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Friday, February 8, 2013

Hagel Nomination Should be Blocked


When a US Senator speaks, the world listens. Such is the case of former Senator Chuck Hagel. His statements regarding Israel have been very negative and the world has heard them. This is not the way to treat your only ally in the Middle East.

The more we read, the more we hear about Hagel's statements, the more we have decided that he is not fit to be Defense Secretary. 

To make a statement that "The Jewish state is keeping "Palestinians caged like animals"", is not accurate and in our opinion, anti-Semitic. However, we are sure that his friends in Hamas and Hezbollah really liked it.

Our advice to President Obama is to withdraw Hagel's nomination immediately.

Conservative Tom



Hagel: US Needs to 'Reverse Optics' in Relationship With Israel

Rachel Hirshfeld - Arutz-7,  February 8th, 2013

The National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations recently published a recording of a speech given by former senator Chuck Hagel, President Barack Obama’s highly controversial nominee for secretary of defense, in which he said that the United States has to “reverse optics” in its relationship with the state of Israel.
In order to restore its credibility as an honest broker between Israelis and Palestinians, America has to “reverse optics” in its ties with the Jewish state, the former Republican senator from Nebraska said in 2007, as first reported by Breitbart.com.
“There's no question in the Arab-Israeli issue that Israel is a nation today as a result of the United States,” he said, possibly referring to the decision by President Harry Truman to recognize the establishment of the State of Israel, as well as continued military, financial and diplomatic ties between the two countries.
While his remarks are not entirely clear, in context, it seems that Hagel was intending to reinforce perceptions of Israel as a client state of the United States, according to Breitbart.
It was recently revealed that Hagel made further staggering accusations against Israel, alleging that the Jewish state is keeping the “Palestinians caged up like animals.”
The highly controversial nominee does not elaborate on the claim or explain how he believes Israel is keeping “Palestinians caged up like animals,” according to the Journal Star report. The comment is, however, consistent with his long anti-Israel and anti-Jewish record.
The two-term senator chosen by President Barack Obama to replace current secretary of defense Leon Panetta, has come under intense fire for his record on Israel, Iran, Hamas, as well as his comments about “the Jewish lobby,” homosexuals and a myriad of other issues.
The Senate Armed Services Committee postponed a panel vote that was expected to take place Thursday on the contentious nomination after Republicans demanded that he release additional financial information, including details regarding compensation for speeches he delivered since leaving Capitol Hill.

Israeli Blood Test Can Detect Early Stage Dementia

The following story is just another reminder that without Israel and its brilliant citizens, we would not have many things that we take for granted.  Those who believe the anti-Israel propaganda, should not have access to the many good things that have come out of this country. Right?

If you want a list, Wikipedia has a great list. The link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Israeli_inventions_and_discoveries

What a great opportunity to treat several of the most debilitating diseases that humans face. Congratulations to NeuroQuest.

Conservative Tom


An Israeli company's experimental blood test can detect dementia while the disease is still mild enough to treat more effectively.

