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Showing posts with label Washington. Show all posts

Showing posts with label Washington. Show all posts

Christie: 'We're Not Gonna Wait; We Need Help Now!'

"We don’t have time to wait for folks in Congress to figure out how they want to offset this stuff with the budget cuts.
"Our people are suffering now. And they need support now. And they can all go down there, get back to work, and figure out the budget cuts later. But, we need the support now here in New Jersey, and that’s not a Republican or a Democratic issue.
"So, I would urge all my colleagues in the New Jersey delegation, doesn’t matter which party you are in, and all the rest of the folks in Congress. Nobody was asking about offsetting budget cuts in Joplin. And I don’t want to hear about the fact that offsetting budget cuts have to come first, before New Jersey citizens are taken care of.
"So, if you want to figure out budget cuts, that’s fine. Are you going to turn it into a fiasco like that debt limit thing where they were fighting with each other for eight or nine weeks? And you expect the citizens in my state to wait?
"They’re not going to wait. And I am going to fight to make sure that they don’t."
--New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, now in his eighth consecutive day of working non-stop, planning and executing Irene relief and recovery efforts and fighting for the people of his state.

Earthquake Centered in VA/DC; Felt in Philly

An earthquake has rattled Philadelphia and surrounding areas today. Reports are that it was centered in Virginia (Near DC) and was a six on the Richter scale. Police report some buildings are being evacuated. No reports of damage yet.

Krauthammer On Obama: Where He's Been For 2 Yrs?

Democrat David Wu Resigns Amidst Sex Scandal

Well, another Democrat has just bit the dust.
Democratic Rep. David Wu (Ore.) resigned from the House today, just days after news broke that He had been accused of having an “unwanted sexual encounter” with a teenage girl.
The Taiwanese-born Wu, 56 said he was stepping down to protect his family while he responds to “these very serious allegations.”
Wu is the second congressional Democrat rp resign in recent months amidst a sex scandal. His resignation follows on the heels of that of Congressman Anthony Weiner of New York.

Michelle Obama: So Much For Healthy Eating . . . .

First Lady Michelle Obama may preach healthy eating but watch what she eats, not what she says.
Michelle recently checked into the Shake Shack in DC where she had the burger, shake and fries special and logged in excess of 1,700 calories. Now, the Shack (always popular to begin with) has seen an uptick in visitors.
In fact, the Washington Post reports as follows:

Apparently, you can now order “The Michelle Obama Special” at Shake Shack, and you’ll get a burger, french fries, a shake and a Diet Coke, just like Mrs. O.

Do as she does, not as she says!

Christie To Obama: You're Elected To Lead; So LEAD!

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie says the federal budget stalemate is not his problem.
And since there is no deal yet -- and no details of a deal (only rumors) -- what's the point of commenting?
But, as Christie explains it: "What the hell . . . . " He might as well go ahead and comment.
And surely he knew this would make news.
So, here's the Big Guy firing away once again. Yo, Gov: Things were pretty dull while you were on your "working vacation." We missed you. It's great to have you back!

Michelle Obama's 1,556 Calorie Lunch

Yeah, First Lady Michelle Obama really likes Shake Shack.
So do we -- and we can't wait till the Shack opens its Philadelphia outlet next year.
Michelle likes it. We like it.
Only difference is, Michelle preaches healthy, low-calorie eating. We don't. She's expected to set an example. We're not.
Anyway, here's an excerpt from a report at Fox TV, New York:

First Lady Michelle Obama may have temporarily forgotten the lessons of her own anti-obesity campaign when she indulged in a sinfully caloric lunch Monday at a popular new hamburger restaurant.
A Washington Post reporter said the first lady ordered a cheeseburger, french fries, chocolate shake and Diet Coke at Shake Shack -- a trendy hamburger spot that recently opened an outpost in Washington's Dupont Circle.

Click here to read more.

