Duck Dynasty Founder shot down, global media piles on!

A politically correct balancing act that could see A&E get torpedoed from both sides and that would result in a sinking duck

So the A&E Channel has decided to suspend a leading player in its hit reality TV series Duck Dynasty because he gave a magazine interview in which, responding to questions, he stated a support for Traditional Marriage, an opposition to homosexuality, and quoted Bible scripture. Following this, media criticism has piled on from around the globe.

Phil Robertson is the Father on the A&E Channel’s top rated show which is now preparing to show its fifth season. Robertson created the Duck Commander duck call in 1972 and incorporated the Duck Commander Company in 1973. The company makes equipment for duck hunters and the show is a reality series following the lives of the family that runs it.

In a recent interview with GQ magazine, for its January 2014 issue, Robertson said:

“start with homosexual behavior and just morph out from there. Bestiality, sleeping around with this woman and that woman and that woman and those men. … It seems like, to me, a vagina — as a man — would be more desirable than a man’s anus. That’s just me. I’m just thinking: There’s more there! She’s got more to offer. I mean, come on, dudes! You know what I’m saying? But hey, sin: It’s not logical, my man. It’s just not logical.”

The magazine writer supplements this with a paraphrase from Corinthians (in the Bible) saying, “don’t be deceived. Neither the adulterers, the idolaters, the male prostitutes, the homosexual offenders, the greedy, the drunkards, the slanderers, the swindlers — they won’t inherit the kingdom of God. Don’t deceive yourself. It’s not right.”

Via: Canada Free Press

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White House Continues To Dismantle Obamacare, “Temporarily” Suspend Individual Mandate For People Who Had Their Plans Cancelled…

Today, the Obama administration announced that people whose insurance plans were cancelled this year will “temporarily” be exempted from the individual mandate. Here’s how they’re doing it — and what it means for the law.

1. The individual mandate includes a “hardship exemption.” People who qualify can either ignore the individual mandate altogether or purchase a cheap, bare-bones catastrophic insurance plan that’s typically only available to people under age 30.

2. According to HHS, the exemption covers people who “experienced financial or domestic circumstances, including an unexpected natural or human-caused event, such that he or she had a significant, unexpected increase in essential expenses that prevented him or her from obtaining coverage under a qualified health plan.”

3. Today, the administration agreed with a group of senators, led by Mark Warner of Virginia, who argued that having your insurance plan canceled counted as “an unexpected natural or human-caused event.” For these people, in other words, Obamacare itself is the hardship. You can read Sebelius’s full letter here. HHS’s formal guidance is here.

Via: Washington Post

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[CARTOON] Duck Tape

Via: California Political Review

Cover Oregon: Official who oversaw development of health exchange, Carolyn Lawson, resigns

Carolyn Lawson, the embattled state technology executive who oversaw much of the development of Oregon's troubled health insurance exchange, has resigned for personal reasons.

It was Lawson, chief information officer at the Oregon Health Authority, who decided the state could manage the complex exchange project itself, rather than hire a private-sector systems integrator, a decision since criticized by her superiors. Lawson also was close to Oracle Corp., the California technology giant that has been blamed for doing shoddy work and repeatedly missing deadlines.

Nearly three months after the federal deadline for a functional health exchange website, Oregon's exchange has emerged as a technological train wreck and a PR nightmare. The state has paid more than $160 million and a fully functional site remains weeks -- perhaps months -- away. 

State officials have been forced to spend even more money gearing up a massive system of temporary employees and contractors to manually process paper applications for health insurance.

Via: Oregon Live

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Harry Reid Mad At Obama For Not Sharing Credit With Senate Democrats For Fixing Obamacare…

Add caption

I WILL GIVE THEM 

CREDIT FOR BREAKING 

OUT 

HEALTHCARE SYSTEM!! 

HOWS THAT?

Democratic senators are unhappy the White House didn’t give them any credit for key fixes to ObamaCare.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) recently reproached President Obama in private on the issue, arguing Obama should have given his colleagues more praise.

“I did communicate to him that there have been things done by the White House that improved the healthcare bill and those fixes were suggested originally by my senators and they got no credit for it. I thought that was improper,” Reid said in an interview Wednesday with The Hill.

Reid didn’t specify what ideas Senate Democrats had offered to the White House.

