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Polling station sign in East Greenwich, R.I., advises voters that identification is required in this year's April primary. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File) WASHINGTON -- Four years ago, on the Sunday before Election Day 2008, members of predominantly African American congregations in Cleveland went straight from celebrating God to rejoicing in their right to vote. "We had buses at every church that Sunday," recalled the Rev. Emmitt Theophilus Caviness, the 83-year-old pastor of Cleveland's Greater Abyssinia Baptist Church. "As soon as we left church, we got on the bus and went down to vote." At the board of elections office, Caviness told HuffPost, "you would have seen long lines wrapped around corners. People were enthusiastic. They were having fun." It was a first in so many ways. But one of the most important of those ways was the new Ohio law that allowed voting on a Sunday. "It never would have happened had we not had early voting -- the opportunity on the last weekend to participate in democracy," Caviness said. Four year earlier, the November election in Ohio was a debacle. Shortages of voting machines in some minority neighborhoods led to thousands of voters giving up their franchise rather than waiting for as long as 10 hours for their turn. Other votes went uncounted. In response, Ohio's legislature established early in-person voting, supplementing traditional Election Day voting and mail-in absentee ballots. Voters would now have 35 days before the election to cast ballots, including that final weekend. In 2008, some 93,000 Ohioans -- including the members of the Greater Abyssinia Baptist Church -- cast votes during those last three days before the election. But early voting was apparently too much of a success for some people. In Ohio and four other states -- Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and West Virginia -- Republican-led legislatures have dramatically reduced early voting in 2012 as part of what can only be explained as a concerted effort to suppress the votes of Democratic-leaning voters. Other parts of that effort include voter ID bils, intimidation of voter registration groups and the purges of voter rolls. In Ohio and Florida, two of the most critical swing states in this year's presidential election, the GOP early voting rollback specifically included a ban on voting on the Sunday before Election Day. Early voting started off a wildly popular, bipartisan element of voting reform. Indeed, of all the voting reforms this country has seen over the last decades, early voting is easily the most unassailable. It makes voting more convenient for the public and makes Election Day easier for election officials. Because it generally happens at board of elections offices, it takes notoriously unreliable volunteer poll workers out of the picture. But Republican leaders cooled on the idea after 2008. "It just so happened that this was the first time that early voting had been used in large numbers to mobilize African American and Latino voters," said Wendy Weiser, who directs the Democracy Program at the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law. After the GOP won control of many statehouses in 2010, rolling back early voting became a top legislative priority. That meant reducing the period for early in-person voting in Florida from 14 to 8 days, and in Ohio, from 35 to 11. And no voting on Sunday before the election. "I try to be an objective observer," said professor Paul Gronke, who runs the nonpartisan Early Voting Information Center at Reed College in Oregon. "But the objective facts indicate there seem to be partisan motivations behind the ratcheting back of early in-person voting." Research by an Ohio voter advocacy group found that blacks made up more than half the early in-person voters in 2008, compared with about a quarter of people who vote on Election Day or by mail. Research by political scientists at Dartmouth College and the University of Florida concluded that "Democratic, African American, Hispanic, younger, and first-time voters were disproportionately likely to vote early in 2008 and in particular on weekends, including the final Sunday of early voting." "We should be increasing access to vote, not taking it away," said Ohio state Sen. Nina Turner, a Cleveland Democrat. "You got a lot of working people, working-class folks, some people have to piece together three to four jobs, why wouldn't we have extended hours and extended days?" The question ultimately answers itself. "For me, this is Jim Crow in the 21st century," Turner said. "Jim Crow has been resurrected. This is by design. It's not by accident." Republican explanations for rolling back early voting include unsupported suggestions of voter fraud. Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted, a Republican, said in a newspaper op-ed that his goal "has been to balance access and accuracy," and that he was simply trying to establish "a uniform system across the state" with the early voting rules. But Pastor Caviness said he thinks Republicans were intimidated by seeing all those African-American churchgoers headed to vote -- "Souls to Polls" is what the black churches called it. "That seems to be the tenor and tune of where they're coming from," Caviness said. "Otherwise, why would you deny people the basic right to participate in democracy?" In Ohio's heavily Democratic cities -- Cleveland, Columbus, Akron and Toledo -- early voting will be limited to working hours on weekdays in 2012. But, as the Cincinnati Enquirer reported recently, attempts to add extended hours at the local election boards have been blocked by Republicans in urban counties, "even as extended hours will be available in some smaller counties with a strong Republican slant." The reason, as Ari Berman explained in the Nation, is that county boards of election in Ohio have two members from each party. Ties are broken by the secretary of state. In solidly Republican counties, GOP election commissioners have approved expanded early voting hours -- because why not? But in Democratic counties, they've balked. And Husted, the man who said he supports the law because it will bring uniformity to the state, has backed them up. The early voting changes in both Florida and Ohio face legal challenges. Rep. Corrine Brown (D-Fla.) has filed a federal lawsuit seeking to block the reduction, which she argued is discriminatory. And President Barack Obama's campaign sued Husted last month, asking a federal court to restore voting during the last three days before the election on the grounds that the law grants unequal treatment to military families, who are allowed later polling access than other Ohio voters. The Romney campaign tried to cast Obama's action as an attack on military voting rights. That claim, which a member of the New York Times editorial board termed "an extraordinary lie" -- was initially accepted stenographically by some political journalists, and spread like wildfire on social networks, before crumbling under the weight of its own mendacity. Matt McClellan, Husted's press secretary, denied there was any partisan motivation behind the restriction in early voting. "The boards of election had requested that to have more opportunity to prepare for Election Day," McClellan told the Huffington Post. The Ohio Association of Election Officials "asked for it." But Llyn McCoy, president of the election officials' group, disagreed: "I wouldn't say that we came out and started this," she said. The election officials' group was asked to weigh in on the idea, McCoy said -- and it did end up voting in favor of reducing early voting days. But it was hardly unanimous. "It was a close vote," she said. The biggest split was between officials from rural counties, who didn't feel the need for extended hours, and those from urban counties, who felt it strongly. McCoy, deputy director of the board of elections in Greene County, a mostly Republican county outside Dayton, was nevertheless among the officials who argued in favor of voting during that final weekend. "By and large, election officials, it's our job to make it easier for people to vote, not harder," she said. "That's where a lot of us came down." People who follow the history of voting rights are amazed at the sudden turnaround in what had seemed irreversible momentum toward greater access to the ballot. "We haven't seen a period of constricting the franchise like this since Jim Crow," Weiser said. "It really runs contrary to the American narrative." Turner, the state senator from Cleveland, called it "pure racism." "It's racist, it's sexist and it's classist," Turner said. "It's just flat-out un-American." Man those useless Bleeding heart liberal Democrats sure are crying . When they lie cheat and manipulate it's cool but when it doesn't go their way they cry like whiney little B itches!

