President Says He Will Veto XL Pipeline Approval

I heard something I’ve been waiting to hear for months if not years, from our esteemed President Obama.  President Obama announced today for the first time, that he would veto the Keystone XL Pipeline bill when it comes before his desk, which might very well be this week.  Thom Hartmann had a guest on who made the usual lame arguments in favor of the pipeline like how it will generate 46,000 jobs, when the correct answer is 35 permanent jobs.   But the guest labeled Hartmann a “nationalist” because he pointed out all the ways this pipeline is not in the best interests of our country.  There was a time when conservatives placed country first, ahead of economic windfall profit for the few.  Once upon a time terrifs were championed by Republicans- - and it was those pesky Democrats who took the “Internationalist” view, of how “there are no boundaries between countries”.   Hartmann claims that the XL Pipeline will actually RAISE gasoline prices in America’s heartland by logic not exactly clear.  How can we have working refinaries in Oklahoma, and yet Nebraska has locked up the issue in legal hassles- - and no pipeline goes through that state.  But the guest also said that because Hartman criticized these elite corporate interest he was anti corporate, and thus socialist, and then makes the leap that Hartman is a National Socialist.  And goes “You know what another word for National Socialism is, don’t you”.   If it were me I would have slammed the receiver down at this point, and it’s against my nature to do this.  But to imply for an instant that caring about the land and the water table or carbon consumption- - is to somehow be on a par with people who want to exterminate Jews and other minorities- - this is beyond sick!   And to clarify for the guest- - “trade unionists” were among the people that the Nazi party went after.  The other issue of the way was how John Boehner got reelected for another stint as Speaker of the House.  His vote has to be a majority of the entire house - - not just the Republicans.  So I’m not sure how he won again, if it’s true what they said on the Sean Hannity program how - - sixty percent of Republican house members want to replace John Boehner.  25 republicans voted to replace John Boehner and 29 was needed to get beyond a first ballot.  I am mystified how come they couldn’t garner four more votes.   Yesterday on Sean Hannity’s show.  He had Louie Gomert as a guest on his show, who made a lot of good points as per the House Speaker has too much power and his prerogatives need to be pruned back.  I would have voted for Louie Gomer myself had I been there.  Most democrats voted for Nancy Pelosi.  It seems to me a distinct possibility that Pelosi could have gotten a plurality if the Republicans were divided in their votes.  There is also the question about being afraid of “political reprisals by John Boehner”.   There is a logical problem for me since if sixty percent of the Republicans vote their conscience - - then John Boehner won’t be around to exact political reprisals against anybody.   Sean Hannity is not a happy camper today.

 Now Norman Goldman’s cat dialed 911 on his phone and the LAPD stormed the house and Norm thought it was a home invasion- - but it turned out to be the police, who were there ready to break the door down.  I’ve heard stories like this before where cops are told “there is no danger” and the cops aren’t having it but want to batter the door down.  “Declining to answer the door” is never an option when it’s the police.

Here is a disturbing "War Update" from more than two years ago  is flawed. 

The big news of Monday January 5^th is that football may be coming back to Los Angeles with a workable plan.  This owner of the Rams also owns land in Inglewood near the Forum, or knows how to get it, and has constructed elaborate plans for all of the area of old Hollywood Park, including an eighty thousand seat football stadium.  Everybody in the news was saying that Los Angeles is a gold mine just waiting to be plumbed.  I don’t how St Louis could possibly counter that offer.  Los Angeles has been without an NFL team for a full twenty years, and most of us are thinking “that is long enough”.   I think I would rather see a stadium in Inglewood than smack dab in “Downtown” Los Angeles.

This computer crashed and the following paragraph was lost even though I hit save just before the computer completely froze up.  Governor Christie is on a first name basis with the owner of the Dallas Cowboys and they did a “group hug” at the end of Sunday’s game.   Christie actually was allowed to go into the Cowboys locker room, and Rush reminds us that gaining admittance to a major league NFL locker room is no small accomplishment.   The game may have hinged in a bad call against Detroit.  Afterward Detroit had no choice but to punt.  I can see how Christie would be against Detroit because they are a poor and Democratic city, and of course pro Romulan.  ( - )  The Federation is for Green Bay to represent the NFC in the Superbowl.   They sure as hell don’t want Seattle.  Rush called them the Seattle Sea Hags, if I’m not mistaken.  

