REID BLAMES COLORADO FLOODS ON 'CLIMATE CHANGE'

Harry Reid used the massive destruction caused by flooding in parts of Colorado on the Senate floor Tuesday morning to slam House Republicans for partisanship and wasting the "taxpayer's time" trying to repeal ObamaCare.

Reid listed numerous issues that Congress should be focusing its time during session this year and lamented that the House Republicans refused to get on board with President's domestic agenda. 

"ObamaCare is the law of the land. It's time for Republican's to mature," Reid said, "to grow up ... It's time for Republicans to stop denying reality." 

After suggesting that Congress should be addressing issues with infrastructure, Reid focused on "climate change."

"Climate change is here," Reid said. "We're doing nothing about it." 

Reid also suggested that Congress should "try passing immigration reform" before listing the economic benefits of ObamaCare. 

Watch Senator Reid's remarks and read the transcript below:

We should be facing the reality of climate change. Look what happened in Colorado. I talked to Senator Bennet yesterday, he said the floods were "biblical." In one part of Colorado, it rained 12 inches in two hours. I can't imagine that. 

Harry Reid used the massive destruction caused by flooding in parts of Colorado on the Senate floor Tuesday morning to slam House Republicans for partisanship and wasting the "taxpayer's time" trying to repeal ObamaCare.

Reid listed numerous issues that Congress should be focusing its time during session this year and lamented that the House Republicans refused to get on board with President's domestic agenda. 

"ObamaCare is the law of the land. It's time for Republican's to mature," Reid said, "to grow up ... It's time for Republicans to stop denying reality." 

After suggesting that Congress should be addressing issues with infrastructure, Reid focused on "climate change."

"Climate change is here," Reid said. "We're doing nothing about it." 

Reid also suggested that Congress should "try passing immigration reform" before listing the economic benefits of ObamaCare. 

Watch Senator Reid's remarks and read the transcript below:

We should be facing the reality of climate change. Look what happened in Colorado. I talked to Senator Bennet yesterday, he said the floods were "biblical." In one part of Colorado, it rained 12 inches in two hours. I can't imagine that.

Via: Breitbart

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Navy gunman had federal clearance despite disturbing history

Aaron Alexis, the Navy veteran who gunned down 12 people at a Washington military facility, had his federal security clearance renewed just two months before his rampage, despite a disturbing history of psychological problems and violent behavior involving guns.

Although Alexis was not a direct employee of the federal government, working as an IT subcontractor required that he obtain “secret” clearance, according to Thomas Hoshko, of The Experts, a Hewlett Packard subcontractor working at the Washington Navy Yards. Alexis had previously worked for the company under clearance, but when he returned in July, another background check was conducted, Hoshko said.

"We had just recently re-hired him,” Hoshko told Reuters. “Another background investigation was re-run and cleared through the defense security service in July 2013."

Alexis, 34, went on a shooting spree early Monday at the Naval Sea Systems Command headquarters in southeast Washington, killinng 12 and injuring eight before being killed by police. No motive had emerged as of Tuesday morning as to why he went on a rampage in the very complex where he worked.

It is not clear what that second background check consisted of, but just weeks earlier, Alexis’ roommate in Fort Worth filed a criminal complaint with the police after becoming suspicious that Alexis had tampered with his car’s fuel tank.

Via: Fox News

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Steyer-Funded Study Boosts Fracking

A study released Monday that was co-financed by one of the highest-profile environmentalists in the country undercuts a chief objection to the innovative natural gas extraction technique known as hydraulic fracturing.

The study, conducted by scientists at the University of Texas Austin and published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, showed small amounts of methane emissions associated with hydraulic fracturing, commonly known as fracking.

“Based on the best information available to us today, shale has a clear benefit when it comes to greenhouse gas emissions,” said Steve Everley, a spokesman for the industry website Energy In Depth, citing the study.

The findings could weaken the environmentalist case against fracking, which relies in large measure on the contention that methane leaks at the site of natural gas extraction reduce or eliminate any greenhouse gas emission benefits associated with its use for electricity generation.

That contention relies primarily on the work of two scientists who have produced research showing high methane emissions associated with the fracking process itself.

One of those scientists, Cornell University geochemist Robert Howarth, told the Associated Press that the study released on Monday is “good news,” though he noted it represents “a best-case scenario.”

Via: WFB

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STARNES: You Won’t Believe What CNN Considers Racist

Add American values to the list of items CNN and NBC consider to be racist.

