Twenty-five years after Soviet exit, Taliban says U.S. will meet same fate

KABUL (Reuters) - The Taliban called on Afghans to expel the United States from Afghanistan on Saturday just as they said Afghan mujahideen fighters had done to Soviet forces 25 years ago to the day.

In a statement issued on the 25th anniversary of the final Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan, a national holiday for Afghans, the Taliban sought to connect the steady departure of U.S. and NATO troops ahead of a year-end deadline to the end of the decade-long Soviet occupation.

"Today America is facing the same fate as the former Soviets and trying to escape from our country," the Taliban said in a statement emailed to reporters by Qari Yousef Ahmadi, a spokesman for the group.

"The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is calling on its people to deal with today's invaders the same they did with the yesterday's invaders," he said, using the name the Taliban government used during its repressive 1996-2001 rule. 

In line with the so-called Geneva accords, a last convoy of Soviet soldiers crossed a bridge connecting northern Afghanistan with the then-Soviet Union on February 15, 1989.

"We want to remind the Americans that we did not accept invaders with their sweet and nice slogans in the past. We eliminated them from the world map. God willing, your destiny will be the same," the statement said.

While U.S. and NATO forces in recent years have pushed Taliban militants out of many areas of their southern homeland, they appear to be dug in across remote areas along the rugged Afghanistan-Pakistan border and insurgent violence continues.

The United Nations said last week that civilian deaths rose in 2013 as fighting intensifies between Taliban militants and government forces that are taking over from foreign troops.

Uncertainty about whether a modest force of foreign troops will stay beyond a year-end deadline continues due to Afghan President Hamid Karzai's refusal to sign a security deal with the United States that would permit some troops to stay.

(Reporting By Mirwais Harooni; Writing by Missy Ryan; Editing by Matt Driskill)

Obama’s Energy Policies: Devotion To Abdullah And Derision Of Alberta

by John Myers 
President Barack Obama’s final decision on the approval of the Keystone XL pipeline does not depend on what American greens preach but on what the King of Saudi Arabia orders. It seems the final decree from the oil kingpin has not yet been handed down, although it may be received by Obama when he travels to Saudi Arabia next month.
This will be Obama’s second state visit to see King Abdullah. The king may refuse to allow Obama to sign off on the landmark Keystone XL pipeline deal with Canada, America’s closest ally and largest trading partner.
On paper and before the consideration of politics, the passage of the Keystone XL pipeline is a no-brainer — even for Obama, the man who can make it happen with the stroke of a pen. The President’s own State Department has told him five times that he should sign it into law because the pipeline will not have an egregious impact on the environment and it will give America greater energy security while creating thousands of jobs.

In January, the State Department issued its fifth conclusion on the Keystone project. Again, it determined that the Keystone project would not have a significant impact on global warming (an event taken for granted but not proven).
It’s taken five years so far to decide on what is now a lame-duck bill (pun intended). The greens in Congress may be convinced that Keystone should not be approved because it will damage the environment. The evidence that will build their case: a few hundred dead ducks have flown into tar sands oil pools and died. (Nobody seems to consider that 14 million ducks are legally hunted each year.)
Besides the Daffy Duck argument over oil sands is the fact that the Keystone XL pipeline can deliver three-quarters of a million barrels of crude per day, free from any Arab intervention. That’s not a bad thing when you consider that the mostly Arab OPEC launched two oil embargoes against the United States in the 1970s and it finances extremists who want to kill Americans. (For the liberals who are reading this, Canadians allow girls to get an education and women to ride bicycles. And the last time I checked, Canadians do not behead political opponents in the town square.)
The project will create an estimated 20,000 U.S. jobs — something our “jobs” President declared he was serious about during his State of the Union address.
Obama, either the Saudi prodigal son or a loyal environmentalist, has said the Keystone job numbers are ultra-inflated. The President told The New York Times last summer that the project might create “maybe 2,000 jobs” during construction and “50 to 100 permanent jobs” after that.
TransCanada, the company backing the project, believes the President has grossly underestimated the employment impact. This begs the question: Could Obama be lying for his own political gain? (I would love to comment further, but I would simply be piling on.)

Obama’s 5-Year No-Oil Plan

So here we stand five years into Obama’s Presidency. He still can’t decide what to do with Keystone. He pretends the greens have good reasons to stop this $7.6 billion project that would provide oil security and jobs for the United States, as well as create wealth for America’s largest trading partner.
Yet the real reason that Obama won’t decide on Keystone is the Saudi king has not yet given him permission. Obama is still hedging what is good for the national interest — not the national interest of the United States, but of Saudi Arabia.
In the recently published book Duty: Memories of a Secretary at War, former Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates, wrote: “During my time in the Bush Administration, I worried about the influence of the Israelis and the Saudis in the White House.”
Gates writes of his last visit to Saudi Arabia in 2010:

"Pleasantries done, the king excused virtually everyone else and the two of us, and the Saudi ambassador to the United States, Adel Al-Jubeir who interpreted…  (then said) there had been loose talk by some senior Saudis about fundamentally altering the relationship with the United States and developing closer relations with other big powers such as China and Russia. Reading from notes, Abdullah had a stark message for me and for the president:

• Our two countries have had a strategic relationship for seventy years.  I value it and support all facets.
• The relationship is essential to the security of the world.
• America’s reputation is at stake…"

Obama’s reputation is at stake, yet he bows to a ruthless Saudi monarch and chastises Canadian Parliament. Canadians are Judeo-Christian people who share an ancestry and the same democratic values as Americans. The truth is Obama doesn’t remain very loyal to old friends. He follows more closely his core beliefs from his Muslim upbringing. And that does not serve the Nation he has sworn to protect.
Protecting the Nation means protecting America’s energy supplies.
If this is where you expect a sermon on why you should buy Canadian oil sands, you are going to be disappointed. I believe oil investors should beware; oil prices are in decline along with most commodity prices. My projection for crude oil is $50 per barrel within two years.
So Obama’s decision to once again bow to the Saudi king won’t leave us a cold, huddled mass. But it will show the true measure of the man.
Yours in good times and bad,

No Bow, No How: The Great Eight

Sorry Sochi, no Obamalympics. Democrats: trapped in the past? And, at least he likes tacos. All this, plus, someone defrost ManBearPig.

