GOP Sen. Ron Johnson: It costs too much to fund the VA

No money for wounded veterans!

The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have cost us between $4 and $6 trillion dollars, but that is not the true cost of war. The true cost of war is counted by the dead and wounded, 6,640 U.S. service members who were killed and 50,540 who were wounded through Feb. 5, 2013. Of the soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines deployed, 103,792 were diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and 253,330 service members were diagnosed with a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) of some kind. A total of 1,715 service members received wounds that required amputations and 1,493 lost an arm or leg.

The cost of war includes those whose lives will never be the same whether they have visible wounds or not. Horrific scenes will haunt the dreams of the young men and women who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan for the rest of their lives. Suicides, alcoholism and drug abuse will take even more of those who served. The costs of war are counted in broken marriages, domestic abuse, and homelessness. The costs of war will be counted for more than just the generation that served.
On December 8, 2004, Donald Rumsfeld, the Secretary of Defense, was asked this question by Specialist Thomas Wilson of the Tennessee National Guard:  READ MORE

Todd Starnes Conflates Homophobia With Christianity

Fox News has their point man who is always on call to teach us how today's Christians are persecuted for simply being Christian. Todd Starnes writes,

Thousands of Americans, including former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and famed evangelist Franklin Graham, have come to the defense of a chaplain who could be thrown out of the Navy because of his Christian faith.

Lt. Cmdr. Wes Modder has been accused of failing to show “tolerance and respect” in private counseling sessions regarding issues pertaining to faith, marriage and sexuality – specifically homosexuality. READ MORE

Missouri's Lt. Gov. Calls Sean Hannity's Show 'Terrible TV'

You know your conservative TV show sucks when even Republican politicians say as much when they think they're off-air. Sean Hannity was hard to take when his show was mildly entertaining during its Hannity & Colmes phase, but now it's unwatchable -- unless you're a mindless stooge. His coverage of Ferguson is simply the worst and Missouri's Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder (R) seems to agree with me as his true opinions were caught on-air while he believed his mic was not live.

After airing interviews that a Fox correspondent conducted live on the ground in Ferguson, Mo., host Sean Hannity turned to the lieutenant governor for his thoughts on renewed protests in the city.
READ MORE

Pope Francis Expects Short Papacy, Leaves Open Possibility Of Retirement

Pope Francis arrives for an audience in St. Peter's
Square at the Vatican on
March 11, 2015.REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini

In a wide-ranging interview Thursday with Mexican broadcaster Noticieros Televisa, Pope Francis said he had the "somewhat vague sensation" that his papacy could be short, leaving open the possibility he may retire rather than serve until his death, as is the custom for serving popes.

Francis told interviewer Valentina Alazraki that he had "the feeling that my pontificate will be brief: four or five years; I do not know, even two or three. Two have already passed. He added, "Maybe it's like the psychology of the gambler who convinces himself he will lose so he won’t be disappointed and if he wins, is happy. I do not know. But I feel that the Lord has placed me here for a short time, and nothing more."

He was also asked if he thought it would become normal for popes to retire, as his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, did, rather than serve until their deaths, as has been the custom. Francis replied that he believes Benedict "opened a door": READ MORE

In general I think what Benedict so courageously did was to open the door to the Popes Emeritus. Benedict should not be considered an exception, but an institution. Maybe he will be the only one for a long time, maybe he will not be the only one. But an institutional door has been opened. Today the Pope Emeritus is no longer a rarity since a door for him to exist as a figure has been opened.

Wildstein's Relationship With Christie Closer Than Governor Acknowledged, Report Says

Attorney Alan Zegas, left, with his client, David Wildstein
as they testify before the state Assembly transportation
committee. Wildstein, is the former Port Authority official
who shut down lanes on the George Washington Bridge
in September.
Thursday January, 09, 2014 (Patti Sapone/The Star-Ledger)

TRENTON — The former Port Authority official considered to be the mastermind behind the lane closings at the center of the George Washington Bridge scandal appears to have had a closer relationship with Gov. Chris Christie than Christie has acknowledged, according to a report by WNYC.
 
The public radio station based its findings on examinations of David Wildstein's calendars during his four years at the Port Authority and a review of more than 1,000 photographs and thousands of pages of documents, the report said.

Christie went to Livingston High School in the 1970s with Wildstein and appointed him to a $150,000-a-year position at the bistate agency. But the Republican governor, who claims to have had no personal involvement with the lane closings, has repeatedly said he was not personally close with Wildstein. READ MORE

Over 239,000 Americans Sign Petition Demanding Treason Charges Against GOP Senators Behind Iran Letter

The Republican tactic of attempting to torpedo the ongoing negotiations between President Obama and the Iranian Government has backfired in a spectacular way. As a result of the letter, over 200,000 Americans are now calling for charges of treason to be filed against the 47 Republican senators who masterminded the letter.

A petition filed with whitehouse.gov on Monday has more than 200,000 signatures as of mid-Thursday afternoon. Just to be clear; various right-wing rallies planned days in advance could only dream of this sort of turn out.

The White House must respond to any petition that gets 100,000 signatures in 30 days. This one netted more than twice that in four.

The petition calls for the rogue senators to be charged under the Logan Act, which dates from 1799 and forbids unauthorized citizens, including senators, from negotiating with foreign governments. Now, the law is out-of-date and probably wouldn't be applicable in court, but the sheer volume of signatures means the White House will have to add its own response. READ MORE
SIGN THE PETITION CLICK HERE  

IRAN RESPONDS

Netanyahu lags centre-left in last polls before Israel vote

Jerusalem (AFP) - Final opinion polls on Friday put Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's rightwing Likud party four seats behind its centre-left rival with four days to go before a general election.

Several polls released Friday -- the last day opinion surveys can be released before Tuesday's vote -- showed the Zionist Union pulling further ahead of Likud after an intense campaign.

Netanyahu, who gambled by calling the vote nearly two years early after his government coalition fell apart late last year, has warned Israel's security will be at risk if his rivals win.

But the opposition's call for change after nearly six years of rule by the divisive Netanyahu appears to have been heard by many voters.

A poll in the top-selling Yediot Aharonot newspaper showed the Zionist Union winning 26 of the 120 seats in the Israeli parliament, or Knesset, against 22 for Likud. READ MORE