Rep. Ted Yoho offers to run against John Boehner for Speaker
Florida Republican Representative Ted Yoho has become the third conservative member of the House to announce he would vote against John Boehner for Speaker. In addition, he as also volunteered to run against the Speaker if nobody else emerges.
Here is more:
“I ran for Congress in 2012 because I had had enough,” Yoho said in announcing his public opposition to Boehner. “Enough of career politicians, enough of political gamesmanship, and enough of the lack of leadership in Washington. As we enter 2015, we are faced with overwhelming challenges. However, the dawn of 2015 also promises unlimited potential and the opportunity to begin rebuilding America.”
Yoho also said in his statement that he would be willing to stand up as a potential alternative candidate to Boehner, if members feel they need to vote for someone other than Boehner
Of course this still means that the conservatives need over two dozen more to follow suit and at this late date it is highly unlikely–unless there are many who are planning to vote against the Speaker but are afraid to admit it publicly for fear of retribution.
Open thread for Sunday, January 4th: MK Ultra
Here is the open thread for Sunday, January 4th. Please feel free to post links to interesting articles and to discuss whatever issues arise during the course of the day. Nothing is off-topic here.
This week was a tough week to find stories to write about but we still managed to discuss 11 issues, did you miss any of them? If so there is an easy way to make sure it does not happen again. I understand that all of you are busy and cannot always find the time to check the blog for updates so why not subscribe to America’s Watchtower and receive email updates whenever I write a new post? That is the easiest way to follow the blog to ensure you never miss another post.
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I thought I would kick off the new year with one of the greatest bands around today–at least in my opinion–so here is Muse performing “MK Ultra” live in 2010.
The wavelength gently grows
Coercive notions re-evolve
A universe is trapped inside a tear
It resonates the core
Creates unnatural laws
Replaces love and happiness with fear
How much deception can you take
How many lies will you create
How much longer until you break
Your mind’s about to fall
And they’re breaking through
They’re breaking through
They’re breaking through
We are losing control
Invisible to all
The mind becomes a wall
All of history deleted with one stroke
How much deception can you take
How many lies will you create
How much longer until you break
Your mind’s about to fall
And they’re breaking through
They’re breaking through
They’re breaking through
Now we’re falling
We are losing control
Representative Massie: ‘I will vote for a new Speaker’
Kentucky Representative Thomas Massie is the latest Republican House member who has announced he will not be voting to return John Boehner to the Speaker position.
Here is part of what he had to say while making this announcement:
“For years I watched Washington from afar and suspected that something was broken. Why is it that so many people approve of their congressman, yet they consistently disapprove of Congress? During my first two years as a congressman I discovered a significant source of the dysfunction,”
“With a process this broken, is it any wonder that Washington no longer works for the people?” Massie said. “My constituents expect better, and America deserves better. On January 6th, 2015, I will vote for a new Speaker who will consistently articulate a constitutional vision for America and facilitate an inclusive and orderly legislative process that allows Congress to truly reflect the will of the people.”
He went on to list a couple of reasons behind his decision: Read more…
New poll shows 60% of Republican voters want John Boehner ousted as Speaker of the House
A new poll has been released and it is not good news for Speaker of the House John Boehner.
Here is more:
A whopping 60 percent of voters who voted for Republicans in the last election either definitely or probably want their member of Congress to elect someone other than Boehner on Jan. 6, when Congress convenes, according to the poll. The voters were asked: “As you may know the new Congress will select its leaders in January. If it were up to you, would you elect John Boehner to continue as Speaker of the House or would you elect someone new?”
In response to that question, 34 percent of the GOP voters surveyed said they definitely want someone other than Boehner and 26 percent said they probably want someone other than Boehner. Only 11 percent said they definitely want to keep Boehner and an additional 15 percent said they probably want Boehner to stay. So the poll says some 60 percent of GOP voters want Boehner gone, while just 25 percent want him to stay. Fifteen percent in the poll either don’t know, or are undecided on Boehner’s future.