WATCH: Rep. Trey Gowdy Calls Nancy Pelosi 'Mind-Numbingly Stupid'

Gotta luvs Trey...wish he were my Rep in Nevada...we need way more Reps such as this man with large cajones'

If Democrats would wake up and realize what Rep. Trey Gowdy is saying is true, then we can begin to move the ball in the right direction.
Until they do that, grab some popcorn, folks. When people stop being polite and start getting real, we’ve got some real entertainment on our hands.

Holy Moly, Jon Stewart Just Called Out Democrats Like He Never Has Before

Bittersweet Victory For Concealed Carry In California

by Ben Bullard 
An attempt by San Diego County to pick and choose which of its residents are allowed to hold a concealed carry permit was refuted Thursday by an appeals court, which ruled that the county’s take on a Statewide “good cause” rule infringed on citizens’ 2nd Amendment rights.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9^th Circuit invalidated several California counties’ concealed carry restrictions with Thursday’s 2-1 ruling, which San Diego can still appeal. The court found San Diego infringes on residents’ Constitutional rights by requiring they demonstrate a superabundance of “good cause” – typically in the form of documented proof that their personal safety has been threatened – before they can be issued a concealed carry permit.
As the Contra Costa Times explained, the ruling “means that one day all law-abiding Californians with the right training and a desire for self-defense could have the right to carry concealed handguns.”
State gun laws – among the Nation’s most restrictive – already requires applicants to show “good cause,” but San Diego’s interpretation of that term was challenged by several residents, along with the California Rifle and Pistol Association:

"The county’s policy requires “a set of circumstances that distinguish the applicant from the mainstream and causes him or her to be placed in harm’s way.” But concern for “one’s personal safety alone is not considered good cause,” San Diego’s policy says. Applicants have had to provide documentation — such as restraining orders, letters from law enforcement or prosecutors — to prove a special need for self-protection.
A federal district judge had ruled that’s OK in order to protect public safety, but the 9th Circuit reversed that ruling Thursday, finding the county’s policy “impermissibly infringes on the Second Amendment right to bear arms in lawful self-defense.”

That last sentence stings: “Second Amendment right to bear arms in lawful self-defense.” Nowhere is self defense enumerated in the Bill of Rights as a qualifier to the right to bear arms. Courts in progressive political climates continue to refine the intent of the 2^nd Amendment to death with ephemeral commentary like this, muddying the clear language of the Constitution itself in the minds of people who’ve never bothered to read it.
But for Californians, there’s no question Thursday’s ruling amounts to a fundamental win. They just need several dozen more.

Only Veterans are qualified to Judge who would be the best POTUS/CIC

Sorry folks but this is 'Just a Fact Jack'...after all they are the ones who in the past as well as currently are required to give their all in blood,sweat and tears...currently our POTUS is a punk ass kid who never gave anything...he was a taker all his life..and for the record no one really knows who and what Barry Barack Hussein Soetoro Davis Obama really is, all of his records have been either hidden or sealed...in reality he could not pass a full field background investigation for a Secret much less a Top Secret security clearance...only in the good old USA could this happen...the highest office in the land is exempt from the requirements that all those under his command must meet!
And for the record our current congress is only made up of 20% veterans 80 % of who knows what!

So the bottom line becomes...we need a bill requiring that all future POTUS candidates meet all requirements for a full field background investigation as well as having  served in the military...this precedent was set by non other than our First President George Washington! Need I really say more?

I could go on and on with this diatribe but I for one try to keep it simple/direct and to the point...

Until one has been there done that and trembled when the command *Fix Bayonets* is given one has no idea what it is like to follow a Commander who one trusts! 

Cue: 'Fix Bayonets' for those who need a visual to understand!

Happy Valentines Day y'all...no Cyrus twerking allowed...lol

Ok so I am bored with politicking today...sue me...rofl
cue:

ALERT: Report reveals Congress 'secretly' approved weapons transfer to Syrian Rebels

 

American Conservative,

A recent report by Mark Hosenball of Reuters confirms that Congress has "secretly" approved of sending weapons to so-called "moderate" factions of the Free Syrian Army.

Hosenball reports:

"Light arms supplied by the United States are flowing to 'moderate' Syrian rebel factions in the south of the country and U.S. funding for months of further deliveries has been approved by Congress, according U.S. and European security officials."

The report notes that U.S. lawmakers have approved of "a variety of small arms, as well as some more powerful weapons, such as anti-tank rockets" to transfer to the rebels.

Worse than this is the fact that these weapons transfers were organized by members of Congress without the knowledge of the American people.

"The weapons deliveries have been funded by the U.S. Congress, in votes behind closed doors, through the end of [the government's] fiscal year 2014, which ends on September 30 ..."

"Congress approved funding for weapons deliveries to the Syrian rebels in classified sections of defense appropriations legislation, two sources familiar with the matter said. It was not clear when the funding was approved, but unclassified defense funding passed Congress in late December."

While most of these transfers unfortunately are already guaranteed, the good news is that we can prevent some of the aid from being disbursed as some of the aid requires subsequent "budget tweaking" by lawmakers.

What is happening in Syria -- the torture, genocide, and exiling of Christians and non-muslims at the hands of the Free Syrian Army -- should never be funded by taxpayers dollars.

Take action, express your outrage, and contact Congress now! Tell Congress to sever all aid to Syrian Islamists!

** Call your lawmakers and tell them to STOP all aid to the Free Syrian Army! Find contact info here.

** Sign the petition and demand your lawmakers take action on this here.

Sister Dorgan's Story

In a video interview, a highly esteemed Syrian Orthodox nun relays some incredibly disturbing information regarding Syria's "freedom fighters" - a testimony that should never have to be spoken.

Sister Hatune Dogan told WND's Jerome Corsi that members of the Free Syrian Army are draining and bottling the blood of beheaded Christians and selling it for profit.

Dogan says that the Rebels' collection and selling of martyrs' blood is a "big business" as each vial sells for $100,000. She said the profits are made so "the Muslim terrorists can buy more weapons."


In a separate testimony at a conference in Germany, Sister Dorgan explained that Saudi Islamists - those who purchase the blood from the Syrian Rebels - believe that washing the hands with a Christian's blood provides salvation.

"After their Islamic perception, when they wash their hands in this blood, they become part of this sacrificing for Allah. Not our God; their Allah. It's their Allah that asks for human sacrifice."