There is a strange story how President Obama rejected a list of bombing targets in Syria in August of 2013 as “insufficiently punitive” or something, and that they did not cause enough damage to civilian infrastructure.  They report “The list of proposed bombing targets in Syria was growing longer every day”.  Then two days before these bombings were to begin- - President Obama said that congress should approve these before any are carried out.  This has always seemed to me to be irratic behavior.  By the end of August 2013 President had secured the solid backing of both England and France.  It’s all the stranger when in a Rose Garden speech on August 31^st the President announced that these attacks were put in indefinite hold.  Russian agents had determined that it was not the same saran gas.  But there was a question raised that the article never answered and it’s this.  The Russians indeed got Syria to “give up their weapons of mass destruction”.  If they didn’t have them, how could they give them up?    Because now they are saying that the Seran gas they “suspect” can’t be matched to the seran gas that Syria actually possesses.  Nobody can question that Obama is not one of the most pro War presidents we’ve ever had.  He’s second in this capacity - - only to Bush 43.   But failure came when congress announced that “Unlike the build up to the Iraq War, there would be substantive hearings this time around”.    This article states that there was a lot of “back door” shipping of weapons to the rebel extremists.

There are a lot of traits about Christians and Christianity I have and continue to find bewildering.  This one about “the first shall be last” is a good one for starters, and the parable of the workers in the vineyard.  The ones who worked the least amount of time get paid first and the ones who worked a full twelve hour day have to stand and wait for these people to get paid what they aren’t worth.  If Jesus wanted to pay these late comers more, he didn’t need to be so “in your face” about it.  This was an action of personal spite.  The Jewish nation is penalized for being hard working and dedicated and serious about their religion.  They have to take a back seat to a new crop of people who point their finger and comdemn them to a large extent for the crime of just BEING Jewish.  When I first became a Christian I naturally wondered “where do I fit in”?  It’s now nearly forty years later and that question remains unanswered.  In the early Bible studies we would be regailed by all these accounts of “personal miracles” and a part of you wonders “When does that stuff ever happen to me” and another part of you says “Don’t say anything.  You don’t want these people to think you’re impatient”.  You hear things like hard work and seniority - - disparaged.   Sincerity appears to be held in low regard.  In fact if you believe you can “gain favor or brownie points by hard work- - you are in a state of theological error”.   Everything about them screams “Don’t get involved.  Get away.  We don’t need you around here”.   We now come to the Money Draw call, which began before one.  At about eight after one I heard my name called.  I decided to wait for another commercial segment of the soap opera- - perhaps ten minutes.  In that period of time, anybody whose name was called had ample opportunity to get in line ahead of me, and if you get in line now you can be confident you won’t be “pre empted”.    Well then Loretta wheels in with her lounge chair thing.  But then Brenda Hess comes in and SHE is the one who makes a bit issue out of “being first” even though I’ve been standing in line already fifteen minutes or so- - - and nearly a half hour after our names were called.  What Christians do is “set up” situations, only to watch you fall.  If I for instance let both Loretta and Brenda go ahead of me and suppose one or both of them takes a long time in the office, and someone else ambles in who’s last name starts with a C or something.  I’d have to let them ahead of me,  too.  As such I’d rather be thought of as “Having to have my way” for a brief moment, if it alleviates the greater problem.  [example edited out here]  I’ve even seen this in Paul (my brother) in feeling I’ve been “set up” because he will intervene in my life - - like he’s the big hero or something- - only for there to be some kind of a trap pitfall glitch in the whole thing- - - where I feel as though I’ve been “set up”.   But I'd close with this.  "Being good" won't get you points with these Calvary Christians, and they will expressly tell you that.   Since the "divine favor" is almost completely divorced from actual personal decisions - - there really IS no goal to shoot for.  It best it's a continuous game of moving the goal posts, because what they claimed was true and virtuous yesterday, they will deny today.  (Selah)  Now they may embrace these tea party values about "earning merit from hard work and gumption" but after literally decades of saying the opposite, who is going to trust anything they say?  As I said in the spring of 2006 (back to the really early days of my blogging) It's less a case of GRACE than it is PRIVILEGE.  And just between me, if Grace has anything to do with "gracious" you and I both can recount countless examples where the tea party people on the right are apallingly lacking in this kind of graciousness.