Sen. Hatch admits GOP ’standard practice’ was to run up deficit

 http://rawstory.com/2009/12/hatch-admits-gop-standard-practice/
MSNBC's Rachel Maddow believes she has found the smoking gun proving Republicans' hypocrisy on health care and the budget deficit: an admission by Utah Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch that, during the Bush administration, "it was standard practice not to pay for things."

Capitol Hill Briefly On Lockdown After Reports Of A Man With A Gun

 http://www.businessinsider.com/capitol-hill-briefly-on-lockdown-after-reports-of-a-man-with-a-gun-2009-12
Another incident in what's turning out to be a very jittery winter.
Capitaol Hill was briefly on lockdown this afternoon after reports of a man with a gun.

“EcoSnoop” iPhone App Designed for Ratting Out Neighbors

http://www.takepart.com/news/2009/12/29/is-your-neighbor-wasting-energy-theres-an-app-for-that
Is Your Neighbor Wasting Energy? There's an App for That.

Listen up, all you eco-warriors: Your days of griping in vain about neighborhood energy waste may be coming to an end. Finally, there's a tool that we normal folks can use to report environmentally negligent behavior. Ladies and gentlemen, say hello to EcoSnoop.

The EcoSnoop app lets individuals report on wastage of water, energy, trash or toxic pollutants. You can view cases filed near you via GPS and add documentation using photos and commentary. You can create your own complaints if, for example, your grocery store is leaving the parking lot lights on during the day or your neighbor is dumping oil down the drain.

The Conservative vs Liberal Tail Chase

http://www.tenthamendmentcenter.com/2009/12/27/the-conservative-vs-liberal-tail-chase/
Witness the Republicans vs. the Democrats; the liberals vs. the conservatives; FOX vs. MSNBC; and the independents who are lost in the melee.

The state of politics in America is little different than that which the early Americans experienced in their time. The system is so ill-defined, chaotic and confusing. The smell of corruption is behind almost every politician’s door.

We argue and squabble and blame. Politics is in its prime. Democrats and Republicans, conservatives, liberals and independents…. We’re all missing the boat. There is a big picture here. We are all the same. We are not the elites; we are the working class. We have, in essence, the same needs. Why do we argue with one another?

Corporatocracy: Follow The Money

http://18evolution.blogspot.com/2009/11/only-political-party-in-america.html
A growing number of Americans and researchers suggest that many corporations in the U.S. contribute to both Democrats and Republicans, so that no matter who wins the election, corporations can still exert their influence in Washington.  But, does this line of thought have any merit?  As they say, let's simply "follow the money".

New York Governor Orders National Guard To Airports

http://www.wicz.com/news2005/viewarticle.asp?a=12036
Travelers Advised to Allow Extra Time for Airport Security
Heightened Screening Measures Ensure Passenger Safety

Governor David A. Paterson today advised passengers traveling into or out of New York airports to allow extra time to check in and continue through security screenings prior to their flights. As these measures will add time to standard pre-flight procedures, travelers should arrive an additional hour earlier to mitigate delays.

Calls for Full-Body Screening Devices Grow After Terror Attempt

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601070&sid=a4fzip9qPK44
Dec. 29 (Bloomberg) -- A suspected terrorist’s attempt to blow up a U.S. airliner may override privacy concerns and intensify a push for full-body scanning equipment at airports.

Ron Paul Says Agenda Behind Bombing Incident Is More War, More Attacks On Liberty

Congressman Ron Paul fears that the agenda behind the Flight 253 bombing incident is to expand the war on terror into Yemen while stripping Americans of more liberties, warning that it’s time people woke up and realized that the government cannot guarantee their safety.

Watch the clip below.

Chris Hedges: One Day We’ll All Be Terrorists

http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/one_day_well_all_be_terrorists_20091228/

Syed Fahad Hashmi can tell you about the dark heart of America. He knows that our First Amendment rights have become a joke, that habeas corpus no longer exists and that we torture, not only in black sites such as those at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan or at Guantánamo Bay, but also at the federal Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) in Lower Manhattan.

Tarpley On RT: Foiled Underwear Bomber is Intelligence Patsy

http://rt.com/Politics/2009-12-29/detroit-terror-act-fake.html#
The recent failed attack on a US passenger jet traveling from Amsterdam to Detroit was a set-up provocation controlled by US intelligence, author and journalist Webster Tarpley stated to RT.

“[The terrorist’s] father, a rich Nigerian banker, went to the US embassy in Nigeria on November 19 and said ‘my son is in Yemen in a terrorist camp, do something about this.’ Nevertheless, the son is allowed to buy a ticket in Ghana, paying cash, $2,800, for a one-way ticket,” Tarpley said.

BOMBSHELL: Evidence Indicates Staged Attack on Detroit Flight

CNN Airs Eyewitness Testimony that ‘Well-Dressed’ Indian accomplice helped Abdulmutallab board without passport and that man on plane filmed entire flight and bombing attempt.

Haskell told CNN:

“Laurie and I were sitting near the boarding gate, sitting on the floor, there weren’t any seats to sit in. And I saw two men. They caught my eye because they seemed to be an odd pair. One was what I would describe as a poor-looking black teenager around 16 or 17, and the other man, age 50-ish, wealthy looking Indian man. And I was just wondering why they were together– kinda strange. And I watched them approach what I would call the ticket agent, the final person that checks your boarding pass before you get on the plane. And I could hear the entire conversation. The only person that spoke was the Indian man, and what he said was: ‘This man needs to board the plane, but he doesn’t have a passport.’ And the ticket agent responded, ‘Well, if he doesn’t have a passport, he can’t get on the plane.’ To which the Indian man responded back, ‘He’s from Sudan. We do this all the time.’ And the ticket agent said, ‘Well, then you’ll have to go and talk to my manager.’ And she directed them down a hallway. And that was the last time I saw the Indian man, and the black man I didn’t see again until he tried to blow up our plane hours later.”

Ben Stein calls Ron Paul antisemitic on Larry King

Ron Paul appeared on Larry King Live on CNN this evening along with Ben Stein and Sheila Jackson Lee to discuss the recent thwarted terrorist attack. After Paul gives his now famous view that they “attack us because we are over there” Ben Stein calls Paul antisemitic which solicits a demand for an apology by Paul. Paul characterizes it as a “vicious attack”.