A Receipt Found In A Parking Lot

Just look at what one can buy when someone else is paying the bill.

Did you notice the encircled item on the receipt to see how the $141.78 was paid?
Socialism At Its Finest. 

So, U.S. taxpayers should keep payin’ taxes because the social parasites will not be able to afford their “champagne taste” if taxpayers don’t.

Source Unknown

Obama and the End of Western Civilization

The global and domestic landscape is one of turmoil, indecision, and uncertainty. Everywhere one looks there is chaos and potential disaster, whether in the financial, economic, or political sphere. Since the beginning of the post-World War II era there has been one constant that has been the stabilizing force in the world: the stature, power, and influence of the United States. In a matter of a few short years the Obama presidency has deliberately and overwhelmingly eroded America's pre-eminence, which has resulted in global instability and domestic unease.

Barack Obama assumed the office of the presidency as a man brought up and steeped in 1960's radicalism, which advanced the doctrine that America, as the lone Western superpower, represented the evil nature of colonialism and capitalism's exploitation of the masses -- whether there was any truth in this assertion or that the United States was guilty of these sins was irrelevant. The material and military success of America and the West could only have come about from expropriating the wealth and labor of the peoples of the world.

This is a simplistic and emotional argument and one that refuses to take into account the basic nature of the human race and its failings and foibles. Mankind always has and always will have as its preeminent trait the need to survive, and to that end human beings are susceptible to committing crimes and exploiting their fellow man. Thus any society will always have many failings, but the key measure of any civilization is what it does to control those tendencies and strive for an equitable culture. No nation or culture in history has done more to advance the well-being of mankind than the United States and Western civilization.

However to the Marxist mindset of the radical left, only they, utilizing the vehicle of a massive central government, could control mankind's nature and create a fair society. It is the ideal philosophy for those who, so enamored with themselves, can wallow in their self-importance and rule with a heavy hand the same masses they claim to protect. Under no circumstances, therefore, can these revolutionaries defend or profess admiration for their country; instead they must not only transform the United States into a villain, but destroy any vestiges of its accomplishments in order to permanently retain control over the populace and exact revenge for the alleged transgressions of the West.

Barack Obama has spent his entire life, from birth to the present, marinated in this mindset. He is thus incapable of change or being receptive to any other viewpoint, as that would be an admission of failure. His chief concern is himself, the retention and expansion of government power as well as the plight of the third world, rather than the suffering of the average American citizen facing economic and societal ruin.

He and his fellow-travelers can thus justify bankrupting the country as a necessary part of the remaking and absolution of the United States. He can show disdain and at times outright hostility toward age-old European allies who were, in his mind, the original sinners in the exploitation of the downtrodden. He has no compunction in forcing Israel, as an outpost of Western civilization, to compromise and bend to all the demands of the Palestinians. To Barack Obama there is no overriding American interest in virtually all foreign matters except to take a back seat and surrender its influence to other mainly non-Western powers.

He continues to pursue many of George Bush's policies against terrorism and the war in Afghanistan, while taking steps designed to assure America does not win the conflict in the long-term. His short-term goal is to be certain a terrorist attack within the United States does not occur in the next two years as that would doom his re-election chances and put in jeopardy his agenda. Meanwhile he willingly discards old allies in the Middle East while turning a blind eye and tacitly promoting the radicalization of many countries in the region.

He relies on his ego-driven messianic demeanor and skin color to intimidate both domestic political adversaries and international allies, while believing the same traits will cause those in the non-Western world to view him as their savior.

It is now inarguable that the 1980's were the high-water mark of competent and viable American international leadership in the post-World War II era. Today, during the Obama years, the international scene is led by arguably the least competent and most easily intimidated, as the majority of world leaders consist of those whose principal interests are themselves and the trappings of office. They are unwilling or unable to challenge the ruinous economic and foreign policies of President Obama and they fail to understand that the United States, under his leadership, will no longer be the leader of the free world but will instead be just another socialist member of the global community while atoning for its supposed sins of the past.

There are no world leaders, with one or two exceptions, willing to look Barack Obama as well as their own citizens in the eye and tell them the unadulterated truth, as they are incapable of handling the truth themselves, much less knowing what to do about the situations and dilemmas at hand. They react instead with futile collectivist theories promulgated by self-proclaimed and egocentric intellectuals who themselves have no worldly experience.

The financial dilemma in Europe continues on, and will fester until the European Union collapses, as those in charge remain adamant in their failed strategy of bailouts and subsidies -- a collapse, together with ruinous American fiscal and monetary policy, that will trigger another worldwide financial crisis.

Many global leaders are enamored with and dote on the terms democracy and self-determination in the Middle East and the rest of the world. However, people do not aspire to self-determination as an end in itself; they aspire to the freedom and prosperity that democracy can potentially bring about. Thus, these same heads of state are helping overthrow governments in nations once allied with the West because of a sophomoric and naïve adherence to mere words and a concurrent unwillingness to understand who is behind the "democracy movements and self-determination." This disastrous scenario has been repeated constantly over the past century.

The most insidious trait of the worlds so-called "best and brightest" is their naiveté and inability to admit their mistakes. Until today's narcissistic global ruling class, particularly in America, are replaced by those willing to face reality and act accordingly, the world will continue to become an increasingly dangerous place.

Unfortunately there is, currently, a president who does not believe in American Exceptionalism and is determined to allow chaos, both domestic and international, to metastasize and change the United States and world forever. This mindset, combined with a lack of forceful leaders of other nations, will result in another financial catastrophe, the rise of a hegemonic China, an inevitable military conflict in the Middle East, and the spread of radical Islam. The ultimate goal of the fall of Western civilization will then be realized, but at a massive and bloody cost. The handwriting is on the wall; will anyone pay attention? -American Thinker

The Holes Of The World

There are holes in the world which are not only amazing, but some are also really terrifying! The sheer size of some of these holes remind us of how insignificant and tiny we are.

Picture 1: The largest hand-dug excavation in the world, South Africa's Kimberley Big Hole is 1,097meters (3,291 feet) deep. It was a former diamond mine which yielded over 3 tons of diamonds before being closed.

Picture 2: A "glory hole" is used when a dam is at full capacity and water needs to be drained from the reservoir. This "glory hole" in Monticello Dam (in man-made Lake Berryessa) in California's Napa Valley is the largest spillway of its type in the world; it can drain 14,400 cubic feet of water per second.

Picture 3: The natural geographical phenomenon known as a "blue hole" is present in several places in the world---e.g., Australia's Great Barrier Reef, the Bahamas, the Red Sea near Egypt (a favorite scuba diving site), the Yucatan's Belize, Guam, etc.

The Ambergis Cay "blue hole" 60 miles off the coast of Belize which has the world's widest opening (980 feet or almost one-fourth mile across) and a depth of 330 feet; however, the world's deepest is the Dean's "blue hole" which is 660 feet deep located off the coast of Long Island in the Bahamas.

Picture 4: This photograph is of the world's widest (the size of a city block) and deepest sinkhole (330 feet) which occurred in Guatemala City in February 2007; rumblings in the area were heard several days before the disaster. The sinkhole swallowed 12 houses and killed 3 people.

