Matt Bevin, Republican, Wins Governor’s Race in Kentucky
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Matt Bevin, a Republican political novice, wealthy Louisville businessman and <a title=”More articles about the Tea Party movement.” href=”http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/t/tea_party_movement/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier“>Tea Party</a> favorite, was elected Kentucky’s next governor on Tuesday and swept fellow Republicans into statewide office with him. The stunning victory heralds a new era in a state where Democrats have held the governor’s mansion for all but four of the last 44 years.
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Veterans Day, Voting, and Thanksgiving
And so the busiest time of the year is upon us. With Halloween but a memory we all have a traditional to-do list this upcoming season. Election Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving and all the festivities of Christmas, each one of these dates bring about a sense of duty, responsibility and a good share of memories.
Veterans Day, there are no words that can express the gratitude for those who serve this great nation of ours. These men and women are aware first hand of the blessings America offers and risk life and limb in order to protect these freedoms throughout the world. Go out of your way to shake the hand of one of these heroes.
If Freedom of Speech is taken away, then dumb and silent we may be led like sheep to the slaughter. G. Washington
Election Day this year is focused on the more “routine” elections. It’s not a presidential year but it still holds the promise that the voice of the people is to be reckoned with. Sadly, there are many who are so disillusioned with the workings (and corruption) in our present day system that they opt out of participating in the vote. It is these who must be reminded of the many nations throughout the world who never had such a privilege as ours, or even the sacrifices of the women’s suffragettes here in the USA. VOTE it’s the least you can do!!
The month of November ends with Thanksgiving. This holiday was proclaimed by President George Washington to be a day of prayer and public thanksgiving in gratitude for the successful establishment of the new American republic. Although in today’s society our national leaders have forgotten that prayer is a essential right of the American people, this privilege is one of the most important freedoms we as Americans are blessed with. In the words of Governor Morris, one of the writers of the US Constitution, “Liberty and justice simply cannot be had apart from the gracious influences of a righteous people. A righteous people simply cannot exist apart from the aspiration to liberty and justice. The Christian religion and its incumbent morality is tied to the cause of freedom with a Gordian knot; loose one from the other and both are sent asunder”. In these words we find the explanation as to why this country has been blessed since its inception. We have so much to be thankful for, not just on Thanksgiving but everyday.
May God continue to bless the USA…
Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate — we can not consecrate — we can not hallow — this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us — that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion — that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain — that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
Abraham Lincoln
November 19, 1863
Exclusive John Legend Remake for HRC Bday Bash: ‘Hillary’s Ballad to Bernie’
NY GOP Offers Exclusive Remake of John Legend’s “All of Me” for Upcoming Birthday Bash
New York–October 23rd…While Democrats prepare to gather at Manhattan’s Hilton Hotel this Sunday to celebrate the birthday of presidential candidate Hillary Clinton with guest performer John Legend, the New York Republican State Committee offered this exclusive remake of the crooner’s top hit “All of Me” entitled “Hillary’s Ballad to Bernie.”
“Hillary’s Ballad to Bernie”
to the tune of “All of Me” <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0014vAJHqi6RcCfExQcfGgxD_kBe-hcNxamiWOCjBBJyN3SXbMOxxHO4DNW70IoE9u0wxlKnigOaDtJ4ilPUWWTFGNvZdiFo8LE5C-ZhV6lMin2AyGR9Y-YLhgUDbiPHrPYtp6va7qpnOnEAaHR7271wv_VayQTu6ZExx8OEShqs4-0aq0Sz9zi_MM4drBZgx0k2EdRzMuAYL8=&c=FBBEeDL9yY7yXsXdH_HYyO3oTDVyFVb9NBXb3OmhhFZzsBJGHp8Lfw==&ch=h4K9xtDxTiQJy-LRLm5PEGErleklLJvNSwLz9lWu3Tn9LeWxIzGO8g==>
[Verse 1:]
What would I do without your smart mouth
Defending me one minute, on the trail hanging me out
You’ve got my head spinning, no kidding, I can’t push you down
What’s going on in that socialist mind
Your popularity has me in a bind
And I’m so dizzy, don’t know what hit me, but I’ll be alright
[Pre-Chorus:]
My polls are under water
But I know I’ll be fine
You’re crazy and I’m really good at lyin’
[Chorus:]
‘Cause all of me
Hates all of you
Hate your followers and all your rhetoric
Your Lefty policies are pathetic
Give your all to me
‘Cause it’s meant to be
I’ve been planning this for decades
Stop causing all these headaches