Despite harrowing reports like these, the Obama Administration and certain members of Congress remain committed to providing the Syrian Rebels with American dollars and weapons.

Pro-aid voices in the White House and Congress foolishly believe that our aid is "safe" and won't fall into the wrong hands...they say our aid will only help the "good guys."

But we know there are no guarantees that our aid won't end up with radical jihadists like those Sister Dorgan described.

This is why we must demand Congress right now to stop all aid to the Syrian Rebels and their fight to install radical Sharia Law!

** Call your lawmakers and tell them to STOP all aid to the Free Syrian Army! Find contact info here.

** Sign the petition and demand your lawmakers take action on this here.

US Funding Terror Since 2013

The United States has been providing the Free Syrian Army taxpayer-funded "assistance" for months.

Not long after John Kerry and Barack Obama - in accord with Sens. McCain, Graham, and Menendez - called for America to arm the Syrian Rebels last summer, the pipelines were quietly opened.

As of September 2013 - and without a vote of Congress - the United States began financially and materially assisting the so-called "moderate" factions of the Free Syrian Army in their efforts against President Assad.

From a September 10 Reuters report:

"The U.S. is distributing non-lethal aid and ... some lethal assistance as well to the SMC (Supreme Military Council) ... The United States is providing lethal assistance because they are sure that the mechanisms that the SMC has established are well tested and they will be sure that the weapons are not falling into the wrong hands." (emphasis ours)

We've got to change this and demand that all U.S. aid to the Free Syrian Army be severed now!

** Call your lawmakers and tell them to STOP all aid to the Free Syrian Army! Find contact info here.

** Sign the petition and demand your lawmakers take action on this here.

Syrian Jihadists Capture American Supplies

Even after the Islamist Front seized an entire warehouse of American goods provided for the "good guys" in December, the Administration refuses to eliminate aid to the Free Syrian Army.

The New York Times reported that, rather than terminate all aid, the Obama Administration decided suspend "nonlethal aid" - equipment, supplies, etc. - and only temporarily.

From the Times:

"Administration officials said that the suspension ... was temporary and that the nonlethal aid, which is supplied by the State Department, could flow again.

But with rebels feuding with one another instead of concentrating on fighting Mr. Assad, and with the United States still groping for a reliable partner in Syria, the odds of any peace conference breaking the cycle of bloodshed appeared to have dimmed. For the White House, which has pinned its hopes on a political solution, the fracturing of the opposition raises a number of thorny questions, including whether the United States should work more closely with Islamist forces."

To put it simply, after Syrian jihadists captured an entire stock of U.S. supplies, the Obama Administration placed non-lethal aid on "pause" and left lethal aid (a.k.a. weapons) and humanitarian aid (a.k.a. money) flowing as usual.

This is nothing short of insanity!

Unless Congress stops all aid now, it is only a matter of time until another shipment of American goods is absorbed by Syrian terrorists.

** Call your lawmakers and tell them to STOP all aid to the Free Syrian Army! Find contact info here.

** Sign the petition and demand your lawmakers take action on this here.

The Free Syrian Army is a Terrorist Organization

As we've pointed out before, the Free Syrian Army is a terrorist organization; not only that, according to international law professor Daoud Khairallah, most of its members are not even Syrian.

The radical Salafist faction of the Free Syrian Army, Jabhat al-Nusra, originated in Iraq and is allied with al-Qaeda. (The federal government declared al-Nusra a terrorist entity in December of 2012.)

The Free Syrian Army's "Hawks of Damascus" are also are non-Syrians and allied with al-Qaeda. In fact, this group even employs a Bin-Laden Brigade in honor of their former leader.

"Nowhere in rebel-controlled Syria is there a secular fighting force to speak of," said the New York Times, noting the Rebel's overt "religious agenda" to install Sharia Law.

These religious radicals have brazenly committed numerous atrocities on camera - they've killed government soldiers, engaged in public beheadings, among other horrific things. They've also terrorized, killed, and forced into exile thousands of Christians and non-Muslim Syrians.

With these facts in mind, we cannot allow federal aid programs to the Free Syrian Army go unchallenged.

Despite the Administration's claims, there is no wisdom in sending our money into this region supporting organizations like these. Aid to the Free Syrian Army is not a national security issue and is certainly unconstitutional.

Aid is popular in Washington and has been for far too long - it's time that the American People stand up and challenge it. If we don't, our passivity condones our government's funding of lawlessness and genocide.

Every single member of Congress needs to be told to end aid to the Free Syrian Army now.

Will you make your voice heard?

A nation conceived in liberty and upon the rule of law ought to never support the destruction of those same things outside of its borders...

Take Action! Blast faxes to the U.S. House and Senate demanding lawmakers to STOP Obama from providing aid - lethal, non-lethal, and humanitarian - to the Free Syrian Army! No arming or funding terrorists!

For America,

Conservative Action Alerts
www.ConservativeActionAlerts.com

P.S. We need to demand our elected servants to end aid to the Free Syrian Army now. Send a no-cost message to your U.S. Representative and Senators on this issue right away – select here.

Virginia Same-Sex Marriage Ruling Confuses Declaration of Independence with Constitution

by Frances Martel 

A federal judge struck down Virginia's ban on same-sex marriage today, an historic ruling with especial resonance on Valentine's Day. Except the history of the historic ruling isn't exactly up to par: Judge Arenda Wright Allen claimed the Constitution declares that "all men are created equal," which is, instead, the first line of the Declaration of Independence.

"Our Constitution declares that 'all men' are created equal. Surely this means all of us," Judge Allen wrote on the first page of her opinion. That line opens the second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence and appears nowhere in the Constitution. The line, in which Thomas Jefferson, with signature flourish, borrowed the words of theorist John Locke: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
It is a centuries-old debate among historians and political/legal theorists alike whether Jefferson, as a slave-owner, meant "all of us" human beings in that statement.

