"Game of Thrones" TV Show Puts George W. Bush's Head on a Stake

Have you made up your mind? Dumbo or Dumbass?

Finally, the Presidental Election of 2012 begins with the end of John Edwards story... and the longest Mud Fight in Presidental Election History.

Chuck Burton/Associated Press :
John Edwards, flanked by daughter Cate and his parents, Wallace and Bobbie, was repentant, not gleeful, after the verdict.









Frank VanderSloot grew up as a Morman in rural Idaho. His father worked for the railroad and made $300 a month. To make ends meet his children's clothes came from the Salvation Army. Yet through self-determination and hard work [and with the help of America’s free-enterprise system] Frank VanderSloot is the successful CEO of Melaleuca (http://www.melaleuca.com/) a global supplier of products to one of the largest multi-level-marketing sales organizations in the world.

VanderSloot’s rags-to-riches story is not unlike other American tales of individuals who have benefited from the American brand of free market capitalism. VanderSloot became the Poster Boy of Mitt Romney Supporters when he decided to go on the offense about serving as a national finance co-chair for the Mitt Romney 2012 presidential campaign. VanderSloot’s companies contributed a total of $1 million to the Restore Our Future political action committee, a group that supports Romney for President.

“The whole free-enterprise system has been so good to me and my family, I want to protect that,” he said. “I now see that the American Dream and the American Free-Enterprise system is now under attack by President Obama's Administraton and by his re-election campaign.”

VanderSloot traveled from Idaho this week to visit The Heritage Foundation and sat down afterward to share his story on the video below.

Three Cheers for the Sidekicks #1 Fan!

Fans welcome Dallas Sidekicks' comeback at the Allen Event Center



hen indoor soccer team Dallas Sidekicks folded in 2004 after its 19th season, Alan Balthrop of Plano decided against pulling the plug on his website, kicksfan.com.



Balthrop had painstakingly compiled every Sidekicks game score, transaction, injury, stat and bit of player trivia that he could find and put it on the site.



The official (and unpaid) team historian spent $120 on web-hosting and $50 on domain renewal out of pocket every year, firm in his belief that the team would be revived.



That devotion was tested every fall, when Balthrop would count the number of years it had been since a Sidekicks season opener.



One. Two. Three. … Eight.



“I never lost hope that we would eventually be back,” Balthrop said. “There will always be next year.”



His faith — and the $40 a month that he paid over five years for a storage unit to house newspaper clippings, team records and championship banners that he rescued from the now defunct Reunion Arena in Dallas — paid off.



Those banners adorned the Allen Event Center on May 1, when the Dallas Sidekicks announced the Nov. 3 kick-off of their 20th season as new members of the Professional Arena Soccer League.



“It’s always been a dream,” said Sidekicks’ former star player Tatu, who will resume coaching duties. “It was unfinished business, the way it ended.”



The team signed a one-year contract to rent the Allen Event Center with the option to renew, said Tim Dentler, director of Allen Parks and Recreation.



“I don’t know that I ever realized the following that they had over the years,” said Dentler, who went to a few Sidekicks games with his son as part of Boy Scout outings. “People are just excited that they’re coming back.”



The new ownership group includes Tatu, former general manager Jim Tobert, former Sidekicks owner J.L. “Sonny” Williams and former sales representative Ronnie Davis as team president.



The Sidekicks will recruit veterans and fresh talent to make up their roster, Davis said.



The event center, which is also home to indoor football and hockey teams Allen Wranglers and Allen Americans, respectively, is perfect for the Sidekicks because of its cozy atmosphere and location, said Tatu, a native of Brazil who lives in Far North Dallas.



“It’s right in the middle of the soccer [community], you know, Richardson, Allen, Plano, McKinney, Frisco,” he said. “That is where the soccer is being played.”



The team hopes to sell out its eight home games, Davis said. The venue has capacity for 6,200.



Four-time league champions Dallas Sidekicks collapsed in 2004 after dwindling numbers in the stands caused financial hardship.



But a contingent of longtime fans has remained loyal. Some, such as Bob Bartlebaugh of Richardson, are already counting down the days.



“If they are going to be reincarnated, I’m going to be there for it,” said Bartlebaugh, 54.



Former season ticket holder Doug Anderson of The Colony said the Allen Event Center will make a great home for the team.



“I think they picked a good venue, and I think it will get a good family value out of this area,” said Anderson, 64.



The Sidekicks will work to become a presence in the community like they were in the past, Davis said. Sidekicks soccer camps are among the memories of a generation of young men and women who grew up in the area.