I am the Democratic Queen Bee
It’s time you give yourself to me
[Verse 2:]
How many times do I have to tell you
I really am a progressive too
The GOP is beating us down, I’m gonna carry us through
You’re my compass, giving me cues
My worst distraction, making me blue
I can’t stop screaming, hand-wringing, I have it out for you
[Pre-Chorus:]
My polls are under water
But I know I’ll be fine
You’re crazy and I’m really good at lyin’
[Chorus:]
‘Cause all of me
Hates all of you
Hate your followers and all your rhetoric
Your Lefty policies are pathetic
Give your all to me
‘Cause it’s meant to be
I’ve been planning this for decades
Stop causing all these headaches
I am the Democratic Queen Bee
It’s time you give yourself to me
[Bridge:]
Give me all of you
Biden made the smart move, it’s time you follow suit
Enough with the games, it’s no longer cute
[Chorus:]
‘Cause all of me
Hates all of you
Hate your followers and all your rhetoric
Your Lefty policies are pathetic
Give your all to me
‘Cause it’s meant to be
I’ve been planning this for decades
Stop causing all these headaches
I am the Democratic Queen Bee
It’s time you give yourself to me
Give your all to me
‘Cause it’s meant to be, oh oh
Obama on Gun Control Laws
Most of the media attention on President Obama’s renewed calls for gun control has focused on the tone of his remarks, rather than on the substance of what he said. You don’t have to scratch very deep, however, to understand that what the president really wants to see in the U.S. is gun confiscation.
Reiterating his support for gun control last week, Obama vowed, “I am going to talk about this, on a regular basis, and I will politicize it.…”
For once, we are willing to take the president at his word.
Clearly, the president is infuriated with Congress and the American people for failing to adopt his gun control agenda, but what is he actually promoting by way of solutions? His recent speeches have been long on vitriol, but short on specifics.
Just as clearly, the president has been unwilling to entertain any idea that mass murders can be adequately addressed by means other than gun control. In his Oct. 2 remarks, for example, he dismissed talk of mental health reform, such as that supported by the NRA. He insisted that anger, mental illness, and violence are problems that all nations face, but the U.S. is unique in its level of “mass shootings” and “gun violence.” He admitted, “Levels of violence are on par, between the United States and other countries.” But because American violence more often involves firearms, firearms must be blamed.
Rather surprisingly, the president undermined the gun control movement’s current push for so-called “universal background checks.” According to the president, “we can’t sort through and identify ahead of time who might take actions like this….” It’s hard to argue he’s wrong, as the latest tragedy he is politicizing was once again committed, according to ATF, with firearms obtained through dealers, after successful background checks.
The president has something more ambitious in mind, and he’s been consistent on this point for almost two years. As he has time after time in the past, the president on Oct. 1 invoked Australia and Great Britain – what he called “countries like ours” – as models for the U.S. They “have been able to craft laws that almost eliminate mass shootings,” the president lectured. They prove “there are ways to prevent it.”
What Obama is really proposing, despite some platitudes to the contrary, is the end of private firearm ownership for self-defense – which is essentially what happened in Australia and the U.K. Below are summaries of thosenations’ laws from the Library of Congress that make the point:
There is no constitutional right to keep and bear arms in Australia and Great Britain.
If you want to own a firearm in either country, you must first obtain the government’s permission, and you must prove to their satisfaction that you need it. Self-defense is neither a sufficient nor even legitimate reason to own a gun.
The most popular firearms in America are banned in Australia and Great Britain, no matter what a person’s reasons for owing them. Australia bans AR-15s and other semi-automatic rifles. Great Britain bans handguns.
After the bans were enacted, both countries forced residents to surrender prohibited guns to the government.
When the president complains that America refuses to enact “common-sense gun-safety laws” and rails against the ability of America to amass “arsenals” of guns and ammunition, confiscation is what he really has in mind. To this end, he scoffed at the idea that more Americans should be armed or that anyone could in good faith oppose more gun control. “Does anybody really believe that?” he asked.
Obama has made it clear that he will continue to politicize tragedies in order to push his gun control agenda. That’s really nothing new. What is new is his admission that what he really wants to do is confiscate legally owned firearms. Rest assured, the five million men and women of the National Rifle Association will continue to fight him every step of the way.
