Weekend Updates:
Online headline/story: "Philadelphia police release chilling images of alleged ISIS-inspired attack on officer  *  On Friday, the Philadelphia Police Department released dramatic still images of an alleged assassination attempt against one of its officers the night before.  *  Following his arrest, suspect Edward Archer stated, 'I follow Allah and pledge allegiance to the Islamic State and that is the reason I did what I did." -- "chilling images"? alleged ISIS-inspired attack"? ALLEGED! Good grief, the only thing "alleged" is that the (_*_) is a human being! The (_*_) also needs to be charged with "racism" and as a "hate crime".

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Online headline: "Clinton camp says "all three candidates" should debate in S.C." Hmmm.. NBC g-has set parameters that candidates need to be averaging 5% in the polls, and O'Malley's not even close. There is nothing magnanimous in G.I. JILLary's gesture... she just realizes that with only her and Brernie on stage, more questions will be asked of her, and with only two podiums. she will not get the "center-of-attention" position.. She also knows that O'Malley supporters will not move into her camp.

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Online headline/story: "Texas Gov. Greg Abbott launched an ambitious plan for a conference of the states to add nine new amendments to the U.S. Constitution on Friday. *
Proposed amendments are:

Prohibit congress from regulating activity that occurs wholly within one state.
Require Congress to balance its budget.
Prohibit administrative agencies from creating federal law.
Prohibit administrative agencies from pre-empting state law.
Allow a two-thirds majority of the states to override a U.S. Supreme Court decision.
Require a seven-justice super-majority vote for U.S. Supreme Court decisions that invalidate a democratically enacted law
Restore the balance of power between the federal and state governments by limiting the former to the powers expressly delegated to it in the Constitution.
Give state officials the power to sue in federal court when federal officials overstep their bounds.
Allow a two-thirds majority of the states to override a federal law or regulation.

-- Surprisingly,  I am opposed to all of these though a couple could be tweaked and become acceptable. I am opposed to some because they are already included in the existing Constitution, but I could go for making the Supreme Court to be able to overturn a duly enacted law only with 6 (or more) votes, and while a balanced budget is a good concept for everyday occurrences, it could cripple our military if their needs in an emergency were compromised.

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Online headline: "Clinton's honest opinion of Bush finally revealed" -- Oooops, my bad,, didn't think about him talking about Bush43.

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Online story: "During a conversation with Tony Blair in February 1998, Clinton expressed concerns over both Hussein's weapons program and the potential political costs of failing to confront the Iraqi dictator.
"If people knew how many weapons Unscom inspectors have exposed they would understand why this is so important." Clinton said. * "We are getting new pressures, especially from Capitol Hill, to go after Saddam's head," Vice-President Al Gore told Blair. * Blair said later, "Our public opinion is not the same as yours, but we are working hard to educate the public. We put out a white paper yesterday on Iraq's WMD programs." -- Bush was RIGHT!

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Online story: "The Department of Veterans Affairs said Friday two high-ranking officials were finally demoted in response to a federal probe that found they manipulated the agency's personnel system for their own gain," -- "demoted"? Hell, the NERO=bamageddon administration is "demented" for not firing and prosecuting them... of course,, NERO-bamageddon wouldn't want to set a precedent that would make his other sycophants turn on him.

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I'm in the market for a new car...a large sedan preferably, to change over from 15 years behind an extended length SUV. Stopped at two dealers yesterday to "test sit" some to see if they fit. I do not want a car with a sun roof..first, I don't like them, but more importantly, sun roofs take away a couple of desperately needed inches of headroom. I just learned that what use to be an "option" is pretty much a standard feature on too many vehicles. I had to basically eliminate two dealers because they have no large sedans without a sun roof, and you cannot order one without one. Talk about disappointment.

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Did you hear NERO-bamageddon chastise the NRA for not coming to his Town Hall meeting? Afterward, we saw the NRA respond that NERO-Amsterdam's "invitation" had a string attached that restricted the NRA to "1 pre-screened question". Would you have showed up following what happened to the US Supreme Court Justices and Congressman Paul Ryan when they accepted invitations that put them in a fish bowl and  under the hammer of NERO-Bamageddon's anger?

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Hmmm...can. you name one new idea NERO-bamageddon made at his "town hall meeting" that stops criminals from acquiring guns?