Coaches and players always had time to chat with fans and fulfill autograph requests, said Bartlebaugh, who would often run into former coach Gordon Jago at the supermarket.



The team’s affability and gratitude toward fans scored goals in many hearts throughout the years, supporters said.

“It truly became a family,” Balthrop said. “That is what I’m really looking forward to, seeing the family coming back together again.”

Neighborsgo reporter Julieta Chiquillo can be reached at 469-330-5671.

ONE-NAME STARS

Tatu means armadillo in Portuguese. The Brazilian native and Sidekicks coach, whose full name is Antonio Carlos Pecorari, inherited the nickname from his father.

The former Sidekicks forward endeared himself to fans by throwing his jersey to the audience each time he scored a goal.

In Brazil, soccer players traditionally go by their first name or a childhood moniker. These include legends Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Pelé, who is widely considered among the best soccer players of all time.

Romney and Obama : Where They Stand on My Issues

Let's take a close look at where Republican Presidential Candidate Gov. Mitt Romney and Democratic President Barack Obama stand on National Issues that I feel are important and which I could actually confirm as positions.

Given the track record of both these men over the past four years, I will take any bet that both will flip-flop before November Election. Please keep in mind that I am opinionated, but factual in this report on My Presidential Issues for 2012.

ABORTION and BIRTH CONTROL:

Obama: Supports abortion rights. Health care law requires contraceptives to be available for free for women enrolled in workplace health plans.

Romney: Opposes abortion rights. Previously supported them. Says state law should guide abortion rights, and Roe v. Wade should be reversed by a future Supreme Court. Said he would end federal aid to Planned Parenthood.

NATIONAL DEBT:

Obama: President Obama created the bipartisan National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform to address our nation's fiscal challenges. The Commission was charged with identifying policies to improve the fiscal situation in the medium term and to achieve fiscal sustainability over the long run. Specifically, the Commission proposed recommendations designed to balance the budget, excluding interest payments on the debt, by 2015. In addition, the Commission proposed recommendations that would meaningfully improve the long-run fiscal outlook, including changes to address the growth of entitlement spending and the gap between the projected revenues and expenditures of the Federal Government. However, Fourth-straight year of trillion-dollar deficits is projected. Won approval to raise debt limit to avoid default. Calls for tackling the debt with a mix of spending cuts and revenue increases. Central to Obama's plan is to let Bush Tax Cuts expire for couples making more than $500,000

Romney: Defended 2008 bailout of financial institutions as a necessary step to avoid the system's collapse, opposed the auto bailout. Would cap federal spending at 20 percent of gross domestic product by end of first term, down from 23.5 percent now, with largely unspecified spending cuts. Favors constitutional balanced budget amendment. He would extend the Bush Tax Cuts.

RECESSION ECONOMY:

Obama: Term marked by high unemployment, a deep recession that began in previous Bush administration and now continues a gradual recovery. Responded to recession with a roughly $800 billion stimulus plan. Continued implementation of Wall Street and auto industry bailouts begun under George W. Bush. Proposes tax breaks for U.S. manufacturers producing domestically or repatriating jobs from abroad, and tax penalties for U.S. companies outsourcing jobs.

Romney: Lower taxes, less regulation, balanced budget, more trade deals to spur growth. Replace jobless benefits with unemployment savings accounts. Proposes repeal of the law toughening financial-industry regulations after the meltdown in that sector, and the law tightening accounting regulations in response to corporate scandals.

FEDERAL ROLE IN EDUCATION:

Obama: Has approved waivers freeing states from the most onerous requirements of the Bush No Child Left Behind law. "Race to the Top" competition has rewarded winning states with billions of dollars for pursuing education policies Obama supports.

Romney: Supported the federal accountability standards of Bush No Child Left Behind law. Has said the student testing, charter-school incentives and teacher evaluation standards of Obama's "Race to the Top" competition "make sense" although the federal government should have less control of education.

ENERGY and ENVIRONMENT:

Obama: Ordered temporary moratorium on deep-water drilling after the massive BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico but NOW pushes for more oil and gas drilling overall. Achieved historic increases in automobile fuel economy standards that will save money at the pump while raising the cost of new vehicles. Achieved first-ever regulations on heat-trapping gases blamed for global warming and on toxic mercury pollution from power plants. Spent heavily on green energy and has embraced nuclear power as a clean source. Failed to persuade a Democratic Congress to pass limits he promised on carbon emissions.