Reporters at both networks blew a gasket after I posted a tweet affirming the American values of Theresa Vail – the gun-toting, deer-hunting, tattooed army sergeant who represented Kansas in the Miss American Pageant.

Miss Kansas had generated lots of attention in part due to her military service and tattoos. She also won ABC’s online “America’s Choice” poll. She advanced to the top ten but was eliminated before the infamous question round.

And that’s when I decided to offer up my two cents worth on Twitter.

“The liberal Miss America judges won’t say this – but Miss Kansas lost because she actually represented American values,” I tweeted.

The American values I referred to were her military service, her support of the Second Amendment and her devotion to God – illustrated with “The Serenity Prayer” that was prominently tattooed on her side.
However, CNN reported that my comments were directed at Miss New York, Nina Davuluri, after she had been crowned the new Miss America.

“Miss America crowns 1st winner of Indian descent; racist tweets flow,” read the headline of a CNN story written by Leslie Bentz.

“No sooner had the tiara been placed atop her head than a barrage of racist tweets flooded the Internet,” Bentz wrote.

Then, she quoted and posted a screen grab of my tweet about Miss Kansas.
Fortunately, Twitter keeps a time stamp of every posting – and in just a matter of minutes I was able to prove the CNN report was incorrect.

Via: Fox News

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Steny Hoyer: Navy Yard Shooting Will Renew Gun Control Debate

WASHINGTON -- House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said on Tuesday that he expects the tragic shooting at the Navy Yard will renew the debate around gun control, although he was pessimistic about prospects for passing new restrictions.

"I'm sure that it will renew the discussions about access to weapons that can be used to kill a lot of people quickly," he said at a breakfast discussion hosted by Politico's Morning Money.

On Monday, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) -- one of Congress' strongest gun control advocates -- put out a statement calling for just that.

"When will enough be enough? Congress must stop shirking its responsibility and resume a thoughtful debate on gun violence in this country," she said. "We must do more to stop this endless loss of life."

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney, however, said it was "inappropriate" to talk about the issue at this point.

"In almost every one of these instances [of mass shootings], we've seen the perpetrators be people who individuals thought were unstable," said Hoyer on Tuesday. "In this case, apparently this guy was prone to violence. He had apparently shot the tires out of a neighbor's vehicle. He'd shot through the ceiling of another neighbor. He was given a general discharge from the Navy. So there was no doubt that this was somebody who had a record of instability and certainly should have been, I think, subject to closer scrutiny, particularly in access to the facilities at the Navy Yard."

Additionally, the AP reported that Alexis had been suffering from various mental illnesses and "had been hearing voices in his head."

Via: Huffington Post

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Obama insists on no negotiations over debt limit

His way or the Highway??? NO WAY!!!!

This is a strange position to hold. Most voters understand that the debt limit has always been a source of negotiations - even when Democrats ran the House. And given that cutting the budget is very popular, it would appear that if Obama thinks he's standing on principle in not negotiating, it's not going to win him any points with the people.

Reuters:

President Barack Obama warned Republicans in Congress on Monday that he will not negotiate over an extension of the U.S. debt ceiling as part of a budget battle that will soon dominate Washington, with a deadline fast approaching.

The U.S. Treasury is expected to exhaust measures to avoid exceeding the $16.7 trillion debt limit as soon as mid-October. If the cap is not raised, the United States will not be able to pay all of its bills and would go into default.

Pivoting to domestic policy after devoting weeks to the crisis in Syria, Obama scolded his political opponents for threatening a federal government shutdown and attempting to attach conditions to funding the budget for the 2014 fiscal year that begins October 1.

Via: American Thinker

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CALIFORNIA ONE SIGNATURE AWAY FROM STATEWIDE BAN ON LEAD AMMO

Legislation that would completely ban lead ammunition from the state of California is sitting on Governor Jerry Brown's (D) desk, waiting for his signature to become law.

California already has a lead ammo ban in eight counties, but the Democrat-dominated assembly wants to broaden the ban to cover the entire state.

According to Fox News, proponents of the ban claim it will protect endangered species, like the condor. 

Proponents also "point to a 2008 study by the Centers for Disease Control and the North Dakota Department of Public Health that concluded lead is so prevalent in meat harvested through hunting that pregnant women and children should never eat it."

The NRA and others have countered these claims by saying, "the 2008 studies never conclusively linked consumption with illness in humans." Moreover, because copper bullets are more expensive, forcing hunters to buy them instead of lead ammo would make hunting cost-prohibitive for many Californians. This, in turn, would reduce the number of hunters, and "the state would lose millions of dollars in hunting license fees that [currently] pay for conservation efforts."

