New figures from the VA—still scandalous

“Acting Secretary of Veterans Affairs Sloan D. Gibson announced that VA has now contacted approximately 70,000 Veterans across the country to get them off of wait lists and into clinics for medical appointments. Gibson also announced the release of the latest updated, facility-level patient access data, which demonstrates that the number of appointments has increased by almost 200,000 from May 15 to June 1.”

http://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel/pressrelease.cfm?id=2561

College rape statistics

George Will is being hammered for his column on the phony rape statistics that would make the average American college campus worse than any major city controlled by Democrats and drug gangs at midnight, or any third world country known to be unsafe for women. In 2011 there were just 36.8 rapes per 100,000 residents of Detroit, a city with one of the worst violent crime rates in America. That’s a rate of 0.037 percent. Let's say it's under reported 10 times--you still don't get anything close to 20%. One in five is just not realistic, but that figure circulates about every 5 years when feminists are feeling ignored, or someone wants more grant money. 

Will is never one to hold back, but he's really stepped in it now, because Democrats need an issue to cover the cover-ups.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/george-will-college-become-the-victims-of-progressivism/2014/06/06/e90e73b4-eb50-11e3-9f5c-9075d5508f0a_story.html

http://www.sdjewishworld.com/2014/06/12/blumenthal-feinstein-dismayed-george-will-column-sexual-assaults-campus/

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/377492/obama-administrations-deserving-victims-heather-mac-donald/page/0/1

And women think this message by Heather MacDonald is “blame the victim,” when in fact it is common sense.

“The alleged campus-rape epidemic could be stopped overnight if women’s advocates sent a simple message to girls: Don’t get drunk and get into bed with a guy whom you barely know. Keep your clothes on and go home to your own bed at night. And most controversially: Demand that any boy court you long enough to reveal his character and his respect for yours before you even think about having sex with him. The feminist advocates are more interested in preserving the principle of male fault, however, than in protecting females from regretted sex. And so rather than sending an unequivocal message of personal empowerment and responsibility, they put the entire onus of sexual responsibility on males, treating females as the invariably helpless victims of the male libido.”

Gay sex and syphilis

After being on the verge of elimination in 2000 in the United States, syphilis cases have rebounded. Rates of primary and secondary syphilis continued to increase overall during 2005–2013; although rates stabilized during 2009–2010, rates have increased since 2011. Increases have occurred primarily among men, and particularly among MSM [men who have sex with men], who contributed the vast majority of male primary and secondary syphilis cases during 2009–2012.

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6318a4.htm?s_cid=mm6318a4_w

Ten, twenty, thirty and forty years of presidential popularity polls

An interesting look back through the polls. 10 years ago, Americans were clearly disenchanted with the Iraq War (supported by both parties originally) and GW Bush's approval was at 49%; 20 years ago, Americans were unhappy that Hillary had tried to take over healthcare, and President Clinton with approval ratings close to Obama's now signed the toughest anti-crime bill which probably accounts in part for a 20 year drop in gun violence; 30 years ago the U.S. was recovering from a recession and unemployment was still a major concern, and Reagan's approval rating was recovering at 55% but had been as low as 35%; 40 years ago Nixon resigned because of a cover up of a scandal (just one!) and his approval rating had been as low as 24%, which was still higher than Harry Truman's in the early 1950s. (Gallup.com June 6, 2014)

Health of the mother exceptions

Abby Johnson, a former employee of Planned Parenthood, says, “If a bill includes a "health of the mother" exception, it should be thrown out immediately. "Health of the mother" exceptions give permission to abort for ANY reason. Examples of "health of the mother" exceptions used in abortion clinics to abort babies past 20 weeks:

I've had headaches during this pregnancy.
I have really bad heartburn.
I vomit sometimes because I'm pregnant. ...
I feel stressed about being a mom.
I've gained a lot of weight during this pregnancy.
I have incontinence issues because I'm pregnant.
I have a lot of back pain.
My ankles keep swelling.”

