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POPSPetition: Creole Recognition Now over 200 years later nothing has changed and the America still has no intention of complying to the terms of the treaty..Therefore We, the descendants of These Creole People demand that the U.S. government comply with Article 3 of the treaty by acknowledging Our Creole People as a Bonafied Recipient of these terms of the treaty and also by justly compensation the Creole people for over 200 years and abuse and damage brought about by this treaty violation
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POPSHealth Care Takeover Roll Call Vote — and What GOP Rep. Joseph Cao Got from Obama
Well, since he was elected, Cao has backed the S-CHIP expansion, the $108 billion IMF bailout, and the omni-waste spending bill. And he voted to rebuke GOP Rep. Joe Wilson for calling out President Obama on his health care lies. That is a steep price to pay for Rep. William Jefferson’s removal. Can’t the GOP do better? For what it is worth, here is the cheap price the Democrats paid for Cao’s vote: Louisiana Congressman Anh “Joseph” Cao on Sunday morning released a statement after he voted as the only Republican in favor of the Democratic health care reform bill. The health care reform bill, dubbed the “Affordable Health Care for America Act” (H.R. 3962), passed the U.S. House of Representatives in a 220 " 215 vote. “Tonight, I voted to keep taxpayer dollars from funding abortion and to deliver access to affordable health care to the people of Louisiana,” Cao said in a statement released by his office. “I read the versions of the House
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POPSBREAKING: ACORN’s New Orleans Office Raided by Louisiana Attorney General
According to NOLA.com: Attorney General Buddy Caldwell has served a search warrant at the ACORN office at 2609 Canal Street, according to Tammi Arender Herring, a spokeswoman with the office. Investigators in khaki pants and polo shirts loaded several dozen computers and other electronic items into an SUV. They are also carrying records out of the building on handcarts. The large office building sits at the corner of Dorgenois and Canal. ACORN staffers were given no notice that a search would be conducted today, Herring said. From WDAM in New Orleans: Caldwell said investigators will copy records and hard drives, then return them to ACORN. He said the original allegations of embezzlement were made last year by ACORN board members who were fired after they asked for a forensic examination of the group’s books. ACORN fired the longtime director of its Louisiana chapter last month, citing a lack of accountability. by Capitol Confidential Big Governm
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POPSBlue Dog list Sen. Jon Tester, Montana DC Office Phone Number: 202-224-2644, DC Fax Number: 202-224-8594 Sen. Joe Lieberman, Connecticut DC Office Phone Number: 202-224-4041, DC Fax Number: 202-224-9750 Sen. Mark Begich, Alaska DC Office Phone Number: 202-224-3004, DC Fax Number: 202-224-2354 Sen. Evan Bayh, Indiana DC Office Phone Number: 202-224-5623, DC Fax Number: 202-228-1377 PriceWaterhouseCooper released an independent study of the Senate Finance Committee version of the government takeover of health care bill. The study showed that American family's budgets will be severely impacted by the bill and that health insurance premiums will increase dramatically. You may wish to read the study and use this as supporting documentation when you contact the Senators. Additionally, you may find some these resources helpful as well: Tea Party Patriots Health Care Talking Points Why Is Tea Party Patriots Focusing on Health Care Questions to Ask Your Represen
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POPSExposing the Colour of Prejudice John Howard Griffin was a remarkable man. As a Texan teenager who found himself in France at the outbreak of World War II, he helped to smuggle Jewish children to safety and freedom. He then served with distinction in the US Air Force in the Pacific. And then, after the war - when illness struck him blind for 10 years while he was still relatively young - he became a prolific writer. It was after his sight returned that he hit upon the idea of Black Like Me, the work which is his most important legacy. The whole business of racial impersonation might make us feel vaguely uncomfortable now, but in 1959 a black writer simply could not have found an audience for such a graphic portrayal of African-American grievance. Griffin's grim adventures as a black man in a white man's world are worth reading. They remain a set text for many American high school children.
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POPSHungarian French Artist Victor Vasarely Museum Under Threat of Closure Unique architecture suffering from neglect A petition has been set up to ask the French government to step in and save the landmark building from total decline Vasarely was born in Hungary in 1906 and died in Paris in 1997. During his lifetime, his works were honoured with a number of awards including the Guggenheim prize, the French Legion of Honor, the art critics prize at Brussels and the gold medal at the Milan triennale Vasarely’s identity in the art world was based on his experimentations with optical illusion and the use of line, colour toning and size variation Permanent exhibition faces closure Vasarely began a degree in medicine in Budapest before abandoning his studies to pursue his passion for art. He went on to design the official spiral-shaped logo of the Munich Olympic games
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POPSLouisiana JP: Inter-Racial Marriage "Confusing".
