Congressman Henry Waxman, D-California, is chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.  He has been leading a congressional investigation into steroid use in professional wrestling but will be leaving to become chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee.  He has written a letter to John Walters, director of the president's office of National Drug Control Policy.

"Waxman, chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, has led a congressional investigation into steroid use in professional wrestling for more than a year, spurred in part by the murder-suicide deaths of wrestler Chris Benoit and his family in Georgia in June 2007."

Click for complete article

 

 

From the official letter:

"Conclusion

The evidence obtained by the Oversight Committee indicates that illegal use of steroids and other drugs in professional wrestling is a serious problem that the wrestling organizations are not effectively addressing. One former wrestler who agreed to talk to Committee staff on condition of anonymity explained that, in the wrestling business, "steroids are like white socks and tape, they're just part of your gear,"

Since the Committee began its investigation last year, both the WWE and the TNA have made efforts to improve their steroid testing programs. But these efforts suffer from a lack of independence and transparency. As a result of these weaknesses, the organizations appear unable to effectively prevent the use of steroids and other illegal drugs by professional wrestlers.

Over 3 million children and teenagers watch professional wrestling each week. The apparently widespread use of steroids in professional wrestling sends the wrong message to youth. For this reason, I request that ONDCP examine steroid use in professional wrestling and take appropriate steps to address this problem."

 

No one thought that the up and down relationship between President Elect Barack Obama and incoming Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was going to go away, did they?  It matters more than ever right now that Obama show his support for his choice for this position.  Now that Hillary Clinton has to jump right into Condoleezza Rice's shoes at the get go in a job where she isn't always going to be welcomed with open arms, she needs all the support she can get.  She also has to deal with her past in Washington and that of her husband, President Bill Clinton and his foreign relationships.  I'd say Hillary Clinton is going to have a lot of sleepless nights ahead of her.

"As incoming President Barack Obama's secretary of state, she will have to overcome a view of some in the Arab world she is more interested in supporting Israel than being even-handed.

Once she stops being a U.S. senator from New York to take her new job, Clinton could find herself pursuing the same Middle East peace that eluded her husband, former President Bill Clinton, in the final months of his presidency in 2000.

University of Maryland professor Shibley Telhami said opinion polls he conducted earlier this year in Arab countries indicated Clinton was viewed as someone who, like her husband, would work to advance Middle East peace.

"Bill Clinton had a much more positive image in the Middle East (than George W. Bush) and Hillary is seen in a similar light," he said, adding that her past support for Israel would not necessarily count against her."


Click to Continue

What's the real motivation for the owner of the  273-acres of land in Shanksville, PA to still be holding out on the sale of his land for the memorial to the 9-11 victims on Flight 93?  Is it greed?  It is his property, after all.  Should we allow the government to seize the land in order to meet a deadline in time to have a memorial completed? 

"Most of the remains from the tragedy on Sept. 11, 2001, were never recovered, making the bowl-shaped crash site in the western Pennsylvania countryside an unofficial cemetery and, for surviving relatives, sacred ground.

But efforts to buy property for a national Flight 93 memorial have bogged down in federal red tape and a protracted land dispute, angering family members and risking plans to hold a dedication ceremony on the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. The delays have prompted an advocacy group, Families of Flight 93, to ask President Bush to personally intervene during his final weeks in office to allow the federal government to seize the land needed for the memorial and to allocate part of the money for the project.

[...]

Landowner Mike Svonavec of Svonavec Inc. of Somerset, Pa., said the National Park Service and Flight 93 groups are "trying to make my company and myself look like the bad guy in this."

Click to Continue

 

The Lincoln Bible belongs to all of the people of the United States.

It is a rare artifact and you are risking harm being done to it.

You are not President Lincoln.

"Barack Obama will be sworn into office with the same Bible that Abraham Lincoln used for his first inauguration in 1861.

The move further extends the parallels that Mr. Obama has drawn with Lincoln since he announced his candidacy for president in February 2007 in Springfield, Ill.

The bible Abraham Lincoln used on Inauguration Day in 1861 was on display Tuesday in Washington. (Photo: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

This will be the first time an incoming president has used Lincoln’s Bible, which is part of the collection at the Library of Congress. (New presidents are not required to swear in on a Bible, but most have done so, and most use their own family Bible.)"

Click to Continue

President Bush and Vice President Cheney have been on a mission these past years.  One of duty to honor those soldiers who have fallen.  They owe it to them and to their families.

"Mr. Bush sees his job as providing comfort to those who have sacrificed so much. "The definition of comfort is very interesting. Comfort means hug, comfort means cry, comfort means smile, comfort means listen. Comfort also means, in many cases, assure the parent or the spouse that any decision made about troops in combat will be made with victory in mind, not made about my personal standing in the polls or partisan politics."