 

40 years ago, the Democrats made the same mistake

Obama and his advisors and supporters in Congress did the same thing to the Iraq agreement set up by the Bush administration with forces to stay and protect after 2011 (revised by Obama to so small a force that the Iraqis rejected it) that the Democrats did to the Paris Peace Accord in Vietnam (wouldn't provide funds to protect after our troop withdrawal). Same result. http://hnn.us/article/31400

He can't blame Bush for this: "Since 2010, there has been a 58 percent increase in the number of jihadist groups, a doubling of jihadist fighters and a tripling of attacks by al Qaeda affiliates. The most significant threat to the United States, the [RAND Corporation] report concludes, comes from terrorist groups operating in Yemen, Syria, Afghanistan and Pakistan." http://www.rand.org/news/press/2014/06/04.html

http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR637.html

Sorting baby clothes—it’s been a long time

One of the amazing things about working at the pregnancy center is discovering the absolute devotion of people working to save the lives of babies. Today I sorted donated baby clothes (to be given to new mothers). Not my usual job since I do clerical work. Size tiny 0-3 months. Itsy bitsy Onesies and booties and cute little towels and bibs. I forgot how tiny a newborn is--and I'm sobered to think that just a month or two earlier, about half the country thinks it's OK to take their lives.

Pray for Sam

A young Christian ministry assistant in Latin America purchased cement which he thought was legal (all cement is controlled by the government). After it arrived at the seminary a woman in the community became very upset because she had been waiting TWO YEARS for cement. She called the National Guard. At first they said there was no problem but as things escalated they changed their minds and decided Sam had purchased contraband and took him to jail. In Latin America you are guilty until proven innocent, so he has to remain there while they conduct their investigation. Your prayers are greatly appreciated.  Even if you don’t know the circumstances, God knows.

Can the government steal a trademark?

So the government can just take away a patent or trademark because Harry Reid says so? "Redskins" wasn't offensive to 90% of native Americans who were surveyed, in fact, some of their high schools use that mascot name. What's next? Indian...a? Indianapolis, Starbucks, Chicago (shikaakwa, wild onion), Illinois (Illini) Chautauqua, Miami, Peoria, squaw (means woman in many tribal languages), Erie (the nation of Cat), and thousands of other loan words to English from native American culture. Native Americans were battling each other long before the Europeans arrived, had probably wiped out the indigenous people here before them, and now their reward for being revered for their bravery and sacrifices is cradle to grave hobbling by our federal government with the "honor" of being sovereign nations living in poverty (unless they own a casino to rot their souls).

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/us-patent-office-cancels-redskins-trademark-registration-says-name-is-disparaging/2014/06/18/e7737bb8-f6ee-11e3-8aa9-dad2ec039789_story.html

Let’s rename the team. How about the Washington Liars, or the Washington Veterans Waiting, or the Washington Lost E-mails, or the Washington Bureaucrats, or the Washington Snoops, or the Washington Cover-ups. No ethnic slurs there, just plain old ethics violations and no one worries about that anymore

                  

Mt. Morris has a bear

It’s not that difficult to imagine the problem

“It’s hard for most Americans to imagine growing up in a democracy [Sierra Leone] where elected officials devise ways to quash citizens’ attempts at free expression and a press’s right to print fair criticism of its leaders." On Campus, Ohio State University, June 12, 2014.

Actually, that's not difficult at all.  Imagine having the most powerful taxing agency in the world, the U.S. IRS, sifting through information for "anti-government" comments because the organizations are checking voter ID registration rolls for dead or duplicate voters, or a reporter being investigated by the NSA because he works for Fox, or publishing confidential voter financial records/contributions on certain issues to get a CEO fired, or publishing gun registrations because the publisher is anti-2nd amendment.  Happened.  Right here.  In the good old free press USA. Where the press functions as an arm of a political party.

Why stop at B?

Michelle Obama on feeding her kids

“Before coming to the White House, I struggled, as a working parent with a traveling, busy husband, to figure out how to feed my kids healthy, and I didn’t get it right,” she explained. “I thought to myself, if a Princeton and Harvard-educated professional woman doesn’t know how to adequately feed her kids, then what are other parents going through who don’t have access to the information I have?”

I have two degrees too (no name dropping for me), but I think I learned about basic nutrition from my mother, from 4-H, and from 7th grade home-ec class. When I was first married, I read the introductory material and nutritional information in my recipe books and women’s magazines.  Many things have changed since I was raising children, like we know margarine probably isn’t good for us, and coffee isn’t going to poison us, the way I learned.  But I always knew fruits, vegetables, some meat, cheese, eggs and bread would cover it. 

I also learned how to make a great pie from watching Mom.  It’s all in the crust.

Priorities

Which is the bigger loan shark—payday loans or government student loans?

I  checked Payday Loans against the government loans to students. Who's the real culprit. Got it--the federal government is the bigger loan shark.