A few more quotes from the article follow.. I find this astounding, especially that Bardwell has been permitted by the state, at taxpayer expense, to continue as a public servant. "Louisiana Justice of the Peace Keith Bardwell has refused to grant a marriage license to an interracial couple over supposed concerns as to the difficulties the couple's future children might face due to their parents' differing ethnicity. "Bardwell says his main concern is that, in his opinion, interracial marriages do not last long. He insists he is not racist*, telling local paper the Hammond Daily Star: "I don't do interracial marriages because I don't want to put children in a situation they didn't bring on themselves... in my heart, I feel the children will later suffer." "According to an AP article, which can be found here, Beth Humphrey phoned Bardwell to inquire about signing their marriage license on Oct. 6, but was told by his wife that Bardwell did not sign interracial marriage licens
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POPSLouisiana Justice Of Peace Refuses To Wed Mixed Couples "It is really astonishing and disappointing to see this come up in 2009," said American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana attorney Katie Schwartzmann. "The Supreme Court ruled as far back as 1963 that the government cannot tell people who they can and cannot marry."
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POPSAmazing -- Yes bigotry lives on. Esp among our elected officials. Left to 'ourselves' I'm sure many states and municipalities would also vote to ban interracial marriage... or other 'activities' the majority didn't particularly approve of, but that are (or should be) protected as individual liberties. Thankfully, we have a constitution that guarantees equal protection -- or at least it says that.
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POPSU.S.Troop Funds $2.6 Billion Taken From Guns and Ammunition For "Pet Projects"
Sen. Tom Coburn, Oklahoma Republican, called the transfer of funds from Pentagon operations and maintenance "a disgrace." "The Senate is putting favorable headlines back home above our men and women fighting on the front lines," he said in a statement. RELATED STORIES: • Michigan town lobbies for Gitmo transfers • Top Treasury posts stay empty in financial crisis • VA Dept. hospitals botched treatments Mr. Wheeler, who conducted the study, compared the Obama administration's requests for funds with the $636 billion spending bill that the Senate passed. He discovered that senators added $2.6 billion in pet projects while spending $4 billion less than the administration requested for fiscal 2010, which began Oct. 1. Mr. Wheeler said that senators took most of the cash for the projects from the "operations and maintenance" or O&M accounts. "These are the accounts that pay for troop training, repairs, spares and supplies for vehicles, weapons, ships and planes,
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POPSInterracial couple denied marriage license in Louisiana More: If he did an interracial marriage for one couple, he must do the same for all, he said. "I try to treat everyone equally," he said. Bardwell estimates that he has refused to marry about four couples during his career, all in the past 2 1/2 years.… "It is really astonishing and disappointing to see this come up in 2009," said American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana attorney Katie Schwartzmann. "The Supreme Court ruled as far back as 1963 that the government cannot tell people who they can and cannot marry." The ACLU sent a letter to the Louisiana Judiciary Committee, which oversees the state justices of the peace, asking them to investigate Bardwell and recommending "the most severe sanctions available, because such blatant bigotry poses a substantial threat of serious harm to the administration of justice." "He knew he was breaking the law, but continued to do it," Schwartzmann said.
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POPSUSS New York Sets Sail: Commissioning Ceremony in November --photos, slideshow, video
The USS New York will soon be defending freedom and combating terrorism around the globe, while also ensuring that the world never forgets the evil attacks of September 11 and the courage and strength New Yorkers showed.” This morning, the ship departed the Mississippi River to make her first journey. The ship departed from Avondale this morning at 7:00 a.m. and headed for the Gulf of Mexico. The ship’s journey has been met with fan fare, salutes, and glorious praise. Beginning with a New Orleans style farewell, the ship passed through Gretna and was met by firefighters and a police honor guard who sowed their honor and respect to those who died heroically on 9/11. As the ship continues to make its way to New York, she will be greeted by those who choose to remember and honor the nearly 5,000 who tragically lost their lives on September 11, 2001. The ship’s motto is “Strength Forged Through Sacrifice. Never Forget.” View photos-slideshow and videos at website
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POPSOrganic Waste Ethanol Cellulosic ethanol is an exciting technology which promises to convert the abundant sources of organic waste worldwide (kitchen waste, yard waste, paper industry waste, etc.) into green alternative fuel. Unlike traditional ethanol, it won't use food crops or raise food prices. In addition, environmental impact studies have indicated that while traditional ethanol releases more greenhouse gases than burning fossil fuels, cellulosic ethanol could reduce emissions
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POPSGlobal Warming Legislation Effect on States The preceding is a list of the 50 state-by-state breakouts of the impact the bill would have on jobs and the economy. Lieberman-Warner (S.2191) relies heavily on an unproven technology, capturing carbon and sequestering it. Even with the most generous assumptions " presuming that carbon capture and sequestration is commercially developed in 10 years " the economic costs for the average American are staggering. Under a more realistic scenario, the economic impacts in terms of losses in the job market, losses in household budgets, and higher energy prices will be drastically higher. To make matters worse, there will be inconsequential effects on the environment to show for it, if any. The Senate's leading climate-change bill, while aiming to combat global warming by reducing carbon dioxide in the air, actually poses "extraordinary perils" for Americans and the economy, according to a new study from The Heritage Foundation.