NRA lawyer Chuck Michel believes the danger posed by lead ammo to condors is overstated, as well: "These condors are flocking around... dump sites. They are vultures. They also congregate around lookout towers, and there are pictures of them eating the chipped lead paint. The point is, there are alternative sources of lead in the environment which are probably the source of the lead."

Gov. Brown has until October 12 to decide whether to sign the bill.

Via: Breitbart

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Scarborough slams Obama for harsh partisanship in post-Navy Yard shooting speech [VIDEO]

Joe Scarborough went on a three-minute rant about President Barack Obama Tuesday morning after the president used a White House address on Monday to slam Republicans immediately after the Navy Yard shooting tragedy in Washington, D.C.

From the backdrop to the content of the speech, the MSNBC host insisted Obama’s remarks were poorly timed and very insensitive.

“It was props — he brought his props along and he had this political,” Scarborough said. “And it was a harsh, partisan speech from the president of the United States on any day. But you know what? This president is frustrated and there is — he certainly has every right to do that. But on the day while people were hiding, while people were bleeding, while people were dying, while the nation was locked in on this — he’s talking about harsh partisanship and Republicans wanting to hurt people.”

“Mike [Barnicle], what is more partisan than not being able to put aside one of these stupid Washington battles — [postponing it] for a day,” Scarborough continued. “Never came under consideration. Never considered it. There’s not one person in the White House that said, ‘You know right down the block, people are dying right now and there’s a gunman on the loose and there’s local schools shutdown. The Capitol is on shutdown. And there may be a second or third gunman. And you know what? Maybe we’ll just give this speech tomorrow.’ Really, nobody even considered that? You believe Jay Carney — it never came under consideration? It’s unbelievable.”

Watch:

He went on to ask what if it had been any other president, particularly George W. Bush, who was a favorite foil of MSNBC personalities throughout his second term.

Via: The Daily Caller

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Lesson of Navy Yard shooting echoes lessons of Camp Liberty, Fort Hood

Spree shooters at military installations prey on Americans serving America, disarmed by America—but, not in the heavily armed neighborhoods of Washington

Yesterday’s shooting spree at Washington’s Navy Yard reminds us that disarmed military personnel are made-to-order victims for spree shooters.

When Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan opened fire Nov. 5, 2009, on soldiers preparing to deploy overseas, I was at Camp Basra, Iraq, a combat historian mobilized with the Army Reserve.

To the soldiers in my circle, it was similar to the May 5, 2009 shooting spree at Camp Liberty, Iraq, when a joe burst into that camp’s combat stress center (!) and fatally shot five other soldiers

.

Understand: All military personnel in Iraq were armed, with either a rifle or a handgun, and sometimes both. Living in a universally armed society created an unspoken atmosphere of respect and caution in personal relationships. It also meant any spree shooter inside-the-wire was instantly surrounded by equally armed personnel.

Unless you went to a combat stress center, where the soldiers turned in their “pole” for their visit. There were other places one left their weapon at the door, such as the gym or chapel. But at the combat stress center, there was also a good chance that the guns belonging to the clients had their firing pins removed—a precaution that allowed the a soldier to go about his day as if he could be trusted with his weapon, as he sought help.

The Fort Hood victims were absolutely unarmed. This is normal for garrison life, even for soldiers deploying, who may have a weapon, but no rounds. It was also a certainty for Hasan, who would have known that Clinton-era rules severely restricted military personal carrying firearms on duty.

Via: Canada Free Press

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Longest Streak Ever for $3-Plus Gas

(CNSNews.com) - The national average price of gasoline will surpass $3.00 a gallon Tuesday for the 1,000th consecutive day -- the longest stretch above $3.00 on record, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA).

“Paying less than $3.00 per gallon for gasoline may be automotive history for most Americans,” said Bob Darbelnet, president and CEO of AAA. “The reality is that expensive gas is here to stay, which is tough on millions of people who need a car to live their lives. “

The current thousand-day streak began on Dec. 23, 2010.

AAA is predicting that the national average will remain above $3.00 a gallon for at least another thousand days, barring a major economic recession.

“Spending more on gas concerns consumers because it reduces savings and spending for everything else we need,” Darbelnet said. “Our leaders can help alleviate this economic burden by encouraging a national policy that stimulates production, limits price volatility, ensures greater efficiency and promotes alternative energy.

Via: CNS News
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[CARTOON] Shooting at Navy Yard

Via: California Political Review