Boehner 'No Deal Imminent' On Deficit

Those who say the Republicans in Congress are "about to cave" on a budget and deficit deal may not know what they're talking about. And/or they may simply be engaging in wishful thinking (especially rampant among Old Media).
Speaker of the House John Boehner says a deal with the democrats simply is not in sight and negotiations have been difficult with serious disagreements surrounding key isses.
Here's an excerpt from a report in The Hill:

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) on Friday said a broad deficit-reduction deal is not “imminent” and stressed that the gap between the White House and Republican leaders has not narrowed in recent days. “There is no agreement in private or in public,” Boehner said at a morning press conference. “And as the president said yesterday,” he added, indicating with his hands, “we are this far apart. It’s not like there is some imminent deal about to happen. There are serious disagreements about how to deal with this very serious problem.”

Click here to read more.

Restaurant Reviews: Philly, DC, Hilton Head

We've had a chance to enjoy some really fine restaurants lately (with some good value) and we'd like to tell you about them.
In Philadelphia we stopped for a lovely Italian dinner with friends at Bellini (220 S. 16th St.) where we enjoyed dining in a warmly lit dining area surrounded by beautifully hand painted Italian murals.
The place is intimate and welcoming and the management and staff go out of their way to please.
Bellini features a full menu with fresh, homemade pastas, fish, risotto, poultry and free range meats. Entrees are in the $18 - $25 range. If you don't see what you want on the menu at Bellini (or if you would like to alter your dish in some way) just ask and they'll be happy to accommodate you. Everything is done with a personal touch. Reservations are recommended -- particularly on weekends. We think you'll like Bellini.
In Washington we hit one of the town's new dining hot spots, Founding Farmers.
This place is one of the country’s leading restaurants to offer farm-inspired American "true" food and drink in a modern, casual setting. The interior is comfortable and down-to-earth with whimsical decorative touches. There's a lighthearted feel about Founding Farmers. From this "modern farmhouse," breakfast, lunch, dinner and brunch menus include homemade and ‘scratch-made’ traditional American classics inspired by the heartland. A collective of American family farmers actually owns the restaurant. They source their fresh products from family farms, ranches, and fisheries from across the United States.
In short, Founding Farmers is a place whee you will find great comfort food at reasonable prices in a delightful atmosphere that is refreshingly unpretentious. Dinner entrees run from $18 to $32 and reservations are a must.
Finally, here in Hilton Head we've just enjoyed the new Flatbread Cafe near Coligny Plaza in the space formerly occupied by Hinchey's.
Yes, Flatbread Cafe does feature what the name implies but this place boasts a sleek bar and a fresh, open, eclectic feel with a menu that includes soups, salads, sandwiches, pasta and one of the best pizzas we've ever tasted. The thin-crust pizza was fresh, flavorful, aromatic and cooked to perfection. Outdoor dining is available on a beautiful new deck and brick and wood interior is downright cool. Pizzas are priced from $8.95 to $18.95 depending on size and trimmings. It's a welcome addition to our favorite island.

Video: Weiner Uncaged And Raging Wildly

Here is Anthony Weiner in earlier days in full attack mode -- raging wildly.
Yes, the issue at hand was an emotional one. And yes, it was important.
But look and the anger and enmity in this man.
Clearly, something was bottled up deep inside this guy -- something just this side of virulent.
Is this what we've come to? Is this the only kind of discourse we can have: loud, angry, vitriolic and accusatory?
Did no one recognize that this guy had possibly serious anger-management and emotional problems? Or is this so much the norm in Washington now that it's simply accepted as part of everyday life?
Think about it.

Weiner To Resign At 2 PM Today, Reports Say

Reports say that Congressman Anthony Weiner will announce his resgination at 2 PM today in Brooklyn, NY.

Weiner To Resign, Sources Say

Reports out of Washington say that Democratic Rep. Anthony Weiner of New York is going to to resign from Congress.
Weiner has been involved in a "sexting" scandal with several women and has gotten caught up in lies that he apparently told about it.
This latest information is said to come from a Democratic source who is said to have knowledge of the congressman's plans.
Click here for more on this story.

