bypassing the House and Senate confirmation process
WAKE UP FOLKS. These are not "political assertions" designed to make BO "look bad" (he does a very fine job of that without any help) - they are simply just some of the facts of his actions.
Now, the question before the good people of America is: Can we really stand anymore of him in office?
1. Doubled the national debt in a single year
2. Proposed to double the debt again within 10 years
3. Joined the country of Mexico and sued a state in the United States to force that state to continue to allow illegal immigration
4. Put 87,000 workers out of work by arbitrarily placing a moratorium on offshore oil drilling on companies that have one of the best safety records of any industry because one foreign company had an accident
5. Used a forged document as the basis of the moratorium that would render 87,000 American workers unemployed
6. Spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to take his First Lady to a play in NYC
7. Reduced your retirement plan holdings of GM stock by 90% and given the unions a majority stake in GM
8. Given Gordon Brown a set of inexpensive and incorrectly formatted DVDs, when Gordon Brown had given him a thoughtful and historically significant gift
9. Given the Queen of England an iPod containing videos of his speeches
10. Visited Austria and made reference to the nonexistent "Austrian language"
11. Stated that there were 57 states in the United States
12. Flown all the way to Denmark to make a five minute speech about how the Olympics would benefit him walking out his front door in his home town
13. Been so Spanish illiterate as to refer to "Cinco de Cuatro" in front of the Mexican ambassador when it was the 5th of May (Cinco de Mayo), and continued to flub it when he tried again
14. Burned 9,000 gallons of jet fuel to go plant a single tree on Earth Day
15. Ok'd Air Force One flying low over millions of people followed by a jet fighter in downtown Manhattan causing widespread panic
16. Failed to send relief aid to flood victims throughout the Midwest with more people killed or made homeless than in New Orleans
17. Created the position of 32 Czars who report directly to him, bypassing the House and Senate confirmation process
WAKE UP FOLKS. These are not "political assertions" designed to make BO "look bad" (he does a very fine job of that without any help) - they are simply just some of the facts of his actions.
Now, the question before the good people of America is: Can we really stand anymore of him in office?
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