In May 2010, another sinkhole developed in another section of Guatemala City, and swallowed a three-story building after Pacific storm, Agatha, battered Guatemala.

Picture 5: But of the world's "holes", the largest, the oddest, and the weirdest is the one below. And unlike "excavations", "glory holes", and/or "sinkholes", this one affects people's lives around the world.

This hole wastefully spends and swallows billions of taxpayers' dollars annually in some of the dumbest and most stupid projects; in fact, because of its wastefulness, it has plunged an entire nation more than $14 trillion US dollars "in the hole" [in debt]! The "shit hole" houses 535 known 'assholes' and several hundreds [possibly even thousands] of aides.

It is connected to another "shit hole" called the White House, just a few miles away down the road, which houses another [who is the top] 'asshole', his family, and several hundreds [or possibly even thousands] more aides and servants.

Author Unknown

A Duplicate Key

A boy once asked his father: Dad, what's between Mom’s legs?

The father answered: Paradise, my son.

The kid once again asked: What's between your legs?

The father replied: The key to Paradise.

The son then said: A piece of advice, Dad. . .I think you'd better change the lock. . .a neighbor has a duplicate key!

Author Unknown

This Weeks Sound Off

Weiner Takes Leave Of Absence; Obama Suggests He Should Resign

Rep. Anthony Weiner took a two-week leave of absence from the U.S. House on Monday to consider calls by Democratic leaders -- and a strong hint from President Barack Obama -- that he should resign over a "sexting" scandal and his subsequent lies about it.

The House Clerk read Weiner's request for the two-week leave of absence at 7:25 p.m. Monday. The House agreed to the request without any objection.

Earlier, both the White House and Obama ratcheted up the pressure on Weiner with the administration's first public comment on the scandal that emerged in late May.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said Monday that Obama believes Weiner was wrong to send a lewd picture of himself over Twitter and then lie about it, and that the continuing scandal surrounding the New York Democrat is a distraction from important national business,

Obama himself later strongly suggested Weiner should step down, telling NBC in an interview that if he were in the congressman's position, he'd resign. –Read more at CNN Politics

Any politician who cheats, as well as lies, is not worthy of holding office and should resign. Cheaters are nothing more than liars … they are dogs, unworthy of the partner on whom they cheat and unworthy of the position they hold in society cause they cannot be trusted. Not only are politician’s guilty of this heinous activity, but even the average joe, every day man and woman, are just as quality and when caught should loose everything … partner, position, as well as undergo mandatory testing for diseases, including HIV/AIDS, and their names, pictures and test results posted like we post common criminals on line.

If I ever caught a partner of mine cheating and then lies about it, I would bring them down! They may not wear a scarlet letter, but my god the community will certainly know about it and I would see to it that they loose everything. Cheaters are amongst the lowest form of dirt and no one should tolerate this kind of activity from anyone. I’m just saying.

Ragbag Headliners

F.B.I. Agents Get Leeway to Push Privacy Bounds

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is giving significant new powers to its roughly 14,000 agents, allowing them more leeway to search databases, go through household trash or use surveillance teams to scrutinize the lives of people who have attracted their attention.

The F.B.I. soon plans to issue a new edition of its manual, called the Domestic Investigations and Operations Guide, according to an official who has worked on the draft document and several others who have been briefed on its contents. The new rules add to several measures taken over the past decade to give agents more latitude as they search for signs of criminal or terrorist activity.

The F.B.I. recently briefed several privacy advocates about the coming changes. Among them, Michael German, a former F.B.I. agent who is now a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union, argued that it was unwise to further ease restrictions on agents’ power to use potentially intrusive techniques, especially if they lacked a firm reason to suspect someone of wrongdoing.

“Claiming additional authorities to investigate people only further raises the potential for abuse,” Mr. German said, pointing to complaints about the bureau’s surveillance of domestic political advocacy groups and mosques and to an inspector general’s findings in 2007 that the F.B.I. had frequently misused “national security letters,” which allow agents to obtain information like phone records without a court order.

Valerie E. Caproni, the F.B.I. general counsel, said the bureau had fixed the problems with the national security letters and had taken steps to make sure they would not recur. She also said the bureau, which does not need permission to alter its manual so long as the rules fit within broad guidelines issued by the attorney general, had carefully weighed the risks and the benefits of each change.

“Every one of these has been carefully looked at and considered against the backdrop of why do the employees need to be able to do it, what are the possible risks and what are the controls,” she said, portraying the modifications to the rules as “more like fine-tuning than major changes.”

Some of the most notable changes apply to the lowest category of investigations, called an “assessment.” The category, created in December 2008, allows agents to look into people and organizations “proactively” and without firm evidence for suspecting criminal or terrorist activity.

Under current rules, agents must open such an inquiry before they can search for information about a person in a commercial or law enforcement database. Under the new rules, agents will be allowed to search such databases without making a record about their decision.

Mr. German said the change would make it harder to detect and deter inappropriate use of databases for personal purposes. But Ms. Caproni said it was too cumbersome to require agents to open formal inquiries before running quick checks. She also said agents could not put information uncovered from such searches into F.B.I. files unless they later opened an assessment.

The new rules will also relax a restriction on administering lie-detector tests and searching people’s trash. Under current rules, agents cannot use such techniques until they open a “preliminary investigation,” which — unlike an assessment — requires a factual basis for suspecting someone of wrongdoing. But soon agents will be allowed to use those techniques for one kind of assessment, too: when they are evaluating a target as a potential informant.

Agents have asked for that power in part because they want the ability to use information found in a subject’s trash to put pressure on that person to assist the government in the investigation of others. But Ms. Caproni said information gathered that way could also be useful for other reasons, like determining whether the subject might pose a threat to agents.

The new manual will also remove a limitation on the use of surveillance squads, which are trained to surreptitiously follow targets. Under current rules, the squads can be used only once during an assessment, but the new rules will allow agents to use them repeatedly. Ms. Caproni said restrictions on the duration of physical surveillance would still apply, and argued that because of limited resources, supervisors would use the squads only rarely during such a low-level investigation.

The revisions also clarify what constitutes “undisclosed participation” in an organization by an F.B.I. agent or informant, which is subject to special rules — most of which have not been made public. The new manual says an agent or an informant may surreptitiously attend up to five meetings of a group before those rules would apply — unless the goal is to join the group, in which case the rules apply immediately.

At least one change would tighten, rather than relax, the rules. Currently, a special agent in charge of a field office can delegate the authority to approve sending an informant to a religious service. The new manual will require such officials to handle those decisions personally.

In addition, the manual clarifies a description of what qualifies as a “sensitive investigative matter” — investigations, at any level, that require greater oversight from supervisors because they involve public officials, members of the news media or academic scholars.

The new rules make clear, for example, that if the person with such a role is a victim or a witness rather than a target of an investigation, extra supervision is not necessary. Also excluded from extra supervision will be investigations of low- and midlevel officials for activities unrelated to their position — like drug cases as opposed to corruption, for example.