Photos: Weiner Showin It Off In House Gym

It now turns out that Congressman Anthony Weiner apparently used the House gym as a backdrop as he took nearly-nude photos of himself and, according to TMZ "sent them to at least one woman."
TMZ says that "Weiner took of himself using his Blackberry and a mirror. Congressional sources have confirmed with TMZ ... the backdrop is indeed the House Members Gym in the basement of the Rayburn House Office Building."
According to TMZ "the pics were taken on both the gym floor and in the locker room."
Click here to see the pictures.

Monkeys Doing Drugs: Your Tax Dollars At Work!

National Tea Party Alert (NTPA) reports that this year's "Golden Hookah" Award goes to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) for what seems to be one of the zaniest money-wasting projects in years.
According to CNSNews, the NIDA has spent over $3.6 million over the past ten years "funding research that involves getting monkeys to smoke and drink drugs such as PCP, methamphetamine (METH), heroin, and cocaine..."
NTPA characterizes this project is the well-deserved winner of CNSNews.com's "What Were They Smoking Award", which is symbolized by the highly-coveted Golden Hookah (video here)
CNSNews contacted the NIH and asked:
“The Census Bureau says the median household income in the United States is $52,000. How would you explain to the average American mom and dad--who make $52,000 per year--that taxing them to pay for this grant was justified?”
In an e-mail, the NIH responded that the research would help create better drug treatment models, alleviating the financial burden on society caused by drug addiction.
“Drug abuse and addiction are a major burden to society; economic costs resulting from tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drug abuse are estimated to exceed $600 billion dollars annually in the United States--including health, crime-related costs, and losses in productivity,” said the NIH.
No word on nominees for next years Golden Hookah.

Photo: Controversial Crotch Shot Revealed

The photo on the left is a high school photo of Congressman Anthony Weiner.
The photo on the right may or may not be a crotch shot of Weiner.
What we do know is this: The photo on the left is reportedly the photo of himself that Weiner uses on his Twitter account. And the weiner photo on the right was sent over the weekend from Weiner's Twitter account to journalist student Gennette Cordova, who lives in Seattle
According to media reports the 46-year-old married New York Congressman has long had a reputation as a player, has dated a string of glamorous women and follows lots of "babes" on Twitter (and many of them seem to follow him as well).
Now, Weiner has reportedly told Luke Russert of NBC News that he "can't say with certitude." that the photo on the right is not him. But he also says he did not send out the picture.
At the beginning of this episode, Weiner's office seemed to claim that he was the victim of a hack. But even though that would be a federal offense, it appears that no reports of the incident were made and that Weiner may not have asked authorities to investigate. The Capitol Police, the force charged with protecting Congress, has said it is not investigating the Weiner incident.
We'd say the aptly-named Weiner is in quite a pickle.
Below is a photo of Weiner today.

Who's Been Visiting White House? GOP: Let's Find Out

The Hill reports that the GOP will make a major push to fully open the visitor records of the Obama White House. Republicans want to know who's been paying calls on the President -- especially among those who might have vested interest, like corporate bigwigs and lobbyists.
Here's an excerpt:

House Republicans plan to probe the White House policy on disclosing its visitor records.

On Tuesday of next week, a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee will hold a hearing titled “White House Transparency, Visitor Logs and Lobbyists.” The hearing comes after a report by the Center for Public Integrity detailing disclosure gaps in visitor records released by the White House.

“Have there been White House meetings with lobbyists and other interest groups about which information has not been released to the public?” the memo asks. “Have White House officials met with lobbyists and other interest groups outside of the White House in order to avoid generating records of such meetings?”

Click here to read more.

In a memo describing the hearing, staff for the House Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee cite the Center’s report about the visitor records. They also list a number of questions for the Obama administration on how its disclosure policy has come to function.

Trump: When The Joke's On Him, It Ain't So Funny

Donald Trump did not particularly enjoy the jokes at last night's annual White House Correspondents' Association Dinner.
He made his views known earlier today on Fox and Friends.
Here are some excerpts:

Trump called jokes made about him at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner "inappropriate in certain respects." . . . .
"Well, I really understood what I was getting into — I didn't know that I'd be virtually the sole focus," Trump said. "I guess when you're leading in the polls that tends to happen. But I was certainly in a certain way having a good time listening."
While much of the room was laughing during the acts, Trump smiled only a few times and an open-mouthed grin never seemed to actually cross his face.