Obama suggested in public remarks on Oct. 30 that his administration had received little constructive feedback from critics.

“If folks had actually good ideas, better ideas than what’s happening in Massachusetts or what we’ve proposed for providing people with health insurance, I’d be happy to listen. But that’s not what’s happening,” he said.

Democratic senators had several meetings with White House chief of staff Denis McDonough and other senior administration officials to put together a rescue plan for ObamaCare.

The law’s ailing website and other problems set off a near-panic in November among Democrats who remain worried that the law could cost them the Senate majority in next year’s midterm elections.

Reid said the coordination between the White House and Senate Democratic caucus had been inadequate during the height of HealthCare.gov’s problems.

“There was a period of time there where there were no questions that were answered because they were so overwhelmed with trying to get that program fixed,” he said. 

Via: The Hill

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The 21 Most Cringe-Worthy TV News Moments of 2013

With so much air time to fill, TV news, and especially the 24-hour cable news networks, manage to produce an inordinate amount of awkward, cringe-inducing moments. We probably post something almost everyday on Mediaite that could make its way onto this list, but as a service to you, we’ve combed through the archives and found the absolute most uncomfortable things that happened on TV news this year. Get ready to squirm…

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21. Wolf Blitzer's Delivers Awkward JFK Segue

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“I’m Wolf Blitzer, reporting from Washington. The assassination of President Kennedy begins…right now.” Read more... 

Via: Mediaite.com

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Most Americans Want Tougher Food-Stamp Requirements

If the predicted removal of that many people failed to change minds, it's because the public thinks many beneficiaries don't deserve the benefits they record. Asked what the biggest problem with food stamps was, 66 percent of people said there was "too much waste, fraud, and abuse"—by far the most popular of the five options listed.

Another 12 percent said too many people were eligible to receive assistance.

Only 6 percent of respondents said too few were on the program, while 9 percent said the benefits were too small.

National Journal poll showing almost all parties in support of new rules for the nation's food-stamp program; however, Democrats' views are split down the middle. (Stephanie Stamm)Driven by a strong sense the food-stamp program is rife with abuse, two-thirds of Americans say they want to make it harder for people to receive assistance by requiring recipients to be drug-free and looking for work.

A National Journal poll found broad support for tightened eligibility. Even Democrats, traditionally resistant to limiting access to social-welfare programs, are split: 45 percent of them support the change while 49 percent do not.

The results suggest that the country welcomes Republican efforts to cut and reform the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, a rarity for a party at odds with public opinion on issues like gun control, entitlement reform, and immigration. Democrats' opposition, meanwhile, shows they're squarely out of step with the public.

Respondents were asked how they felt about changes to the food-stamp program like tightening eligibility, limiting how long beneficiaries can collect, increasing work requirements, and administering drug tests. They were told the Congressional Budget Office estimated such changes would reduce its rolls by 4 million people.

Via: National Journal

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Backlash Grows Against 'Duck Dynasty' Firing

Outrage at the indefinite suspension of "Duck Dynasty" star Phil Robertson was growing Thursday with politicians joining the fray amid a call for a boycott of the cable network that made the decision.

Robertson was canned Wednesday by the A&E Network after a magazine interview was published in which he compared homosexuality to having sex with animals.

But within hours, he was receiving support from conservatives who expressed their belief in Robertson's freedom to speak his mind.

Editor's Note: ObamaCare Is Here. Are You Prepared?

Leading the fray was Bobby Jindal, the Republican governor of Louisiana where "Duck Dynasty" is filmed. 

"Phil Robertson and his family are great citizens of the state of Louisiana," Jindal said on the official website of the governor's office. "The politically correct crowd is tolerant of all viewpoints, except those they disagree with." 

"I don't agree with quite a bit of stuff I read in magazine interviews or see on TV. In fact, come to think of it, I find a good bit of it offensive," Jindal added. "But I also acknowledge that this is a free country and everyone is entitled to express their views. In fact, I remember when TV networks believed in the First Amendment."

Jindal called it a "messed up situation" when people laugh off the controversial sexualized antics of twerking singer Miley Cyrus while someone like Robertson is put on hiatus indefinitely. Cyrus outraged millions of Americans during an awards show when she did a twerking dance routine with pop singer Robin Thicke. Although her performance was lambasted at first, she won plaudits from her peers and even became one of the 10 finalists for Time's Person of the Year award.