The Constitution begins with another set of famous words: "We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union..." The opinion also began with an excerpt from a public statement by Mildred Loving, the plaintiff in Loving v. Virginia, the case which legalized interracial marriage throughout the country--a nod to the fact that Virginia was the state to spearhead individual freedoms on that particular issue of marriage. This, at least, appears to have been accurately quoted.
You may read the entire opinion handed down today here.
While the emphasis certainly will stay with the legal repercussions of such a ruling, one wonders through how many legislative clerks and assorted editors such a federal opinion goes through where such a gaping error related to the most powerful legal document in the country can slip through. Surely no elected official would be spared from late night talk show monologues had they made the same mistake.
The Virginia decision follows a declaration from Attorney General Eric Holder that the federal government will begin to expand same-sex marriage rights from the top down by recognizing marriages between same-sex couples on a federal level that invalidates the ability of states that ban such rights. Privileges included in this expansion by the federal government would include spousal privilege in a courtroom and the right to jointly file for bankruptcy.

The WORLD Is watching!

 

Take The Poll Everyone Is Talking About! Friend, This week, the political world has been buzzing with the latest results from the Contract From America and TheTeaParty.net's 2016 Presidential Poll. This poll will be a constant barometer of where grassroots conservatives are leaning in the upcoming presidential election, but it will only be effective if you participate! The Washington Examiner and the Drudge Report have both publicized our poll's results and now we want to make it even bigger! So let us know, have your opinions changed? Do you disagree with the results? The more people take this revolutionary, crowdsourcing style poll, the more accurate the results become. So spread the word and VOTE TODAY! Follow the image below to take our 2016 Presidential Poll! In Freedom, Contract From America Team

Paid for by Contract From America Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee Donations are not deductible for income tax purposes

Obama’s MyRA Scam: Your Savings Pays for US Debt

By: Damon Geller
In one of the most shocking State of the Union Addresses in recent memory, President Obama announced he will create a new kind of retirement account – the MyRA – which uses your retirement savings to buy U.S. Treasures and pay for U.S. debt.  Obama’s announcement follows a number of startling events which demonstrate how desperate the government is becoming:  with nowhere else to turn, the government is making a last-ditch effort to seize personal savings & retirement to fund the nation’s insurmountable debt.  And there’s only ONE thing you can do to stop it from happening. 

The Government Needs A New Source for Funds

The U.S. debt, not including unfunded liabilities, is over $17 trillion dollars.  And the U.S. Treasury estimates our debt to go over $28 trillion by 2018!  In order to finance this debt, the Federal Reserve has been buying 90% of the U.S. Treasury market through money-printing stimulus, to the tune of $80 BILLION per month for the last several years.  And we all know that the Fed has begun tapering its stimulus program because they can no longer afford to fund the national debt.

So if the Fed is going insolvent, who do you think the government will lean on to pick up the slack?  The answer is YOU.  10,000 Baby Boomers will turn 65 years-old every day until 2030.  And while the government has a debt problem of $17 trillion, not so coincidentally, our country's IRAs, 401Ks and other retirement accounts amount to right around $19 Trillion.  What a convenient resource for the Federal Government!

So the federal government is licking its chops staring at YOUR share of the $19 trillion in retirement savings.  Now, if there were only a way for them to get access to your money… 


Master Plan, Stage 1:  Get YOU to Finance the Debt

Obama suddenly announces in his State of the Union Address that he’s got a great “no risk” idea for Americans saving for their retirement.  His exact words:  “I will direct the Treasury to create a new way for working Americans to start their own retirement savings:  MyRA.  It’s a new savings bond that encourages folks to build a nest egg.  MyRA guarantees a decent return with no risk of losing what you put in.”

In other words, YOU the American taxpayers will start buying U.S. Treasuries because the insolvent Fed can no longer do so.  Whenever anyone tells you an investment is “no risk,” you know you’re being sold another Wallstreet.gov scam.  No risk?  Nonsense.  If you buy a 10-year Treasury bill now, you’re locked in at a low interest rate – a rate that has been kept artificially low by Fed stimulus.  Well, Fed stimulus is ending.  And that means we’re headed into an inflationary environment where interest rates have nowhere to go but up.  So in other words, your bond investments lose significant value EVERY SINGLE YEAR.  Hardly no risk.

And how do you feel about investing in a mountain of unsustainable debt?  Most experts (and anyone with common sense) have demonstrated how our national debt levels can NEVER be paid off.  And now, those same experts are predicting the imminent collapse of the U.S. dollar as the world’s reserve currency.  So if the market for U.S. Treasuries is drying up and the demand for U.S. dollars implodes, does investment in America’s debt seem like a “no risk” move to you? 

Master Plan Stage 2:  Confiscation of Retirement Accounts

So, what happens if you’re not willing to invest in Obama’s MyRa?  How does the government get the funding it needs to continue financing and growing the debt?  The answer:  FORCE you to make your retirement funds accessible to the government.

If you do some research on US Bill “HB5337,” you will find the plan to nationalize retirement wealth.  On May 6, 2012 Lauren Schmitz, a research analyst at the Bernard L Schwartz Center for Economic Analyst (SCEPA), introduced HB5337.  This 401(k)/IRA de-privatization is the brainchild of Teresa Ghilarducci, whom through funding from the White House and the Ford & Rockefeller Foundations engineered a new “Regulatory & Tax Incentive.” The purpose is to force Americans to convert their Retirement Accounts into Government Managed accounts.

The government will nationalize retirement accounts like IRAs, 401Ks, pensions, 403Bs, etc. so that you will be forced to use a portion of your retirement wealth to purchase U.S. government debt – debt that will ultimately default, as it is not possible to sustain our astronomical debt nor the deficits that create it.

This plan to nationalize private 401K and IRA retirement accounts is being deceptively publicized as the government protecting the public against business failings or state bankruptcies.  But the reality is, your cash, your retirement funds, your bank deposits and your investments are at huge risk of being confiscated by the government through some contrived reason or another. 


