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About 250 people gathered on the steps of the State Capitol at noon Saturday to celebrate the “Nationwide Independence Day Tea Party,” a protest rally being held around the country. Organizers handed out pocket copies of the Constitution. Speakers criticized President Obama’s economic policies and what they see as the far left’s goal to increase the size of government, along with their taxes. One man’s sign — “Liberty Over Tyranny” — won a vote of applause as the crowd’s favorite. In April, the same “tea-party” group had gathered at the Capitol with the same message.

Your humble correspondent always checks out NeverPayRetailAgain very carefully every morning. That site often provides information about sales bargains that sometimes defy belief. In fact, yesterday at Publix I was able to purchase 2 packages of Ball Park Franks plus a large seedless watermelon for a total cost of just $4.98. $3.99 BOGO (Buy One Get One free) on the hot dogs minus a $1.00 Ball Park coupon so my cost was just $2.99. The watermelon was $4.99 but there was a $3.00 discount coupon if you bought two packages of Ball Park Franks so the watermelon only cost me...

The most troubling part of the June jobs report was likely not even the lost jobs (467000) but the average work week. In June, the average workweek for production and non supervisory workers on private non farm payrolls fell by 0.1 hour to 33.0 hours--the lowest level on record for the series, which began in 1964. The manufacturing work week rose by 0.1 hour to 39.5 hours, and factory overtime was unchanged at 2.8 hours.

Can Sarah Palin still have a career in national politics? Absolutely! 67% (3128 votes) Probably 14% (669 votes) Doubtful 13% (604 votes) No way 5% (229 votes) Unsure/Don't care 2% (73 votes) Total Votes: 4703

... We must at once understand all of the evil political movements of history, the plague of human prejudice, long-standing geopolitical conflict, the effective demise of the American Bill of Rights, among other things. A population can be led, no matter how outrageous the claims being made to lead them. In the midst of the global warming hoax, we have seen incontrovertible evidence of the ease with which at least some followers are driven to fanaticism in support of a purely manipulative cause. ...

This is an updated composite drawing of the suspected serial killer in Cherokee County, South Carolina made available on Friday, July 3, 2009. Sheriff's deputies searched Friday, July 3, 2009 for a serial killer blamed for four deaths over the past six days as terrified residents wondered who might be next. ( Cherokee County Sheriff's Department via Spartanburg Herald Journal)

WASHINGTON -- Vice President Joe Biden said the Obama administration "misread how bad the economy was" but stands by its stimulus package and believes the plan will create more jobs as the pace of its spending picks up. Biden, in an interview airing Sunday on ABC's "This Week," said the nation's 9.5 percent unemployment rate is "much too high." "The figures we worked off of in January were the consensus figures and most of the blue chip indexes out there," Biden said. "We misread how bad the economy was, but we are now only about 120 days into the recovery...

Last week, in the midst of President Obama's efforts to push unprecedented expansions of federal regulatory authority through Congress, North Korea's bellicose threats of nuclear annihilation, and the Iranian regime's brutal campaign to suppress political dissent, the American public's attention was focused elsewhere. On June 25th, 2009, the nation plunged into mourning upon learning of the tragic deaths of Michael Jackson—inimitable King of Pop—and Hollywood's original "angel" Farah Fawcett. In the time it took for a commercial break, the coverage of the Iranian protests, the debates about cap and trade and healthcare reform, and the diplomatic efforts to recover two...

JohnBoehner July 01, 2009 WASHINGTON, D.C. House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) today released a new YouTube video targeting the failure of Washington Democrats trillion-dollar stimulus bill and asking where are the jobs? The tongue-in-cheek web video, inspired by a classic 1984 TV commercial by now-Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), features a job-sniffing GOP bloodhound named Ellie Mae and a down-home voiceover by Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R-GA). This is a lighthearted web video, but the underlying point is no laughing matter...

Did you get Obama’s email yesterday? I did. It came from the address info @ Barackobama.com, and, as you might expect from the President of the United States on the Fourth of July, it had an “Independence Day” theme to it. Here’s what he wrote to me: Dear Austin (you know how it is with “me and Barack” - we’re on a first-name basis); This weekend, our family will join millions of others in celebrating America. We will enjoy the glow of fireworks, the taste of barbeque, and the company of good friends. As we all celebrate this weekend, let's...

