End Of Combat Missions In Iraq

After seven years, our war/occupation of Iraq has finally come to an end. There has yet to be a serious investigation into how we were lied into this war (a serious breach of our Constitution) and invaded a country that was of no threat to us (a serious breach of our Constitution).

Over 4,000 Americans were killed during this monumental blunder and combined with our occupation of Afghanistan, over a trillion dollars spent. We have yet to investigate how an attack, carried out by Saudi Arabians and planned in Germany, led to the invasion of Iraq. There is overwhelming evidence of war profiteering, yet the companies and people involved have not been punished and in many cases, are still receiving government contracts.

Without prosecutions, there’s nothing to prevent something like this from happening again. That was one of the long lasting repercussions of President Ford’s pardon of Richard Nixon. Had Nixon been prosecuted, subsequent presidents would have been a little more careful to follow the law.

We are (supposed to be) a country where no man is above the law, including presidents. Bush and his cronies need to be prosecuted for the crimes they committed against our country.

Christian Ex-Convict/Hate Monger Starts Ground Zero Church

A bigoted pastor who has assailed gays and Muslims is launching the “9-11 Christian Center at Ground Zero” a mere two blocks from the World Trade Center site this Sunday, but so far the project hasn’t drawn a peep of protest from those who are outraged by the “ground zero mosque.”

Pastor Bill Keller of Florida said today he will begin preaching Sunday at the Marriott at 85 West Street (see proximity to ground zero here). A weekly service is planned at the hotel until the $8 million 9/11 Christian Center finds a permanent space. (Fundraising is going well, Keller told Salon today.)

To get a sense of where Keller is coming from, consider his project’s website, which calls Islam a religion of “hate and death” whose adherents will go to hell. It also says: “Islam is a wonderful religion… for PEDOPHILES!”

Keller is the same pastor who hosted a birther infomercial that encouraged viewers to send him and a partner donations to advance the birther cause. His Internet ministry explicitly calls President Obama the new Hitler. He calls homosexuality a perversion. And in 2008, he targeted presidential contender Mitt Romney for being Mormon with a campaign called “voting for Satan.”

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Right-wingers are such hypocrites. It’s the Catholic church that’s full of pedophiles.

GOP Blocking Aid To Small Businesses

Small businesses have put hiring, supply buying and real estate expansion on hold as they wait out the vote on a small-business-aid bill that stalled in the Senate earlier this summer.

The much-debated legislation offers tax breaks and waived loan fees. But it also comes with more divisive components, such as a $30 billion fund that would help community banks give loans to small businesses. Opponents say the fund would be a mini version of the often-criticized TARP large-bank bailout program.

Many small businesses had hoped the legislation would pass the Senate by the end of July. With two weeks left until Congress reconvenes, those firms are in a holding pattern.

“I’m still waiting for Congress to sign off on the bill,” says Amarjit Kaur, who runs a convenience store and gas station in Wood Village, Ore. She leases her property but has a chance to buy it. With the waived-fee provision, Kaur says she could save about $35,000 on her pending loan.

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It’s a myth that Republicans are “pro” business. They’re only for helping big corporations because that’s where their funding comes from, but it’s small business that drives our economy. They couldn’t care less about the middle class small businessman.

This November, vote for America. Vote Democrat.

The Boob Apron: Worst Invention Ever!

Glenn Beck: Restoring Honor Through Fear and Hate Mongering

Yes, Glen Beck is restoring honor to our country. He seems so sincere and his flock eats it up. Beck is a pathological liar and he uses his program to promote fear and hatred. You can’t blame him. There’s a big market for that kind of thing and he’s paid very well. His viewers want to be told what to think and they want the “facts” that fit the right-wing agenda. Fox provides that, which is why they have such a large audience. The word “honor” is just a buzz word for them.

Glenn Beck “Restoring Honor” Rally

Here is an excerpt from the rally guide:

THROUGHOUT history America has seen many great leaders and noteworthy citizens change her course. It is through their personal virtues and by their example that we can live as a free country. On August 28th, come celebrate America by honoring our heroes, our heritage and our future.

Today, we have people in government trying to make health insurance more affordable and trying to regulate the very banks that destroyed our economy. As Abraham Lincoln once said, “Ours is a country of the wealthy, for the wealthy, by the wealthy, not these freeloaders who want the government to take care of them.” We must end the Democrats’ fascist governance. Our founding fathers wanted our country to be a plutocracy, not a democracy. It’s time to end the tyranny.

Our government has passed a stimulus bill that is providing money to rebuild our country’s infrastructure, develop new, clean and renewable energy technologies, upgrade our electric grid, and many other communistic activities. All this spending is benefiting the poor and the middle class and making our country better. It’s un-American.