Abigail Klein Leichman - israel21c.org,  February 4th, 2013

A simple blood test could be on the way for diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease.
“Today one of the main weaknesses in the Alzheimer’s area is that patients don’t find out until it’s too late,” says Ilya Budik, CEO of NeuroQuest, an Israeli company developing a novel blood test for early detection of the most common cause of dementia worldwide.
“There are many new therapies under development, and the most successful trials are showing the earlier a patient is treated, the better likelihood of responding to the treatment,” he says.
A portfolio company of the government-supported Misgav Venture Accelerator in northern Israel, NeuroQuest recently received $500,000 in a funding round led by the InterTech Group in South Carolina and the Maryland/Israel Trendlines Fund.
This half a million dollars will enable NeuroQuest to progress towards a validation clinical trial at four US medical centers, and to establish a US development center, possibly alongside its South Carolina partners.
Its first human trials in Israel showed NeuroQuest’s test — which is based on 20 years of research by Prof. Michal Schwartz of the Weizmann Institute of Science — to be 87 percent accurate with an 85% specificity rate in detecting Alzheimer’s and ALS, two common neurodegenerative diseases. With blood tests, Budik explains, anything over 70% is considered medically significant.
“That gave us proof of concept for Prof. Schwartz’s discovery that certain parts of the immune system are involved in protecting the central nervous system and also in healing it from neurodegenerative diseases or neural injury,” Budik tells ISRAEL21c.
Encouraged by these successful results, the company went into a more aggressive mode to determine how its niche product could fit specifically into the global Alzheimer’s market. NeuroQuest hired new management and built up a team with experience in running clinical trials in this space.
And because the Alzheimer’s population in Israel is too small for major clinical testing, NeuroQuest brought aboard Dr. Jacobo Mintzer, chief of geriatric psychiatry and co-director of Alzheimer’s research and clinical programs at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC).
Aside from his prominence and expertise in the field, Mintzer did his post-doc at the Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School and is married to an Israeli, Budik relates, “so he was excited to get his hands on a novel project from Israel.”
That connection put NeuroQuest on the itinerary of a November 2011 business opportunity-seeking mission from the South Carolina-Israel Collaboration, headed by Jonathan Zucker of InterTech. The meeting paved the way for the recent investment round.
Right place at the right time
Budik says the first of 170 test subjects will be recruited beginning next summer. The trials will be overseen by the Harvard Clinical Research Institute, and Harvard Medical School is to be one of the four testing centers.
“A clinical research organization allows the trial to be more impartial and controlled, and benefits the company because the trial is run by specialists making sure it’s safe for the patients,” explains Budik. “We’re just doing a blood draw, but we still want to make sure everyone involved is involved for the right reasons.”
If the trials go as hoped, NeuroQuest could find itself in the right place at the right time. That’s because in late 2012, the US Food and Drug Administration approved Amyvid, a radioactive diagnostic agent for positron emission tomography (PET) imaging of the brain to see the density of harmful plaques in adults being evaluated for Alzheimer’s and other causes of cognitive decline. It wasn’t possible until now to evaluate these plaques in a living patient.
However, a PET scan costs up to $6,000 – meaning that Amyvid will not be widely available. Budik says that a relatively inexpensive positive blood test using NeuroQuest’s technology could provide enough cause for a health insurer to authorize the highly accurate PET imaging. So the two breakthroughs may work well together for the greater good.
“We envision that in 10 to 15 years, the Alzheimer’s market will look like the cancer and heart disease market looks today,” says Budik, who is in talks with other potential investors and partners. “One doesn’t want to find out one has heart disease if a heart attack is coming tomorrow. One wants to take medication to lower cholesterol and blood pressure at the first sign of high cholesterol so that the heart attack might not happen at all.”
NeuroQuest’s management hopes to provide the same early-warning capability to people in the first stages of Alzheimer’s, ALS, Parkinson’s and other progressive neurodegenerative diseases

Sealed Borders First, Then Deal With Illegals

We have spoken many times about our view of ILLEGAL immigration. We are solidly against it. We are in favor of legal, take your turn, do what you are supposed to do immigration. The current proposals by Obama and eight US Senators is a replay of the 1986 arguments.

Chip Wood, in the following posting, suggests that the first step in immigration control MUST be to control the borders. Without sealed borders,  all legislation is worthless and a waste of time and effort. We agree completely.

We especially like the point that we are experiencing an invasion, not unlike a military invasion, just not as organized. How would we respond to a Chinese invasion on our soil? Should we not react any differently by the millions who are literally walking into our country?

Please take a couple minutes to read Chip's article. It is a good refresher when you have to discuss with those "low information" voters who do not want to take the time to understand the issue.