The U.S. has been on an "unsustainable cycle of buying and spending" that cuts across all strata of society, says TJ Marta, chief strategist at MartaontheMarkets.com. The problem is that with everyone having a hand out -- from illegal immigrants to Wall Street to state and local governments -- the Federal government has now extended itself to the limits of its ability, and perhaps beyond. Marta sees only two entities with the ability to bail out Uncle Sam - "savings glut countries" like China and the Federal Reserve, a private organization ... Most Americans are already reining in their spending,...

Madison — Gov. Jim Doyle and his staff failed to properly account for 145 travel expenses over two years, including a $5,200 business-class flight to Ireland and a $654-a-night stay in a London hotel. Nearly three-fourths of the time in 2007 and 2008, Doyle and his staff didn't supply receipts as required under state travel policy. By comparison, Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton and her staff didn't provide receipts one-third of the time during the same period. Travel records also showed Doyle spent more than $1,500 on two chauffeured vehicles in Canada. That expenditure did not violate state travel policy, however....

Anyway. Some might recall I have an utter fascination with Chief S itting Bull, the bird-smacking stoned red-faced primitive on Skins's island, although probably only a very few would recall as to exactly why. You see, I've had to deal with people like Chief S itting Bull all my life; people with severe psychological problems or a lack of confidence, who get "set off" by something I do. And it's always been a spectacle to relish, watching them get all bent out of shape, their facial and fistal features twisting and contorting, their eyeballs bulging outward and their eyes crossing,...

European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana said in a Spanish press interview on Sunday he will step down in October when his 10-year mandate expires.

Before Lebanon’s parliamentary elections were over, the world was already turning its attention from Beirut to Tehran, where the presidential campaign was wrapping up. And as the unexpected post-election drama unfolded, ripples from Tehran spread across the globe, raising new questions about that country’s relations with the rest of the world, including Lebanon.

Michael Jackson will be buried this week– without his brain. As his family tries to finalise details for the King of Pop’s funeral on Tuesday they have been told it will be held back for tests. They faced the grim choice of waiting up to three weeks for Jackson’s brain to be returned to them or go ahead and bury him without it – which they have decided to do. Los Angeles Coroner’s spokesman Craig Harvey confirmed that neuropathology tests will be carried out to see if it holds any clues to the exact cause of his death. But the...

Why did Sarah Palin step down? Theories abound. But some of the people closest to the Alaska governor say she wanted to regain control of a political script that slipped out of her hands the moment she burst onto the national stage. She also wanted to shield herself and her family from the attacks that seem to have been aimed permanently at them in the 311 days since Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) announced her as his running mate, according to some former campaign aides and other advisers who speak regularly with Palin or her husband, Todd. The Sarah Palin who...

In my opinion, the best part of John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address on January 20, 1961, had nothing to do with asking anyone anything. The moment to remember was when he said: “The world is very different now. For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life. And yet the same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe - the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state, but from the hand of God....

Jamie Dupree Cap and Trade Extras By Jamie Dupree @ July 2, 2009 12:00 AM Permalink | Comments (50) | TrackBacks (0) I know, I know. I'm probably boring you to death by going through the Cap and Trade bill with a fine tooth comb. But today, let's talk about how it would direct money to the working poor in America. On page 1193, the bill would add a section to the Social Security Act on an "Energy Refund Program." Basically, those making no more than 150% of the poverty line, would get monthly cash payments from the government to...

FOUR US sailors have been assaulted while on shore leave in Perth - with one slashed across the face with scissors. WA police said a group of sailors were walking through Perth train station about 1am (WST) this morning when they were confronted by six people. ` "Three males and three females have yelled abuse at the sailors and as they tried to walk past them, one sailor was punched in the face,'' said police spokeswoman Ros Weatherall ``An altercation occurred and four sailors were assaulted, with one male struck in the face with a pair of scissors.''