Join Glenn Beck (who once took a college class), 1/2 term governor Sarah Palin and many more blithering idiots for this non-political event where we don’t mention even once how the Democrats are destroying our nation. We will not talk about how Obama is a Muslim and wasn’t born in the United States. It’s completely not-political. Really. Seriously. Well, maybe a little political. But we’re just trying to pay tribute to America’s upstanding citizens (non-Democrats) who embody our nation’s founding principles of integrity, truth and honor.

Our freedom is possible only if we remain virtuous and follow blindly. The great prophets Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin will tell you what and how to think. We’ll give you the real facts that only we know (because we made them up). Not like the “lame stream media” that doesn’t support our version of reality.

Note: This rally takes place in the Washington near Virginia — not the one in the northwest.

Christian Terrorism: Fla. church plans to burn Qurans on 9/11 anniversary

(RNS) A Florida church with “Islam is of the devil” signs in its front lawn plans to host an “International Burn A Quran Day,” on the ninth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks this year.

The Dove World Outreach Center, a non-denominational church in Gainesville, has marked the date in previous years with protests against Islam. The church holds protests on other issues, such as homosexuality, same-sex marriage, and abortion.

Pastor Terry Jones said members of the church plan to be at the Gainesville City Hall on Aug. 2 to protest the election of the city’s openly gay mayor. Church-state groups had previously accused the church of illegal politicking for its “No Homo Mayor” signs.

Jones, who is also the author of a book titled “Islam is of the Devil,” said protests are key to the mission of his church.

“We feel, as Christians, one of our jobs is to warn,” said Jones.
The goal of these and other protests are to give Muslims an opportunity to convert, he said.

On May 10, a pipe bomb exploded in the Islamic Center of Northwest Florida in Jacksonville. No worshippers were hurt, but Kilic said the planned burning of Qurans could escalate tensions in the area.

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Christian Terrorist Stabs NY City Cab Driver

A New York City cab driver was attacked Tuesday evening just after 6 p.m. by a passenger who asked him if he was Muslim, says the NYPD.

According to police, passenger Michael Enright, a 21-year-old from Brewster, New York, hailed a taxi at 24th Street and Second Avenue in Manhattan driven by Ahmed Sharif, a resident of Queens.

As the cab headed north on Third Avenue, Enright allegedly asked Sharif, who is of South Asian origin, “Are you Muslim?” When Sharif confirmed that he was Muslim, police say, Enright stabbed him multiple times with a Leatherman knife.

According to a statement from the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, which represents drives, Enright allegedly screamed “Assalamu Alaikum,” a common Islamic greeting meaning “Peace be upon you,” before slashing Sharif across the face, neck and shoulders. Sharif also sustained defensive wounds to the arm and hand.

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Enright volunteered with Intersections International, a Christian group.

Bad News For Right-Wingers: The Stimulus Added Millions of Jobs in Q2

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The massive U.S. stimulus package put millions of people to work and boosted national output by hundreds of billions of dollars in the second quarter, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said on Tuesday.

CBO’s latest estimate indicates that the stimulus effort, which remains a political hot potato ahead of the November congressional elections, may have prevented the sluggish U.S. economy from contracting between April and June.

CBO said President Barack Obama’s stimulus boosted real GDP in the quarter by between 1.7 percent and 4.5 percent, adding at least $200 billion in economic activity.

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Help for Employers and Job Seekers

With unemployment hovering near 10%, employers often receive hundreds of applications for each job opening. Wading through piles of resumes is can be enormously time consuming and frustrating. When all you have to go by is a resume and cover letter, it’s difficult to determine who are the most qualified and best fit for the position.

Folis Software can help alleviate those problems. Folis Employer Software was designed specifically to handle a large number of job applicants. You still get the traditional cover letter and resume when someone applies for a job, but you’ll also get a video interview and multimedia portfolio. And the entire application is written as a Flash application, which gives you the feel of a desktop application in your browser window.

While evaluating applicants, Folis software has a feature that allows you to rate prospective employees and take notes. This is especially useful when evaluating a large number of applicants. You can then filter on the ratings to determine which ones you’d like to bring in for in-person or phone interviews. You won’t waste your time with unqualified applicants.

Folis Software consists of three software applications: Employer Software, which is a job board and video interview system, Job Seeker Software, which is used by job seekers to search, apply for, and submit multimedia job applications, and Showcase Software, which is similar to the multimedia job application, but job seekers have the ability to invite someone to view their portfolios, video interviews, and resumes by submitting a recipient email address.

There is no charge for Folis Software. It is available online at http://folissoftware.com. They charge only for installation, support, and customization of the Employer Software package, or you can use the software online absolutely free at http://folis.org. They do accept financial contributions to the project.