Asked where he gets the strength to meet with the families of soldiers whom he - as commander in chief - sent to their deaths, he turned stern.

"You have to believe in the cause. You have to understand that - and believe we'll be successful. If I didn't believe in the cause, it would be unbelievably terrible. I believe strongly in what we're doing. I believe it's necessary for our security. And I believe history will justify the actions. ...

"The interesting thing is, most of our troops fully understand this. They know we must defeat the enemy there so we don't have to face them here. And in a place like Iraq, they fully understood that Iraq was a front for al Qaeda. And they saw their mission as one of defending America by defeating al Qaeda," he told The Times. "

Click to read Article

I hope you'll read the entire article as it is very informative, no matter what your views are.



 

They all have something in common.  But let's make something clear.  DUMBO isn't the elephant with big ears.  No, DUMBO stands for Down Under The Manhattan Bridge Overpass.  It's near the Brooklyn Bridge; an area of old manufacturing, businesses, artists and lofts.

So what does this have to do with Neenah and the inauguration?

Well a shop in DUMBO has been asked to make 1 million invitations for the inauguration...and the paper came from Neenah.  That's good news.

.

On December 20, 2008 President-elect Obama introduced the team of men and women who will head up the nation's major scientific departments.

"Because the truth is that promoting science isn’t just about providing resources—it’s about protecting free and open inquiry. It’s about ensuring that facts and evidence are never twisted or obscured by politics or ideology. It’s about listening to what our scientists have to say, even when it’s inconvenient—especially when it’s inconvenient. Because the highest purpose of science is the search for knowledge, truth and a greater understanding of the world around us. That will be my goal as President of the United States—and I could not have a better team to guide me in this work."


Click for entire speech

But not so fast....

What about the 650 international scientists who disagree with global warming?

Well, actually NY Gov. David Paterson's Budget plan shows he does have brains as far as how to screw over his constituents with another tax.

An "obesity tax" on non-diet soda to raise $404 million?  See where it goes, people?  I mean, not even talking about the tax, who's to say who is obese and who isn't by which type of soda they decide to choose in the first place?  Some people just prefer the flavor of a non-diet soda for crying out loud.

That aside, what next?   Watch out for something like a baby formula tax.  You know, you should all be breast feeding.  That's what God gave you those breasts for in the first place.

Wisconsin will be next, I'm sure, for some type of a zero-brain tax.

"New taxes, deep cuts to education and health care, and a restructuring of the state's economic development programs will be hallmarks of Gov. David Paterson's first budget plan to be released in two days, according to interviews of people briefed on components.

The plan will come with a host of revenue raisers — increased taxes on hospitals and insurance policies, for instance — and at least one new assessment, a so-called obesity tax on non-diet soda to raise $404 million. The governor also is contemplating requiring new license plates to raise cash, reviving sales tax on clothing purchases, removing the tax cap on gasoline and threatening to require Indian retailers to collect taxes on sales to non-Indians by signing into law a bill passed earlier this year by the Legislature.

Paterson will unveil the spending plan, aimed at closing a $12.5 billion deficit for next year, on Tuesday. The total size of the Paterson budget is unknown."

Click to Continue

 

Looks like President-elect Obama knows who to seek advice from on important matters. Nobel Peace Prize winners are always good bets aren't they?  People like former President Jimmy Carter...He's a Nobel Peace Prize winner.  And then there is Al Gore. 

So which "winner" did Obama turn to for advice?  Al Gore, of course.  Obama and Joe Biden had a nice chat for several hours.

"All three of us are in agreement that the time for delay is over, the time for denial is over," Obama said.

He said he would work with Democrats and Republicans, businesses, consumers and others with a stake in the issue to try to reach a consensus on a bold, aggressive approach to tackling the problem.

"This is a matter of urgency and of national security and it has to be dealt with in a serious way. That's what I intend my administration to do," Obama said.

Obama had a willing accomplice in Gore, whose won a Nobel in 2007 for his years-long effort to educate people about the gradual warming of the planet and to argue against those scientists who believe a warming trend is a naturally occurring event."


Click to go to article

Well, I can certainly understand Obama's concern for climate change.  And we need to work on our energy problem.  I know the American people will just love to be educated.  A matter of national security, huh?  I hope the other matters of national security that are more scary than global warming get a little more urgency.  Just incase they should come up.  Just incase there are any willing accomplices who might try to contact Obama...


I'm sure Al Gore has informed Barack Obama that he must now visit

his temple

on a regular basis.

