Yes, the system is still down. But instead of a simple "Sorry, the system is down" window, we're hiring people to engage in idiotic conversation.

[06:51:48 am]: Thanks for contacting Health Insurance Marketplace Live Chat. Please wait while we connect you to someone who can help.

[06:51:54 am]:  Please be patient while we're helping other people.

[06:51:56 am]: Welcome! You're now connected to Health Insurance Marketplace Live Chat. Thanks for contacting us. My name is Anthony. To protect your privacy, please don't provide any personal information, like Social Security Number, or any other sensitive medical or personal information.

[06:52:05 am]: Anthony

Good morning, how can I help you?

[06:52:24 am]: james

Still doesn't work. I thought the President said it would work today. Sup?

[06:53:08 am]: Anthony

Are you trying to log into your account or fill out or submit an application?

[06:54:52 am]: james

I'm loged in. Have given the government ALL my personal and financial information. Chosen my plan. I have a nifty "check mark" showing I've chosen my plan. It won't allow me to "Enroll". Been doing the same thing for over a month.

[06:56:30 am]: Anthony

Alright you click on "Enroll" and nothing happens or it gives you an error message or it just sits there and does nothing?

[06:58:00 am]: james

I click "Enroll" and it goes back to the "you're not enrolled" page. Cycles through all the same pages endlessly.

[06:59:27 am]: Anthony

Okay there are a few things we can try. Have you tried using different browsers? Or turning off your pop-up blocker? Are you using any toolbars?

[07:01:51 am]: Anthony

Sir are you still there?

[07:04:22 am]: james

I'm trying now.

[07:05:06 am]: Anthony

Alright. If this doesnt work the only other option is to call the call center and have them assist you.

[07:05:19 am]: james

I turned off virus protection, firewall, pop-up blocker and used a different browser. Same old time wasting result.

[07:07:08 am]: Anthony

Alright I apologize for the inconvenience. I am going to refer you to our call center at 1-800-318-2596. They can get you enrolled into the health plan that you want.

[07:11:09 am]: james

I've spoken with them many times before. Same time wasting result. If this was a traditional insurance provider, the media would be demanding we get money damages foe our many hours of wasted time. Instead we are forced to pay you people to tell us the same worthless information. Time after time. You should all be ashamed.

[07:12:14 am]: Anthony

Sir, I understand your frustration and I apologize. What do they tell you when you call our call center?

[07:15:45 am]: james

Same suggestions you gave. Promises the system would be up in 24,48,72 hours. Promises of return calls to get me healthcare. Again. If this was a private company, it would be out of business NOW. Instead, my taxs will go up to pay for this disaster. Thankfully, you and those who voted for Obama will get most of the bill to pay for this so there is some justice.

[07:17:59 am]: Anthony

Alright so here is my suggestion. Call our call center again and tell them what your issue is and if they tell you they can not help you ask to be transfered to a supervisor. Tell the supervisor what your issue is and see what they can do for you.

[07:19:17 am]: james

thank you

[07:19:49 am]: Anthony

I really am sorry for the frustrations. Hopefully you can get your issue solved this way.

[07:20:56 am]: Anthony

Is there anything else I can do for you?

If you are a Chinese General, what are ya thinkin' about this guy, Obama? -----Airlines Urged by U.S. to Give Notice to China

Who'd of thought ANYONE could make Jimmah Carter look like Winston Churchill in comparison?
Airlines Urged by U.S. to Give Notice to China - NYTimes.com
WASHINGTON — Even as China scrambled fighter jets to enforce its newly declared air defense zone, the Obama administration said on Friday that it was advising American commercial airlines to comply with China’s demands to be notified in advance of flights through the area.
....."The U.S. government generally expects that U.S. carriers operating internationally will operate consistent with” notice requirements “issued by foreign countries,” the State Department said in a statement, adding that that “does not indicate U.S. government acceptance of China’s requirements."

Crooked (yes a redundancy) democrat politicians and greedy (redundancy alert!) unions guaranteeing financial ruin.

Guaranteeing financial ruin in Illinois - chicagotribune.com:
"This isn't a reform, but rather a fiscal death sentence: 
.....Compare the generous benefits provided by our state to government employees, as compared to the benefits enjoyed by those who work in the private sector.
In Illinois, a member of the Teachers Retirement System who retired in 2012 after 30 years of service could expect to receive a starting pension of $72,693, with an automatic 3 percent annual compounded increase and free health care. 
In fact, nearly 10,000 Illinois government pensioners receive more than $100,000 a year.
For those employed in the private sector who elect to retire at age 62, the maximum benefit under Social Security one can receive is $23,076 — and that person gets lower cost-of-living increases and less health coverage than our state public pensioners.