Conservative Tom

Stop The Illegal Invasion

February 8, 2013 by  
Stop The Illegal Invasion
PHOTOS.COM
So now a “Gang of Eight” in the U.S. Senate has come up with new proposals for immigration reform. In a brilliant public-relations move, the Republicans have chosen Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, a Tea Party favorite, to win conservative support for the proposals.
But before you jump on this bandwagon, let’s look at some recent history.
Do you remember that in 1986 President Ronald Reagan proposed and Congress approved the Immigration Reform and Control Act? That legislation was supposed to solve the immigration crisis once and for all. It granted amnesty to nearly 3 million “undocumented workers” then living in this country. We were told this would set them on the path to becoming law-abiding, English-speaking, taxpaying citizens.
We were also assured that the flood of illegal immigration into this country would be stopped. Congress subsequently approved legislation to build a massive wall along the U.S.-Mexican border and to hire thousands of additional agents for the Border Patrol.
None of this happened. Not a single thing we were promised 27 years ago came true.
Instead, the flood of illegal aliens into this country became a tsunami. Where we once had 3 million or 4 million illegal aliens, we’re now told the correct number is more than 11 million — several times higher than we faced in 1986, when we allegedly solved this problem “once and for all.” It’s enough to overwhelm our schools, our hospitals, our prisons and our law enforcement officials wherever illegal aliens settle in any significant numbers.
This is not immigration. It’s an invasion. And we need to deal with it as such. This is not just my opinion. It is what our Constitution says.
Article IV, Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution clearly states, “The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion…”
Right now, there are around 11 million illegal aliens within our borders. Practically all of them came here by crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally. More are entering every day. It’s worth noting that the Constitution does not specify a military invasion or the use of arms. No, it simply says “invasion.” And if that is not what we are facing, what is?
Faced with such an invasion, what must our response be? There is only one promise I want to hear, only one action our government must take.
First, we must secure our borders.
Yes, it is time for Congress to act. It’s way past time, in fact. Stop blathering about an omnibus immigration bill that tries to be all things to all people. We must demand that Congress pass and the President enforce legislation that will stop the invasion — nothing less and nothing more, at least for now.
Will that mean hiring thousands of new border guards? Fine. Let’s do it. Hire them, train them and give them the equipment they need to do the job.
Will that mean building a wall along the border with Mexico, stretching from California to Texas? Then appropriate the money, get bids on the contracts and let’s build the darned thing.
Forget about spending billions of dollars on a high-tech fence that won’t work. We don’t need it. Just build a regular old fence, like the Israelis did across the West Bank. I agree with Charles Krauthammer, who said: “It’s very simple. Fences have worked for 5,000 years, and they work everywhere. Why don’t we build one…?”
In addition, we must tell the government of Mexico that we require its cooperation in halting the tidal wave of illegal immigration pouring out of its country — a tidal wave that it has been actively encouraging. That must stop. This is not a request; this is a condition for our continuing friendship.
We must also warn the people of Mexico (and their friends, family and allies in our country) that the United States is going to enforce its laws. Make it clear that we will no longer look the other way or compromise on enforcing our rules and regulations. There will be no way across the border except legally. Period.
And most important of all: We must demand that our government do whatever needs to be done to secure our borders. No more excuses. No more delays. The time to act is now.
There is much more that could and should be said on this subject. As we move to resolve this crisis, let’s make sure that illegal aliens who knowingly and deliberately broke our laws aren’t given a better deal than all those applicants for entry who have played by the rules.
Let’s make it our choice who gets to come here — when, from where, how many and for how long. If we need more temporary workers, fine. Let’s decide how many can come, how long they can stay and what they must do (and not do) while they’re here.
And let’s also insist that we get to decide what to do about the millions of illegal aliens who are already here. I’ll agree that if they’ve been law-abiding, tax-paying contributors to our society since they arrived, they deserve some consideration. But just because someone got away with a crime for years doesn’t mean they’ve earned a free pass to citizenship.
Yes, I know the Democrats are drooling at the thought of millions of new and very grateful voters. The Republicans would be committing electoral suicide if they went along with this scheme.
All of these secondary issues and more we can debate and decide later on. For now, there is only one thing that must be done: We must secure our borders.
If you agree, then there are two things you can do. First, forward this column to several other friends and family members. Urge them to read it, to act on it and to pass it on to others.
Then, contact the three people in Washington who have been elected to represent you: your two Senators and one Representative. It takes only a moment to call their office or send them an email and tell them: “Before doing anything to fix the immigration mess, I demand that you secure our borders. If you won’t help stop the invasion of our country, I will elect someone who will.”
If you’re not sure how to contact your Congressmen (or even who they are), there’s an easy-to-use website that will give you this information in moments. Simply go towww.contactingthecongress.org and click on your State. Everything you need will be just a keystroke or two away.
It isn’t often you get an opportunity to help decide the kind of country your children and your children’s children get to live in. This is one of them. So please, do it now, while you’re thinking about it and while we still have time.
Until next time, keep some powder dry.
–Chip Wood

Canadian View of US and Europe Finances



This Canadian Parliament member (Pierre Poilievre)
 explains the world economy clearly and explains
what has crippled the United States economy.  Every American should be required
to listen intently to this, as he provides a 9 minute education many have
never heard or understood. (Unfortunately, many even after hearing this would not understand, as they are the "low information" folks that watch Dancing With The Stars and America Idol and turn off information shows. These people don't want to know what is destroying America and the future of your children? Open the link below and learn
:

 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=wWkUaJId7pM#t=30s

Feds Gone Ammo Crazy

The latest order of bullets on top of the 1.6 billion ordered  last year is followed with another 21.6 million rounds. There will be those who look at the order and come to the conclusion that these are ONLY practice rounds, of course, that was the rationale last time. It appears these are meant to be training ammunition as they are being sent to a training facility in New Mexico. So if we accept that idea, it brings up another question, then what was the purpose of the original order?