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POPSThe sound of ACORN falling Appearing before the National Press Club, Lewis condemned as "McCarthyism" the scrutiny her group has drawn since employees in several cities were filmed advising undercover journalists on how to commit housing fraud. They're just bad apples, see, and she's working to "turn this thing around." But what of the ACORN affiliates under investigation in multiple states for voter fraud? What of the Rathkes themselves? Nope, the evidence is piling up that ACORN is rotten all through. No wonder its political allies are running for cover. Lewis said she doubts the group will ever get federal money again. That would sure be a good start.
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POPSACORN Awarded $1M Grant Over Firefighters NEW ORLEANS -- Louisiana's attorney general said Tuesday he has stepped up an investigation into embezzlement at ACORN nearly a decade ago, but the prosecutor and community activist group clashed over how much money was taken. Louisiana Attorney General Buddy Caldwell claimed the figure was $5 million, but ACORN said the sum hadn't changed from slightly less than $1 million. ACORN said its chief executive officer estimated it could cost up to $5 million to "get everything together" in the aftermath of the embezzlement, but the group's leaders claim only $948,607 was stolen.
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POPSAcorn Embezzlement 5M NOT 1M
Caldwell issued subpoenas in August seeking documents related to ACORN International then-President Wade Rathke and his brother, Dale Rathke, who kept the group's books. Those subpoenas targeted possible violations of state employee tax law, obstruction of justice and violations of the Employee Retirement Security Act. The attorney general made inquiries in June into alleged embezzlement within ACORN that happened 10 years ago. The group last year dealt with an internal dispute and a lawsuit involving accusations that Dale Rathke made nearly $1 million in improper credit card charges in 1999 and 2000. Rathke's brother and a donor repaid the money. But Caldwell said last month that the statute of limitations prevented prosecutors from taking action on the alleged embezzlement, and that his investigation was not focused on that issue. The subpoena issued Monday puts a new emphasis on the embezzlement issue. It appears to be in reaction to documents gathered from ACORN's board as
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POPSACORN Embezzlement Was $5 Million, La. Attorney General Says
.......had inquired in June into an alleged embezzlement within ACORN that happened 10 years ago. The group last year dealt with an internal dispute and a lawsuit involving accusations that Dale Rathke made nearly $1 million in improper credit card charges in 1999 and 2000. The brother and a donor repaid the money. Caldwell said last month that the statute of limitations presented obstacles to prosecutors taking action on the embezzlement, and that his investigation was not focused on that issue. The subpoena issued Monday changed the tone of the investigation and put a new emphasis on the embezzlement issue. "Current high-ranking members of ACORN have publicly acknowledged that embezzlement did in fact occur, but the exact amount of the embezzlement was unknown until it was recently acknowledged in a board of directors meeting on Oct. 17, 2008, by Bertha Lewis and Liz Wolf that an internal review had determined that the amount embezzled was $5 million, " the new subpoena says.
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POPSCountdown: Senators Opposed to "Socialized" Health Insurance Voted for "Socialized" Property Insuran
But each of them voted just last year in support of government-run insurance, that insurance however protects property. It is the National Flood Insurance Program created in 1968, because the free market decided it could not make money on that unpredictable risk called flooding. Government-run flood insurance is sold through private insurance companies but it is backed by the government and the government assumes all risk. Unlike the public option which relies on customer premiums, government flood insurance gets a subsidy—also known as a handout—from the government and it is mandatory for some people. So given all the shouting over a public option, who could vote for mandatory taxpayer subsidized, anti- free market socialized flood insurance run by government bureaucrats? Every single politician I just named and most of Congress. Charles Boustany of Louisiana, along with 44 other Republicans, including going bipartisan on September 27th, 2007 to vote yea on the Flood Insurance Refo