Obama shows his Chicago-style "class" as he refers to Tea Party Members as 'Tea-baggers'

Meanwhile, the grossly overpaid members of America's Pravda clones repeat their made-up stories of W.....  
Obama Refers to Tea Party Members as 'Tea-baggers':
"President Barak Obama used the sexually vulgar expression “tea-baggers” to refer to tea party members in a letter he wrote to a Texas grade school Teacher.
The term “tea-baggers” has been used to ridicule the tea party, a group of American activists who advocate reducing taxes,  shrinking the size of government, and returning to traditional family values.
Obama was replying to a letter he received from Thomas Ritter, a 5th grade school teacher from Irving, Texas."

Go home folks. Nothing to see here. Victims are white. Perps .........Manhattan Chef Latest Victim of Knockout Game?

Manhattan Chef Latest Victim of Knockout Game?:
"Philadelphia police believe the “Knockout Game” is responsible for the vicious beating of a Manhattan chef visiting Old Town Philly on Tuesday.
Diego Moya, with his nose shattered and his jaw fractured, underwent a three hour surgery which included the wiring of his jaw shut, leaving him speechless.
The “Knockout Game” is played by predominantly black teens who punch unsuspecting victims, rendering them unconscious, severely injured, or in some cases dead."

Obama's america-Food Bank of Eastern Michigan's services help more than 82,000 'food insecure' families, individuals in Genesee County

Gotta love the libs and their professional propagandists.
"Food insecure" is the new "starving".
Their problem is they can't find a photo of ANYONE who's officially "food insecure" who weighs less than 200 pounds.  
Food Bank of Eastern Michigan's services help more than 82,000 'food insecure' families, individuals in Genesee County | MLive.com:
"Sanders is one of 82,570 Genesee County residents estimated by the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan to be "food insecure" -- families and individuals uncertain of where their next meal will come from. "

Read this and practice your "duck and cover"----Here's What a Shooting War in the East China Sea Might Look Like

Here's What a Shooting War in the East China Sea Might Look Like - Popular Mechanics:
"The war of words and maritime move–countermove has been under way for years, but this latest escalation could be the fuse to ignite a war that can't easily be stopped. 
Here's how a hypothetical scenario might unfold. "

RIGGING THE FUTURE: Obamacare Creates 50 New State Databases With No Function Beyond Gathering Potential Voter Information, Real or Fraudulent

PJ Media » RIGGING THE FUTURE: Obamacare Creates 50 New State Databases With No Function Beyond Gathering Potential Voter Information, Real or Fraudulent:
"Since the passage of Obamacare, all fifty state Medicaid agencies have been forced to create a new standalone database that contains nothing besides the contact information of Medicaid applicants who used Healthcare.gov.
Some of these new databases mail out voter registration forms automatically.
You cannot refuse them.
No worthwhile verification occurs before the forms are mailed.
Apply for Medicaid and the form will be mailed to you, be you a verifiable citizen or Ayman al-Zawahiri on a computer in Pakistan.
Further, these new databases are accessible by groups like Organizing for Action, the reconstituted ACORN, and malevolent figures like Chris Tarango.
And no reasonable purpose exists for creating the databases besides making them available to the aforementioned Democratic activists."

CNN and MSNBC Lose Almost Half Their Viewers in One Year

CNN and MSNBC Lose Almost Half Their Viewers in One Year | NewsBusters:
"It's been a tough year for the liberal cable news outlets.
Data released Tuesday show CNN shedding 48 percent of total viewers since last November and MSNBC dropping 45 percent."

United Airlines Nearly Kills Pet, Aims For Streisand Glory Instead Of Paying Vet Bill

United Airlines Nearly Kills Pet, Aims For Streisand Glory Instead Of Paying Vet Bill | Techdirt:
"As the saying goes, there are many ways to skin a Streisand effect.
Wait, no, that's not right, but the point is that attempts at silencing speech resulting in an explosion of that speech are quite varied.
From railing against parody Twitter accounts, to attempts to silence negative online reviews, to professional sports leagues trying to keep documentaries from going live, it seems we all have something to learn from Senorita Streisand and her icy wrath.
But few such lessons include puppies, such as this one that reader IAsimov alerts us to, in which United Airlines nearly killed an owner's beloved dog and agreed to pay her vet bills, but only if she signed an non-disclosure agreement. 
Janet Sinclair brought her pets, Sedona the greyhound and Alika the cat, on a cross-country trip using UA's "PetSafe" program, which makes several promises about how the animals will be treated and what type of conditions they'll be exposed to.
It would appear, to put it mildly, that the airline failed to keep their promises."