Two studies published this week indicate that the delectable treat not only may help reduce blood pressure, but also can improve cognitive function. Local chocolate makers and confectioners are not surprised. "There has been a lot of research on the benefits of chocolate, especially higher-percentage chocolate," said Michael Recchiuti, co-owner and chocolatier of San Francisco's Recchiuti Confections, referring to darker, more concentrated chocolates. In the first study, researchers in Australia took a look at all of the research conducted on chocolate and blood pressure and found that there is a definite, albeit slight, decrease in blood pressure when people start consuming chocolate. Altogether, they reviewed data on 856 people involved in 20 trials that lasted anywhere from two to eight weeks. One lasted 18 weeks. On average, daily intake of the product reduced blood pressure by 2 to 3 mm Hg, or millimeters of mercury - the unit used to measure blood pressure. The effects generally were seen within two weeks of starting the diet. "Although we don't yet have evidence for any sustained decrease in blood pressure, the small reduction we saw over the short term might complement other treatment options and might contribute to reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease," said Karin Ried of the National Institute of Integrative Medicine in Melbourne, Australia, the report's lead author. The research appeared in the journal The Cochrane Collaboration [PDF]. Ried and her colleagues say the rich concentration of flavanols, a group of chemicals, in chocolate is likely providing the health benefits observed. Other foods that have flavanols include apricots, apples, grapes, red wine and tea leaves. But chocolate has the highest concentration of flavanols, which is what makes it so exceptional, said Giovambattista Desideri, a researcher at Italy's University of L'Aquila. He said several lines of clinical and experimental evidence show that flavonoid-rich foods, such as dark chocolate, "are effective in maintaining cardiovascular function and health and are associated with better cognitive function in elderly subjects." He wanted to test the effect on cognitive function. His study appears in the American Heart Association journal Hypertension. So he and his colleagues rounded up a group of 90 seniors who had been referred to the University of L'Aquila's geriatric division for mild cognitive impairment. The researchers then split the group into three more groups. One group received a high concentration of flavonoids every day for eight weeks, another received intermediate amounts and the third group, just a little. The researchers then had the groups perform mental tests, such as mazes and word recollection. Subjects in the highest and intermediate groups not only improved over the study period, but far outpaced their low-flavonoid co-testers. For instance, in one test called the trail making test, the high-flavonoid group completed the exercise in an average of about 38 seconds. The low-flavonoid group took, on average, about 104 seconds to do the same thing. "To the best of our knowledge, this is the first dietary intervention study examining neurocognitive performance in response to cocoa flavanols," Desideri said. "As people live longer," he said, "the burden of cognitive impairment in society becomes increasingly important." He said consuming cocoa "as part of a calorie-controlled and nutritionally balanced diet may represent an interesting and innovative strategy to maintain cardiovascular and brain health." Recchiuti, of Recchiuti Confections, had his own advice. "My recommendation is to practice moderation," he said. "What I've experienced in the past when studies have been released regarding the positive health benefits of daily chocolate consumption is people have a tendency to go a little overboard.

Please click on the picture below and "Like" the National Association for Gun Rights on Facebook -- TODAY! With the gun-grabbers more active than ever in Washington, my staff here at the National Association for Gun Rights MUST be in communication with as many gun rights activists and supporters as possible . . . . . . as quickly as possible. When you "Like" NAGR on Facebook, you will have access to: *** Up-to-the-second gun rights political alerts; *** Exclusive discount offers in the NAGR Gun Rights Gear Store; *** FREE NAGR giveaways; and, *** The opportunity to interact and chat with more than 185,000 (and growing) fellow NAGR members and supporters. Please click on the image below to "Like" the National Association for Gun Rights on Facebook: With the 2012 elections fast-approaching, it's never been more important to mobilize and communicate with gun rights supporters like you. By utilizing the National Association for Gun Rights Facebook page to mobilize gun rights activists, NAGR will be adding one more weapon to our grassroots arsenal to defend our Second Amendment rights. For Freedom, Dudley Brown Executive Vice President

Sandy began a job as an elementary school counselor and she was eager to help. One day during recess she noticed a girl standing by herself on one side of a playing field while the rest of the kids enjoyed a game of soccer at the other. Sandy approached and asked if she was all right. The girl said she was. A little while later, however, Sandy noticed the girl was in the same spot, still by herself. Approaching again, Sandy offered, “Would you like me to be your friend?” The girl hesitated, then said, “OK,” looking at the woman nervously. Feeling she was making progress, Sandy then asked, “Why are you standing here all alone?” “Because,” the little girl said with great exasperation, “I’m the goalie!”

The killing of Osama bin Laden is an accomplishment mentioned many times by President Obama and his administration. Obama campaign strategist David Axelrod once said the case for a second term could be summed up by saying, “General Motors is alive and Osama bin Laden is dead.” But even though the al-Qaida mastermind is gone, many veterans of U.S. Special Operations are furious over how the Obama administration handled the matter. A new, scathing Internet video accuses Obama of arrogantly taking credit for the kill when he had little to do with it and for revealing operational details they believe compromise our forces, our location, our sources and more. Retired U.S. Navy Capt. Larry Bailey was also a Navy SEAL and is co-founder of Special Operations Speaks. “Somebody needed to stand up to keep Obama from taking credit for an operation he had nothing to do with and for spilling the secrets of our military,” Bailey told WND. He said Obama’s handling of that mission and other sensitive national security issues makes him unfit to be commander in chief. Bailey said Obama should have leaked almost nothing about the bin Laden mission, except to say that bin Laden was dead. He contends the president’s ego led to far too much information being made public – all to the benefit of our enemies. When Obama defenders accuse these special ops veterans of being the 2012 version of the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, Bailey said he wears that allegation as a “badge of honor.” He said his group unequivocally endorses Mitt Romney and wants to see President Obama retired after just one term.