"The $41.3 billion profit [from gov't student loans] for the 2013 fiscal year is down $3.6 billion from the previous year but it's a higher profit level than all but two companies in the world: Exxon Mobil cleared $44.9 billion in 2012, and Apple cleared $41.7 billion." (USAToday Nov. 25, 2013)

"The easy-to-get small ...[payday] loans have drawn a lot of criticism in recent years for burdening low-income borrowers with astronomically high interest rates and fees. In states with no restrictions on the loans, borrowers who quickly replace one payday loan with another generate $2.6 billion in fees every year. ( Washington Post, Sept. 11, 2013)

"Payday loan borrowers spend approximately $7.4 billion annually at 20,000 storefronts and hundreds of websites, plus additional sums at a growing number of banks." (Pew Report, July, 2012)

45 Uses for White Vinegar

1. Freshen up the fridge. Clean the shelves and walls with a solution of half water and half vinegar.
2. Brighten coffee cups and teacups. Gently scrub stains with equal parts vinegar and salt (or baking soda).
3. Eliminate odors. Swab plastic containers with a cloth dampened with vinegar.
4. Kill bathroom germs. Spray full-strength vinegar around the sink and tub. Wipe clean with a damp cloth.
5. Save a garment. To remove light scorch marks on fabrics, rub gently with vinegar. Wipe with a clean cloth. This technique also works on antiperspirant stains.
6. Tidy up a toilet. Pour a cup or more of diluted white distilled vinegar into the bowl. Let sit several hours or overnight. Scrub well with a toilet brush and flush.
7. Lose the carpet stain. Make a paste of 2 tablespoons white distilled vinegar and ¼ cup salt or baking soda. Rub into the stain and let dry. Vacuum the residue the next day. (Always test an out-of-sight part of the carpet first.)
8. Renew paint brushes. To remove old paint, place brushes in a pot with vinegar. Soak for an hour, then turn on the stove and bring the vinegar to a simmer. Drain and rinse clean.
9. Wipe off a dirty faucet. To get rid of lime buildup, make a paste of 1 teaspoon vinegar and 2 tablespoons salt. Apply to sink fixtures and rub with a cloth.
10. Stop static cling. Add ½ cup of white distilled vinegar to your wash cycle. The acid reduces static and keeps dryer lint from sticking to your clothes.
11. Make old socks look new. Get the stains out of old socks and sweaty gym clothes by soaking them in a vinegar solution. Add 1 cup of white distilled vinegar to a large pot of water, bring to a boil and drop in the stained clothes. Let them soak overnight, and in the morning stained clothes are fresh and bright.
12. Restore handbags and shoes. Wipe white distilled vinegar on scuffed leather bags and shoes. It will restore their shine and help hide the marks.
13. Banish weeds. Pour white distilled vinegar on the weeds growing in the cracks of your walkway and driveway. Saturate the plant so the vinegar reaches the roots.
14. Liven droopy flowers. Don’t throw out cut flowers once they start to wilt. Instead, add two tablespoons of white vinegar and one teaspoon of sugar to a quart of water. Pour the solution into your vase, and the flowers will perk up.
15. Put an end to itching. Dab a cotton ball soaked in white vinegar on mosquito bites and insect stings. It will stop them from itching and help disinfect the area so they heal faster.
16. Whiten your teeth. Brush your teeth once a week with white distilled vinegar. Dip your toothbrush into the vinegar and brush thoroughly. It will help prevent bad breath, too.
17. Make nail polish last longer. Before you apply your favorite polish, wipe your nails with a cotton ball soaked in white distilled vinegar. The clean surface will help your manicure last.
18. Keep car windows frost-free. Prevent windows from frosting over in a storm by coating them with a solution of three parts white distilled vinegar to one part water. The acidity hinders ice, so you won’t have to wake up early to scrape off your car.
19. Let your dog shine. Spray your dog with one cup white distilled vinegar mixed with one quart water. The solution is a cheap alternative to expensive pet-care products, plus the vinegar will help repel pests like fleas and ticks.
20. Battle litter-box odor. Cat litter can leave behind an unwelcome smell. Eliminate it by pouring a half-inch of white distilled vinegar into the empty litter box. Let stand for 20 minutes, then rinse with cold water.
21. Kill bacteria in meat. Marinating in vinegar knocks out bacteria and tenderizes the meat. Create a marinade by adding ¼ cup balsamic vinegar for every 2 pounds of meat to your own blend of herbs and spices. Let the meat sit anywhere from 20 minutes to 24 hours, depending on how strong you want the flavor, then cook it in the morning without rinsing.
22. Prevent cracked eggs. Prevent eggs from cracking as they hard-boil by adding two tablespoons of white vinegar to the water. The eggs will stay intact, and the shells will peel off more easily when you’re ready to eat them.