The Only Way Out 
READ: http://www.wholesaledirectmetals.com/index.php/gold-blog/609-obamas-myra-scam-your-savings-pays-for-us-debt/?cid=RedstateSponsored
 

Alabama Democrat Not A Fan Of ‘Uncle Tom’ Clarence Thomas’ Interracial Marriage

by Ben Bullard 
Alabama State representative Alvin Holmes, a black Democrat whose loose-cannon pontifications have been a thorn in the side of the State’s flagging Democratic Party for years, topped himself Tuesday.
The Honorable gentleman from Montgomery reacted to something Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas had said, earlier in the day, about history’s faulty perception of Southern racial inequality by getting on the floor of the Legislature — during a discussion of a bill about land surveying — and going off on Thomas for harboring the disagreeable audacity to be married to a white woman.
Thankfully, local reporters from The Decatur Daily and The Anniston Star were there to tweet Holmes’ pot-stirring comments in real time:
Holmes followed that up by later explaining to The Anniston Star that Justice Thomas is an “Uncle Tom.”
As one Twitter user pointed out, Holmes has been saying this kind of stuff about Clarence Thomas for years.
What had Holmes go all in Tuesday with his full house of race cards?
These words, which Justice Thomas had shared with students at Palm Beach Atlantic University in Florida:

"My sadness is that we are probably today more race and difference-conscious than I was in the 1960s when I went to school. To my knowledge, I was the first black kid in Savannah, Georgia, to go to a white school. Rarely did the issue of race come up. Now, name a day it doesn’t come up. Differences in race, differences in sex, somebody doesn’t look at you right, somebody says something. Everybody is sensitive. If I had been as sensitive as that in the 1960s, I’d still be in Savannah. Every person in this room has endured a slight. Every person."

Thomas apparently slighted Holmes by speaking plainly about how successful progressive culture, of which Holmes is very much a part, has been in fanning the dying embers of yesterday’s racial jealousies back into an inferno today.

The Establishment, Allegations of Purity, and Reality

 
[Harry Reid (D) should just zip it, because we're NOT going away! EVER]
By: Daniel Horowitz
We all agree that Sen. Harry Reid must be dethroned.  Even from a liberal perspective, he has completely destroyed the structure of the Senate by shutting down the open amendment process, thereby eradicating the most important difference between the upper house and the lower house of the legislative branch.
This year, we have the opportunity to vanquish Reid by defeating his liberal lieutenants in conservative states like Louisiana, Arkansas, North Carolina, South Dakota, and Alaska. However, if you think that our policy woes with Washington will change one iota if the current crop of Republicans lead the majority, you haven’t been paying attention.  And if you buy into the bromide about not letting “purity tests” get in the way defeating Democrats, you are willingly blinding yourself to the reality that has played out over the past few years.

The entire conglomerate of consultants, donors, and lobbyists who control the bulk of Republicans in Washington, and the leadership in particular, do not share our values.  This is not a difference in strategy, tone, or a casualty to being the minority party in Washington.  We have witnessed this with one issue after another.  These people regard the party faithful with as much contempt as the Democrats.  And that will not change when Republicans win back the Senate – if the House and Senate are controlled by its current cadre of leaders.
This goes far beyond any legislative scorecard or analysis of voting records.  As we witnessed this week with the debt ceiling vote, most of the elected Republicans spend their time plotting political cover and manipulate their votes to ensure that our side loses, albeit without their public stamp of approval.  We don’t need votes to tell us who is on our side.  You can tell who is with us and who is against us simply by listening to them, watching their actions, and observing their associations.

Indeed, despite the allegations that we seek purity within the party, it is clear that what we want is a bold party of contrast – whether in the majority or minority.  We want a party that will offer a bold stance on immigration and the debt ceiling, for example, and fight for it with equal and opposing force.  We want loyal conservatives that share and fight for our conservative values the same way elected liberals fight for the Democrat party platform. Instead we are given a pale pastel version of Republicans who placate conservatives during election years, and then enact the liberal Democrat talking points through clandestine political efforts.
We know who is with us and who is with the political class.  Everybody takes bad votes once and a while.  Even Ted Cruz recently voted for a bad flood insurance bill.  None of us are demanding purity from him because we know that on almost every issue he is not just a vote but a courageous and effective voice for the millions of us who are disenfranchised by the ruling class oligarchy.  He fights every day in Washington for us.

Jeff Sessions is another good example. He has cast a laundry list of bad votes, and probably doesn’t believe in limited government and free markets to the same extent we do on some issues.  But he is an inimitable statesman when it comes to his core issues of immigration, budget, and welfare.  On immigration, he has offered more selfless, indefatigable leadership – both on a political and policy level – than almost any member on any issue.  He has stood as the Elijah on Mount Carmel against the entire universe of sleazy politicians and consultants in Washington who seek to subvert our civil society.  Despite his bad votes on some other issues, none of us are looking to replace him because indeed we are not purists.  We just want people who fundamentally represent our values, and Sessions has shown that his heart is with the Country Class over the Ruling Class.
The leaders in the House and Senate, along with their boot lickers, are fundamentally against us.  Many of us have known and observed this privately for years, but the debt ceiling vote – both in the House and Senate – brought their devious subterfuge out in the open.

In the House, leadership got together and agreed to pass it with Democrat votes, thereby letting almost their entire conference off the hook to vote against their true beliefs so they can play their Republican constituents like fools.
In the Senate, McConnell attempted to do the same, but was thwarted by Senators Cruz and Lee.  Then he tried to get others to vote for something he badly wanted to pass, but lacked the conviction to own.  Roll Call explains in plain English how Democrats and Republicans worked together to fool the American people by instructing the clerk not to call their names publicly and then by switching their votes.
Remember, this is just a rare glimpse into how these guys operate on most other issues.  This will not change by simply voting Republicans into the majority, especially on the critical issues of immigration and debt.

Even with the best of leaders in Washington, there will always be differences of opinion on strategy, tone, and minor issues.  But what is happening now is far beyond a strategic disagreement.  Democrats might have internal squabbles once and a while, but they are united in goose step for the inexorable promotion of their liberal values.  There is no effective dissent from even one member.  And to the extent a couple of red-state Democrats vote against the liberal agenda, it is just a two-faced game for their conservative constituents.  Whereas Republicans are just the opposite.  They privately agree with the Democrats and only vote the right way to dissuade a potential primary challenger.
As we head into the primaries over the spring and summer, we must ask ourselves the following questions: do we want to build a GOP majority on quicksand or on a solid foundation?  Do we want to go into the voting booth on November and vote for Republicans with our heads held high or with our fingers on our nose?
The right candidates are out there.  The opportunity is calling.  The choice is ours.

Court tosses California's concealed weapons rules...!

[Dan Cartwright, co-owner of TDS Guns, places a semi-automatic pistol on display at his store in Rocklin, Calif.]

oped: Score one for the 2nd Amendment team...when the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals caves...all know we are winning the battle and the war! Hello Nancy Pelosi et all...pack yo bags you have over stayed your welcome in the United States of America...and Kawlifornia for that matter!