"The Streisand Effect":  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streisand_effect

TSA at Thanksgiving dinner!

Detroititis infected the entire county--Could Wayne County be headed to state intervention?

Could Wayne County be headed to state intervention? | The Detroit News

Wayne County is a financial mess.

Its budget deficit is huge, projected just two months into the current fiscal year to exceed an estimated $220 million. Major departments, led by the sheriff and prosecutor, routinely bust their budgets even as their bosses beg for more cash.

And the county’s employee pension fund is woefully underfunded, with only half the assets on hand to pay currently projected liabilities.
That’s roughly on par (depending on who is doing the estimating for whom) with Detroit’s underfunded pension funds — plagued as they have been in recent years by corruption, self-dealing board members and now the threat posed by Chapter 9 bankruptcy.

Obama: Thankful for injuns. Not so thankful for God's blessing

OK. 
So the guy's an atheist.
But he pretends otherwise.
And not convincingly so.
Obama: We'll spend today like many of you by Andrew Malcolm - Investors.com:
"And as Americans, we have so much to be thankful for.
We give thanks for the men and women who set sail for this land nearly four centuries ago, risking everything for the chance at a better life — and the people who were already here, our Native American brothers and sisters, for their generosity during that first Thanksgiving."

The Best Turkey Frying Disasters on the Internet

The Best Turkey Frying Disasters on the Internet:

Focusing on "race and unions". The perfect recipe for municipal collapse-Former Flint mayor calls for 'drastic measures' to help city rebound

Electing and re-electing crooks and morons doesn't help much either.
Former Flint mayor calls for 'drastic measures' to help city rebound | MLive.com:
"Today, Collier said he blames race and union politics for the project never getting off the ground.
Fast forward more than 20 years and GM has shuttered several factories and Flint’s tax base is a sliver of what it once was.
“Here, the city is electing felons and people who are bankrupt,” he said, referring to the Nov. 5 Flint City Council election that saw wins by two candidates with felony convictions and two who had filed for bankruptcy. “Unfortunately, I think it does give Flint a real black eye.
From an outside perspective, it gives Flint a real negative perception.”"

Liberals Are Nice People-Actually, no. They're not.

Plus they take your stuff without asking.
And then tell you to thank them.
And then tell you how generous they are.

▶ Liberals Are Nice People. - YouTube: ""

'via Blog this'

The brilliant black economist/author the liberals call an "oreo"-----Random Thoughts - Thomas Sowell

Random Thoughts - Thomas Sowell - Page 1:
"One of the best peace speeches I ever read was one delivered back in the 1930s -- by Adolf Hitler!
He knew that peace speeches would keep the Western democracies from matching his military buildup with their own, or attacking him to prevent his buildup from continuing.
Peace speeches by Iran today serve the same purpose of buying time -- until they can create a nuclear bomb."

Don't you love it when a politicians says, "I take full responsibility"? 
Translated into plain English, that says, "Now that I have admitted it, there is nothing more for me to do (such as resign) and nothing for anyone else to do (such as fire me)." 
Saying "I take full responsibility" is like a get-out-of-jail-free card in the Monopoly game.

Think I read about media cover-ups when Jews were beaten and killed back in the day-----The Knockout Game -- NYT/NPR Say No Big Deal

Little seems to have changed with today's American liberal media.
We expect it with NYT/CNN/MSNBC/CBS/NBC/ABC.
But it is especially galling to see American tax dollars supporting the cover-up at the government funded NPR and PBS.
Pravda by any other name.
The Knockout Game -- NYT/NPR Say No Big Deal | RealClearPolitics:
"The "knockout game" -- and the media underreporting of it -- combines the breakdown of the family with the media's condescending determination to serve as a public relations bureau for blacks.
The "game" is a dare in which a young man -- all the perps appear to be male people of color, mostly blacks -- tries to literally knock out an innocent bystander with one blow.
Both National Public Radio and The New York Times say these reports of the "knockout game" being widespread are overblown and do not represent a trend. 
Really?
According to Colin Flaherty, author of "White Girl Bleed A Lot: The Return of Racial Violence to America and How the Media Ignore It," the knockout game has gone national. He describes "knockouts" in Philadelphia, Atlantic City, St. Louis, Birmingham, Chicago, Charlotte, Milwaukee, Denver, Minneapolis, Georgetown, New York City, Greensboro, Baltimore, Las Vegas, Kansas City, Miami, Cleveland, Nashville, Peoria, Seattle, Saratoga Springs, Atlanta and a host of others towns and cities."