The manual clarifies the definition of who qualifies for extra protection as a legitimate member of the news media in the Internet era: prominent bloggers would count, but not people who have low-profile blogs. And it will limit academic protections only to scholars who work for institutions based in the United States.

Since the release of the 2008 manual, the assessment category has drawn scrutiny because it sets a low bar to examine a person or a group. The F.B.I. has opened thousands of such low-level investigations each month, and a vast majority has not generated information that justified opening more intensive investigations.

Ms. Caproni said the new manual would adjust the definition of assessments to make clear that they must be based on leads. But she rejected arguments that the F.B.I. should focus only on investigations that begin with a firm reason for suspecting wrongdoing. –New York Times

<><><>*<><><>

SAMENOW: My Hypersexual Disorder Made Me Do It

Over the past few weeks, we’ve heard several variations on a theme - a powerful man who can’t keep his pants buttoned. Spouses are hurt, jobs lost. It really is quite tragic. But the new kid on the block is the defense we now are all waiting for: “I am a sex addict.” Eyes roll.

The timing for these stories couldn’t be more perfect. In recent months, the American Psychiatric Association's task force met in an ongoing discussion on whether to include hypersexual disorder (aka sex addiction) in its big book, the Diagnostical and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). The fifth edition is due out within the next few years. Even among professionals, there is great debate on whether this condition exists. Are these individuals perpetrators? Men being men? Victims of societal craze? Stupid? Or perhaps they suffer from a legitimate mental disorder?

The proposed diagnostic criteria, which have yet to be accepted, include a list of symptoms that the hypersexual person has. These include failing to control sexual behaviors, turning to sex as a means of dealing with unpleasant feelings, and continuing to engage in sexual behaviors despite bad things happening, to name a few. These behaviors must be persistent and contribute to distress or dysfunction in a person’s life. It is not about liking a lot of sex or engaging in diverse or exotic sexual practices. It’s also not about abusing authority, violating others or being just plain stupid. Rather, it’s about the quality and role that sex plays in one’s life.

In essence, this is alcoholism or drug addiction but without the tolerance or withdrawal, although even that is debated. It is labeled hypersexual disorder because, unlike classic “addictions” (a term not even recognized by the DSM), this disorder assumes no specific root causes and is based on empirical scientific data. It’s not just the “I am addicted to everything” fad.

The main arguments against inclusion of this disorder are that the underlying brain dysfunction has yet to be discovered and that other disorders in the DSM might better account for these behaviors. Hence, is this something that is real? Not all bad choices in life merit labeling as a mental disorder.

Hypersexual disorder, sex addiction, compulsive sexual behavior is real - no matter what you call it. It affects men and women of all ages, races, genders and ethnicities. Its original terms, Don Juanism and satyriasis, point to its existence over time. And although we don’t yet know its full origins, the complex biological, psychological and social influences that impact the neural pathways of the mind are no less real than the HIV virus, a cancer cell or the inflammatory response. And the damage it causes individuals and their relationships is no less real than the damage to the liver, kidneys, heart, etc. that more classic “diseases” cause. Many “real” mental disorders and even physical disorders have yet to be fully explained or understood. –Read more at The Washington Times

Dr. Charles P. Samenow is an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at George Washington University and editor of Sexual Addiction and Compulsivity: The Journal of Prevention and Treatment.

The World’s Largest Army

Did you know that the U.S.A. has the world's largest civilian (non-military) army? Yes, the number of licensed American hunters make America a nation with the world's largest civilian army!

Check out the following interesting facts.

There are currently over 600,000 hunting licenses issued in the state of Wisconsin alone. That number makes it the eighth largest non-military army in the world. Wisconsin has more armed men than Iran; and more than France and Germany combined.

But Wisconsin's number pales in comparison to the: 750,000 licensed hunters in Pennsylvania and the 700,000 in Michigan.

Toss in the 250,000 licensed hunters in West Virginia for a total of 2.3 million hunters in the 4 states alone.

The point? With that kind of home-grown firepower properly harnessed and used, America should be safe from foreign invasion.

Hunting should not be just a way to fill the freezer, but also a potent tool in implementing national security.

A possible [and probably the "true"] reason why gun control advocates and America's enemies, domestic and foreign, want guns taken away from every private U.S. citizen is because of the above potential capability.

Author Unknown

The Best Security Sign

Below is the best home security sign to display on your front yard! The only drawback is if the person(s) for whom it is intended is illiterate---unable to read.

CIA Book Review

As President George W. Bush's top speechwriter, Marc Thiessen was provided unique access to the CIA program used in interrogating top al-Qaeda terrorists, including the mastermind of the 9/11 attack, Khalid Sheikh Mohammad (KSM). Now, Thiessen's riveting new book, Courting Disaster: How the CIA Kept America Safe (Regnery), has been published.

Below is an excerpt from that book:

". . . .Just before dawn on March 1, 2003, two dozen heavily armed Pakistani tactical assault forces move in and surround a safe house inRawalpindi . A few hours earlier they had received a text message from an informant inside the house. It read: "I am with KSM."

Bursting in, they find the disheveled mastermind of the 9/11 attacks,Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, in his bedroom. He is taken into custody. In the safe house, they find a treasure trove of computers, documents, cell phones and other valuable "pocket litter."

Once in custody, KSM is defiant. He refuses to answer questions, informing his captors that he will tell them everything when he gets to America and sees his lawyer. But KSM is not taken to America to see a lawyer. Instead he is taken to a secret CIA "black site" in an undisclosed location.

Upon arrival, KSM finds himself in the complete control of Americans. He does not know where he is, how long he will be there, or what his fate will be. Despite his circumstances, KSM still refuses to talk. He spews contempt at his interrogators, telling them Americans are weak, lack resilience, and are unable to do what is necessary to prevent the terrorists from succeeding in their goals. He has trained to resist interrogation. When he is asked for information about future attacks, he tells his questioners scornfully: "Soon, you will know."

It becomes clear he will not reveal the information using traditional interrogation techniques. So he undergoes a series of "enhanced interrogation techniques" approved for use only on the most high-value detainees. The techniques include waterboarding.

His resistance is described by one senior American official as "superhuman." Eventually, however, the techniques work, and KSM becomes cooperative-for reasons that will be described later in this book.

He begins telling his CIA de-briefers about active al Qaeda plots to launch attacks against the United States and other Western targets. He holds classes for CIA officials, using a chalkboard to draw a picture of al-Qaeda's operating structure, financing, communications, and logistics. He identifies al Qaeda travel routes and safe havens, and helps intelligence officers make sense of documents and computer records seized in terrorist raids. He identifies voices in intercepted telephone calls, and helps officials understand the meaning of coded terrorist communications. He provides information that helps our intelligence community capture other high-ranking terrorists, KSM's questioning, and that of other captured terrorists, produces more than 6,000 intelligence reports, which are shared across the intelligence community, as well as with our allies across the world.

In one of these reports, KSM describes in detail the revisions he made to his failed 1994-1995 plan known as the "Bojinka plot" to blow up a dozen airplanes carrying some 4,000 passengers over the Pacific Ocean.