By Paul Elias, Associated Press  

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- A divided federal appeals court has struck down California's concealed weapons rules, saying they violate the Second Amendment right to bear arms.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Thursday that California is wrong to require applicants to show good cause to receive a permit to carry a concealed weapon. The court ruled that all law-abiding citizens are entitled to carry concealed weapons outside the home for self-defense purposes.

The divided three-judge panel disagreed with two other federal appeals courts that have upheld permit rules similar to California's.

The U.S. Supreme Court often takes cases when federal appeals courts issue conflicting rulings.

The Supreme Court ruled in 2008 that law-abiding citizens can keep handguns in the home for self-defense purposes, but didn't address whether that right extends outside the home. 

Four al Qaeda Groups Gunning for the United States

[Al-Shabab, hardline Islamists, merged with al-Qaeda in February.]

oped: Yup the Obama administration has a handle on terrorism...or would that be enables terrorism? You be the judge!

By David Francis 

Late last month, the U.S. military fired a series of missiles into southern Somalia, aiming to take out a leader of al-Shabaab, the radical Islamic movement with ties to al Qaeda. This follows an October raid by Navy SEAL Team Six, who attacked al Shabaab militants in the Somali coastal city Barawe.

These attacks are in response to al Shabaab’s September siege of Westgate Mall, a shopping center in Nairobi popular with westerners. The three-day siege took at least 67 lives.
Related: Obama's Use of Drones Gives Al Qaeda the Edge in Iraq
This incident put al Shabaab on the map, and made them a target of the U.S. military. According to Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, groups like al Shabaab are forming across Africa, targeting Western targets and terrorizing locals. With the war in Afghanistan winding down and the core of al Qaeda largely decimated, small groups -- most of which you’ve probably never heard of -- are an emerging threat to U.S. national security.

“The continent has become a hothouse for the emergence of extremist and rebel groups, which increasingly launch deadly asymmetric attacks, and which government forces often cannot effectively counter due to a lack of capability and sometimes will,” Clapper wrote of Africa in his 2014 Worldwide Threat Assessment. “Additionally, a youth bulge will grow with unfulfilled economic expectations and political frustrations; conflict will increase for land and water resources; and strengthening transnational criminal networks will disrupt political and economic stability.” 

The threat from groups like al Shabaab is so severe that Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel visited Somalia's president and his top advisers after Westgate to see how the United States could help train Kenyan troops. After the October raid in Somalia, Hagel vowed to conduct similar ones to stop terror groups elsewhere. 

Related: Did The White House Overstate the Al Qaeda Threat?
“We will continue to maintain relentless pressure on terrorist groups that threaten our people or our interests," Hagel said. "We will conduct direct action against them, if necessary, that is consistent with our laws and our values."
As this threat increases, the United States is transitioning its response. Now, instead of using large number of troops, Special Forces and air strikes are the preferred methods of engagement. But how Special Forces spend their $10 billion budget is a secret; despite pressure from Congress, they don’t reveal where the money goes.
Chances are, a lot of it is going to Africa. Here are the four groups that pose a dire threat to American interests

Al Shabaab - The Westgate attack was the group’s most visible. But they conduct smaller operations, from car bombings to thefts, regularly in Kenya and Somalia. For instance, in December, members of the group in Nairobi killed four when they bombed a bus. In 2010, during the World Cup Final, they bombed a nightclub in Uganda, killing 74. 

Related: Marco Rubio: Obama Could Arm al Qaeda in Syria
The United States has already targeted al Shabaab leaders in Somalia. Now, the FBI is in Kenya, helping in the investigation into Westgate.
Boko Haram - Boko Haram emerged in the summer of 2011, when it bombed U.N. headquarters in Nigeria’s capital Abuja, killing 21. Since then, it’s been waging a campaign of terror across northern Nigeria, killing more than 1,000. Just yesterday, they killed 51 in a random attack in a small town in north Nigeria.
It’s not clear if Special Forces are involved in the hunt for the group. But the United States is providing assistance in the form of training; last month, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan announced the creation of an Army Special Operations Command, with help in the form of training and equipment from U.S. Special Forces.
Jonathan wants more. In a meeting with President Obama last year, he pleaded for more intelligence sharing and equipment.

"For you to fix the world, you must fix Africa," Jonathan told the president last September. "For you to fix Africa, you must fix Nigeria."

Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb - This group, also known as AQIM, is active across North Africa, including Algeria, Tunisia, Mali and Morocco.  Their biggest victory against the west was a successful attack against a French oil facility in Algeria, killing 39.
The most aggressive offensive against AQIM is taking place in Mali, where French-led troops have the group on the run. U.S. Special Forces are there as well, although in an unknown capacity. The only reason their activities became known is an auto accident that killed three soldiers, revealing their presence.
Jabhat al-Nusra - This is the al Qaeda group active in Syria. It’s been described as the most effective rebel group in Syria, and has some 20,000 members.
The group isn’t a direct threat to western interests right now. But if the rebels manage to defeat Syrian President Bashar al Assad, they could become lethal to Europe and the United States. From Syria, it’s relatively easy to access mainland Europe and flights connecting to the homeland.
This is what Clapper said he feared from this and other groups fighting for the future of Syria.

“Syria has become a significant location for independent or [al Qaeda]-aligned groups to recruit, train, and equip a growing number of extremists, some of whom might conduct external attacks,” he warned.

Belgium to legalise Child euthanasia

oped: Here we go again...back to the past 1933 forward...when will people learn from history?
SEE: http://sharlaslabyrinth.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-nazi-euthanasia-program-forerunner.html

Belgium will be the first country to allow euthanasia for terminally ill children of any age, if the Country's parliament votes in favour of a controversial bill that will allow children to end their lives with the help of a doctor in the world's most radical extension of mercy killing law.

Guess Who’s Paying For Obamacare Attack Ads? Democrats

by Ben Bullard

How do you take on “Tea Party billionaires” (aka the Koch brothers) who think “attack ads can cover the truth?”
You buy a vulnerable Democratic incumbent an ad that covers the truth right back.
The House Majority PAC — a Democrat-aligned political action committee determined to help the Party retake a majority in the House of Representatives this year (ha!) — is banking on a wave of voter backlash over Obamacare in the midterm Congressional elections. So it’s buying up ads for Democratic incumbents that portray them as frustrated everymen fighting against President Barack Obama to reach a solution.