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Online headline: "December Jobs Report Crushes Expectations, With 292,000 New Jobs " --
Good grief..those "were" Christmas seasonal jobs that have for the most part have already ended. The number also shows how close to the vest businesses have played it by not having adequate employees on board heading into the Christmas sales season.

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Incredibly mad LIV's L-E "soundoff": "Some civilians like to strut around with a holstered gun because they have emotional inadequacies, are fearful in normal social settings or want to bully. Don’t fear them; pity them." --  Hmmm....This person is the reason open carry is important.. he/she has paranoid issues and who know when he/she could lose it.

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You know...it took a whilem but history revealed the lies told by Robert McNamara about conditions that existed in Viet Man during his term as Secretary of Defense under Johnson..I get the feeling those same kind of lies will eventually be revealed about former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta. Let's pray modern technology will prevent the extended cover up of facts about McNamara's deceit.

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Incredibly double-stupid LIV's L-E "soundoff": "My resolution is to be thankful. For our armed forces, who give us our freedom, and, for Franklin D. Roosevelt, who gave us security. Now we must protect both. Congress doesn’t care about either."  -- Good grief.. while I, too, am thankful for our military.. FDR didn't "give us security".. in fact, there's more evidence now that he even knew ahead of time that the Japanese were going to strike, and as for Congress not caring about our military or our safety, it depends on which side of the aisle you're talking about, and whether the sitting president feels we spend too much on our military...

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Irresponsible LIV's L-E "soundoff": "Politicians such as Gov. Deal who refuse to expand Medicaid call themselves “pro-life,” but their policies prove otherwise. They care nothing for life once it has exited the birth canal." -- Good grief.. this "soundoffer" is nothing but an "entitlement idiot"! Hey.. if you're going to bring a baby into the world, take care of it personally.. you and your baby (and the world) will be better off and better adjusted!

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Guess Carmike is going out of the "family" business. Beer may now be purchased and consumed in the same theater as you are in watching those Disney animated movies with your children/grandchildren. What are they thinking...that groups of teens won't have access to a fake ID, or a "mule" to bring it to them. Think I'll just wait for the movies I want to see to be available on DVD or Netflix..

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Soapbox Moment: PowerBall! The frenzy at possibly winning $900,000,000.00 made this weekend rather hectic. We never play.. but we did buy 20 Quick-Pick tickets.. why not? Of those 20 Quick-Pick tickets, none had the PowerBall. 14 had none of the 6 numbers picked, 5 of the tickets had 1 number, and 1 ticket had 2 of the numbers. Our tickets were probably as representative as most people's tickets.. Oh... there may be 1 or more tickets out there that did pick the correct numbers, but chances are, especially since the Executive Director since 1987 has been arrested in a lottery cheating scandal, that no one picked them all. The PowerBall's self -professed "odds" of winning are now at "1 in 292,201,338" chances. That's because there are now 69 balls tumbling around in those machines plus another 26 in the PowerBall selector. Personally, I think the published "odds" are low. and even then, even a group buying every number combination cannot justify such a gambit unless it was the only group doing so, and the one-time payout, after federal and state income taxes was more than $584,402, 676.00 (price of 292,201,338 tickets at $2.00 a pop).  Personally, I think the actual "odds" are much higher... MUCH HIGHER! I'm not sure how the PowerBall execs computer the "odds", but  basic math says the odds of picking the numbers fro 5 machines with 69 balls in them plus another machine with 26 balls in are over 40 BILLION -to-1.. (I figure it's 69x69x69x69x69x26 which equals 40,664,815,074 combinations) I'm guessing that PowerBall used Common CRAP math to make it seem possible to win. You know... since the odds are so great against there being even 1 "winner", think we'll bypass any more Quick-Picks in the future..You would think that the "well, somebody has to win" concept would be enough reason to play, but at these odds, this is no longer true... there could  be no winners ever again.. unless you consider Lottery and IRS Executives when it's the "Bonus" time of the year.