Romney: Supports opening the Atlantic and Pacific outer continental shelves to drilling, as well as Western lands, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and offshore Alaska. Wants to reduce obstacles to coal, natural gas and nuclear energy development, and accelerate drilling permits in areas where exploration has already been approved for developers with good safety records. Says green power has yet to become viable and the causes of climate change are unknown.

GAY RIGHTS:

Obama: Once opposed federal recognition of same-sex marriage, later said his views were "evolving" and has not taken a position since. Opposes constitutional amendment to ban it. Supports civil unions and letting states decide about marriage. Achieved repeal of the military ban on openly gay service members.

Romney: Favors constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, says policy should be set federally, not by states. However he would not seek to restore a ban on openly gay service members. 

NATIONAL  HEALTH CARE:

Obama: Achieved landmark healthcare reform for U.S. citizens which will go along way towards universal coverage if the Supreme Court upholds the heath care law and its mandate for almost everyone to obtain insurance. Under the law, insurers will be banned from denying coverage to people with pre-existing illness, tax credits will subsidize premiums, people without work-based insurance will have access to new markets, small business gets help for offering insurance and Medicaid will expand.

Romney: Promises to work for repeal of a law modeled largely after his universal health care achievement in Massachusetts because he says states, not Washington, should drive policy on the uninsured. Proposes to guarantee that people who are "continuously covered" for a certain period be protected against losing insurance if they get sick, leave their job and need another policy. Would expand individual tax-advantaged medical savings accounts and let savings be used for insurance premiums as well as personal medical costs.

 

 US IMMIGRATION:

Obama: Failed to deliver on a promised immigration overhaul, with the defeat of "The Dream" legislation that would have created a path to citizenship for young illegal immigrants enrolled in college or enlisted in the armed forces. Government has deported a record number of illegal immigrants under Obama, nearly 400,000 in each of the last three years.

Romney: Favors U.S.-Mexico border fence, opposes education benefits to illegal immigrants. Opposes offering legal status to illegal immigrants who attend college, but would do so for those who serve in the armed forces. Establish an immigration-status verification system for employers and punish them if they hire non-citizens who do not prove their legal status. He opposes full citizen for any illegal immigrant and would provide only a work visa for those that serve in the armed forces.

 US SOCIAL SECURITY:

Obama: President Obama created the bipartisan National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform to address our nation's fiscal challenges. The Commission was charged with identifying policies to improve the fiscal situation in the medium term and to achieve fiscal sustainability over the long run. Specifically, the Commission proposed recommendations designed to balance the budget, excluding interest payments on the debt, by 2015. In addition, the Commission proposed recommendations that meaningfully improve the long-run fiscal outlook, including changes to address the growth of entitlement spending (which includes Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid) and the gap between the projected revenues and expenditures of the Federal Government. In 2011, proposed a new measure of inflation that would reduce annual increases in Social Security benefits. The proposal would reduce the long-term financing shortfall by about 25 percent, according to the Social Security actuaries.

Romney: Protect the status quo for people 55 and over but, for the next generation of retirees, raise the retirement age for full benefits by one or two years and reduce inflation increases on benefits for wealthier recipients*.

*These are contained in the bipartisan National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform created by President Obama.

FEDERAL IRS TAXES:

Obama: Wants to raise taxes on the wealthy and ensure they pay 30 percent of their income at minimum. Supports extending Bush-era tax cuts for everyone making under $200,000, or $500,000 for couples. But in 2010, agreed to a two-year extension of the lower rates for all. Health care law provides for tax on highest-value health insurance plans. Together with Congress, built a first-term record of significant tax cuts, some temporary.

Romney: Drop all tax rates by 20 percent, bringing the top rate, for example, down to 28 percent from 35 percent and the lowest rate to 8 percent instead of 10 percent. Curtail deductions, credits and exemptions for the wealthiest. Eliminate capital gains tax for families making below $200,000 and cut corporate tax to 25 percent from 35 percent.

DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM:

Obama: Approved the raid that found and killed Osama bin Laden, set policy that U.S. would no longer use harsh interrogation techniques, a practice created under George W. Bush's presidency. Largely carried forward Bush's key anti-terrorism policies, including detention of suspects at Guantanamo Bay despite promise to close the prison. Expanded use of unmanned drone strikes against terrorist targets in Pakistan and Yemen.

Romney: No constitutional rights for foreign terrorism suspects. In 2007, refused to rule out use of waterboarding to interrogate terrorist suspects. In 2011, his campaign said he does not consider waterboarding to be torture.