No mention of "race" in the story......you know what that means......Hamden High School student arrested for playing 'knockout game'

Hamden High School student arrested for playing 'knockout game' - KFVS12 News & Weather Cape Girardeau, Carbondale, Poplar Bluff:
 "HAMDEN, CT (WFSB) -A Hamden High School student has become a victim of a brutal trend known as the "knockout game."
A male senior was walking in the halls of Hamden High School on Friday when police said a student "ran toward him and punched him under the eye."
Because of the assault, the senior suffered an eye injury."

The reason the GOP loses-act like the democrat thugs. Just do it stupider----Tea party critics blast 'incumbent protection act' approved by Republican-led Michigan Senate

The ruling republicans see balanced budget and Tea Party as the enemy.
We see the GOPer leadership as "democrats without any social skills".
Tea party critics blast 'incumbent protection act' approved by Republican-led Michigan Senate | MLive.com
"But what's largely gone unreported is that the bill also would lift a longstanding prohibition against primary spending by political party caucuses.
That would allow committees run by current lawmakers to back state House or Senate candidates of their choosing - including themselves or their colleagues.

Tea party activists say that the proposed change would protect "establishment" candidates from grassroots challengers. Some are derisively referring to the bill as the "incumbent protection act."

"The intent is to keep the ruling political class the ruling political class," said Joan Fabiano, founder of Grassroots in Michigan. "Whoever is going to be the team player, according to the powers that be, will have considerably more financial resources at their disposal."

Thank you kids. We get to spend the moolah. You get to pay. Keep voting democrat!!! -----N.Y. Leads With $66.5 Billion Unfunded Retiree Cost, S&P Says

N.Y. Leads With $66.5 Billion Unfunded Retiree Cost, S&P Says - Bloomberg:
 "New York’s $66.5 billion unfunded obligation for costs such as retiree health care is the largest among U.S. states as the governments’ combined liability fell about 3 percent from a 2011 survey, Standard & Poor’s said.
The liability of the third-most-populous state surpassed that of California, which has a $65 billion unfinanced burden, according to an S&P report released today.
New Jersey was third with $64 billion in other post-employment benefits.
Oklahoma had the lowest.
States’ collective burden was about $529 billion. "

Taxes to bureaucrats are like chocolate for fat people. They know they are long term bad. But it feels so good in the short run------"'Tax on tax' keeps Illinois gas prices among nation's highest

'Tax on tax' keeps Illinois gas prices among nation's highest - News - The State Journal-Register - Springfield, IL:
"The state’s share of the sales tax is 5 percent, while local governments receive 1.25 percent.
Some municipalities pile their own sales taxes on fuel in addition – ranging from 0.25 percent in some small communities to 3.5 percent in the city of Chicago.
The city of Springfield has no municipal motor-fuel tax.
California, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, Michigan and New York are among the handful of other states that charge a motor-fuel sales tax."

Phony "non-partisan" group gets rich--Families USA Received $1 Million to Promote Obamacare

Million to Promote ObamacareCapitol City Project:

‘Non-partisan’ group paid $1 million to produce positive Obamacare

 stories

November 25, 2013 | Joe Schoffstall

With the roll out of Obamacare being as disastrous as possible for the Obama administration, one group was given a $1 million grant to help lead a rebranding effort with hopes of salvaging the law in the eyes of the American people.

Families USA (FUSA) — an organization that describes itself as a “national nonprofit, non-partisan organization dedicated to the achievement of high-quality, affordable health care for all Americans” — was given a $1.1 million grant by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation on October 4, 2013, to gather “success stories” of Americans dealing with Obamacare and distribute them to the media who often refer to them as an “independent” group. This is part of a greater upcoming effort to bolster the perception of the lowly health care law.

However, the organization is a far cry from “non-partisan” and is extremely close to the Obama Administration and Enroll America – the group leading the efforts to sign people up for Obamacare.

Philippe Villers, the president of Families USA, serves as the Secretary and Treasurer of Board of a little-known group called the Herndon Alliance. The Herndon Alliance originated in Herndon, VA in 2005 and produced research the left used to sell the overhaul of the United States health care system and counteract opposition as the president was making a push for Obamacare.

As Lachlan Markay of the Washington Free Beacon noted, they are credited with crafting President Obama’s, “If you like your health care plan, you can keep it” message, and are even backed with money from George Soros’ Open Society Institute.

....some are just more equal than others......

Thankful for so much. But 5-7" is the cherry on top of the sundae! Accumulating snow on the way to much of Michigan for Thanksgiving, but just how much?

Snowshoes are ready!