23. Steam away a microwave mess. Fill a small bowl with equal parts hot water and vinegar, and place it in the microwave on high for 5 minutes. As the steam fills the microwave, it loosens the mess, making clean up a breeze.
24. Repair DVDs. If you have a worn DVD that skips or freezes, wipe it down with white distilled vinegar applied to a soft cloth. Make sure the DVD is completely dry before reinserting it into the player.
25. Get those last drops. If you can’t get that final bit of mayonnaise or salad dressing out of the jar, dribble in a few drops of vinegar. Put the cap on tightly and shake. The remaining condiments will slide out.
26. Rinse fruits and vegetables. Add 2 tablespoons white distilled vinegar to one pint water. Use the mixture to wash fresh fruits and vegetables, then rinse thoroughly. The solution kills more pesticide residue than does pure water.
27. Brighter Easter eggs. Before your kids dye Easter eggs, mix 1 teaspoon of vinegar with ½ cup of hot water, then add food coloring. The vinegar keeps the dye bright and prevents the color from streaking.
28. Loosen a rusted screw. Pour vinegar onto the screw, and it will easily unstick.
29. Remove gum. To remove gum from fabric or hair, heat a small bowl of vinegar in the microwave. Pour the warm vinegar over the gum, saturating the area. The gum will dissolve.
30. Keep cheese from molding. Wrap cheese in a vinegar-soaked cloth, then place in an airtight container and refrigerate.
31. Renew a loofah. Soak your loofah in equal parts vinegar and water for 24 hours to dissolve soap residue, then rinse in cold water.
32. Remove wax. If you get melted candle wax on your wood furniture or floors, gently wipe it away with a cloth soaked in a solution of equal parts white vinegar and water.
33. Take a relaxing bath. Add ½ cup of vinegar to warm bath water for a cheap spa session at home. The vinegar removes dead skin, leaving you feeling soft and smooth.
34. Brighten your hair. Remove hair product buildup by rinsing a tablespoon of vinegar through your hair once a month.
35. Freshen fabrics. Fill a spray bottle with white vinegar and spritz your home to neutralize odors in fabrics, carpets, shoes or any sprayable surface.
36. Erase crayon. If your kids get crayon marks on the walls or floor, dip a toothbrush in white vinegar and gently scrub. The vinegar breaks down the wax, making for an inexpensive, nontoxic way to clean up after children.
37. Sticky stickers. Don’t scratch at the residue left by stickers or price tags. Instead, apply vinegar to the gunk, let it sit for a few minutes, then wipe the glue away.
38. Clean the dishwasher and coffee pot. Reduce soap buildup and food residue by pouring a cup of vinegar into your empty dishwasher or coffee pot once a month and letting it run a full cycle.
39. Sanitize pet accidents. You can remove the stain―and smell―of your pet’s accident by mixing ¼ cup vinegar with a quart of water and blotting the mixture onto the mess with a washcloth. Continue dabbing until the spot is gone.
40. Prep for summer grilling. To remove charcoal buildup from your grill, spray white distilled vinegar on balled up aluminum foil and scrub the grate thoroughly.
41. Restore showerhead pressure. If your showerhead gets clogged with mineral deposits, soak it for 15 minutes in a mixture of ½ cup vinegar and 1 quart water.
42. Clean your scissors. When your scissor blades get sticky, wipe them down with a cloth dipped in full-strength white vinegar. Unlike soap and water, vinegar won’t ruin the blades or rust the metal.
43. Unclog drains. For a natural, nontoxic way to clean clogged pipes, pour one cup of baking soda, followed by one cup of white vinegar, down the drain. Let the products bubble and foam, then flush the pipes with a pot of boiling water.
44. Eliminate dandruff. If your scalp is feeling dry or flaky, vinegar can be a simple at-home remedy. Once a week, pour one cup of apple cider vinegar over your scalp, and let it sit for 15 minutes. Rinse thoroughly with cool water.
45. Soften your feet. Summer sandals leaving you with cracked heals and calluses? Soak your feet for 20 minutes a day in one part vinegar to two parts warm water. The vinegar removes dead skin, leaving your feet soft and smooth.

Thousands may lose their insurance subsidies—big surprise come April

This might change some ACA success stories, but since it's rolled off the front page, who will care? Or maybe it could cover up for the Iraq beheadings and massacres since Obama declared it safe and sovereign. "Of the eight million people who signed up for private health plans through insurance exchanges under the new health care law, two million reported personal information that differed from data in government records, according to federal officials and Serco, the company hired to resolve such inconsistencies.