Transcribed:

Tea Party billionaires think attack ads can cover the truth. Joe Garcia is working to fix Obamacare. He voted to let you keep your existing health plan and took the White House to task for the disastrous health care website. And Joe Garcia fought to hold the insurance companies accountable so they can’t deny coverage for preexisting conditions, or drop coverage when you get sick. Attack ads can’t change the truth. Joe Garcia is doing what’s right for Florida.

What attack ad has House Majority PAC so indignant over the “disastrous health care website?” It must be this one, funded by the Koch-affiliated LIBRE Initiative:



Pretty respectable for an “attack” ad. Christie says Garcia supports Obamacare and asks why; that’s about it.
So does he? Well, he did. He kind of does, still. He’s mad at Obama like a Republican, but he wants to fix the Affordable Care Act like a Democrat. It’s interesting that no Democrat is running on a pro-Obamacare platform this year — despite Nancy Pelosi’s delusional promises. Rather, most are trying, like Garcia, to change the message.
Credit Garcia for seeing this day coming earlier than most of his Democratic colleagues.
Garcia came to Congress in 2013 as the first elected representative of the newly created 26^th District, and he  is already fighting to hang on for a second term. He validated his enthusiasm for Obamacare almost immediately after being sworn into office by joining Debbie Wasserman Schultz and the rest of Florida’s Democratic delegation for a guilt-trip letter to Republican Governor Rick Scott, whom they accused of abandoning his “expressed support of Medicaid expansion under the federal Affordable Care Act.”
That was February of last year — one month into his first term. By summertime, Garcia had wet his finger and put it to the wind — and he had begun to feel a breeze. In July, he was ready to side with the House GOP in a vote to delay Obamacare’s individual mandate. In November, he again sided with House Republicans in a vote to allow people to keep buying the insurance plans Obama falsely promised people they could keep.
No doubt Garcia was building an Obamacare track record in anticipation of the day he’d have to run TV ads to protect his incumbency.
At least he can take comfort in the fact that Democratic PACs aren’t having any qualms, this year, about shelling out money for TV ads that attack Obamacare.

Obama And The Debt Ceiling Are Both Full Of Crap

by Wayne Allyn Root
I’m Wayne Allyn Root for Personal Liberty. The debt ceiling debate is upon us again. And once again you are being fed a line of crap. Barack Obama is full of crap. The media are full of crap. Congress is full of crap. John Boehner and the establishment GOP are full of crap. And the debt ceiling itself is one big load of crap. It’s all a big lie. Let me explain in simple terms anyone can understand.
Have you ever had a sewage pipe break? If the raw sewage kept pouring out and piling up to your ceiling, would you hire contractors to raise your ceiling or would you ask them to correct the problem: to fix the broken pipe and clean the piles of crap out of your home?

Raising the ceiling of your home would be incredibly stupid; it would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. It would change the entire construction of your home. Most importantly, it wouldn’t solve your problem. If you raised the ceiling but didn’t fix the broken pipe, you’d spend $100,000 on the higher ceiling. But two weeks later, they’d have to raise it again. They would have to raise it again and again, until you’d spent more than $1 million on ceiling raises on a $100,000 home that is still full of crap.
Right now, I’m sad to say, America is full of crap.
The Republican chief coward, House Speaker John Boehner, just gave in to Obama again (as he always does) and got nothing in return (as he always does). It’s as if this debate is actually a choreographed acting performance. The loser is America. You’ve been fed a load of crap.
They’re all lying to you, trying to distract you from the truth. The issue isn’t the debt ceiling. That’s only the result. The actual problem is out-of-control government spending. In only five years, Obama has added $6.6 trillion to the national debt. Debt is like sewage. It is bad stuff. It carries disease. It stinks. It’s a cancer or a curse upon whoever touches it.

Here’s what this so-called debt ceiling fight is about. Government has a sewage leak. Raising the ceiling is a big mistake, because no one is fixing the problem. The problem is stopping the raw sewage before it spreads fatal disease and causes a catastrophic epidemic that brings about an economic collapse. Debt has already destroyed the so-called PIIGS of Europe: countries like Greece, Italy, Spain and Portugal. They are drowning in debt. By raising our debt ceiling, we are making the exact same mistake, heading in the exact same direction. We are Greece, except much bigger. Debt will destroy us too, but our collapse will take the entire world down with us. The debt ceiling is a ticking time bomb. Each time we raise the debt ceiling, we are closer to the implosion.
Raising the ceiling again proves that Obama is a failure. It proves that Obama is reckless and irresponsible. It proves that Obama is spending us into bankruptcy. It proves that Obama is once again (what a surprise) a liar. He claims to have cut spending. But the fact we are at the debt ceiling again proves we raised spending. It proves that even the infamous “sequester,” which Obama claimed cut too much spending, actually never cut enough. If we actually cut any substantial spending, why would we need to raise the debt ceiling? Obama and the media don’t want you to ask that question. They need to distract you.
No one cut spending. If anyone had actually cut spending, then why are we out of money again? The politicians called a cut in the increase in spending “a cut in spending.” But it’s not actually a cut in anything. It’s just more spending.

Or in this analogy of a house with a broken sewer pipe, it’s just more sewage. What if your plumber allowed 50 percent more sewage to pour out of the pipe into your house, but he told you that’s better than 100 percent more sewage? What if he bragged that he’d slowed the sewage leak into your house? Would that work? Or would your home still be destroyed by sewage — just a little slower. Would you want to sleep in a bedroom covered in 2 feet of raw sewage, instead of 4 feet? Would you sleep soundly? Of course not, because that didn’t solve the problem.
That’s what is happening to America. We are overloaded with crap. And our ceiling is going to soon explode and take the economy — and your job — with it. The very act of raising the debt ceiling means you’re spending and printing too much money. You’re in debt. And in a matter of months, you’ll need to raise the roof again.
The politicians tell us about all the threats to our country if we don’t raise the ceiling. But the reality is the ultimate national security threat is out-of-control debt. Raising the ceiling doesn’t solve the problem; it allows the problem to get worse. It encourages more spending. It delays the inevitable: a massive debt crisis that causes the collapse of America.