President George W. Bush smiles after signing the Presidential proclamation designating the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument and the Presidential proclamation in honor of National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day 2008 in the Oval Office of the White House. With him for the signing Friday, Dec. 5, 2008, are from left: Pearl Harbor Survivor Jay Groff; George Sullivan, Chairman, Arizona Memorial Museum Association; Secretary Donald Winter, U.S. Department of the Navy; Gen. James "Hoss" Cartwright, Vice Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff; Secretary James Peake, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and Secretary Dirk Kempthorne, U.S. Department of the Interior. White House photo by Eric Draper

President Bush Signs the President Proclamation Designating the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument and the Presidential Proclamation in Honor of National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day 2008

10:25 A.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all for coming. I am going to sign two documents -- one a Pearl Harbor Day proclamation, and the other creating the World War II Valor in Pacific National Monument. The National Monument will include nine sites -- five in Hawaii, three in Alaska, and one in California at the Tule Lake Segregation Center, which was where Japanese Americans were detained during World War II. 

 The purpose of the monument is to remind generations of Americans of the sacrifices that Americans made to protect our country. But there's a broader purpose, as well, and that is to remind generations of Americans about the transformative effect of freedom.

One of the great stories during World War II was that people fought bitterly to defend our country and way of life, and then worked to help our enemies develop democracies according to their own cultures and their own history. And today, I am so pleased to report that Japan is a strong ally of the United States of America -- an ally in defending our liberties and an ally in spreading liberty as the great ideological alternative to an enemy that still wants to do us harm.

And so this monument will help people realize the breadth and the history of World War II and its aftermath.

So I'm pleased to sign both documents, and I want to thank our distinguished visitors for joining me.

(The proclamations are signed.)

Thank you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Click on Links to Read Proclamations:


Establishment of the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument


National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, 2008

You're a very busy person...who isn't?  Maybe you don't have time to take care of personal business in person. Perhaps you do online banking...pay your bills that way.  Shop online. 

I found this interesting regarding Colorado's state website.  They have live help!  Now that's cool.

"When residents of the Rocky Mountain state log on to The Official Site of the State of Colorado, they find something most government agencies had never provided: someone waiting to answer their questions around the clock.

The Official Site of the State of Colorado offers a service, dubbed Live Help, to allow citizens to submit questions at any hour through a chat-enabled Web site. People can inquire about a wide range of topics -- from where to pay their parking tickets to how to get a building permit. Or they can use the site's AskColorado tool to get homework or research help from the state's more than 300 librarians. Within 30 seconds of submitting a question, either a Live Help staff member, a librarian, or a service representative will respond with an answer and will stay online until the issue is resolved. Already, The Official Site of the State of Colorado handles up to 5,000 queries per month in both Spanish and English.

"To have to conduct government business between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. when most people have to be at work is inconvenient," says Rich Olsen, general manager of The Official Site of the State of Colorado. "More and more citizens are expecting government to treat them like businesses treat them."

For citizens, logging on to a computer certainly beats standing in long lines at a government office with limited hours. So it is no wonder e-government services like Colorado's LiveHelp are in high demand. "


Click to continue article

  (scroll down to middle of page)




State of Colorado website



State of Wisconsin  website

 

White House Photo Essay

Check out the Thanksgiving at the White House photo gallery featuring the first National Thanksgiving Turkey presented to President Harry Truman. Learn more »

Click for a podcast of President Bush pardoning the White House turkey(s) Pumpkin and Pecan.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~




White House Photo

Click below to listen to President Bush address the Troops at Fort Campbell as he joins them for a Thanksgiving celebration

President Bush Visits Fort Campbell



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http://www.whitehouse.gov/

With the long, long, long-winded Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) stepping down as the chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, due to poor health, the position had to be filled.  And it has, by a much younger Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii). 

Senator Inouye is all of 84 years young.  It's been told that he has a much different style than Senator Byrd...a quiet style.

"Rather than give big speeches on the Senate floor or in committee hearings like his predecessor, the senior Hawaiian senator will strike a lot more deals in the backrooms.

The first Japanese-American elected to Congress is, at 84, only slightly younger than Byrd and a decorated war hero who lost an arm in World War II.

Many insiders regard him as a team player, often doing what the Democratic leadership wants but not shying away from telling his superiors to do what he thinks is right.

Byrd, who has been a chairman with a strong personality, has been seen as more independent, always fighting to uphold the institutional and constitutional prerogatives of Congress.

Inouye, on the other hand, likes the politics of the upper chamber, working the members and making phone calls to persuade lawmakers from the cloakroom rather than the floor, according to a source familiar with both Inouye and Byrd. "

Continue article HERE

Filibusters won't know what hit 'em....

It’s not surprising that President-elect Barack Obama would be advised to refrain from using email as president.  But when email correspondence has been a huge part of your daily life, well, there will be a huge period of adjustment.