Years later, an observant CIA officer notices the activities of a cell being followed by British authorities appear to match KSM's description of his plans for a Bojinka-style attack.

In an operation that involves unprecedented intelligence cooperation between our countries, British officials proceed to unravel the plot. On the night of Aug.9, 2006 they launch a series of raids in a northeast London suburb that lead to the arrest of two dozen al-Qaeda terrorist suspects. They find a USB thumb-drive in the pocket of one of the men with security details for Heathrow airport, and information on seven trans-Atlantic flights that were scheduled to take off within hours of each other:

* United Airlines Flight 931 to San Francisco departing at 2:15 p.m.;
* Air Canada Flight 849 to Toronto departing at 3:00 p.m.;
* Air Canada Flight 865 to Montreal departing at 3:15 p.m.;
* United Airlines Flight 959 to Chicago departing at 3:40 p.m.;
* United Airlines Flight 925 to Washington departing at 4:20 p.m.;
* American Airlines Flight 131 to New York departing at 4:35 p.m.;
* American Airlines Flight 91 to Chicago departing at 4:50 p.m.

They seize bomb-making equipment and hydrogen peroxide to make liquid explosives. And they find the chilling martyrdom videos the suicide bombers had prepared.

Today, if you asked an average person on the street what they know about the 2006 airlines plot, most would not be able to tell you much. Few Americans are aware of the fact al Qaeda had planned to mark the fifth anniversary of 9/11 with an attack of similar scope and magnitude.

And still fewer realize the terrorists' true intentions in this plot were uncovered thanks to critical information obtained through the interrogation of the man who conceived it: Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.

This is only one of the many attacks stopped with the help of the CIA interrogation program established by the Bush Administration in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. . . ."

(Editor's Note: For other foiled terrorist plots, see page 9 of Courting Disaster.)

". . . .In addition to helping break up these specific terrorist cells and plots, CIA questioning provided our intelligence community with an unparalleled body of information about al-Qaeda until the program was temporarily suspended in 2006, intelligence officials say, well over half of the information our government had about al-Qaeda, how it operates, how it moves money, how it communicates, how it recruits operatives, how it picks targets, how it plans and carries out attacks-came from the interrogation of terrorists in CIA custody.

Former CIA Director George Tenet has declared: "I know this program has saved lives. I know we've disrupted plots. I know this program alone is worth more than what the FBI, the Central Intelligence Agency, and the National Security Agency put together have been able to tell us."
Former CIA Director Mike Hayden has said: "The facts of the case are that the use of these techniques against these terrorists made us safer. It really did work."

Even Barack Obama's Director of National Intelligence, Dennis Blair, has acknowledged: "High-value information came from interrogations in which those methods were used and provided a deeper understanding of the al-Qaeda organization that was attacking this country."
Leon Panetta, Obama's CIA Director, has said: "Important information was gathered from these detainees. It provided information that was acted upon."

And John Brennan, Obama's Homeland Security Advisor, when asked in an interview if enhanced-interrogation techniques were necessary to keep America safe, replied : "Would the U.S. be handicapped if the CIA was not, in fact, able to carry out these types of detention and debriefing activities? I would say yes."

On Jan. 22, 2009, President Obama issued Executive Order 13491, closing the CIA program and directing that, henceforth, all interrogations by U.S personnel must follow the techniques contained in the Army Field Manual.

The morning of the announcement, Mike Hayden was still in his post as CIA Director. He called White House Counsel Greg Craig and told him bluntly: "You didn't ask, but this is the CIA officially nonconcurring". The President went ahead anyway, over ruling the objections of the agency.

A few months later, on April 16, 2009, President Obama ordered the release of four Justice Department memos that described in detail the techniques used to interrogate KSM and other high-value terrorists. This time, not just Hayden (who was now retired) but five CIA directors -including Obama's own director, Leon Panetta -- objected. George Tenet called to urge against the memos' release. So did Porter Goss. So did John Deutch. Hayden says: "You had CIA directors in a continuous unbroken stream to 1995 calling saying, 'Don't do this.'"

In addition to objections from the men who led the agency for a collective 14 years, the President also heard objections from the agency's covert field operatives. A few weeks earlier, Panetta had arranged for the eight top officials of the Clandestine Service to meet with the President. It was highly unusual for these clandestine officers to visit the Oval Office, and they used the opportunity to warn the President that releasing the memos would put agency operatives at risk. The President reportedly listened respectfully and then ignored their advice.

With these actions, Barack Obama arguably did more damage to America's national security in his first 100 days of office than any President in American history. . . ."

Author Unknown

Oklahoma Did It. Who’s Next?

"No weapon in the arsenals of the world is as formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women." - Ronald Reagan -

While almost everyone's attention has been focused on Arizona's enforcing the formerly unenforced U.S. immigration laws, below is an update on what Oklahoma has been doing.

1) Oklahoma law passed HB 1330, 37 to 9, (which included a few liberals in the mix who approved of and voted for it). It is an amendment to place the Ten Commandments in the entrance to the Oklahoma State Capitol. The feds and the ACLU said it is a mistake. Well, Oklahoma is a conservative state based on Christian values. So, guess what? Oklahoma did it anyway.

2) Oklahoma recently passed HB 1804, a law to incarcerate all illegal immigrants and to deport them to their country of origin, unless they want to become they request to be naturalized as American citizen. This was against the advice of the federal government and the ACLU, who said it would be a mistake. Guess what? Oklahoma did it anyway.

3) SB 1102, a law to include everyone's DNA samples to the Oklahoma database for criminal investigative purposes was recently passed. Pelosi said it is unconstitutional. Guess what? Oklahoma did it anyway.

4) HR 1003 had been passed, a law declaring Oklahoma to be a sovereign state not under the federal government directives. Thus far, Texas, Montana, and Utah have been the only other states to do so, but more states are likely to follow including the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North & South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia.

5) While the federal government has made bold steps to take away the right to private gun ownership, Oklahoma has passed a law confirming Oklahomans' right to bear arms and carry them in their vehicles. Liberals disapprove of it. Guess what? Oklahoma did it anyway.

6) Oklahoma has voted into law that all driver's licensing examinations will be printed in English only. The law has been called racist, but since all road signs in Oklahoma are in English only, anyone who wants to be licensed to drive in Oklahoma must read, understand, and write English---it is that simple. Once again, liberals don't like it. Guess what? Oklahoma is doing it anyway.

Author Unknown

The Welfare Check Recipient

A guy walked into the local welfare office to pick up his welfare check. He marched straight up to the counter and said, "You know what. . .I really hate drawing welfare. I'd much rather have a job."

The clerk behind the counter said, "Your timing is excellent because guess what. . .a job offer just came up. It is from a very wealthy old man who wants a chauffeur and bodyguard for his beautiful daughter. Meals and clothes will be provided. The job entails having to drive around a late model Mercedes-Benz CL; and escorting the daughter on holiday and overseas trips. Lastly, part of the job assignment, which is rather odd, is to satisfy the daughter's sexual urges --- she is in her mid-20s and has a rather strong sex drive."