The government is asking consumers for additional documents to verify their income, citizenship, immigration status and Social Security numbers, as well as any health coverage that they may have from employers. People who do not provide the information risk losing their subsidized coverage and may have to repay subsidies next April." New York Times, June 15, 2014

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/16/us/thousands-to-be-questioned-on-eligibility-for-health-insurance-subsidies.html?_r=1

Pray for the unborn whose only hope is their mothers’ decision about life

There are 22 women on my pregnancy prayer list this week. Only one is leaning toward adoption as a solution for an unwanted pregnancy. All the rest are either planning an abortion, asking about it, or considering it; two are married, two single with other children, so they know what they are doing--taking the life of their children’s sibling. In one case, the father is anxious for her not to ab...ort; in another, the father is pressuring her to abort. There are no tragic stories of rape or incest or disability--just bad choices. There is all manner of financial support for women in this situation, much more so than 20 or 30 years ago--from free, to sliding scale to government. What there isn’t is society’s support . . . for children to be allowed to live, to be valued and treated fairly.

Sharyl Attkisson’s questions on Lois Lerner’s missing e-mails

• Please provide a timeline of the crash and documentation covering when it was first discovered and by whom; when, how and by whom it was learned that materials were lost; the official documentation reporting the crash and federal data loss; documentation reflecting all attempts to recover the materials; and the remediation records documenting the fix. This material should include the names of all officials and technicians involved, as well as all internal communications about the matter.
• Please provide all documents and emails that refer to the crash from the time that it happened through the IRS’ disclosure to Congress Friday that it had occurred.
• Please provide the documents that show the computer crash and lost data were appropriately reported to the required entities including any contractor servicing the IRS. If the incident was not reported, please explain why.
• Please provide a list summarizing what other data was irretrievably lost in the computer crash. If the loss involved any personal data, was the loss disclosed to those impacted? If not, why?
• Please provide documentation reflecting any security analyses done to assess the impact of the crash and lost materials. If such analyses were not performed, why not?
• Please provide documentation showing the steps taken to recover the material, and the names of all technicians who attempted the recovery.
• Please explain why redundancies required for federal systems were either not used or were not effective in restoring the lost materials, and provide documentation showing how this shortfall has been remediated.
• Please provide any documents reflecting an investigation into how the crash resulted in the irretrievable loss of federal data and what factors were found to be responsible for the existence of this situation.
• I would also ask for those who discovered and reported the crash to testify under oath, as well as any officials who reported the materials as having been irretrievably lost.

                  

http://sharylattkisson.com/lois-lerners-lost-emails-questions-for-the-irs/

While Iraq goes up in flames, Obama plugs climate control

"President Obama hijacked the commencement address of students at the University of California at Irvine this weekend to mock people who disagree with him on climate change. The President insulted all of the graduates who disagree with him on global warming on a day that was supposed to be in their honor.

No President should mock his country's citizenry, but if he's going to do it anyway, he should have delivered a better speech than this fatuous, misleading poppycock." National Center for Public Policy Research

http://www.conservativeblog.org/amyridenour/2014/6/16/3-reasons-obamas-university-of-california-at-irvine-commence.html

The President said: "So the question is not whether we need to act. The overwhelming judgment of science, accumulated and measured and reviewed over decades, has put that question to rest."

Response: Proper science doesn't rest on "judgments," even multiple judgments that someone somehow "measures." It finds proof.

The President said: "The 18 warmest years on record have all happened since you graduates were born."

Response: Our temperature records are very short, and a 16-year period of warming ended about the time today's high school graduates were born. The President could just as accurately said there hasn't been any warming since Bill Clinton was President and that one of his own agencies released data this month showing the United States has cooled slightly over the last decade, but that didn't fit his political agenda

The President said: "Out West, firefighters brave longer, harsher wildfire seasons; states have to budget for that. Mountain towns worry about what smaller snowpacks mean for tourism. Farmers and families at the bottom worry about what it will mean for their water. In cities like Norfolk and Miami, streets now flood frequently at high tide. Shrinking icecaps have National Geographic making the biggest change in its atlas since the Soviet Union broke apart."

Response: If this is the best evidence the President has for the catastrophic global warming theory, it's a wonder he can say he believes in it with a straight face. Wildfires are affected by many circumstances, and did the President not notice that it snowed a lot last winter? Sea levels have been rising for thousands of years, and the fall of the Soviet Union was only 23 years ago, not even a blink in climate terms. And, by the way, global sea ice is approaching record high levels. Give it up, Mr. President, if this is all you've got.