Young voters – the ones who so notably turned out for Barack Obama in 2008 – are fed up with being unemployed, and many are beginning to turn against the president’s big-government solutions to America’s economic woes. One group tracking this turnaround is Generation Opportunity, or GO, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that seeks to mobilize Americans aged 18-29 toward “real solutions” to joblessness and the flailing economy. GO boasted this past week that its family of Facebook pages – with names like “We Like Small Government” and “Gas Prices Are too D— High” – have topped over 4 million “likes” and growing, fueled by a young demographic that polls show is increasingly disillusioned with Obama’s economic policies. “Every day, young Americans search for meaningful, full-time jobs in a career of their choice and, instead, experience first-hand the stark reality imposed by the poor economy,” states Paul. T. Conway, president of GO and a former chief of staff of the U.S. Department of Labor. “Rather than resorting to pessimism, however, young adults are taking a harder look at who and what is creating barriers to economic opportunity. “Increasingly, they identify elected officials and policies that result in more government interference,” Conway continues. “As they continue to deal with the highest sustained unemployment since World War II, Millennials have definitely concluded that government intervention in the economy is the problem, not the solution.” If Conway is right, it puts “Millenials” – 66 percent of whom voted for Obama in the last presidential election – at stark odds with economic solutions the president has touted thus far. From the stimulus bill passed early in his presidency to proposed job bills and even the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Obama has repeatedly demonstrated a belief in increased government involvement in the private sector, while at the same time calling for increased taxes on the investors and business owners many Millenials are hoping will hire them. Conway told WND that message isn’t connecting. “Whether you’re a Republican, Democrat or independent, at the end of the day, your aspirations, career, dreams, ability the live the life you envision are all tied to full-time work,” Conway said. “When you have politicians who vilify those who have the means and courage to create business, and you have so many looking for jobs … when we’re out in the field talking to people about solutions instead, we get immediate interest.” “I’ll tell you about an amazing poll,” Conway told WND. “A July 22 poll of 1,000 voters from the Service Employees International Union, or SEIU [which spent $28 million backing Obama in the 2008 election], asked 18-29 years olds whether they would vote for Obama or Romney. Though 66 percent voted for Obama in 2008, only 49 percent answered Obama in 2012, with 41 percent for Romney and undecideds at 10 percent. “When asked about the president’s job performance, 37 percent approved, 57 percent disapproved,” Conway continued. “When asked if the country was heading in the right direction, 22 percent said yes; 75 percent said America is on the wrong track. “As a veteran of over 100 campaigns, when you have a swing vote of 10 percent in a demographic and that demographic is saying at 75 percent that the country is on the wrong track – when you’ve got a candidate formerly at 66 percent support now below 50 percent – you have a major problem as a candidate,” Conway concluded. “The core issue,” Conway told WND, “is that people cannot find economic opportunity, cannot find meaningful, full-time jobs in the field of their choice, and they’re being asked to settle for the status quo instead: part-time work, not in their field, at below their skill level for their education. People are not going to settle for that.” GO has been tracking the impact of the slumping economy on 18-29-year-olds and has released a series of reports showing how the demographic has not only suffered disproportionately under the economic conditions, but has also turned against the president’s plans for more and more government solutions to the problem. According to GO’s reports: While the national unemployment rate has hovered around 8 percent, the non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for 18-29-year-olds is 12.7 percent If the additional 1.715 million young adults that are not counted as “unemployed” because they have given up looking for work were factored in, the actual unemployment rate for 18-29-year-olds would rise to 16.7 percent. Only 31 percent of those 18-29 approve of Obama’s handling of youth unemployment While the president has touted raising taxes on the wealthy as a key component to financial solvency, 69 percent of 18-29-year-olds prefer reductions in federal spending over raising taxes to balance the budget. The numbers prompted the organization to launch its newest Facebook page, “We Like Small Government.” The organization claims its newest page “fosters debate on the appropriate size and scope of government, the impact high taxes and more regulations have on job creation and the importance of economic opportunity and individual freedom. The page has already amassed over 400,000 fans.” Other GO pages, like “The Constitution by GO” and “Being American by GO” have amassed over 1 million and 1.5 million Facebook “likes,” respectively. The Facebook pages are part of GO’s strategy to create what Conway called “a true fusion” of education efforts, field organizers, online tools and a social-media audience. “We have a full-time, paid staff and a huge volunteer network to help with a series of events,” Conway told WND. “In the past 10 days, we’ve hit 10 states and 35 different events, booths to meet people or sign up people with iPads, to meet with those who feel disaffected, those who are not registered to vote, we work to register them – tens of thousands of people. “We also have campaigns to call voters, reminding them to vote, and a series of training guides on our website,” Conway said. “We’ve already had tens of thousands of downloads, people using the guides to organize friends, learning from guides on how to be an effective radio call-in guest, how to organize events, how to blog, write a press release or a letter to the editor and more. “The response has been fantastic,” Conway said. “We tell the young voters, ‘We know you changed history in 2008; we know you can do it again in 2012.’”

