“Congress had hearings for 9 11, for Waco, and for steroid abuse, are the tens of thousands of victims of sex abuse by clergy in the United States any less deserving? I spoke with Jim Robertson, L.A. SNAP leader yesterday, and he told me this is what he plans to say at the event this morning, 11:00, at the Catholic Cathedral downtown L.A. at 555 Temple Street.”
AS IT STANDS my name is Dave Stancliff. I'm a retired newspaper editor/publisher; husband/father, and military veteran who writes about politics both domestic and abroad. This blog is dedicated to all the people in the world. Thank you for your readership!
Friday, April 2, 2010
Thursday, April 1, 2010
The Top 100 April Fool's Day Hoaxes of All Time
As judged by notoriety, creativity, and number of people duped…
#1: The Swiss Spaghetti Harvest
1957: The respected BBC news show Panorama announced that thanks to a very mild winter and the virtual elimination of the dreaded spaghetti weevil, Swiss farmers were enjoying a bumper spaghetti crop. It accompanied this announcement with footage of Swiss peasants pulling strands of spaghetti down from trees. Huge numbers of viewers were taken in. Many called the BBC wanting to know how they could grow their own spaghetti tree. To this the BBC diplomatically replied, "place a sprig of spaghetti in a tin of tomato sauce and hope for the best."
Related:
• The Swiss Spaghetti Harvest (full-length article)
A Thursday Morning Primer on America’s Militia Groups
“…people across the militia world, and people like Mark Potok, who tracks extremist groups at the Southern Poverty Law Center, who study it, agree that anxiety within that world is rising — from economic frustrations growing out of the recession, or fear of the Democratic Party leadership in Washington, or both — and that small, outlier groups like the Hutaree are probably the ones to keep on eye on.” Link below:
Militia Draws Distinctions Between Groups
U.S. Agent Infiltrated Militia, Lawyer Says (April 1, 2010)
9th Member of Militia Arrested (March 31, 2010)
Militia Charged With Plotting to Murder Officers (March 30, 2010)
(Video) Homeland terrorism threatens the country
Vatican fights back against pedophile priest accusations
Nothing is going to change in the Catholic Church. It’s continuing to protect pedophile priests, and the Vatican says the pope can’t be tried for their sins as he’s a “Head of State.”
If you’re a Catholic, this must be difficult to process. The man sitting in St.Peter’s throne, the head of the entire church, condones pedophilia. His actions are proving that. Read what he’s saying. So what you think. Here are some links that will help you understand what’s happening:
Best New Catholic Church Defense: It’s not pedophilia if the boys were post pubescent!
How much did the pope know about kiddie-touching priest?
Pope on the Ropes: Your 2010 Papal Scandal Primer
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
How powerful are extreme militia groups today?
Hutaree.com photo above shows trained militia.
Militias more connected than they claim
The common wisdom congealing around the Hutaree story is that the militia members are part of some off-shoot, unique, religious cult that has nothing to do with anything else.
Rachel Maddow scratches the surface of the story with Crooks and Liar’s David Neiwert and finds that common wisdom falls apart.
Nine Michigan Militia members charged with terror plot
Nine members of a violent Michigan militia have been accused of plotting a terrorist attack on law enforcement agents.
“Six Michigan residents, along with two residents of Ohio and a resident of Indiana, were indicted by a federal grand jury in Detroit on charges of seditious conspiracy, attempted use of weapons of mass destruction, teaching the use of explosive materials, and possessing a firearm during a crime of violence,” said U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade and FBI Special Andrew Arena.
Despite doubt, Karzai brother retains power
President Obama recently visited Afghanistan and talked to to their president Karzai about corruption in their government. Karzai said he would work on ending it. His idea of “ending corruption” doesn’t jive with reality. Just look at how rotten his brother is:
Key figure in southern Afghanistan is accused of links to drugs, corruption
What If Fox News Actually Wants Mob Violence?