Then again, he should be kept too busy to be worrying about email, shouldn’t he?

"Presidents Bill Clinton and George W Bush both gave up e-mail in office, but Mr Obama will be the first BlackBerry user to occupy the White House.

He took mobile e-mail everywhere with him on the campaign trail.

In the summer, cameras filmed him checking his BlackBerry while watching one of his daughters playing football.

His wife Michelle slapped at his hands, obliging him to put it away.

"I think Obama is the first president who is addicted to the BlackBerry like the rest of us, and there's a lot of presidential records and archive rules on what gets stored and what doesn't," former Clinton press secretary Joe Lockhart told the Associated Press"

Read the entire article HERE


It’s not easy to adapt to change. 

Obama said his mother-in-law may be moving into the White House, too. 

It's a very large house.

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
October 31, 2008

Veterans Day, 2008

A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America

On Veterans Day, we pay tribute to the service and sacrifice of the men and women who in defense of our freedom have bravely worn the uniform of the United States.

From the fields and forests of war-torn Europe to the jungles of Southeast Asia, from the deserts of Iraq to the mountains of Afghanistan, brave patriots have protected our Nation's ideals, rescued millions from tyranny, and helped spread freedom around the globe. America's veterans answered the call when asked to protect our Nation from some of the most brutal and ruthless tyrants, terrorists, and militaries the world has ever known. They stood tall in the face of grave danger and enabled our Nation to become the greatest force for freedom in human history. Members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard have answered a high calling to serve and have helped secure America at every turn.

Our country is forever indebted to our veterans for their quiet courage and exemplary service. We also remember and honor those who laid down their lives in freedom's defense. These brave men and women made the ultimate sacrifice for our benefit. On Veterans Day, we remember these heroes for their valor, their loyalty, and their dedication. Their selfless sacrifices continue to inspire us today as we work to advance peace and extend freedom around the world.

With respect for and in recognition of the contributions our service members have made to the cause of peace and freedom around the world, the Congress has provided (5 U.S.C. 6103(a)) that November 11 of each year shall be set aside as a legal public holiday to honor America's veterans.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim November 11, 2008, as Veterans Day and urge all Americans to observe November 9 through November 15, 2008, as National Veterans Awareness Week. I encourage all Americans to recognize the bravery and sacrifice of our veterans through ceremonies and prayers. I call upon Federal, State, and local officials to display the flag of the United States and to support and participate in patriotic activities in their communities. I invite civic and fraternal organizations, places of worship, schools, businesses, unions, and the media to support this national observance with commemorative expressions and programs.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirty-first day of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand eight, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-third.

GEORGE W. BUSH

President George W. Bush entered the White House after one of the closest elections in U.S. history. His Presidency began with the worst terrorist attack ever on US. soil. 

Well, this is scary.  With the polls off and on indicating that Obama has the lead in the election race, people are starting to panic regarding anti-gun regulations.  And they should.  So they are heading out in droves to purchase guns.

Besides that, it’s a common trend that when the economy is in trouble, people tend to by weapons.

"More than three dozen interviews with gun dealers and buyers in Virginia and Maryland and with experts nationwide indicated that the increase in gun sales appears to be driven predominantly by concerns about the presidential election and the economy.

Most buyers who emphasized the economy said they thought the worsening situation could lead to an increase in crime and jeopardize their safety. A few said they were buying guns as an investment.

"Look at the political situation and the financial situation," said Fred Russell, owner of Russell's Gun Emporium in Hagerstown, Md. "It's common sense. People are scared."



Read the complete article HERE

AP photo

Liberals, pay close attention:

Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:

• The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
• The fifth would pay $1.
• The sixth would pay $3.
• The seventh would pay $7.
• The eighth would pay $12.
• The ninth would pay $18.
• The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.

So, that's what they decided to do. The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve. 'Since you are all such good customers, he said, 'I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily beer by $20. Drinks for the ten now cost just $80.

The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free. But what about the other six men - the paying customers? How could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his 'fair share?' They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to drink his beer. So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.

And so:

• The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).
• The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33%savings).
• The seventh now paid $5 instead of $7 (28% savings).
• The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
• The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).
• The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).

Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to drink for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings.

'I only got a dollar out of the $20', declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man,' but he got $10!'

'Yeah, that's right', exclaimed the fifth man. 'I only saved a dollar, too. It's unfair that he got ten times more than I!'

'That's true!!' shouted the seventh man. 'Why should he get $10 back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!'

'Wait a minute,' yelled the first four men in unison. 'We didn't get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!'

The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.

The next night the tenth man didn't show up for drinks, so the nine sat down and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn't have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!

And that, boys and girls, journalists and college professors, is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.