The fellow---wide-eyed---quipped, "You're bullshittin' me!"

The clerk retorted, "Well, you started it."

Author Unknown

Locally Speaking

Myrtle Beach Area Group Calls For Smoke-Free City

A local group is fighting for the right to breathe smoke-free air in Horry County, and on Tuesday they cited statistics that seem to be on their side.

Ninety-five percent of 874 residents surveyed in Horry County said they believe secondhand smoke causes health problems, according to a survey conducted by Smoke Free Horry, a nonprofit organization that hopes to curb the toll of tobacco use.

Research done in area bars and restaurants found pollution 22 times higher in those that allow smoking than in those that don't, the study conducted jointly by Roswell Park Cancer Center in New York and Smoke Free Horry found.

"It's our vision that every citizen and worker in Horry has the right to breathe smoke-free air," said George DuRant, spokesman for Smoke Free Horry. "Everyone deserves to breathe smoke-free air."

The group, which is funded by a federal grant, began in late summer 2010 with three goals: protect citizens from secondhand smoke dangers; reduce tobacco use among adults and youth; and prevent children from starting to use tobacco products.

There's still a long road ahead, however, filled with challenges, organizers said.

Though many areas still allow smoking, some have banned the habit both indoors and outside, whether through corporate regulations or personal choice. DuRant wants visitors in Horry to see aprogressive county that prohibits lighting up a cigarette.

"The last thing we want people to think when they come to Myrtle Beach is behind, backward and not progressive," he said.

The town of Surfside Beach and the town of Atlantic Beach are the only municipalities in the county that have passed a smoking ban. A countywide ban is not on the radar for Horry County Council, said Chairman Tom Rice. If it were introduced, Rice said he would not support it. –Read more at Sun News

Ragbag Headliners

U.S. Gives Billions Of Dollars In Foreign Aid To World's Richest Countries - Then Asks To Borrow It Back

The U.S. is providing hundreds of millions of dollars of foreign aid to some of the world's richest countries - while at the same time borrowing billions back, according to report seen by Congress.

The Congressional Research Service released the report last month which shows that in 2010 the U.S. handed out a total of $1.4bn to 16 foreign countries that held at least $10bn in Treasury securities.

Four countries in the world's top 10 richest received foreign aid last year with China receiving $27.2m, India $126.6m, Brazil $25m, and Russia $71.5m.

Mexico also received $316.7m and Egypt $255.7m.

And yet despite the massive outgoings in foreign aid, the receiving countries hold trillions of dollars in U.S. Treasury bonds.

China is the largest holder with $1.1trillion as of March, according to the Treasury Department.

Brazil held $193.5bn, Russia $127.8bn, India $39.8bn, Mexico $28.1bn and Egypt had $15.3bn.

Foreign aid is earmarked for causes including HIV/AIDs prevention, combating weapons of mass destruction, fighting tuberculosis, and counter-terrorism efforts.

The news has caused grave concern, with Senator Tom Coburn, R-Okla, who requested the report seen by Fox News, calling the policy 'dangerous'.

In a written statement Senator Coburn said: 'Borrowing money from countries who receive our aid is dangerous for both the donor and recipient.

'If countries can afford to buy our debt, perhaps they can afford to fund assistance programs on their own.

'At the same time, when we borrow from countries we are supposedly helping to develop, we put off hard budget choices here at home.

'The status quo creates co-dependency and financial risk at home and abroad.'

The news arrives as lawmakers in Washington battle over the conditions for increasing the nation's ability to borrow money before defaulting on its obligations.

The government reached its $14.3trillion borrowing limit last month and both parties agree that spending cuts are needed, although Republicans refuse to raise taxes that Democrats insist on.

President Obama has met with both sides over the issue, but no progress has been made. The State Department did not comment. –Mail Online

To Ten Countries Receiving The Most Aid:

Colombia $461.2m
Mexico $316.7m
Egypt $255.7m
Philippines $128.2m
India $126.6m
Russia $71.5m
China $27.2m
Brazil $25m
Thailand $16.75m
Turkey $8.2m

<><><>*<><><>

Why The Debt Ceiling Doubters Are Wrong

What happens if Congress fails to raise the debt ceiling by Aug. 2?

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner says it would be "catastrophic." A growing number of Republicans say that's false -- at worst it would be "disruptive," in the words of Sen. Pat Toomey.

The reality is nobody really knows because it has never happened before: Congress has gone down to the wire in the past but has always raised the debt ceiling just in time.

"When I manage my family's finances, I would not do something where the consequences are unknown and unknowable," said Joe Minarik, who served as the chief economist of the White House Budget Office in the Clinton administration.

Likewise, he said, rolling the dice with the country's financing terrifies him.

But that is what some lawmakers are willing to do if Congress can't agree on a deal that serves as a significant down payment on debt reduction by Aug. 2.

If the ceiling isn't raised by then, the Treasury Department won't have enough money coming in to pay all the country's bills and won't be authorized to borrow to make up the difference. So that will mean delayed federal payments, Toomey said, but it won't be default, as Geithner has claimed.

Debt ceiling: What you need to know

In Toomey's opinion, the government can avoid default by continuing to pay interest and principal on outstanding debt. If investors get what's owed them, they won't blink if the country for a time can't pay all its other legal obligations on time.

Even if Toomey is right, the reality would be a lot more difficult and complex than he makes it sound.

Daily cash crunch: It's true Treasury collects enough in revenue overall to more than cover its interest and principal payments. The problem is that on any given day, that's not necessarily the case.

"You don't get paid in fiscal year 2011. You get paid on a Tuesday," said Susan Irving, director of federal budget issues at the Government Accountability Office.

And some days, the Treasury will not be taking in as much as it has to pay out.

Deciding who gets paid: Many believe Geithner would have the authority to prioritize payments. So he could decide to pay bondholders first and then anyone else he thinks is most critical to pay without delay.

The law isn't explicit about that, budget experts said. So it's not entirely clear whether Geithner would be able to prioritize payments -- unless Congress passes a law that says he does.

But even if he is allowed to prioritize payments, the situation could still be damaging.
Geithner: Risk default? You've got to be kidding

Deciding who to pay and who to put off will subject Geithner to a lot of second guessing from lawmakers and the public, and could open the door to lawsuits against the government. Those whose payments are delayed are likely to be quite unhappy and vocal about it.

And, "in a practical sense, the question is daunting," said Minarik, senior vice president of the nonpartisan Committee for Economic Development.

That's because most of the bills Treasury pays are essentially automated -- whether they're checks to contractors, taxpayers waiting for refunds, Social Security beneficiaries or federal workers.

And if interest and principal are to be paid first, everything else may have to be stopped until sufficient revenue comes in to take care of that. The same is true when Social Security checks have to be cut.

And there will be other headaches.

"There will be some challenge communicating to the entire government who will get paid and who won't," said Donald Marron, a former acting Congressional Budget Officer director.

Economic fallout: If a government check is late, someone's cash flow will be hurt.

And that person or business, in turn, may spend less or delay paying bills.