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Online story: "Lake Victoria is a rich fishing ground in eastern Africa, but it's also stormy — very stormy. In fact, lightning has been recorded 4 out of every 5 days of the year in Kampala, the Ugandan capital city situated along the lake's northern edge. * And without reliable, accessible weather forecasts, these storms can catch fishermen and other boaters off guard. About 5,000 people drown every year because of them." -- Hmmm.. why don't we transfer Senator Diane Feinstein, D-CA, to Africa where she can propose a new law to drain Lake Victoria... or ban boats?

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Online story: "1n 1993 federal agents laid siege to a compound in Waco, Texas, being held by the Branch Davidians religious sect for 51 days before the standoff ended in a gun battle and fire. Four federal agents and more than 80 members of the group died, including 23 children." -- Hmmm wonder who could evoke a tear quicker.. Slick Willie or NERO-bamagedddon?

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HuffPOOPOO headline: "Sean Penn Met With 'El Chapo,' And It Apparently Led To His Arrest" -- Hmmm.. bet Penn told him about NERO-bamageddon's "early release " program for non-violent drug offenders if he plea bargains to lesser charges.

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Online headline: "Sources: Mexico plans to send 'El Chapo' to the US" -- Hmmm.. bet his lawyers said.. why not? With NERO-bamageddon's early release  program. he'll be free in 6 months.

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Hmmm.. you know, "El Chapo", G.I. JILLary, and NERO-bamageddon have two things in common.. all should be in jail, and all have the same "Penn Pal".

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HuffPOOPOO story: "Canada has rejected the application of an African-American who applied for refugee status on the grounds he was facing police racism and brutality in the United States. * the decision argued that Canty personally did not have a “well-founded” fear of persecution in his home country." -- Good grief.. what's stopping the (_*_) from just entering Canada as a visitor (guess we should assume he has no CRIMINAL record), going to work and applying for Canadian citizenship?

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HuffPOOPOO headline: "Senator Chris Murphy Hopes Obama's Moves On Guns Will Save Lives" -- Good grief.. the best way to save lives would be for NERO-bamageddon, with Murphy's help, make moves to eliminate criminals who use guns in crimes.

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HuffPOOPOO headlines: "Alleged Pa. cop shooter arraigned, denied bail" Philadelphia mayor: Attack on officer not linked to Islam" * FBI investigating background of Philadelphia attack suspect" -- Good grief.. there are none so blind as those who do not see, and there are none so deaf when they deny what they hear and know as truth. This is the result of "political correctness" run amuck! The (_*_) stated he was Muslim, dressed as a Muslim. and claimed "claimed he did it “in the name of Islam” .  Philadelphia Mayor, James Francis "Jim" Kenney, is a Democrat, and should be recalled for his statement!

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L-E headline/story: "Columbus legislators to push old agenda in 2016 *  (Ed)  Harbison expects, as Georgia looks for additional funding, the General Assembly will be considering legislation that will allow casinos to operate in the state. *  “One of the things, as it relates to the budget, that we are going to have to talk about is casinos,” Harbison said. Rep. Calvin Smyre, a Columbus Democrat who is the dean of the General Assembly as he enters his 42nd session, agreed. *  “I think the preservation of the HOPE Scholarship is a major issue,” Smyre said of the lottery-funded program that offers college tuition assistance for academically qualified students. “I think the casinos could be used in HOPE funding much the way the lottery is used. Casinos could be an uphill battle because it’s an election year, but it will be on the table.” -- What needs to be looked at is the lottery's effect on college tuition... since the "HOPE" scholarship has been in effect.. college costs have escalated to make "HOPE" money nothing more than a guarantee that we will continue to have too many professors on the payroll, inadequately prepared students, and undue burden on the overall cost of college education for parents/students.

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From above story: "There will be a number of local issues that will impact the Muscogee County delegation, but the top two appear to be the CSU funding and a proposed ballot measure to phase out Columbus’ three-decade old property tax freeze. *  The CSU funding is unfinished business.  * Last year, the Board of Regents asked for $17.4 million to fund the CSU library project, work on another building on the main campus and demolish Woodall Hall. When the budget was finalized, CSU received $11.87 million.  * This year, the university is asking for the balance of that, plus about $2 million for equipment to go in the new laboratory sciences building that was approved last year. * “We were delighted to get $11.87 million of that request and are hopeful we can get some additional funding this year to complete our strategic plan to upgrade the academic core of our main campus,” -- Good grief.. with $11.87 MILLION in hand.. nothing happened here.. on the other hand. CSU has no problem about bragging about $60,000,000.00 being spent on the social aspect of CSU. You would think a college would think more about the purpose of college.. to educate student is their course of study.. not whether they have game rooms and hi-tech dorms and entertainment/socializing centers.