How easily things get twisted and distorted when a political party has an agenda of “no cooperation.”
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Fox News talkers did their best to trivialize the illegal, terrorist threats made against elected officials, and implied they were deserved.
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Emails: it’s a good idea to question the truth of forwards
Below is an email that is going around right now. It’s one of those “forward this” if you agree with the message.
What I’m curious about is how many people think the information is true in the following email? How many think the writer is totally misinformed?
So what do you think readers?
“For too long we have been too complacent about the workings of Congress. Many citizens had no idea that members of Congress could retire with the same pay after only one term, that they didn't pay into Social Security, that they specifically exempted themselves from many of the laws they have passed (such as being exempt from any fear of prosecution for sexual harassment) while ordinary citizens must live under those laws.
The latest is to exempt themselves from the Healthcare Reform that is being considered...in all of its forms. It came out today that the staff that help right this law is exempt as well. Somehow, that doesn't seem logical. We do not have an elite that is above the law. I truly don't care if they are Democrat, Republican, Independent or whatever. The self-serving must stop.”
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
An optical illusion for a rainy day…

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Do you find something unusual in this picture?
If not just move away from the screen and try focusing on the center portion.
Now do you see it?
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Hot Health Care articles in the news today
Photo source- The White House
Insurers agree to fix gap in sick kids’ coverage
New law had been unclear on whether coverage would kick in before 2014
Obama signs health care ‘fixes,’ student aid bill
Measure cuts banks out of the student loan business, costing them billions
How do you get 30 million Americans to sign up for health insurance? With great difficulty.
How Will Health Care Reform Affect You?
A look at how different groups will fare under the new law
Tuesday morning news to you…
Good morning. As I sipped my coffee I accumulated six stories for your inspection. Here’s what happening:
RNC fires staffer over $1,946 topless club visit
The Republican National Committee has fired a staffer who helped organize a $1,946 visit last month to a sex-themed Hollywood club, and the GOP says it will recoup the money from a donor who also participated.
The episode is the latest in a string of questionable spending by the RNC as Republicans prepare for a costly election season in which they hope to take dozens of House and Senate seats from Democrats.
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Fake caviar? Fight against ‘food fraud’ grows
The expensive "sheep's milk" cheese in a Manhattan market was really made from cow's milk. And a jar of "Sturgeon caviar" was, in fact, Mississippi paddlefish.
Some honey makers dilute their honey with sugar beets or corn syrup, their competitors say, but still market it as 100 percent pure at a premium price.
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Study: Magnets can alter morality
Magnets can alter a person's sense of morality, according to a new report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Using a powerful magnetic field, scientists from MIT, Harvard University and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center are able to scramble the moral center of the brain, making it more difficult for people to separate innocent intentions from harmful outcomes. The research could have big implications for not only neuroscientists, but also for judges and juries.
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Man fleeing Ohio police jumps fence — into prison
Police say a motorist fleeing officers in Cleveland abandoned his car and jumped a fence — landing in what turned out to be a prison yard.
Garfield Heights police say the chase started in that suburb early Monday over a traffic violation and reached speeds of 90 mph
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DNA testing emerges as weapon against cancer
Francis Collins, who helped map the human genome, did not get around to having his own genes analyzed until last summer. And he was surprised by what he learned.
Collins has a predisposition for type-2 diabetes, something he had never suspected. The lanky, former director of the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) discovered this through tests offered by Navigenics, 23andMe and DecodeMe — companies that charge customers a few hundred dollars for a peek at their genetic makeup.
ICE: Cruelty Domination Intimidation Across the Nation
Three words sum up the Trump regime in America today. Cruelty. Domination. Intimidation. Guilty of all three is ICE, an agency that's ...
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It's hard to believe that so many people viewed this column ( There's a monopoly on marijuana growing & research in America. ...
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If it's Sunday then it's time for As It Stands! Today's column is - Prosthetic ears, thieves, and payback. This, unlike last we...