Hopefully that's all that happens.

The bigger worry is that at some point -- no when can say when -- investors or contractors who are still getting paid could start worrying that tomorrow they won't be.

Or even if some investors remain confident, others may not be. And then everyone, whatever their beliefs, may start making decisions based on what the other guy is doing, which may include heading for the exit.

That doubt could drive up interest rates -- and U.S. debt. That, in turn, will impair economic growth, which will reduce revenue and drive U.S. debt higher still. –CNN Money

<><><>*<><><>

U.S. Has Record $61.6TRILLION In Liabilities And Is Borrowing Astonishing $125 Billion A Month

> Obama 'concerned' about recovery not producing jobs fast enough but says double-dip recession not a risk

> House Majority Leader ‘cautiously optimistic’ ongoing budget talks led by Joe Biden will produce agreement

We knew the U.S. economy's financial health and future was looking bad - but amazing figures show how rapidly it deteriorated even further last year.

The federal government has a record $61.6trillion of financial promises not paid for after $5.3trillion of new financial obligations were added in 2010.

This gap between spending commitments and revenue in the year gone by equals more than one-third of the nation's output, reported USA Today.

The new obligations were mostly for retirement programs such as Medicare and Social Security - and paint a situation far worse than the $1.5trillion in new debt taken on to finance the budget deficit.

Medicare added $1.8trillion in new liabilities and Social Security took on $1.4trillion in obligations, which is partly down to longer life expectancies.

Military and federal retirement programs also added more to the hole, reported USA Today in an analysis of federal finances.

$61.6trillion amounts to $534,000 per household and is more than five times what Americans have borrowed for mortgages, cars and other debt.

The government borrows an average of about $125billion a month.

Meanwhile on Tuesday, President Barack Obama insisted the country is not at risk of slipping into a double-dip recession.

But he conceded he does not know whether a sudden slowdown in job growth is a blip or an indication of a longer and more worrisome trend.

The President said the nation is on a solid but uneven path to recovery and the key is to ‘not panic’.

‘I am concerned about the fact that the recovery that we're on is not producing jobs as quickly as I want it to happen,’ Mr Obama said.

‘Obviously we're experiencing some headwinds,’ he added, at a joint news conference with visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Elsewhere, the number two Republican in the House is ‘cautiously optimistic’ over ongoing budget talks led by Vice President Joe Biden.

Majority Leader Eric Cantor believes they will produce an agreement on budget cuts at least as large as the accompanying increase in the government's ability to borrow.

He said the group is scrubbing all of the federal budget's major spending programmes for savings, including healthcare for the elderly and poor.

Speaker John Boehner has put forth a marker that any increase in the so-called debt limit should be matched by spending cuts at least equaling the new level of permitted borrowing.

The national debt has reached the $14.3trillion cap, but the Treasury Department is juggling government accounts to free up enough money to prevent the government from defaulting on its obligations until August 2.

‘I am cautiously optimistic we can find sufficient common ground with the administration to enact spending cuts that meet the goal outlined by the speaker,’ Mr Cantor said.

Mr Biden said last month that the group, which includes top lawmakers from both parties, is on pace to generate savings exceeding $1trillion. –MailOnline

Assailant Suffers Injuries From Fall

Orville Smith, the store manager of a Best Buy computer store in Augusta, Georgia alerted the store's security when he observed a male customer, later identified as Tyrone Jackson of Augusta, on the store's surveillance cameras putting a laptop computer under his jacket. When confronted, then man became irate, knocked down an employee, pulled out a knife, and ran out of the door.

Outside on the sidewalk in front of the store were four U.S. Marines helping to collect toys for the Toys for Tots program. Smith said the Marines helped to stop the man who was being chased by the Best Buy security guards whereupon he stabbed one of the Marines, Cpl. Phillip Duggan, in the back. Someone dialed 9-1-1, and upon the paramedics' arrival, they transported the injured Marine to the nearest Emergency Room, where his injury was found to be non-life threatening.

According to the police report, the assailant was also transported to the same hospital where he was found to have two broken arms, a broken ankle, a broken leg, several missing teeth, possible broken ribs, multiple contusions, assorted lacerations, a broken nose and a broken jaw---injuries which he sustained when he slipped and fell off the curb after stabbing the Marine and being subdued by the three other Marines.

The Best Buy management thanked the Marines for their assistance in taking down and holding the attacker and thief.

Author Unknown

An Article In “The London Daily Telegraph”

The article below written by Alex Singleton, the editor of The London Daily Telegraph, gives a plausible reason why the Obamas have not been invited to the wedding of England's Prince William in April 2011.

Let me be clear: I'm not normally in favor of boycotts, and I love the American people. I holiday in their country regularly, and hate the tedious snobby sneers against the United States. But the American people chose to elect an idiot who seems hell bent on insulting their allies, and something must be done to stop Obama's reckless foreign policy, before he does the dirty on his allies on every issue.

One of the most poorly kept secrets in Washington is President Obama's animosity toward Great Britain, presumably because of what he regards as its sins while ruling Kenya (1895-1963).

One of Barack Hussein Obama's first acts as president was to return to Britain a bust of Winston Churchill that had graced the Oval Office since 9/11. He followed this by denying Prime Minister Gordon Brown, on his first state visit, the usual joint press conference with flags.

The president was "too tired" to grant the leader of America 's closest ally a proper welcome, his aides told British journalists.

Mr. Obama followed this up with cheesy gifts for Mr. Brown and the Queen. Columnist Ian Martin described his behavior as "rudeness personified." There was more rudeness in store for Mr. Brown at the opening session of the United Nations in September. "The prime minister was forced to dash through the kitchens of the UN in New York to secure five minutes of face time with President Obama after five requests for a sit down meeting were rejected by the White House," said London Telegraph columnist David Hughes. Mr. Obama's "churlishness is unforgivable," Mr. Hughes said.

The administration went beyond snubs and slights last week when Secretary of State Hillary Clinton endorsed the demand of Argentine President Cristina Kirchner, a Hugo Chavez ally, for mediation of Argentina 's specious claim to the Falkland Islands, a British dependency since 1833. The people who live in the Falklands, who speak English, want nothing to do with Argentina . When, in 1982, an earlier Argentine dictatorship tried to seize the Falklands by force, the British -- with strong support from President Ronald Reagan -- expelled them.

"It is truly shocking that Barack Obama has decided to disregard our shared history," wrote London DailyTelegraph columnist Toby Young. "Does Britain's friendship really mean so little to him?" One could ask, does the friendship of anyone in the entire world mean anything to him?

"I recently asked several senior administration officials, separately, to name a foreign leader with whom Barack Obama has forged a strong personal relationship during his first year in office," wrote Jackson Diehl, deputy editorial page editor of The Washington Post, on Monday. " A lot of hemming and hawing ensued." One official named French President Nicolas Sarkozy, but his contempt for Mr. Obama is an open secret. Another named German Chancellor A ngela Merkel. But, said Mr. Diehl, "Merkel too has been conspicuously cool toward Obama."