BUSH WARS and US Military Size and Presence Abroad:

Obama: Ended the Iraq war, increased U.S. troop presence in Afghanistan then began drawing down the force with a plan to have all out by the end of 2014. Approved U.S. air power in NATO-led campaign that helped Libyan opposition topple government. Major cuts coming in the size of the Army and Marine Corps as part of agreement with congressional Republicans to cut $487 billion in military spending over a decade. Opposes near-term military strike on Iran but holds that option open if it proves the only way to stop Iran from getting nuclear weapons.

Romney: Would increase strength of armed forces, adding almost $100 billion to the Pentagon budget in 2016. Has spoken in favor of covert action by the U.S. and regional allies in Syria but "the right course is not military" intervention by the U.S. Criticizes Obama's approach on Iran as too conciliatory but has not explicitly threatened a near-term U.S. military strike.

A Dog's Purpose ... sounds a lot like my Dog Jack!

A Boy and His Dog

"A Dog's Purpose" (from a 6-year-old)

Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker.

The dog's owners, Ron, his wife Lisa , and their little boy Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle.

I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer.

I told the family we couldn't do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.

As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience.

The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker 's family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away.

 The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker's Death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives.

Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, ''I know why.'' Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I'd never heard a more comforting explanation. It has changed the way I live.

He said,''People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life -- like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?''

The Six-year-old continued, ''Well, dogs already know how to do that when they're born, so they don't have to stay as long.''

Live simply. Love generously.
Care deeply. Speak kindly.

Remember, if a dog was the teacher you would learn things like:

When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.
Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure Ecstasy.
Take naps.
Stretch before rising.
Run, romp, and play daily.
Thrive on attention and let people touch you.

Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.

On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.

On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.

When you’re happy, dance around and wag your entire body.

 Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
Be loyal.
Never pretend to be something you’re not. 
If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.

When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by, and nuzzle them gently.

ENJOY EVERY MOMENT OF EVERY DAY!

Jailing Americans For Profit: The Rise Of The Prison Industrial Complex

Jailing Americans For Profit: The Rise Of The Prison Industrial Complex
April 10, 2012
By John W. Whitehead

“Mass incarceration on a scale almost unexampled in human history is a fundamental fact of our country today—perhaps the fundamental fact, as slavery was the fundamental fact of 1850. In truth, there are more black men in the grip of the criminal-justice system—in prison, on probation, or on parole—than were in slavery then. Over all, there are now more people under ‘correctional supervision’ in America—more than six million—than were in the Gulag Archipelago under Stalin at its height.”—Adam Gopnik, “The Caging of America”

In an age when freedom is fast becoming the exception rather than the rule, imprisoning Americans in private prisons run by mega-corporations has turned into a cash cow for big business. At one time, the American penal system operated under the idea that dangerous criminals needed to be put under lock and key in order to protect society. Today, as states attempt to save money by outsourcing prisons to private corporations, the flawed yet retributive American “system of justice” is being replaced by an even more flawed and insidious form of mass punishment based upon profit and expediency.

As author Adam Gopnik reports for the New Yorker: “[A] growing number of American prisons are now contracted out as for-profit businesses to for-profit companies. The companies are paid by the state, and their profit depends on spending as little as possible on the prisoners and the prisons. It’s hard to imagine any greater disconnect between public good and private profit: the interest of private prisons lies not in the obvious social good of having the minimum necessary number of inmates but in having as many as possible, housed as cheaply as possible.”

Consider this: despite the fact that violent crime in America has been on the decline, the nation’s incarceration rate has tripled since 1980. Approximately 13 million people are introduced to American jails in any given year. Incredibly, more than six million people are under “correctional supervision” in America, meaning that one in fifty Americans are working their way through the prison system, either as inmates, or while on parole or probation. According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the majority of those being held in federal prisons are convicted of drug offenses—namely, marijuana. Presently, one out of every 100 Americans is serving time behind bars.

Little wonder, then, that public prisons are overcrowded. Yet while providing security, housing, food, medical care, etc., for six million Americans is a hardship for cash-strapped states, to profit-hungry corporations such as Corrections Corp of America (CCA) and GEO Group, the leaders in the partnership corrections industry, it’s a $70 billion gold mine. Thus, with an eye toward increasing its bottom line, CCA has floated a proposal to prison officials in 48 states offering to buy and manage public prisons at a substantial cost savings to the states. In exchange, and here’s the kicker, the prisons would have to contain at least 1,000 beds and states would have agree to maintain a 90% occupancy rate in the privately run prisons for at least 20 years.