The Arab Spring takeover of Egypt by the Muslim Brotherhood has run amok, with reports from several different media agencies that the radical Muslims have begun crucifying opponents of newly installed President Mohammed Morsi. Middle East media confirm that during a recent rampage, Muslim Brotherhood operatives “crucified those opposing Egyptian President Muhammad Morsi naked on trees in front of the presidential palace while abusing others.” Raymond Ibrahim, a fellow with the Middle East Forum and the Investigative Project on Terrorism, said the crucifixions are the product of who the Middle Eastern media call “partisans.” “Arabic media call them ‘supporters,’ ‘followers’ and ‘partisans’ of the Muslim Brotherhood,” Ibraham said. Ibrahim also says the victims can be anyone, including Egyptian Christians. “It’s anyone who is resisting the new government,” Ibrahim said. “In this particular case, the people attacked and crucified were secular protesters upset because of Morsi’s hostile campaign against the media, especially of Tawfik Okasha, who was constantly exposing him on his station, until Morsi shut him down.” Ibrahim said extra brutality is reserved for Christians, but the crucifixions are because of Islamic doctrine and are required by the Quran. The time and other details about the crucifixions were not readily available. Center for Security Policy Senior Fellow Clare Lopez cited chapter and verse from the Quran to explain that crucifixions are not simply normal for Islam, they’re demanded. “Crucifixion is a hadd punishment, stipulated in the Quran, Sura 5:33, and therefore an obligatory part of Shariah,” Lopez said. “It’s been a traditional punishment within Islam since the beginning, even though it’s not exclusively Islamic. The Romans used it too. “So, the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood haven’t the option to not include crucifixion within their legal code. It’s obligatory to comply with Shariah. And yes, it’s for shock value also to be sure,” Lopez said. Lopez includes a warning for Egypt’s Christians and compares the coming treatment of the Christians to the Jews in Germany. “The Copts must get out of Egypt as soon as possible – for the many millions who will not be able to get out, I expect things will continue to deteriorate – just as they did for Germany’s and Europe’s Jews from the 1930s onward,” Lopez said. “The warnings were there long before the ghettos and round-ups and one-way train trips to the concentration camps began in the 1940s,” she said. If you think this is just an Egyptian problem, you’re wrong. Dead wrong. Read “Muslim Mafia: Inside the Secret Underworld That’s Conspiring to Islamize America” Author Pamela Geller of Atlas Shrugs, an analyst of the Middle East and Islam, fully agrees and also cites the Quran. “The Christians are in serious trouble, because the Quran in Sura 9:29 commands Muslims to wage war against them and subjugate them, and they’re also identified with the hated West and the U.S.,” Geller said. Geller also turned to Sura 5:33. Islamic hardliners “These are Islamic hardliners who do everything by the Quran. The Quran says, ‘Indeed, the penalty for those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger and strive upon earth [to cause] corruption is none but that they be killed or crucified or that their hands and feet be cut off from opposite sides or that they be exiled from the land,” Geller said. International Christian Concern’s Middle East analyst Aidan Clay believes there is a relationship between the recent attacks on the regime’s enemies, a recent Sinai military skirmish and Morsi’s moves against the ranking generals. The “Sinai skirmish” involved suspected Hamas guerrillas trying to cross into Gaza from Egypt. The Israeli Defense Force and intelligence learned of the attempted crossing in advance and stopped the incursion. Sixteen Egyptian border guards were killed in the attempted Rafah border crossing incident. “It’s hard to believe that President Morsi could have dismissed Field Marshall Mohammed Tantawi without the help of lower-ranking military officers. The military’s sense of prestige, which millions of Egyptians still take great pride in, took a battering following the militant attack in Sinai that killed 16 soldiers,” Clay said. “The military should have been prepared for the attack. Israel was. And the blame has largely been placed on Tantawi for his negligence and for embarrassing the military establishment,” he said. Lopez agrees that Israel’s preparedness is a slap against the Egyptian army. “That border skirmish that resulted in deaths of Egyptian border guards was known ahead of time by Israeli intelligence, which warned their Egyptian military counterparts,” Lopez said. She notes that Israeli intelligence avoided contact with the Muslim Brotherhood in the incident because the attacks were a Hamas plot. Lopez added that even after notification, the Egyptian army didn’t act. “The Egyptian military did nothing, even as Israel expected. Thus the attack was carried out, Israel was totally prepared and responded and the result was Egyptian military deaths,” Lopez said. Responding to ‘crisis’ She added that Morsi wasted no time in responding to the “crisis.” “Morsi jumped on the incident as the perfect reason to purge the top ranks of the Egyptian military, install his own MB-sympathizers in positions across the top, chief of staff and intel chief,” she said. “Some call it an internal coup d’etat – and I agree. It put Morsi in sole control of the legislative branch (there is no parliament right now) and in control of the political power in Egypt. The new defense minister is a Muslim Brotherhood sympathizer. Things are moving very fast.” Clay said there are mixed feelings among the military top brass in Egypt. He said some still support Tantawi; some have called for change. “While many senior military officers maintained their support for Tantawi, his reputation took a dive among many younger officers who saw the need for a replacement. It wasn’t just the attack in Sinai that led to this, but the military’s reputation has been on the decline since a few months following the country’s uprising early last year,” Clay said. “For some, the Sinai attack was the final straw and Morsi may have viewed it as an opportune time to remove Tantawi and other high-ranking officers from key positions,” Clay said. He noted that Morsi, not the military, took the lead in responding to the Sinai attacks. “In doing so, while also forcing Tantawi out of his cabinet, Morsi has set a precedent that it is he who decides who runs the army,” Clay said. “While the generals will still advise Morsi, he can decide whether or not to listen to them. It’s apparent that Morsi is quickly becoming Egypt’s sole leader which means control of the country will be in the hands of the Muslim Brotherhood,” he said. However, Geller believes Morsi had a second motive for his action. Reign of terror “I suspect that Morsi’s action was timed in part to forestall any further military action against the jihadis,” Geller said, adding that the results will make Egypt’s government more monolithic than it already was. “Morsi is instituting a reign of terror to consolidate his power,” Geller said. American Enterprise Institute Middle East analyst Michael Rubin agreed: Morsi is after the power. “Morsi certainly wants absolute control. The Egyptian army have never been saints, but Morsi will broker no checks to his power as the Muslim Brotherhood writes a constitution and imposes its dream of an Islamic state on Egypt,” Rubin said. Lopez says this all means that Morsi is shedding his “moderate” veneer. “The point I would make is that Morsi is not bothering to play ‘moderate’ anymore. He’s moving very aggressively to consolidate power for the Muslim Brotherhood,” Lopez said. She added that Morsi is now free to act without any concern for public opinion. “He doesn’t seem to care who thinks what anymore. He knows he’s got the USG and president in his corner no matter what he does. He doesn’t have to pretend, no need for ‘plausible deniability.’ He also knows he’s got the majority of the Egyptian people behind him,” Lopez said. Rubin believes, however, that Morsi will still try to play the “moderate” to continue to gain U.S. support. Playing the moderate? “Morsi is going to play the moderate and the mediator for the world media, all the while complaining that he can’t take more forceful action against the extremists because the radical fringe won’t allow him to do more,” Rubin said. “It’s nonsense, of course, but still an explanation that will satisfy American diplomats, safe behind the walls of their compound,” Rubin said. Lopez added to Rubin’s explanation, but points to the White House as the main cheerleader for Morsi and the Brotherhood. “This is exactly what many of us expected him to do (consolidate power) and I think the White House knew, too, and not only expected but wanted Morsi and the Brotherhood to take over Egypt,” Lopez said. “As far as I know, the White House invitation for Morsi in September still stands – nor have I heard the slightest hint of criticism from any top U.S. government leadership figure about Morsi’s coup. He knows he’s on solid ground with this administration,” Lopez said.