Obama, his socialist cabal, big-government proponents and the media (I know I repeat myself) all have a vested interest in lying to you. They desperately need the reckless spending to continue to bribe their voters. That’s how they stay in office, by perpetuating a massive Ponzi scheme. They desperately need more fake money printing to keep the Ponzi scheme going. They desperately need to distract you from seeing the truth: that government spending is the problem, and the way to solve the problem isn’t raising the ceiling; it’s fixing the pipe.
How do we fix the pipe? We slow the spending. We cut government. We actually — get ready for this — must spend less than we take in. No one in the hysterical media has ever mentioned this simple, alternative solution.
Raising the ceiling is one way to go; fixing the pipe is the other. Which one would you go with in your own home?
Yes, folks, the debt ceiling is a pile of crap. And so is the entire Obama agenda. And if we don’t act fast, so is the American dream.
I’m Wayne Allyn Root for Personal Liberty. God bless us and save us from the communists, socialists, liars, con men and idiots running America into the ground.

Lackluster leadership in the House and Senate...!

Dear Patriot, Forty years ago, 72% of the House of Representatives and 78% of the Senate was made up of lawmakers who served in the armed forces. Today just 20% of House members and 18% of Senators have served. Those who have served in the military have a better understanding and a deeper comprehension of issues involving national security, armed services and veteran issues – issues that if not more important now, are just as critical as they were 40 years ago. When I served in Congress from 2011-2012, I was one of only four black Republicans to serve in the United States House of Representatives in nearly a century. In the Senate, there have been only two. As the demographics of the U.S. population shift, it becomes ever more critical to increase representation by not only black, but Hispanic and Asian American leaders as well. But by electing 14 hard-charging conservatives, who are either veterans or minorities, the Guardian Fund will combat these two negative trends this year. Will you help us? Please follow this link to donate $25, $50, $100, or more to the Guardian Fund today. The Guardian Fund has already endorsed three strong conservatives this cycle: Congressman Tom Cotton, who is running for the U.S. Senate in Arkansas, served in the U.S. Army and deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan. An infantry officer, Tom earned numerous decorations including the Bronze Star Medal, Combat Infantryman Badge, and Ranger tab. Mayor Mia Love, who is running for the open Congressional seat in Utah currently held by Democrat Jim Matheson, is the daughter of Haitian immigrants who fled the oppression and socialism of their island nation. Mia's parents instilled in her the importance of personal responsibility by working multiple jobs to achieve the American Dream for their family. Special Agent Dan Bongino, who is running for the 6th Congressional District in Maryland, served in the elite Secret Service Presidential Protection Division under both George W. Bush and Barack Obama. Dan was the agent in charge of coordinating security for President Obama's visit to an active war zone in Afghanistan and visits to Prague and Jakarta amongst a myriad of terror threats. We'll soon be announcing 11 more Guardian Fund endorsed candidates – but your continue support is critical to ensuring we have the resources to fight on behalf of all of our candidates. That's why your donation of $25, $50, $100, or more today is so important. Thank you in advance for your support. Steadfast and loyal, Lt. Col. Allen B. West, USA (ret) U.S. Congressman (2011-2013)

Cruz's demands ensnares GOP leaders on debt vote

By DONNA CASSATA  

WASHINGTON (AP) — Texas Sen. Ted Cruz sat with eyes glued to his mobile device as the chaos he provoked ensnared his Republican leaders on the Senate floor.

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Legislation to raise the nation's borrowing authority with no strings attached was short of the 60 votes it needed to advance — a threshold Cruz demanded — and without a few conversions, Republicans would be blamed for its failure. The stock market was watching.

After what seemed like an eternity, a grim-faced Sen. Mitch McConnell, the party leader who faces a tea party challenge back home, finally voted yes. An equally grim-faced Sen. John Cornyn, the party's No. 2 leader and Cruz's Texas colleague, changed his vote from no to yes. 

Cruz showed no mercy in exposing Republican leaders to widespread criticism from their primary challengers over a procedural vote on the debt limit after their pronouncements about the imperative of spending cuts. It could have been a simple 50-vote requirement, with Democrats delivering the votes to lift the debt limit, but Cruz insisted.

Pressed after the vote about what he made his leaders do, Cruz was unapologetic.

"It should have been a very easy vote," he told reporters. "In my view, every Senate Republican should have stood together." He added that the verdict on McConnell "is ultimately a decision ... for the voters in Kentucky."

McConnell's GOP challenger, Matt Bevin, seized on McConnell's vote to criticize him. The Madison Project, a conservative group backing Bevin, accused McConnell of giving President Barack Obama "a blank check." 

It wasn't the first time Cruz, a tea party favorite, had created massive headaches for Republicans. Last fall, he and Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, precipitated the 16-day government shutdown with their demand that Obama gut his 3-year-old health care law.

The quest had the backing of the Senate Conservatives Fund and other outside groups that raised millions during the process — and spent a good chunk of it to boost GOP challengers such as Bevin and Chris McDaniel, who is running against Mississippi Sen. Thad Cochran.

This week, the conservative groups Heritage Action and Club for Growth urged Senate Republicans to oppose lifting the debt limit. Determined to avoid brinkmanship, the House voted for a debt limit with no strings attache. After Wednesday's drama, the Senate followed suit.

Republicans are intent on avoiding the drama of market-rattling fiscal fights, especially in an election year in which the party sees a legitimate shot at adding Senate control to their majority in the House. They want Obama's unpopular health care law to be the main focus in the months leading up to the November election. 

Cruz is unwilling to step back from the fight, even if it undercuts his party's strategy.

"Today was a classic victory for Washington establishment interests, and the people who lost today are the American people," Cruz said.

Republican Sens. Bob Corker and John McCain praised the courage of McConnell and Cornyn, who avoided days of uncertainty over whether the nation might default.

"People will see McConnell and Cornyn voted in a responsible way," Corker said.

They avoided public criticism of Cruz.

"I respect Sen. Cruz's rights to exercise his rights as a senator," said McCain, who had rallied other Republicans to switch their votes.

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., the chairman of the Budget Committee, said she was glad Republican were responsible, adding, "It was painful to watch." 

Associated Press writer Henry C. Jackson contributed to this report.