Via: Newsmax

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California: The Church of Pensions

Welcome to the Church of Pensions. I am your pastor, Rest. Vest Edward Wright. But you can call me Vested.

First a big thank you to the police and fire league, for your generosity in building a new sanctuary. Sometimes I wonder if there’s any limit to the amount of cash you have available to give us.

Speaking of which, it’s time for the offering. I’m going to pass the plates down the aisles, and I ask each of you to contribute to the church as generously as you…

Wait, just kidding! We never ask you to put up your own money at the Church of Pensions. It’s so much better to rely on the investment returns.

Anyway, Happy New Year. The passage of time is always important here at our Church. The culture outside still celebrates youth, but we know that getting old just means getting rich.

For those who are new to our congregation – and it’s good to see new faces, particularly after all those years of government layoffs during the recession – we’re a very special kind of church in that we have space for all of the world’s religions, except those that insist on paying back bondholders.

Many of the world’s religions believe that each human has a spirit or a soul that is immortal. That spirit or soul remains, no matter what other earthly concerns may intrude and seem more urgent. We accept this teaching, but we think it’s incomplete. There’s another thing that’s immortal, that can’t be changed no matter. And that immortal thing, the soul of our church, is the pension obligation.

That’s why you hear so much that these obligations, including vested rights, can’t be changed. Now, there are some people in certain parts of the world – federal bankruptcy judges in Detroit, mayors in San Jose – who think otherwise. But we know they are wrong. Pensions are forever. They are a promise that no Chapter 9 filing or ballot initiative can change.

Via: California Political Review

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[CARTOON] Snow-Bama

Via: California Political Review

Housing, jobs data weaken, but overall economic picture still upbeat

(Reuters) - U.S. home resales hit a near one-year low in November and new filings for unemployment benefits unexpectedly rose last week, putting a wrinkle in an otherwise brightening economic picture.

The reports on Thursday came a day after the Federal Reserve gave the economy a vote of confidence by announcing that it would reduce its monthly $85 billion bond buying program by $10 billion starting in January.

"Things have not changed. It's still a marginally rosier outlook in the short-term," said Jacob Oubina, senior U.S. economist at RBC Capital Markets in New York.

The National Association of Realtors said sales of previously owned homes fell 4.3 percent last month to an annual rate of 4.90 million units. That was the lowest since December last year and the third straight monthly drop.

A rise in interest rates since the spring and fast-rising home prices have shut some potential buyers out of the market, dampening home sales in recent months.

Economists polled by Reuters had expected home resales to fall only to a 5.03 million-unit pace in November.

Housing market fundamentals, however, remain solid. Household formation is rising steadily from multi-decade lows, which in turn is keeping demand for housing supported and encouraging builders to undertake new projects.

Median home prices increased 9.4 percent from a year-ago and the share of distressed properties - foreclosed and short sales - declined over the same period.

The inventory of previously owned homes on the market slipped 0.9 percent to 2.09 million units, representing a 5.1 months' supply at November's sales pace. That compared to 4.9 months' worth in October.

Via: Reuters

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Top 10 Broken Obamacare Promises

Since the passage of Obamacare in 2010, many of the President’s famous promises have been routinely broken. As he so ironically threatened in 2009, “If you misrepresent what’s in this plan, we will call you out.” To that end, here are 10 promises of Obamacare that have already been broken.

1. “If you like your health care plan, you’ll be able to keep your health care plan, period.”

Reality:

• Millions of Americans have lost and will lose their current coverage due to Obamacare.
• 4.7 million reported health insurance cancellations or changes of existing policies in 32 states.

2. “[T]hat means that no matter how we reform health care, we will keep this promise to the American people: If you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor, period.”

Reality:

• Many Americans might not be able to keep their current doctor without paying extra.
• Many plans offered on Obamacare’s exchanges have very limited provider networks.

3. “In an Obama administration, we’ll lower premiums by up to $2,500 for a typical family per year.”

Reality:

• Premiums for people purchasing coverage in the individual market have significantly increased in a majority of states.
• Family premiums for those with employer-based coverage have increased by an average of $2,976 from 2009 to 2013.

Via: The Foundry

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