A smoking problem THIS GUY IS ONE OF THE BEST I HAVE EVER SEEN...... WATCH TO THE END YOU WILL NOT BELIEVE YOUR EYES.

Never Argue with a Woman One morning, the husband returns the boat to their lakeside cottage after several hours of fishing and decides to take a nap. Although not familiar with the lake, the wife decides to take the boat out. She motors out a short distance, anchors, puts her feet up, and begins to read her book. The peace and solitude are magnificent. Along comes a Fish and Game Warden in his boat. He pulls up alongside the woman and says, 'Good morning, Ma'am. What are you doing?' 'Reading a book,' she replies, (thinking, 'Isn't that obvious?') 'You're in a Restricted Fishing Area,' he informs her. 'I'm sorry, officer, but I'm not fishing. I'm reading.' 'Yes, but I see you have all the equipment. For all I know you could start at any moment. I'll have to take you in and write you up.' 'If you do that, I'll have to charge you with sexual assault,' says the woman. 'But I haven't even touched you,' says the Game Warden. 'That's true, but you have all the equipment.. For all I know you could start at any moment.' 'Have a nice day ma'am,' and he left. MORAL: Never argue with a woman who reads. It's likely she can also think.

Why Indian Students are attacked abroad.............? It was the first day of a school in USA and a new Indian student named Chandrasekhar Subramanian entered the fourth grade. The teacher said, "Let's begin by reviewing some American History. Who said 'Give me Liberty, or give me Death'?" She saw a sea of blank faces, except for Chandrasekhar, who had his hand up:? ' Patrick Henry, 1775' he said. 'Very good! Who said 'Government of the People, by the People, for the People, shall not perish from the Earth?'' Again, no response except from Chandrasekhar. 'Abraham Lincoln, 1863' said Chandrasekhar. The teacher snapped at the class, 'Class, you should be ashamed. Chandrasekhar, who is new to our country, knows more about our history than you do.' She heard a loud whisper: 'F ___ the Indians,' 'Who said that?' she demanded. Chandrasekhar put his hand up. 'General Custer, 1862.' At that point, a student in the back said, 'I'm gonna puke.' The teacher glares around and asks 'All right! Now, who said that?' Again, Chandrasekhar says, 'George Bush to the Japanese Prime Minister, 1991.' Now furious, another student yells, 'Oh yeah? Suck this!' Chandrasekhar jumps out of his chair waving his hand and shouts to the teacher, 'Bill Clinton, to Monica Lewinsky,1997' Now with almost mob hysteria someone said 'You little ****. If you say anything else, I'll kill you.' Chandrasekhar frantically yells at the top of his voice, ' Michael Jackson to the child witnesses testifying against him, 2004.' The teacher fainted. And as the class gathered around the teacher on the floor, someone said, 'Oh ****, we're screwed!' And Chandrasekhar said quietly, 'I think it was Lehmann Brothers, September 4th, 2008'.

In 1986, Peter Davies was on holiday in Kenya after graduating from Northwestern University . On a hike through the bush, he came across a young bull elephant standing with one leg raised in the air. The elephant seemed distressed, so Peter approached it very carefully. He got down on one knee, inspected the elephants foot, and found a large piece of wood deeply embedded in it. As carefully and as gently as he could, Peter worked the wood out with his knife, after which the elephant gingerly put down its foot. The elephant turned to face the man, and with a rather curious look on its face, stared at him for several tense moments. Peter stood frozen, thinking of nothing else but being trampled. Eventually the elephant trumpeted loudly, turned, and walked away. Peter never forgot that elephant or the events of that day. Twenty years later, Peter was walking through the Chicago Zoo with his teenaged son. As they approached the elephant enclosure, one of the creatures turned and walked over to near where Peter and his son Cameron were standing. The large bull elephant stared at Peter, lifted its front foot off the ground, then put it down. The elephant did that several times then trumpeted loudly, all the while staring at the man. Remembering the encounter in 1986, Peter could not help wondering if this was the same elephant. Peter summoned up his courage, climbed over the railing, and made his way into the enclosure. He walked right up to the elephant and stared back in wonder. The elephant trumpeted again, wrapped its trunk around one of Peter legs and slammed him against the railing, killing him instantly. Probably wasn't the same elephant. This is for everyone who sends me those heart-warming bull **** stories.

