L’Affaire Sherrod provided a rare peek into a potential legal and government boondoogle: The Pigford Settlement. The Settlement arose out of a handful of credible claims of racism by black farmers against the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Tens of thousands of claims later, the final chunk of money to pay off the settlement, about $1.5 billion, awaits action by the U.S. Senate.

Soon after Shirley Sherrod was fired by the USDA, it was revealed that she and her husband were among the biggest recipients of Pigford, personally receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars for ‘pain and suffering’, while their collective farm was tapped to get over $13 million. It also emerged that Ms. Sherrod was hired by the USDA just days after her settlement was announced. Hmm.

It is a measure of the corruption of liberal thought and the collapse of its self-confidence that, finding itself so widely repudiated, it resorts reflexively to the cheapest race-baiting (in a colorful variety of forms). Indeed, how can one reason with a nation of pitchfork-wielding mobs brimming with "antipathy toward people who aren't like them" -- blacks, Hispanics, gays and Muslims -- a nation that is, as Michelle Obama once put it succinctly, "just downright mean"?

The Democrats are going to get beaten badly in November. Not just because the economy is ailing. And not just because Obama over-read his mandate in governing too far left. But because a comeuppance is due the arrogant elites whose undisguised contempt for the great unwashed prevents them from conceding a modicum of serious thought to those who dare oppose them.

Tuesday: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oShTJ90fC34

Tuesday: Native Canadian say WHITE MAN

"GERRY": We pay them back at the casinos

Tuesday: It was a gesture that cost nothing, but gained goodwill."White people" will be the minority soon anyway

The Col: Yes they like that very much

Voters now trust Republicans more than Democrats on all 10 of the important issues regularly tracked by Rasmussen Reports...

Tuesday: I think it's just normal human recognition that as 'white folk'... we really did screw up.

Little-known fact: Obama's failed stimulus program cost more than the Iraq war

* Obama's stimulus, passed in his first month in office, will cost more than the entire Iraq War -- more than $100 billion (15%) more.

* Just the first two years of Obama's stimulus cost more than the entire cost of the Iraq War under President Bush, or six years of that war.

Just some handy facts to recall during coming weeks as Obama and his congressional Democratic buddies get more desperate to put the blame for their spending policies on Bush and the war in Iraq.

Read more at the Washington Examiner: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-confidential/Little-known-fact-Obamas-failed-stimulus-program-cost-more-than-the-Iraq-war-101302919.html#ixzz0xqZoarKo

Some argue that high US military spending allows other nations to spend less. But this view seems to change the order of historical events:

* During the Cold War, high spending was common around the world.
* High spending was reduced by allies such as various European and Asian countries as the Cold War ended (almost 2 decades ago) not because other nations felt they would be protected by the US — a dangerous foreign policy choice by any sovereign nation to rely so much on others in this way — but because they perceived any global threat from the Cold War had diminished and simply didn’t need such high spending any more; globalization of trade was supposed to be ushered in and lead to a new era.
* It was only the US as the remaining global super power that maintained a high budget. Many argue this was to strengthen its position as sole super power and that its “military industrial complex” was able to convince their public to maintain it.

Past empires have throughout history have justified their position as being good for the world. The US is no exception.

However, whether this global hegemony and stability actually means positive stability, peace and prosperity for the entire world (or most of it) is subjective. That is, certainly the hegemony at the time, and its allies would benefit from the stability, relative peace and prosperity for themselves, but often ignored in this is whether the policies pursued for their advantages breeds contempt elsewhere.

As the global peace index chart shown earlier reveals, massive military spending has not led to a much global peace.

As noted in other parts of this site, unfortunately more powerful countries have also pursued policies that have contributed to more poverty, and at times even overthrown fledgling democracies in favor of dictatorships or more malleable democracies. (Osama Bin Laden, for example, was part of an enormous Islamic militancy encouraged and trained by the US to help fight the Soviet Union. Of course, these extremists are all too happy to take credit for fighting off the Soviets in Afghanistan, never acknowledging that it would have been impossible without their so-called “great satan” friend-turned-enemy!)

So the global good hegemon theory may help justify high spending and even stability for a number of other countries, but it does not necessarily apply to the whole world. To be fair, this criticism can also be a bit simplistic especially if an empire finds itself against a competitor with similar ambitions, that risks polarizing the world, and answers are likely difficult to find.