Mr. Obama certainly doesn't care about the Poles and Czechs, whom he has betrayed on missile defense. Honduras and Israel also can attest that he's been an unreliable ally and an unfaithful friend. Ironically, our relations with both Israel and the Palestinian Authority have never been worse. Russia has offered nothing in exchange for Mr. Obama's abandonment of missile defense. Russia and China won't support serious sanctions on Iran. Syria 's support for terrorism has not diminished despite efforts to normalize diplomatic relations. The reclusive military dictatorship that runs Burma has responded to our efforts at "engagement" by deepening its ties to North Korea.

And the Chinese make little effort to disguise their contempt for him.

For the first time in a long time, the President of the United States is actually distrusted by its allies and not in the least feared by its adversaries. Nor is Mr. Obama now respected by the majority of Americans. Understandably focused on the dismal economy and Mr. Obama's relentless efforts to nationalize and socialize health care, Americans apparently have yet to notice his dismal performance and lack of respect in the world community.

They soon will.

By Alex Singleton—–London Daily Telegraph editor

Grandma’s Boyfriend

One day, a 5-year-old boy went to spend the day with his widowed grandmother's. As he played with his toys, and while she dusted the furniture, he asked, "Gramma, since Grampa has gone up to heaven, why don't you get yourself a boyfriend?"

The Grandma replied, "Honey, my TV is my 'boyfriend'. It keeps me good company. I can watch it whenever I want to. The religious programs make me feel good and the comedies make me laugh ... I'm happy having the TV as my 'boyfriend'."

Grandma then decided to turn on the TV, but the reception was terrible. So, she started adjusting the knobs to try and see if she could get the picture to focus more clearly. But tried as she did, the reception remained bad. Frustrated, she started hitting the side and then the top of the TV hoping that it would fix the problem.

Just then, the doorbell ring, and the little boy ran to see who was at the door. When the door opened, there stood the pastor of his Grandma's church.

The minister said, "Hello, son, is your Grandma home?"

The little boy replied, "Yeah, she's in the bedroom bangin' her boyfriend."

Author Unknown

The Best "Tea Party" Sign Yet
"Snow White [Obama] and the Seven Dorks"

Osama Bin Laden’s Death: The End Of The Terrorists’ War (?)

In the late 19th century, a charismatic jihadist named Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Sayyid ibn Abdallah, who called himself "the Mahdi", swept across Sudan, routing the "infidel" forces of the Egyptian rulers, and arriving in 1884 at the gates of Khartoum. There, an equally charismatic British general named Charles Gordon led the city's defense by native troops. The city held out for nine months before falling. Gordon was speared, his head cut off and put on a tree, where people could throw rocks at it.

The Mahdi instituted a Shari'a state before dying of natural causes and was succeeded by a disciple.

It took 13 years, but the outraged British population got their vengeance. A punitive force under General Horatio Kitchener defeated the Mahdist forces at Omdurman, killing more than 10,000 warriors against a loss of 48 men. The jihadists' faith and primitive weapons were no match for Kitchener's machine guns and artillery.

In retaliation for Gordon's death and to break the Mahdi's spell, Kitchener destroyed the Mahdi's ornate tomb, exhumed the body, cut off the Mahdi's head, threw his bones into the Nile, and for a time, (much to Queen Victoria's horror), kept the Mahdi's skull as a souvenir.

That was the end of violent jihadism in North Africa for a century.

The death of Osama bin Laden, another charismatic who preached death to the "infidels", (hopefully) has a similar disheartening effect, especially if followed by the relentless and, if necessary, brutal use of targeted force against radical Islamic terrorism/terrorists.

From Charles Martel at Tours in 732, to Sobieski at Vienna in 1683, and to Kitchener at Omdurman nothing has had a greater calming effect on the Muslim world than decisive defeat. Yes, Osama bin Laden's animosity might have been, in part, aroused to start and inspire other Moslem radicals like him to go on jihad against the "infidels" by the 15th-century Spanish reconquest of el-Andalus, but hopefully his animus fully dies with him. Now, the radicals in the Muslim world must decide whether their (terrorist) war should continue.

A raid like last Sunday's --- (by the way, a tip of the hat and a world of thanks to the peerless US Navy SEALs and the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment helicopter pilots) --- will, hopefully, go a long way to pacify non-jihadists, who must by now understand that they are no match for American power and resolve, and will only suffer more and greater losses should the radicals continue their current conflict between radical Islam versus the West.

It doesn't have to come down to a Kitchenerian slaughter. All that the Islamic world needs to accept and understand is that its modern-day Mahdi is not coming to help them.

It may be true that thousands of Muslims viewed bin Laden (at least initially) as "the Great Sheikh", who struck a few blows against the "infidels", but many more millions more have not. If those millions of non-radical/non-extremist and truly peace-loving Muslim voices have been stilled by fear or indolence in the past, the death of Osama bin Laden, hopefully, will free them and given them more courage to speak out now and put sense in the heads of their misguided, irrational, extremist Muslim jihadists---compatriots, friends, and relatives.

Millenarian sects tend to falter when their confidently apocalyptic predictions fail to materialize. Now that bin Laden "sleeps with the fishes" -- the perfect end to a jumped-up gangster -- it is hoped that his version of jihad will die with him.

Unlike the British, we in the USA have never had the slightest desire to occupy Muslim countries. If Muslims want to come to the USA and accept the American way of life (which obviously means: adapting to the American values & way of life and with absolutely no jihad and no Shari'a whatsoever!), that is absolutely fine.

From her earliest days, America -- the Land of Freedom -- has been threatened by kings, emperors, popes, potentates, pashas, and modern day self-proclaimed "Mahdis". But every one who has tried to crush America and the American spirit has failed.

The cheers and jubilations in Washington D.C., New York City, and other places in the USA following the announcement of bin Laden's death Sunday night were right on the money because another arrogant thug has joined the world's "trash heap" of human history's insolent and warp-minded megalomaniacs and misfits---viz: King George, Hitler & the Nazis, Mussolini & the Fascists, the Soviet Communists, et al.

This is not American jingoism; this is American justice!

By Michael A. Walsh—The New York Post

This Weeks Sound Off

Democrats: No Pay For Lawmakers If U.S. Defaults

Raise the debt ceiling or don't get paid.

That's essentially what Senate Democrats are saying in the latest act of political theater surrounding the nation's debt ceiling.

Sens. Barbara Boxer and Bob Casey sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner on Tuesday, urging him to include lawmaker compensation in the list of things he will have to stop paying if Congress fails to raise the debt ceiling by Aug. 2.

"There is no reason that members of Congress and the president should be free from the pain that would be felt by our nation if the government were to default on its obligations," the letter states. "If we cannot do our jobs and protect the full faith and credit of the United States, we should not get paid."

The federal government officially hit its spending limit earlier this month, and while Congress has routinely raised the debt ceiling in the past, this time it won't come without a struggle. –Read more at CNN Money

Good! Our lawmakers are so not worthy of the salaries they pay themselves. Maybe if we stop paying them things will change in Washington, even get rid of those who ain’t worth a damn. It’s time for drastic changes and it has to begin with our representatives who are so out touch with the American people.