Click here to read more.

A Special Message From 'Government Gone Wild'

Call Senators Now To Support Funding Ban

An urgent message from CatholicVote.org:

The House just passed a one-week spending bill to keep the federal government open that also ensures that our troops will be paid until the end of the fiscal year.

The Senate will take up the bill TODAY or TOMORROW. The House bill contains a ban on taxpayer funding of abortions in our nation's capital. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who once supported the DC abortion ban, has now indicated that he might offer an amendment to remove this ban.

A vote on such an amendment would be very close. We must call these Senators now and demand that there be no taxpayer funding of DC abortions in the Continuing Resolution to keep the government running.

The Dornan amendment, which ensures no taxpayer funding for abortions in DC, has even been included in numerous Appropriations bills supported by Members on both sides of the abortion debate.

Notably, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin included the DC Abortion Funding ban in his own legislative text twice since Democrats gained control of the Senate in 2007. President Clinton signed this policy into law six times. President Obama signed the policy into law for FY09 and voted to continue the policy twice while serving in the U.S. Senate.

There's simply no reason that taxpayers should pay for abortions in DC. If you live in one of these states, you need to call right now and tell your Senator: No Taxpayer Money for DC Abortions!
We're on the phones calling these Senators now. Please jump in now. We need your help.

-- Your Friends at CatholicVote.org

Who to call:
Massachusetts:
Sen. Scott Brown
(202) 224-4543

Pennsylvania:
Sen. Bob Casey
(202) 224-6324

North Dakota:
Sen. Kent Conrad
(202) 224-2043

South Dakota:
Sen. Tim Johnson
(202) 224-5842

Illinois:
Sen. Mark Kirk
(202) 224-2854

Louisiana:
Sen. Mary Landrieu
(202) 224-5824

Alaska:
Sen. Lisa Murkowski
(202) 224-6665

Nebraska:
Sen. Ben Nelson
(202) 224-6551

Arkansas:
Sen. Mark Pryor
(202) 224-2353

Call Now To Stop Planned Parenthood Funding

A special Message from CatholicVote.org:

Can you spare five minutes today? Here's why...

Congress is on recess this week. That means your Representative is home in his or her district taking the pulse of the voters they need to get re-elected.

Next week they will return to Washington D.C. and decide whether to hold firm on cutting taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood -- or whether to give in and compromise.

A 5-minute call to their local office will definitely make a difference. Can you call?

Click here to get your Representative’s local phone number

CatholicVote is a proud member of the Expose Planned Parenthood Coalition. This coalition is working together to stop taxpayer funding of abortion giant Planned Parenthood.

Hundreds of thousands of activists have been mobilized by our coalition and today it's our turn.

Today we pledged to ask our members to call the local offices of their member of Congress. It’s time for these Representatives to hear from the Catholic vote!

Get your Representative’s local phone number here:
http://exposeplannedparenthood.net/contact-congress/

Here are some talking points to consider during your call:

1) I am calling today to urge my Representative to cut all taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood. This is not negotiable and defunding must be included in ANY budget legislation.

2) During a time of fiscal crisis, everything should be on the table for spending cuts, especially an embattled, scandal-ridden corporation like Planned Parenthood. There must be no sacred cows.

3) With tens of millions of dollars in profit each year, Planned Parenthood does not need or deserve our taxpayers dollars.

4) Recent undercover videos show that Planned Parenthood staff from the top-down were willing to aid and abet the sex trafficking of children. I cannot be complicit in this activity through my tax dollars.

5) Please stand up for women, girls, unborn children, and taxpayers by defunding Planned Parenthood. This must be a top priority and is non-negotiable.

Of course, not every Member of Congress is pro-life. But you don’t have to be 100% pro-life to support this amendment. Our government is out of money. The last place our dollars should be going is to Big Abortion.

Planned Parenthood gets $360 million of our tax money every year. This has got to stop. Let's do our part. Please pick up the phone.