General VoNguyen Giap. General Giap was a brilliant, highly respected leader of the North Vietnam military. The following quote is from his memoirs currently found in the Vietnam war memorial in Hanoi: 'What we still don't understand is why you Americans stopped the bombing of Hanoi . You had us on the ropes. If you had pressed us a little harder, just for another day or two,we were ready to surrender! It was the same at the battle of TET. You defeated us! We knew it, and we thought you knew it. But we were elated to notice your media was helping us. They were causing more disruption in America than we could in the battlefields. We were ready to surrender. You had won!' General Giap has published his memoirs and confirmed what most Americans knew. The Vietnam war was not lost in Vietnam -- it was lost at home. The same slippery slope, sponsored by the US media, is currently underway. It exposes the enormous power of a Biased Media to cut out the heart and will of the American public. A truism worthy of note: ... Do not fear the enemy, for they can take only your life. Fear the media, for they will destroy your honor.

We've probably all received e-mails about our birth year before... You'll be pleasantly surprised with this one... Type the year only!! Then click the question (?) mark! Sit back and enjoy!! Click your mouse here: Year of your birth

A woman goes to the doctor all black and blue....... Doctor: "What happened?"Woman: "Doctor, I don't know what to do. Every time my husband comes homedrunk he beats me up."Doctor: "I have a real good medicine for that. When your husband comes homedrunk, just take a glass of sweet tea and start swishing it in your mouth but don't swallow.Just keep swishing and swishing until he goes to bed. Two weeks later the woman comes back to the doctor looking fresh and reborn. Woman: "Doctor, that was a brilliant idea. Every time my husband came homedrunk, I swished with sweet tea and did not swallow. He didn't touch me!Doctor: "You see how much keeping your mouth shut helps?"

Some of you will recall that on July 8, 1947, a little over 60 years ago, witnesses claim that an unidentified flying object (UFO) with five aliens aboard crashed onto a sheep and mule ranch just outside Roswell , New Mexico . This is a well known incident that many say has long been covered up by the U.S. Air Force and other federal agencies and organizations. However, what you may NOT know is that in the month of April 1948, nine months after that historic day, the following people were born: Albert A. Gore, Jr.. Hillarious Rodham John F. Kerry William J. Clinton Howard Dean Nancy Pelosi Dianne Feinstein Charles E. Schumer Barbara Boxer See what happens when aliens breed with sheep and jackasses? I certainly hope this bit of information clears up a lot of things for you. It did for me. No wonder they support the bill to help illegal aliens! "REMEMBER....POLITICIANS AND DIAPERS SHOULD BE CHANGED OFTEN AND FOR THE SAME REASON"

President Barack Obama was in the Oval Office when his telephone rang. "Hello, President Obama," a heavily accented southern voice said. "This is Archie, down here at Joe's Catfish shack down here in Valdosta, Georgia, and I am callin' to tell ya'll that we are officially declaring war on ya!" "Well Archie," Barack replied, "This is indeed important news! How big is your army?" "Right now," said Archie, after a moment's calculation "there is myself, my cousin Harold, my next-door-neighbor Randy, and the whole dart team from Hooters. That makes eight!" Barack paused. "I must tell you Archie that I have one million men in my army waiting to move on my command." "Wow," said Archie. "I'll have ta call ya back!" Sure enough, the next day, Archie called again. "Mr. Obama, the war is still on! We have managed to acquire some infantry equipment!" "And what equipment would that be, Archie?" Barack asked. "Well sir, we have two combines, a bulldozer, and Harry’s farm tractor." President Obama sighed. "I must tell you Archie, that I have 16,000 tanks and 14,000 armored personnel carriers. Also I've increased my army to one and a half million since we last spoke." "Lord above", said Archie, "I'll be getting back to ya." Sure enough, Archie called again the next day. ”President Obama! I am sorry to have to tell you that we have had to call off this here war." "I'm sorry to hear that" said Barack. "Why the sudden change of heart?" "Well, sir," said Archie, "we've all sat ourselves down and had a long chat over sweet tea, and come to realize that there's just no way we can feed two million prisoners.." GEORGIA CONFIDENCE CANNOT BE SHAKEN If you are a REAL GEORGIAN, you won't even need to be told to pass this on .

One day while he was at the track playing the ponies and all but losing his shirt, Mitch noticed a priest who stepped out onto the track and blessed the forehead of one of the horses lining up for the 4th race. Lo and behold, that horse - a very long shot - won the race.. Before the next race, as the horses began lining up, Mitch watched with interest the old priest step onto the track. Sure enough, as the 5th race horses came to the starting gate the priest made a blessing on the forehead of one of the horses. Mitch made a beeline for a betting window and placed a small bet on the horse. Again, even though it was another long shot, the horse the priest had blessed won the race. Mitch collected his winnings, and anxiously waited to see which horse the priest would bless for the 6th race. The priest again blessed a horse. Mitch bet big on it, and it won. Mitch was elated.. As the races continued the priest kept blessing long shot horses, and each one ended up coming in first. By and by, Mitch was pulling in some serious money. By the last race, he knew his wildest dreams were going to come true. He made a quick dash to the ATM, withdrew all his savings, and awaited the priest's blessing that would tell him which horse to bet on. True to his pattern, the priest stepped onto the track for the last race and blessed the forehead of an old nag that was the longest shot of the day. Mitch also observed the priest blessing the eyes, ears, and hooves of the old nag. Mitch knew he had a winner and bet every cent he owned on the old nag. He then watched dumbfounded as the old nag come in dead last. Mitch, in a state of shock, made his way down to the track area where the priest was. Confronting the old priest he demanded, 'Father! What happened? All day long you blessed horses and they all won. Then in the last race, the horse you blessed lost by a Kentucky mile. Now, thanks to you I've lost every cent of my savings -- all of it!'. The priest nodded wisely and with sympathy. 'Son,' he said, 'that's the problem with you Protestants, you can't tell the difference between a simple blessing and last rites.'