Locally Speaking

Construction On Backgate Interchange Project Starts June 6

Construction on the roughly $100 million Backgate Interchange Project at U.S. 17 and Farrow Parkway will start on Monday, with two lanes of traffic being maintained in both directions, according to project officials.

Daytime construction on the three-year project will generally occur from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. There may be some night and weekend work involved as well.

The speed limit will drop from 55 miles per hour to 45 mph. Drivers can tune to 1680 AM on their radios for current traffic updates. –Sun News

<><><>*<><><>

Work To Start On Pat Boone Theater In Myrtle Beach

Work is finally starting on the Pat Boone Theater - which had planned to open in Myrtle Beach a year ago - with officials aiming to have the first shows late this summer.

The lagging economy and trouble getting financing amid the tight lending environment delayed the theater, which is moving into the former NASCAR Cafe building at the corner of U.S. 17 Bypass and 21st Avenue North, said Kelly Burton, the theater’s recently hired marketing director.

Theater officials, who announced the plans for the venue in January 2010, acknowledge that the delays might have cast doubt on whether the theater would happen, but say this time it’s a go.

“It is finally going to happen,” Burton said. “We know they’ve been wondering. We are here. It is coming.”

This time, the theater has received the first of a series of permits it will need from the city that allow work on the building to begin. On Wednesday, the theater got a permit from the city to do demolition inside the building, city spokesman Mark Kruea said. But the theater would have to get additional approval from the city, including a building permit, before moving forward beyond demolition.

“They will need to bring plans back to us,” Kruea said. “This allows them to begin demolition.”

It will cost about $1 million to renovate the former restaurant into a 600-seat theater and install a stage, Burton said.

The theater, which will have a resident illusionist, gospel concerts, Christmas shows and other family friendly events, aims to have a “soft” opening in mid-July and a grand opening in August, Burton said. Evening shows will cost $34.95, while matinees will cost $24.95. Children’s tickets will be $8.95.

Illusionist Morgan Strebler will have a resident magic act at the theater, and Boone will perform about 14 days a year, Burton said.

There also will be a Boone museum that will feature some of his memorabilia, and an “Illusions ultra lounge,” which Burton described as a late-night spot for adults to gather to hear music, but said it’s not a nightclub and is consistent with the theater’s family image. The lounge will open in early fall, Burton said.

The new theater is one of several changes to the Grand Strand’s live show lineup this year. Dixie Stampede, after 19 years, has transformed into Pirates Voyage, which debuts June 3. And Legends in Concert moved from Surfside Beach to 29th Avenue North in Myrtle Beach earlier this year. –Sun News

Ragbag Headliners

Florida Governor Signs Welfare Drug-Screen Measure

Saying it is "unfair for Florida taxpayers to subsidize drug addiction," Gov. Rick Scott on Tuesday signed legislation requiring adults applying for welfare assistance to undergo drug screening.

"It's the right thing for taxpayers," Scott said after signing the measure. "It's the right thing for citizens of this state that need public assistance. We don't want to waste tax dollars. And also, we want to give people an incentive to not use drugs."

Under the law, which takes effect on July 1, the Florida Department of Children and Family Services will be required to conduct the drug tests on adults applying to the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program. The aid recipients would be responsible for the cost of the screening, which they would recoup in their assistance if they qualify. Those who fail the required drug testing may designate another individual to receive the benefits on behalf of their children.

Shortly after the bill was signed, five Democrats from the state's congressional delegation issued a joint statement attacking the legislation, one calling it "downright unconstitutional."

"Governor Scott's new drug testing law is not only an affront to families in need and detrimental to our nation's ongoing economic recovery, it is downright unconstitutional," said Rep. Alcee Hastings. "If Governor Scott wants to drug test recipients of TANF benefits, where does he draw the line? Are families receiving Medicaid, state emergency relief, or educational grants and loans next?"

Rep. Corrine Brown said the tests "represent an extreme and illegal invasion of personal privacy."

"Indeed, investigating people when there is probable cause to suspect they are abusing drugs is one thing," Brown said in the joint statement. "But these tests amount to strip searching our state's most vulnerable residents merely because they rely on the government for financial support during these difficult economic times."

Joining in the statement denouncing the measure were Democratic Reps. Kathy Castor, Ted Deutch and Frederica Wilson.

Controversy over the measure was heightened by Scott's past association with a company he co-founded that operates walk-in urgent care clinics in Florida and counts drug screening among the services it provides.

In April, Scott, who had transferred his ownership interest in Solantic Corp. to a trust in his wife's name, said the company would not contract for state business, according to local media reports. He subsequently sold his majority stake in the company, local media reported.

On May 18, the Florida Ethics Commission ruled that two conflict-of-interest complaints against Scott were legally insufficient to warrant investigation, and adopted an opinion that no "prohibited conflict of interest" existed.

Also on Tuesday, Scott also signed a measure outlawing hallucinogenic designer drugs known as "bath salts."

"The chemical substances found in 'bath salts' constitute a significant threat to health and public safety," the governor's office said in a statement. "Poison control centers in Florida have reported 61 calls of 'bath salts' abuse, making Florida the state with the second-highest volume of calls."

The drugs "are readily available at convenience stores, discount tobacco outlets, gas stations, pawnshops, tattoo parlors, and truck stops, among other locations," the governor's office said. –CNN Politics

<><><>*<><><>

WHO: Cell Phone Use Can Increase Possible Cancer Risk

Radiation from cell phones can possibly cause cancer, according to the World Health Organization. The agency now lists mobile phone use in the same "carcinogenic hazard" category as lead, engine exhaust and chloroform.

Before its announcement Tuesday, WHO had assured consumers that no adverse health effects had been established.

A team of 31 scientists from 14 countries, including the United States, made the decision after reviewing peer-reviewed studies on cell phone safety. The team found enough evidence to categorize personal exposure as "possibly carcinogenic to humans."

What that means is they found some evidence of increase in glioma and acoustic neuroma brain cancer for mobile phone users, but have not been able to draw conclusions for other types of cancers

"The biggest problem we have is that we know most environmental factors take several decades of exposure before we really see the consequences," said Dr. Keith Black, chairman of neurology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. –Read more at CNN Health

<><><>*<><><>

World Health Officials Scramble To Stem Deadly E. Coli Outbreak

Infectious disease detectives worldwide rushed Thursday to find the cause of an outbreak of a rare strain of E. coli that has spread to 10 countries and is blamed for at least 16 deaths and hundreds of illnesses.

Nine patients in Germany had died of a form of kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome, or HUS, according to the World Health Organization, which cited Tuesday figures as its most recent. Six had died of enterohemorrhagic E. coli, EHEC, a strain of E. coli that causes hemorrhaging in the intestines and can result in abdominal cramps and bloody diarrhea. One person in Sweden has also died.

Across Europe, 499 cases of HUS and 1,115 cases of EHEC have been reported, WHO said on its website.

In addition to Germany and Sweden, cases have been identified in Austria, Denmark, France, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. –Read more at CNN World