This government is out of control and it will not be long before we find out the answers to our questions. However, we fear at that time we might all have our weapons confiscated,  many of us will have been herded into FEMA relocation centers and the rest of us will be treated to a show of governmental power never seen before in the history of the world. Are you ready?

Be Scared, Be Very Scared.

Conservative Tom


Feds Order Another 21.6 MILLION Rounds of Hollow Point Ammo
ammoThe outrageous and unexplainable purchase of now 1.6 BILLION bullets by the Feds can be summed up in the following sentence.
the DHS has purchased enough bullets over the last 10 months to wage a full scale war for almost 30 years.
That from the news that feds have ordered yet another round of ammo, this time 21.6 million rounds of hollow point .40 and .9 ammo. TheFedBid document has the order details. The document reads to suggest the ammo is heading to a training facility in New Mexico. Perhaps this is indeed the final destination for the ammo. But why would the feds train with more expensive hollow point ammo? And 21.6 million rounds?
Last weekend I fired about 250 rounds of .40 at a range here in Virginia. This over a period of two hours. If my math is correct (and it may not be thanks to public education), it would take me eight hours a day, firing 1,000 rounds a day, for approximately 59 years, to fire that much ammo. And that’s just a single order for the fed.
Where are our representatives on this? What is going on with all of this ammo hoarding?

https://marketplace.fedbid.com/fbweb/fbobuyDetails.do?token===wBKxmaVGYR9Kcq5Ajq%2BRH6QAAAAAHeAAgAgTFCGg/FzzqQbJAAyVXBA0Or


Thursday, February 7, 2013

Dr. Ben Carson Skewers The President

Ben Carson is a real American and his words should be heard by every Tom, Dick and Mary around this country. At least we have one person left who will say what he thinks and will not cow tow to the President.

It is a 25 minute speech but well worth listening to. 

Conservative Tom


SEE THE PRAYER BREAKFAST SPEECH THAT’S GRABBING HEADLINES: DOCTOR ATTACKS POLITICAL CORRECTNESS, NATIONAL DEBT IN FRONT OF OBAMA

  • Dr. Benjamin Carson delivered a noteworthy National Prayer Breakfast keynote speech in President Barack Obama’s presence
  • Carson attacked political correctness as a “dangerous” threat to free speech and encouraged Americans to boldly share their views
  • The pediatric neurosurgeon also provided his theories about the national debt, deficits, taxation and health care, taking stances that were opposed to the president’s
  • Obama watched intently as Carson spoke for more than 25 minutes
One of the more unique speeches delivered at this morning’s National Prayer Breakfast came fromDr. Benjamin S. Carson, a world-renowned pediatric neurosurgeon at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Taking the stage before President Barack Obama’s faith-filled address, Carson spoke for more than 25 minutes, tackling issues ranging from education to personal responsibility. His keynote, while predicated upon the theme of Jesus Christ as his ultimate role model, also took a starkly political tone, advocating against some of the very policies the president has implemented.
Dr. Benjamin Carson Delivers Keynote at National Prayer Breakfast | Political
Dr. Benjamin Carson receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George W. Bush in 2008 (Photo Credit: AP)
At the beginning of his speech, Carson shared an intense disdain for political correctness. Without getting too specific on the issue front, he said that Americans should stop being afraid to speak up and defend their beliefs; he also encouraged people to respect the individuals they disagree with. Carson held little back, condemning political correctness as “a horrible thing” that is “dangerous,” as it hampers freedom of thought and expression.
“We’ve reached a point where people are actually afraid to talk about what they want to say, because somebody might be offended,” Carson said, noting the example of people refraining from saying “Merry Christmas.” “We’ve got to get over this sensitivity and it keeps people from saying what they really believe.”
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Carson encouraged discussion about societal issues, also pointing out education as an essential conundrum the country needs to confront. He highlighted his own path from poverty to success, sharing very personal details about his parents and early family life and subsequently described the importance of helping students seeking to advance academically through his Carson Scholars Fund.
The speech took an interesting turn when the doctor cautioned that moral decay and fiscal irresponsibility can have dire consequences — even for powerful countries like America. Here, he became even more pointed and impassioned.
“I think particularly about ancient Rome. Very powerful — nobody could even challenge them militarily…they destroyed themselves from within,” Carson continued. “Moral decay. Fiscal irresponsibility.”
While he said America’s issues are dire, he was positive that the nation can fix its ways, as there are bright and innovative people who simply need to come together to address the problems at hand.
“And one of our big problems right now…our deficit is a big problem,” he said, as Obama watched him intently. ”Think about it — and our national debt — $16 and a half trillion dollars.”
Dr. Benjamin Carson Delivers Keynote at National Prayer Breakfast | Political
Dr. Banjamin Carson speaks at the 2013 National Prayer Breakfast (Photo Credit: C-SPAN)
To illustrate just how massive the debt is, Carson told the audience that if they counted one number per second, it would take them 507,000 years to get to the sum total. The doctor said that the massive fiscal blunder is something that the nation must contend with. From there, he moved on to taxation, seemingly taking a stance in direct opposition to Obama’s.
“What about our taxation system — so complex there is no one that can possibly comply with every jot and tittle,” he noted, going on to call for a simpler (i.e. flat tax) system. ”When I pick up my Bible, you know what I see — I see the fairest individual in the universe — God — and he’s given us a system. It’s called tithe.”