Ozone created by electric cars now killing millions in the seventh largest country in the world, Mexifornia, formerly known as California . White minorities still trying to have English recognized as Mexifornia's third language. Spotted Owl plague threatens northwestern United States crops and livestock. Baby conceived naturally! Scientists stumped. Couple petitions court to reinstate heterosexual marriage. Iran still closed off; physicists estimate it will take at least 10 more years before radioactivity decreases to safe levels. France pleads for global help after being taken over by Jamaica. No other country comes forward to help the beleaguered nation! Castro finally dies at age 112; Cuban cigars can now be imported legally, but President Chelsea Clinton has banned all smoking. George Z. Bush says he will run for President in 2060. Postal Service raises price of first class stamp to $17.89 and reduces mail delivery to Wednesdays only. 85-year $75.8 billion study: Diet and exercise is the key to weight loss. Average weight of Americans drops to 250 lbs. Global cooling blamed for citrus crop failure for third consecutive year in Mexifornia and Floruba. Japanese scientists have created a camera with such a fast shutter speed they now can photograph a woman with her mouth shut. Abortion clinics now available in every High School in United States . Senate still blocking drilling in ANWR even though gas is selling for 4532 Pesos per liter and gas stations are only open on Tuesdays and Fridays. Massachusetts executes last remaining conservative. Supreme Court rules punishment of criminals violates their civil rights. A Couple Finally Had Sexual Harmony, They Had simultaneous Headaches. Average height of NBA players is now nine feet seven inches with Only 3 illegitimate children. New federal law requires that all nail clippers, screwdrivers, fly swatters and rolled-up newspapers must be registered by January 2060.. IRS sets lowest tax rate at 75 percent.. Floruba voters still having trouble with voting machines. Now, send this to whomever you want and as many as you want, then, guess what....NOTHING will happen. No miracles, no money, absolutely nothing, except you might make someone smile or be very very scared. I Love This Country! It's The Government That Scares Me! Stop organized crime. Re-elect no one.

Did You Know This About Leather Dresses? Do you know that when a woman wears a leather dress, a man's heart beats quicker, his throat gets dry, he gets weak in the knees, and he begins to think irrationally!? Ever wonder why? It's because she smells like a new Truck.

A man checked into a hotel. There was a computer in his room, so he decided to send an e-mail to his wife. However, he accidentally typed a wrong e-mail address, and without realizing his error, he sent the e-mail. Meanwhile....Somewhere in Houston, a widow had just returned from her husband's funeral. The widow decided to check her e-mail, expecting condolence messages from relatives and friends. After reading the first message, she fainted. The widow's son rushed into the room, found his mother on the floor, and s aw the computer screen which read: To: My Loving Wife Subject: I've Reached Date: 16 May 2004 I know you're surprised to hear from me. They have computers here, and we are allowed to send e-mails to loved ones. I've just reached and have been checked in. I see that everything has been prepared for your arrival tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing you TOMORROW!

THINGS THAT ARE DIFFICULT TO SAY WHEN DRUNK: 1. Innovative 2. Preliminary 3. Proliferation 4. Cinnamon THINGS THAT ARE VERY DIFFICULT TO SAY WHEN DRUNK: 1. Specificity 2. Anti-constitutionalistically 3. Passive-aggressive disorder 4. Transubstantiate THINGS THAT ARE DOWNRIGHT IMPOSSIBLE TO SAY WHEN DRUNK: 1. No thanks, I'm married. 2. Nope, no more booze for me! 3. Sorry, but you're not really my type. 4. No thanks, I'm not hungry. 5. Good evening, officer. Isn't it lovely out tonight? 6. Oh, I couldn't! No one wants to hear me sing karaoke. 7. I'm not interested in fighting you. 8. Thank you, but I won't make any attempt to dance, I have no coordination. I'd hate to look like a fool! 9. Where is the nearest bathroom? I refuse to pee in this parking lot or on the side of the road. 10. I must be going home now, as I have to work in the morning.

Little Johnnie Meets Barack Obama!!! Barack Obama was visiting a primary school and he visited one of the classes. They were in the middle of a discussion related to words and their meanings. The teacher asked the president if he would like to lead the discussion on the word 'tragedy'. So our illustrious president asked the class for an example of a ’tragedy’. One little boy stood up and offered: "If my best friend, who lives on a farm, is playing in the field and a tractor runs over him and kills him that would be a tragedy." "No,” said Obama, “that would be an accident." A little girl raised her hand: "If a school bus carrying 50 children drove over a cliff, killing everyone inside, that would be a tragedy." "I'm afraid not,” explained Obama, “That's what we would call great loss." The room went silent. No other children volunteered. Obama searched the room. "Isn't there someone here who can give me an example of a tragedy?" Finally, at the back of the room, Little Johnnie raised his hand. In a quiet voice he said: "If the plane carrying you and Mrs. Obama was struck by a 'friendly fire' missile and blown to smithereens, that would be a tragedy." "Fantastic!” exclaimed Obama. “That is right. And can you tell me why that would be a tragedy?" "Well,” says Johnnie, “It has to be a tragedy, because it sure as hell wouldn’t be a great loss...and you can bet your ass it's probably not an accident either."