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From above story: "   The city of Columbus and the Muscogee County School Board, the city’s two taxing authorities, are asking the local legislative delegation to sponsor and pass a bill that would put a referendum on the November ballot that would call for a vote that could phase out the county’s property tax freeze that has been law since 1983. *  Rep. John Pezold, a Columbus Republican, said he would support that. *  “I am in favor of giving the people of Columbus the right to vote,” he said. “I know that a whole lot of people want the freeze to stay, and I understand they violently disagree with me.” -- "I am in favor of giving the people of Columbus the right to vote"? Good grief.. that is not Pezold's job  (*)! We have that right guaranteed in our national and state Constitutions.. What Pezold is saying is that if we vote on a tax raise enough, maybe we can get enough people who don't understand what's at stake to override what has kept this community stable during rough economic times. Anybody running against Pezold, let me know..

(*) - Had a response on FaceBook/L-E Online: from Pezold:

"John Pezold · Representative at Georgia House of Representatives
Actually Hal, it IS my job in this instance. According to the state constitution, a ballot measure must first pass the General Assembly. As a member of that body, it's partly my decision.  * I've tried to make it very clear that I'm going to err on the side of transparency. So if people don't approve of the job I'm doing or the way I vote, it's their duty to find someone who better represents them." 

I say if there is an "err on the side of transparency" then it should be to err on the side of the taxpayers, not other politicians. -- John.. the talk is only about raising tax revenues for all..there's nothing on the table to offer relief to those who have paid more than their share in the last 10-12 years. Mayor Tomlinson has only windfall greed in her eyes and has not done due diligence on making sure properties that were not frozen have been assessed at the value of surrounding and comparable properties. Two flagrant examples are transactions regarding a Hubbard Road property (Butler to Land) that has been carried on the tax digest at less than 40% of the recent sales price, and property on Old River Road (Swift to Rucker) that recently passed hands and a.New home has been built.

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Online story: "Last Tuesday, President Barack Obama unveiled controversial executive actions he plans to take that he says will reduce gun violence. * During his remarks, the president said:

"Today, background checks are required at gun stores. If a father wants to teach his daughter how to hunt, he can walk into a gun store, get a background check, purchase his weapon safely and responsibly. " -- Isn't that the way it's been don for at least the last 20 plus years? Besides, NERO-bamageddon just described what he considers he wants a law to prevent such.. he wants to prevent someone from buying a gun for someone else..isn't the "father" in his analogy buying a gun for someone else (his daughter)?

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Online story: "President Obama will keep an empty seat next to the first lady on Tuesday when he gives his State of the Union address, to represent victims of gun violence, according to the White House."-- Hmmm... bet Clint Eastwod can provide NERO-bamageddon with "the chair"... Oh.. but what's new with Michelle sitting by "an empty chair".. we all know she does that every day already at mealtime..

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Online story: "Democratic Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders said Friday night that former President Bill Clinton, now stumping on the campaign trail for wife Hillary Clinton, committed a “totally disgraceful” act in having an affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky."  - So Bernie doesn't care about G.I. JILLary's e-mail, but he does care about Slick Willie's knee-mail.

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We ARE getting shafted! Family members went to Biloxi this week for.some R&R and bought gas for $1.579!

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FIP....Feline Infectious Peritonitis..
Our cat Andy..12+..was diagnosed with FIP this weekend. Saturday, my 19 year old daughter and I made our last visit with him..it's an incurable affliction. My daughter was 7 when she picked him out to adopt. I had promised her a kitten if her own when we moved into our current home. Andy evokes many memories, but none so memorable as his then 7 year old "mama" declaring Andy was "the best kept promise...ever!".

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Hmmm.. Michael Bloomberg is floating a balloon about running for president as a third party.. you know, that would be appropriate.. he ran as a Republican mayor in NYC even though he's probably to the left of JILLary and Bernie Sanders politically. Think of it.. our choices for president could be between two Billionaires and a JILLionaire.. and since all three are New Yorkers, even NY is in play for all three.

