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Viewers of CNN’s “New Day” must have been terribly confused when afternoon anchor Brooke Baldwin popped up out of the blue to retract and apologize for something totally unspecified. Baldwin never once told the early morning audience what it was she was talking about. Because the decision was made not to disclose the reason for the retraction and apology, the whole thing came off as a bizarre non sequitur. For those of you who don’t know, during a Tuesday afternoon interview with Democrat Congressman Elijah Cummings, Baldwin said of our veterans who become police officers, “I love our nation’s veterans,...

The aide to NJ Gov. Jon Corzine---with him April 12 when he was seriously injured in a car crash---was suddenly reassigned because the two had become "too close".........

Rep. Linda Chapa Lavia Seeks Statewide Ban on Water Pistols, Says ISRA 1/25/2006 11:00:00 AM To: State Desk Contact: Richard Pearson of the Illinois State Rifle Association, 815-635-3198, Website: http://www.isra.org SPRINGFIELD, Ill., Jan. 25 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The following was released today by the Illinois State Rifle Association (ISRA): "What kind of nut would want to ban squirt guns?" That's the question that tens of thousands of law-abiding Illinois firearm owners are asking today after it was revealed that Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia (D-Aurora) has co-sponsored a measure that would ban the possession of everything from water pistols to hunting...

Giancarlo Livraghi was recruited to Serendipia by Ron Lee and Jake Ghitis (see About Serendip Forum, 25 August, and following). Giancarlo is a writer, living in Italy, who has been involved in advertising, and currently concentrates on "the human and social issues of electronic communication", having been a founder of ALCEI-Electronic Frontiers Italy. Among his writings in English is an on line newsletter. Giancarlo's essays on stupidity appeared originally in Entropy Gradient Reversals, and are mirrored here with his permission. Some additional information about Giancarlo is provided by Entropy Gradient Reversal as part of their posting of his second...

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Ophelia Ford is proving that the family that dominated Democratic politics in Memphis for two decades is not down for the count, though its power has waned. Ford, whose nephew is U.S. Rep. Harold Ford Jr., beat eight opponents in a primary election Thursday in her bid to reclaim the state Senate seat held for 31 years by her brother, John Ford. John Ford resigned in May after he was indicted on federal bribery and extortion charges. Ophelia Ford's victory shows the Ford name can still draw votes, but not in the way it did when...

<p>Thank you four allowing me to join your esteamed sight. i feel i am on the cutting edge of moderate republican progressive! i have been a life long republican. you have to believe me.</p>

On Politics and Religion And How We Got Here. Politics and religion.those two big bugbears. How in the world do we ever get to the opinions that we get to? Exactly how do we end up defining our stance when it comes to these two age-old conundrums? I am sure that men with much more information, insight and intelligence have tried, without success, to answer these same questions. Why should I add my feeble efforts? I know, in my heart, that my words will have no affect on you. Yet for some unknown, inexplicable reason, I feel compelled to say...

MARTINSBURG - The wife of Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. John F. Kerry took notes and asked questions Tuesday in a women's health care forum here that was practically devoid of political rhetoric. "I'm not shy about discussing the issues," Teresa Heinz Kerry said after taking part in the discussion on the medical campus of City Hospital in Martinsburg. In remarks to a friendly audience of about 75 health care professionals and area Democratic Party leaders at the Dorothy A. McCormack Cancer Treatment and Rehabilitation Center, Heinz Kerry did not mention her husband's opponent once, also noting afterward she was not...

A group of former sailors who served with John Kerry in Vietnam maintain that the democratic candidate for the US presidency greatly exagerated his war exploits, and in many cases accuse him of utter falsification. As reported in the Washington Times website, the veterans declare that of the 23 swift boat crewmembers photographed with Kerry 30 years ago, just one supports his candidacy. They announced the beginning of an official propaganda action, "Sailor-veterans for truth", in which they will tell the public what Kerry really did in Vietnam. One sailor-veteran, John O'Neill, who replaced Kerry as commander of the...

what happened to the black box which was said to have been found from the airoplane, what was said on it. And the fbi said they found a passport of the terroist who flew the plane in the rubble, how is this possible the passprt would have been burnt if in fact it was placed there by someone. And what aboutall the telephone calls made by the people on board the planes, we should have atleast some information about what was said on the conversations. Why hasnt bin laden been caught, its been 3 years and not caught, it was...

<p>TAKOMA PARK, Md. — A woman accused of acting as a paid Iraqi intelligence agent said Wednesday she is misunderstood and was only trying to help prevent a war in Iraq (search).</p> <p>Susan Lindauer (search) told The Associated Press she was being punished because she got involved in U.S. foreign policy. She said her intent was to persuade Iraq to allow weapons inspections before the war and to get it to cooperate with the war on terror.</p>

For such a small state, Connecticut seems to nurture big political ambitions. Advisers to Christopher Dodd tell TIME that the state's senior Senator is seriously weighing the idea of joining the 2004 Democratic-primary field-which already includes a Connecticut Senator, Joseph Lieberman. Aides expect Dodd to announce his decision within the next few weeks. Now in his third decade in the Senate, Dodd, 58, is good on television, has deep experience on both domestic and international issues, and brings a well-developed political network from his days as Democratic Party chairman. With the Senate looking as though it could stay in Republican...

'Tis the Season to Hope for the Worst The Dow's up near 9,000 again. Wal-Mart reported record day-after Thanksgiving sales of $1.43 billion. Ramzi bin al Shibh is ratting out his friends. Bob Woodward thinks President Bush is one smart cookie. Al Gore's new books are headed for the remainder table. So if you're a Democrat and were hoping for some political cheer this holiday season, you're out of luck. The better things get, the more frustrated they are. The more frustrated they are, the more they reach backward, to familiar territory. It was painful to watch Sen. John Kerry...