These are from a book called Disorder in the American Courts, and are things people actually said in court, word for word, taken down and now published by court reporters that had the torment of staying calm while these exchanges were actually taking place. ATTORNEY: What was the first thing your husband said to you that morning? WITNESS: He said, "Where am I, Cathy?" ATTORNEY: And why did that upset you? WITNESS: My name is Susan! ____________________________________________ ATTORNEY: What gear were you in at the moment of the impact? WITNESS: Gucci sweats and Reeboks. ____________________________________________ ATTORNEY: Are you sexually active? WITNESS: No, I just lie there. ____________________________________________ ATTORNEY: This myasthenia gravis, does it affect your memory at all? WITNESS: Yes. ATTORNEY: And in what ways does it affect your memory? WITNESS: I forget. ATTORNEY: You forget? Can you give us an example of something you forgot? ___________________________________________ ATTORNEY: Do you know if your daughter has ever been involved in voodoo? WITNESS: We both do. ATTORNEY: Voodoo? WITNESS: We do. ATTORNEY: You do? WITNESS: Yes, voodoo. ____________________________________________ ATTORNEY: Now doctor, isn't it true that when a person dies in his sleep, he doesn't know about it until the next morning? WITNESS: Did you actually pass the bar exam? ____________________________________ ATTORNEY: The youngest son, the twenty-year-old, how old is he? WITNESS: He's twenty, much like your IQ. ____________________ _______________________ ATTORNEY: Were you present when your picture was taken? WITNESS: Are you shi&&ing me? _________________________________________ ATTORNEY: So the date of conception (of the baby) was August 8th? WITNESS: Yes. ATTORNEY: And what were you doing at that time? WITNESS: getting laid ____________________________________________ ATTORNEY: She had three children, right? WITNESS: Yes. ATTORNEY: How many were boys? WITNESS: None. ATTORNEY: Were there any girls? WITNESS: Your Honor, I think I need a different attorney. Can I get a new attorney? ____________________________________________ ATTORNEY: How was your first marriage terminated? WITNESS: By death. ATTORNEY: And by whose death was it terminated? WITNESS: Take a guess. ____________________________________________ ATTORNEY: Can you describe the individual? WITNESS: He was about medium height and had a beard. ATTORNEY : Was this a male or a female? WITNESS: Unless the Circus was in town I'm going with male. _____________________________________ ATTORNEY: Is your appearance here this morning pursuant to a deposition notice which I sent to your attorney? WITNESS: No, this is how I dress when I go to work. ______________________________________ ATTORNEY: Doctor, how many of your autopsies have you performed on dead people? WITNESS: All of them. The live ones put up too much of a fight. _________________________________________ ATTORNEY: ALL your responses MUST be oral, OK? What school did you go to? WITNESS: Oral. _________________________________________ ATTORNEY: Do you recall the time that you examined the body? WITNESS: The autopsy started around 8:30 p.m. ATTORNEY: And Mr. Denton was dead at the time? WITNESS: If not, he was by the time I finished. ____________________________________________ ATTORNEY: Are you qualified to give a urine sample? WITNESS: Are you qualified to ask that question? ______________________________________ And the best for last: ATTORNEY: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse? WITNESS: No. ATTORNEY: Did you check for blood pressure? WITNESS: No. ATTORNEY: Did you check for breathing? WITNESS: No. ATTORNEY: So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy? WITNESS: No. ATTORNEY: How can you be so sure, Doctor? WITNESS: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar. ATTORNEY: I see, but could the patient have still been alive, nevertheless? WITNESS: Yes, it is possible that he could have been alive and practicing law.

Please Read all the way to the bottom: If you will take the time to read these, I promise you'll come away with an enlightened perspective. The subjects covered affect us all on a daily basis: They're written by Andy Rooney , a man who has the gift of saying so much with so few words. Enjoy........ I've learned.... That the best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person. I've learned.... That when you're in love, it shows. I've learned.... That just one person saying to me, 'You've made my day!' makes my day. I've learned.... That having a child fall asleep in your arms is one of the most peaceful feelings in the world. I've learned.... That being kind is more important than being right. I've learned.... That you should never say no to a gift from a child. I've learned.... That I can always pray for someone when I don't have the strength to help him in some other way. I've learned.... That no matter how serious your life requires you to be, everyone needs a friend to act goofy with. I've learned.... That sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand. I've learned.... That simple walks with my father around the block on summer nights when I was a child did wonders for me as an adult. I've learned.... That life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes. I've learned.... That we should be glad God doesn't give us everything we ask for. I've learned.... That money doesn't buy class.. I've learned.... That it's those small daily happenings that make life so spectacular. I've learned... That under everyone's hard shell is someone who wants to be appreciated and loved. I've learned.... That to ignore the facts does not change the facts. I 've learned.... That when you plan to get even with someone, you are only letting that person continue to hurt you. I've learned.... That love, not time, heals all wounds. I've learned.... That the easiest way for me to grow as a person is to surround myself with people smarter than I am. I've learned... That everyone you meet deserves to be greeted with a smile. I've learned..... That no one is perfect until you fall in love with them. I've learned... That life is tough, but I'm tougher. I've learned.... That opportunities are never lost, someone will take the ones you miss. I've learned.... That when you harbor bitterness, happiness will dock elsewhere. I've learned.... That I wish I could have told my Mom that I love her one more time before she passed away. I've learned.... That one should keep his words both soft and tender, because tomorrow he may have to eat them.. I've learned.... That a smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks. I've learned..... That when your newly born grandchild holds your little finger in his little fist, that you're hooked for life. I've learned.... That everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you're climbing it. I've learned.... That the less time I have to work with, the more things I get done. To all of you.... Make sure you read all the way down to the last sentence. Although it is not National Friendship Week. Show your friends how much you care. Send this to everyone you consider a FRIEND, even if it means sending it back to the person who sent it to you. If it comes back to you, then you'll know you have a circle of friends. HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEK MY FRIEND!!!!!! YOU ARE MY FRIEND AND I AM HONORED BY THAT FRIENDSHIP! Share this with friends and family you love. This was sent to me by a very special friend.

�The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government � lest it come to dominate our lives and interests.� - Patrick Henry - The 26th amendment (granting the right to vote for 18 year-olds) took only 3 months & 8 days to be ratified! Why? Simple! The people demanded it. That was in 1971...before computers, before e-mail, before cell phones, etc. Of the 27 amendments to the Constitution, seven (7) took 1 year or less to become the law of the land...all because of public pressure. I'm asking each addressee to forward this email to a minimum of twenty people on their address list; in turn ask each of those to do likewise. In three days, most people in The United States of America will have the message. This is one idea that really should be passed around. Congressional Reform Act of 2011 1. No Tenure / No Pension. A Congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they are out of office. 2. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security. All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the American people. It may not be used for any other purpose. 3. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans do. 4. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%. 5. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people. 6. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people. 7. All contracts with past and present Congressmen are void effective 1/1/12. The American people did not make this contract with Congressmen. Congressmen made all these contracts for themselves. Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their term(s), then go home and back to work. If each person contacts a minimum of twenty people then it will only take three days for most people (in the U.S.) to receive the message. Maybe it is time. THIS IS HOW YOU FIX CONGRESS!!!!!