1,000 People a Day: Why Red States Are Getting Richer and Blue States Poorer
Read more: Heritage.org
Every day in America the 50 states compete against each other for people, jobs, investment capital, and overall prosperity. This interstate competition is economically healthy because it forces governors and legislators to adopt fiscal and regulatory policies that maximize job opportunities and prosperity for their citizens. Right-to-work laws and low income taxes are the two policies that matter most in terms of the prosperity of states. If every state were to adopt the pro-growth policies recommended in this study, each state and the nation as a whole would be better off.
China Building Airstrip on 3rd Artificial Island, Images Show
By JANE PERLEZ SEPT. 15, 2015 From NY Times:
BEIJING — New satellite images show that China has started construction of an airstrip on a third artificial island in the South China Sea that will strengthen Beijing’s military capacity in the contested waters, Western analysts say.
The photographs, released by the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, show preparation for airfields on Mischief Reef and Subi Reef, submerged reefs in the contested Spratly Islands that China has transformed into islands, according to the center.
The airstrip on Mischief Reef is about 20 miles from a small Philippine military garrison on an existing tiny island and will put the installation under great pressure, said James Hardy, Asia-Pacific editor of IHS Jane’s Defense Weekly.
That airstrip will most likely be used for turboprop patrol, but it could easily be equipped for “full military action” if needed, Mr. Hardy said. The most important function of the strip, he said, will be as yet another site for Chinese listening devices and early warning radar, much like the technology being installed on Woody Island in the Paracel Islands of the South China Sea, which are also contested. Evidence of that will probably appear soon on Mischief Reef, he said.
China completed a 10,000-foot runway several months ago on Fiery Cross Island, one of five artificial islands it has created in a large reclamation project in the South China Sea this year.
The South China Sea is one of the top areas of disagreement between China and the United States that will be discussed during a state visit by President Xi Jinping to Washington next week.
The Obama administration has called on China to stop land reclamation, construction and militarization of South China Sea outposts, a policy that Washington calls the “three noes.”
Washington has expressed concern that the military capacity on the reclaimed islands will interfere with freedom of navigation in the area, one of the world’s busiest waterways. With these military runways, the zone of competition between the United States and China across the South China Sea has expanded significantly, experts say.
But China has rebuffed Washington, repeatedly saying that it has “indisputable sovereignty” over about 80 percent of the South China Sea and the right to build what it wants on the Spratly and Paracel archipelagoes.
In June, China’s Foreign Ministry said Beijing would stop reclamation on the five artificial islands but would continue to build facilities on them. At the time of the statement, Beijing appeared to have finished much of the reclamation carried out by large flotillas of dredges.
After a speech to Chinese and Western journalists in Beijing on Tuesday,Yang Xiyu, a senior fellow at the China Institute of International Studies, said “difficulties between the United States and China on the South China Sea will continue for a long time.”
There is little chance, he said, that the sharp differences will be resolved at the meeting between Mr. Xi and President Obama. The best that can be expected is a “consensus” to manage the differences, he said.
In April, when satellite images showed that China was building the 10,000-foot runway on Fiery Cross, 170 miles west of Mischief Reef, American military analysts called the installation a strategic game changer. The size of the runway meant a fighter jet could land on the island, they said.
Reducing the Harm and Risk of Violent Victimization: How to Help a Coworker
JAMES F. KENNY
School of Criminal Justice & Legal Studies, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck, New Jersey, USA. The purpose of this article is to present a model that discusses how coworkers can safely intervene to support survivors of violence and reduce their risk of further victimization. There are many employees who are traumatized by the devastating physical, emotional, psychological, financial, and quality of life consequences of violent crime victimization, yet remain vulnerable for future attacks.
They may be unwilling to contact criminal justice and corporate officials but may feel more comfortable discussing these matters with friends at work. These coworkers may be more willing to help if they know what they can and should do. The H-E-L-P-A-C-OW-O-R-K-E-R model provides specific suggestions on how to listen, express concern, and connect survivors to caregivers. It proposes ways they can help survivors minimize the risk of repeat victimization by encouraging and assisting them in developing safety plans, contacting security professionals, reducing vulnerabilities, and identifying dangerous warning signs.
INTRODUCTION
There are too many employees who are traumatized by the consequences of violent crime victimizations, yet remain vulnerable for future attacks. The National Crime Victim Surveys (2009) estimate that there were nearly 600,000 nonfatal violent crimes against employees while they were at work, and more than three times that total who experienced violence outside the workplace – Read more>> Kenny_ReducingHarm