The problem with this scenario, as Roger Werholtz, former Kansas secretary of corrections, recognizes is that while states may be tempted by the quick infusion of cash, they “would be obligated to maintain these (occupancy) rates and subtle pressure would be applied to make sentencing laws more severe with a clear intent to drive up the population.” Unfortunately, that’s exactly what has happened. Among the laws aimed at increasing the prison population and growing the profit margins of special interest corporations like CCA are three-strike laws (mandating sentences of 25 years to life for multiple felony convictions) and “truth-in-sentencing” legislation (mandating that those sentenced to prison serve most or all of their time).

And yes, in case you were wondering, part of the investment pitch for CCA and its cohort GEO Group include the profits to be made in building “kindler, gentler” minimum-security facilities designed for detaining illegal immigrants, especially low-risk detainees like women and children. With immigration a persistent problem in the southwestern states, especially, and more than 250 such detention centers going up across the country, there is indeed money to be made. For example, GEO’s new facility in Karnes County, Texas, boasts a “608-bed facility still smelling of fresh paint and new carpet stretch[ing] across a 29-acre swath of farmland in rural South Texas. Rather than prison cells, jumpsuits, and barbed wire fencing, detainees here will sleep in eight-bed dormitory-style quarters, wearing more cozy attire like jeans and T-shirts. The facility’s high walls enclose lush green courtyards with volleyball courts, an AstroTurfed soccer field, and basketball hoops, where detainees are free to roam throughout the day.” All of this, of course, comes at taxpayer expense.

“And this is where it gets creepy,” observes reporter Joe Weisenthal for Business Insider, “because as an investor you’re pulling for scenarios where more people are put in jail.” In making its pitch to potential investors, CCA points out that private prisons comprise a unique, recession-resistant investment opportunity, with more than 90% of the market up for grabs, little competition, high recidivism among prisoners, and the potential for “accelerated growth in inmate populations following the recession.” In other words, caging humans for profit is a sure bet, because the U.S. population is growing dramatically and the prison population will grow proportionally as well, and more prisoners equal more profits.

In this way, under the pretext of being tough on crime, state governments can fatten their coffers and fill the jail cells of their corporate benefactors. However, while a flourishing privatized prison system is a financial windfall for corporate investors, it bodes ill for any measures aimed at reforming prisoners and reducing crime. CCA understands this. As it has warned investors, efforts to decriminalize certain activities, such as drug use (principally possession of marijuana), could cut into their profits. So too would measures aimed at reducing the prison system’s disproportionately racist impact on minorities, given that the incarceration rate for blacks is seven times that of whites. Immigrants are also heavily impacted, with roughly 2.5 million people having been through the immigration detention system since 2003. As private prisons begin to dominate, the many troubling characteristics of our so-called criminal justice system today—racism, economic inequality, inadequate access to legal representation, lack of due process, etc.—will only become more acute.

Doubtless, a system already riddled by corruption will inevitably become more corrupt, as well. For example, consider the “kids for cash” scandal which rocked Luzerne County, Penn., in 2009. For ten years, the Mid Atlantic Youth Service Corporation, which specializes in private prisons for juvenile offenders, paid two judges to jail youths and send them to private prison facilities. The judges, who made over $2.6 million in the scam, had more than 5,000 kids come through their courtrooms and sent many of them to prison for petty crimes such as stealing DVDs from Wal-Mart and trespassing in vacant buildings. When the scheme finally came to light, one judge was sentenced to 17.5 years in prison and the other received 28 years, but not before thousands of young lives had been ruined.

In this way, minor criminals, from drug users to petty thieves, are being handed over to corporations for lengthy prison sentences which do nothing to protect society or prevent recidivism. This is the culmination of an inverted justice system which has come to characterize the United States, a justice system based upon increasing the power and wealth of the corporate-state.

No matter what the politicians or corporate heads might say, prison privatization is neither fiscally responsible nor in keeping with principles of justice. It simply encourages incarceration for the sake of profits, while causing millions of Americans, most of them minor, nonviolent criminals, to be handed over to corporations for lengthy prison sentences which do nothing to protect society or prevent recidivism. This perverse notion of how prisons should be run, that they should be full at all times, and full of minor criminals, is evil.

Constitutional attorney and author John W. Whitehead is founder and president of The Rutherford Institute. His new book The Freedom Wars (TRI Press) is available online at www.amazon.com. He can be contacted at johnw@rutherford.org. Information about The Rutherford Institute is available at www.rutherford.org



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