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Online story: "Three weeks until the first presidential nominating contest, Donald Trump and Ted Cruz are running neck and neck in Iowa, while Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are also locked in a tight race in the Hawkeye State.: -- Hmmm.. the real story here is that G.I. JILLary and the Socialist Sanders are in lockstep in Iowa// Imagine. JILLary cannot  differentiate the difference between a Democrat and a Socialist.. and neithr can Iowans.


Have Democrat candidates for Congress in Novemebr taken a second look at GITMO? Don't they realize that all the terrorist left there are the worst of the lot that started there, and their Imperial Leader wants to bring them stateside?

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Online story: " New York Mayor Bill de Blasio on Sunday denounced the rape of a woman by five men at a Brooklyn playground, pledging police would work to swiftly apprehend the suspects in "this vicious crime." -- Yeah.. and who is de Bl(_*_)io going to get to arrest them.. surely he doesn't think street cops will do so after he neutered them when he got elected..

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I'm going with Alabama tonight.. I figure Dabo Swinney will be so tight about beating his old school that he won't get the best out of his new school..It's sorta like going back to a reunion thinking you'll impress your old friends.

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L-E headline/story: "Several express interest in helping save Bibb school  * The saga of Bibb City Elementary School continues this week, as last week’s column brought its sad condition to the attention of a lot of folks who care. *  (Superintendent David) Lewis told him (Mike Edmonson) he is very interested in seeing the building rescued. Edmondson also was told that Bibb Elementary is on a list of school district properties that it is interested in swapping with the city government for land out Cusseta Road to use for Spencer High athletic facilities.  *  But when Edmondson posted that news on the Bibb Elementary Facebook page, he heard from Columbus Councilor Judy Thomas, who said yes it is on that list of properties, but it’s not one the city is interested in swapping for." -- What BS! on Lewis's part!  The picture below shows all the interest the MCSD/MCSB has in taking care of the assets that belong to the citizens/taxpayers of Columbus. Bibb Elementary has obviously not received even the minimum of preventative maintenance since it was taken out of use..

 

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L-E story: "Muscogee County's public schools will allow students to enter one hour earlier than normal Monday morning due to the freezing temperatures in the forecast.  * In an email to parents and guardians Sunday night, the Muscogee County School District announced: "This will help accommodate students who may arrive early, prevent students from being left outside in the cold" -- You know.. I'm sure some parents find relief in this, but what is the MCSD going to do about the 1000's of kids who have to wait outside for the school buses to get there?

 

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Incredibly stupid LIV's L-E "soundoff": " Common theme In America, guns are rampant because money is being made. In America, gun laws aren’t modified because money is being made." -- Good grief.. guns are bought by law-abiding citizens because liberals in politics and the court systems are overly concerned about the rights of criminals.

 

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Another stupid LIV's L-E "soundoff": " Inexcusable I can’t believe WTVM cut into the president’s news conference just to do local news. WRBL did not." -- Hmmm could it be that WTVM-9  simply realized the news was more important that what NERO-bamageddon was saying?

 

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The Columbus Consolidated Government just posted its MLK Holiday closings.. the buses will not run.. I guess the City feels that since it is closing, that the rest of the world doesn't work nor needs rides to work, either.

 

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L-E story: " A former U.S. attorney will conduct an independentreview of the division of Chicago’s law department that defends police after a judge last week accused a city attorney of hiding evidence in a lawsuit over a fatal police shooting, the head of the department said Sunday." -- Hmmm.. I guess even mainscream media would be upset if  Chicago's native son, NERO-bamageddon, sent his DOJ to do so..

 

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The saddest part of the bill passed that let's former students who failed graduation tests now get retro-diplomas is that those students are still not prepared for the world, and they will not go into the G.E.D. program to get basic working knowledge.

 

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L-E story: "(Superintendent) Lewis is asking the board to approve a purchase order in the amount of $45,469.20 to P***** Construction Company for the installation of noise reduction acoustical ceiling tiles and wall panels for the cafeteria and gym at South Columbus Elementary School" --  Good grief.. How la=zy and wasteful! Instead of having a coach holding a paddle stand up and yell "Quiet" for free, Lewis wants to spend $45,000.00 on something that will only dampen the sounds, and encourage students to be even louder.