Carson progressed, seemingly comparing the tithe, at least in principal, to the flat tax system. Rather than continuing to tier taxes owed, he argued that everyone should pay the same proportion and that, through this fairer system, money sent by wealthier Americans for protection abroad should be brought back to America to help build infrastructure and create additional jobs.
The doctor also addressed medical care, advocating for health savings accounts and railing against the notion that Americans should be sending money into a large bureaucratic system.
You can watch the entire, 26-minute speech below:
Editor’s note: Faith Editor Billy Hallowell and TheBlaze Editor-in-Chief Scott Baker discussed Dr. Carson’s speech during a portion of Thursday’s live BlazeCast:

Gun Control Is NOT the Answer

Polling Report.com has a recent posting of the results of numerous polls that have been taken on the gun control issue.  After Sandy Hook there have been many polls taken trying to get a handle on the feelings of the American people in regard to guns.

We found one poll very interesting. It was the CNN poll taken January 14-15, 2013, nearly a month after Sandy Hook. There were numerous questions asked,  however the two that was struck us were the following:

"Do you favor or oppose stricter gun control laws?"
       55% favored
       44% opposed
         1% was unsure


"Do you think having stricter gun control laws would reduce the amount of violence int he country, or not?"
          39%  Said it would reduce
          61%  Said it would not reduce


We find the dichotomy of the two questions remarkable. On the one hand we see that a slight majority of the 800+ respondents wanted stricter gun control laws while over 6  of 10 thought that it would NOT reduce violence in the country. 

The question has to be asked, if it will not reduce violence, why do it in the first place? 

That people's answer says more about this country than all the gun control advocates have said. If it will not reduce killing, maiming and violence, we need to look elsewhere. It is not the tool no more than knives, clubs, and other tools. It is the person who is using the item that makes the difference.

Ted Nugent has said many times that he was testing a gun for the past thirty years. It has been locked and loaded but has yet to fire itself.  Guns simply are tools and do not get themselves up and shoot someone. It is the nut who pulls the trigger that causes the problem.

The problem is the nut, not the law abiding person who happens to own a gun. The Sandy Hook killer's mother did everything legally. She purchased the gun legally and went through a background check as is required (and would be under most of the new Obama rules). That issue seems to have been missed in all of the discussion. 

 Where we feel she was negligent is that she did not secure the weapons, especially since she knew (or should have known) that her son was  mentally unstable. Storing guns in a closet is not a solution even if no one has problems in the home. 

We feel there is a responsibility on the part of a gun owner to properly secure his guns. If one can afford a gun, it is incumbent on the owner to make sure that no one has access to it. On this issue Ms. Lanza was guilty.

All the gun laws in the world, short of confiscation, will not stop someone who has access to a gun from using it. Laws only stop law abiding, sane individuals. 

The follow up question has to be, how does a free society stop someone crazy from killing. Do we need to say that no one who has ever seen a psychologist, a psychiatrist or taken any mood altering drugs can own a gun? That would eliminate a number of people who had a bad spot in life like a marriage breakup, a death of a loved one, school problems or any other challenge to which their response was to seek help.

If we make contact with a mental health professional the law, we will prevent people from seeking help. Is that the message we want to send? If so, we will have more people like the Aurora shooter who had never sought mental help. Major Nidal was a psychiatrist, what does that say?

Would you not agree that a jail is a pretty closed society?  Do they  have guards at the entrances and bars on the windows? Please explain to me how in that closed up environment, why are guns  acquired on occasion, why are drugs  freely available and why do murders/injuries  occur? If we cannot prevent drugs, murders and guns in a totally controlled environment, how are we to do it in a free society? 

Once someone can explain that to us, we will vote for gun control. However, until that time, an legislation will only disarm and endanger the law abiding and will have no effect on the lawless. The people know that and the CNN survey proves it.

Conservative Tom