But even for the large US economy, the high military spending may not be sustainable in the long term. Noting trends in military spending, SIPRI added that the massive increase in US military spending has been one of the factors contributing to the deterioration of the US economy since 2001. SIPRI continues that, “In addition to its direct impact of high military expenditure, there are also indirect and more long-term effects. According to one study taking these factors into account, the overall past and future costs until year 2016 to the USA for the war in Iraq have been estimated to $2.267 trillion.”

http://www.globalissues.org/article/75/world-military-spending#InContextUSmilitarybudgetvsotherUSpriorities

Bernice:***The national debt is $13.3 trillion and that equals $42967 per person....and the US debt per TAX PAYER is $120218***

and this is only in 4 days

per person is now $43004 abd per TAX PAYER is now $120,322

Bernice: Crazy isn't it. And the politicians are looking for even more ways to spend money we don't have.

Artful Dodger: That's true right now, but we have 2 mos left.  Plenty of time for the radical "Tea Party" favorites who are taking over your party to ruin it for ya.

Ferris Bueller: That's nonsense. Where are those radicals? Can you point them out?

The Col: Who's going to be your next mayor in Toronto ?

Artful Dodger: Does the article include all the costs involved in Iraq, or are they just (as it seems) using the war related defence budget spending figures.

.. there is also the contractors costs, the cost of all the equipment the US Military want serviced, withdrawal costs


..etc,etc.

The Col: Glen Beck is saying the spirit of God is wanting us to buy Gold through Goldline??.. Beck's sponsors!!

The Col:

The Col: propaganda and a distortion of the facts

Tuesday: How so? YOu must mean by exercising his Constitutional right to free speech and assembly. I forgot that you libs were against that part of the Constitution when it comes to those with opposing views.

Glen Beck rally drew thousands. How many thousands? Some estimates have it as several hundred thousand. By contrast, Al Sharpton's counter-rally drew only 3,000. Even left wing critics had to concede that the rally was a "huge success." But the left won't stay quiet about Beck's success. As one blogger put it, "The many on the left who hate and fear Beck already, just got a jolt of fear-based adrenalin from this event. Their loathing and inner turmoil can only increase.."

Artful Dodger: "There's a sucker born every minute"

PT Barnum

The Col: Yeah, 3000 of them and all attending the Sharpton rally.

Artful Dodger: I don't know which of the two is a bigger ass

The Col: When the liberals run out of counter arguments, they resort to name calling.

Artful Dodger:

Tuesday: And you're sure of this because??? BTW, isn't your son in the military? There were many ex military in attendance. You have something against the military?

And what's all this nonsense about tolerance? Where's yours?

The Col: Your side stopped making sense long ago and that's why the country is turning against the libs. A huge majority of Americans of all stripes are turning (and have turned) away from the liberal agenda. It's not what the people want for the country.

The tea party has ideas. Liberal have lies and name calling.

Tuesday: The original is a nice companion to that one

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anNEJJYLU8M&feature=related

The Col:

Artful Dodger: Sooooo.. everyone is allowed to have an opinion... true. Then anyone who isn't .. as it were.. 'in your camp' is allowed to disagree as per free speech. But you seem to be against that!!

Artful Dodger: The anti Iraq war rally here drew about 2 miilion.

Btw.. everyone thinks the actual attendance of the rally was in the mid to late tens of thousands. Those big estimates.. propaganda.

This is how Conservatives leave the grounds of a rally. Neat and clean:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NioIQc6hA8M&feature=player_embedded#!

This is how libs leave it - decimated
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMrJE7J3fWU&feature=player_embedded:

Obama Zombies "Trash" The Capitol
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWSsIYUDtNg&feature=related

Keep in mind that these liberal zombies are the one that claim to be eco-conscience.

Obama Zombie Praises Obama for Free Gas & Housing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZjcFp60DJc&feature=related

Hey Peggy, hows that free gas working for ya now?

Tuesday: Because Beck is a class act. Kudos to Beck for standing up to principles and admitting an error in judgment.

Tuesday: It reminds me of Brown during the run up to our General Election...

And he lost BIG style!!

Artful Dodger: He didn't.. He didn't retract and then pushed what he said into some weird pseudo religious thought.

We call that in the UK a NuTtEr!!

(V): He's pulling a Borat, it will all come out on film, brilliant

The Col: Well Beck has to do something about his future.. His ratings ain't what they use to be!!

N' last I heard.. Conservative Christianity and Mormons didn't mix.. One 'born again' Conservative type use to go on and on and on about how The Mormon prophet was a big fat liar and his followers were deluded and on the road to hell.

Is this true anyone??