The fact that 60% of voters who voted Republican in the last election want to see John Boehner replaced as Speaker is bad enough news on its own for the current Speaker, however the news is even worse when you take into account that only 11% of those surveyed definitely want him to retain his position. The message is clear…
So what are the chances that John Boehner will lose his position? Read more…
Afterburner with Bill Whittle: Think Small!
Here is the latest, and very interesting, Afterburner video by Bill Whittle entitled “Think Small!” In this video he talks about how America can still accomplish big things by thinking small.
In this video he talks about what I suppose you could call the conservative Utopian ideal of returning the power to the local and state levels.
My favorite line from this video is when he talks about how we used to teach our children how to think instead of what to think. Of course nothing that he talks about is going to happen, but we can still dream, can’t we?
Global warming is saving the rainforests!
Here is a quick little science lesson: humans inhale oxygen and exhale a mixture of oxygen and carbon dioxide. Plants and trees “inhale” carbon dioxide and “exhale” oxygen. That is a simplified explanation but it will suffice for this post.
While this is a naturally occurring cycle which is necessary to sustain all life on the planet, because the process of oil refinery, as well as other manufacturing, emits additional carbon dioxide into the air carbon dioxide has been ruled to be a pollutant because plant and trees cannot absorb the additional “non-natural” carbon dioxide. This in turn leads to global warming and if it is not dealt with quickly it will mean the ultimate destruction of the planet. So we are told…
Majority Whip Steve Scalise did NOT speak in front of a white nationalist conference after all
Many headlines have been written about Majority Whip Steve Scalise and him having given a speech in front of the European-American Unity and Rights conference back in 2002.
This story was first reported by a blogger before being picked up by mainstream outlets and eventually social media was ablaze with the story. And of course Democrats called for him to step down not only from his leadership position but also from the Congress.
Steve Scalise claimed he did not remember speaking to the group and said that if he knew what the organization stood for he would not have spoke in front of it, and he eventually apologized:
“It was a mistake I regret, and I emphatically oppose the divisive racial and religious views groups like these hold,”
Well, if this story is correct, he has a good reason for not remembering talking to this group–he did not!
The FBI rejects ‘inside job’ theory in the Sony hacking
Since the FBI came to the conclusion that North Korea was behind the Sony hacking they have felt some blow-back from internet security researchers who claimed the FBI could not possibly have found the source of the hacking so quickly.
Yesterday the FBI met with Norse, a leader in internet security, about the possibility that the hacking was done by a disgruntled Sony employee.
Today the FBI rejected that theory, here is more:
Jonathan Gruber admitted in 2009 that Obamacare would not bring down healthcare costs
Back in 2009 Obamacare architect Jonathan Gruber released a policy brief in which he admitted whatever form of healthcare reform was passed that it would not do anything to bring down healthcare costs.
This is what he said on page 18 of the aforementioned brief:
Sure, we would like health care to be a little cheaper, or the cost to rise more slowly, but Americans aren’t ready to deal with the hard measures we’d have to take to get health care costs under control. That’s why I’ve been arguing strenuously that even though the bills that will come out of this process in the end won’t do a whole lot about cost control, they’re still a critical first step
And from page 19: Read more…
FBI briefed on the possibility the Sony hacking was an inside job
The Sony hacking story is getting interesting: a couple of days ago a group of security researchers released a report which cast doubt on whether or not North Korea was being the hacking and today we are learning that the FBI is being briefed on the possibility that the hacking was an inside job.
Here is more:
FBI agents investigating the Sony Pictures hack were briefed Monday by a security firm that says its research points to laid-off Sony staff, not North Korea, as the perpetrator — another example of the continuing whodunit blame game around the devastating attack.
Even the unprecedented decision to release details of an ongoing FBI investigation and President Barack Obama publicly blaming the hermit authoritarian regime hasn’t quieted a chorus of well-qualified skeptics who say the evidence just doesn’t add up.
Researchers from the cyber intelligence company Norse have said their own investigation into the data on the Sony attack doesn’t point to North Korea at all and instead indicates some combination of a disgruntled employee and hackers for piracy groups is at fault.
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