Accumulating snow on the way to much of Michigan for Thanksgiving, but just how much? | MLive.com

Heck, if yer brought up to hate America yer gonna hate America. No matter how "smart" the libs tell you you are----Ronan Farrow links Thanksgiving to genocide

Ronan Farrow links Thanksgiving to genocide | The Daily Caller:
"Ronan Farrow, alleged genius and MSNBC’s newest host, took to Twitter to share some thoughts about Thanksgiving on Wednesday:
Farrow is the 25-year-old son of Mia Farrow and Woody Allen, though there is some speculation that his father may actually be Frank Sinatra. He has impressive professional and academic credentials, graduating from college at 15 and Yale Law School at 21 before being named a Rhodes Scholar at 23. He also allegedly worked for Hillary Clinton and the late Richard Holbrooke at the State Department.

But Farrow’s public comments have not lent weight to his genius reputation. Appearing on MSNBC in October, he declared – to much ridicule — that Bill and Hillary Clinton “represent a style of honesty that the public craves.” With his Thanksgiving tweets, he gives off the impression he is nothing more than a run-of-the-mill leftwing hack.

Farrow’s MSNBC show is set to premier sometime in 2014."

Before Chainsaws - America's Logging Industry

Before Chainsaws - America's Logging Industry « Log Home bLog:
"Before chainsaws were invented, the logging industry in the United States & Canada was a seriously challenging occupation and we are only talking about 125 years ago.
In the Pacific Northwest there were forests full of monster trees and cutting them down was done by hand.
A friend sent me these photos and I had to share them with you."

War drums! ----Argentina declares war on falkland island oil reserves las malvinas exploration

The Argentine economy is collapsing.
England has almost eliminated their navy.
Barack "Peace-in-our-time" Obama has shown his true colors.
NATO is an environmental club.
The perfect mix for WW3
Argentina declares war on falkland island oil reserves las malvinas exploration | World | News | Daily Express:
"ARGENTINA has declared war on the Falkland Islands’ oil reserves after the country’s Congress today passed a law imposing criminal sanctions on any “illegal exploration around Las Malvinas”."

FLASH-BBC News - China sends warplanes to newly declared air zone

They are NOT our friends!
BBC News - China sends warplanes to newly declared air zone

The vast zone, announced last week, covers territory claimed by China, Japan, Taiwan and South Korea.

China has said all planes transiting the zone must file flight plans and identify themselves, or face "defensive emergency measures".

But Japan, South Korea and the US have all since flown military aircraft through the area.

Continue reading the main story

“sThe new dispute in an already tense region has raised concerns it could escalate into an unplanned military incident.

China's state news agency Xinhua quoted air force spokesman Col Shen Jinke as saying several fighter jets and an early warning aircraft had been deployed to carry out routine patrols as "a defensive measure and in line with international common practices".
He said the country's air force would remain on high alert and would take measures to deal with all air threats to protect national security.

They'd NEVER lie like this if they knew the media would call them on it. But they know their comrades in the media........ The Next ObamaCare Mirage

Thomas Miller and Abby McCloskey: The Next ObamaCare Mirage - WSJ.com:
"The president jumped on this theme in his press conference on Nov. 14.
"I'm not going to walk away from something that has helped the cost of health care grow at its slowest rate in 50 years," he said. On Wednesday, the White House Council of Economic Advisers published a report claiming that "the ACA is contributing to the recent slow growth in health care prices and spending."
These assertions border on nonsense.
National spending on health care is projected to reach a record $2.9 trillion in 2013, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. 
This is more than 25% above pre-recession spending levels in 2007. 
Health-care expenditures per capita and as a percentage of GDP are also at record highs, expected to top out this year at $9,216 and 18% respectively."

Sure sounds like a democrat to me.

10 classic American brands that are foreign-owned

10 classic American brands that are foreign-owned | Detroit Free Press | freep.com:
"These are ten great American brands that are foreign-owned.

4. Good Humor

• Founding date: 1923

• Category: Ice cream

• Current parent company: Unilever

• Currently headquartered: England

• In 1923, Harry B. Burt of Youngstown, Ohio, patented his new method of making frozen confections — freezing ice cream bars to wooden handles and coating them in a hard chocolate layer. According to Burt, the value of the new process was in its sanitation and cleanliness. Instead of opening a store to sell his new Good Humor bars, Burt organized a fleet of ice-cream trucks with bells and carefully trained white-clad salesmen. When its founder died in 1926, the company went public and successfully expanded across much of the U.S. Unilever subsidiary Lipton purchased Good Humor in 1961.

Hey, maybe the sky really is falling--------Dad: Son struck by meteorites while playing outside

Dad: Son struck by meteorites while playing outside | News - Home:
 "LOXAHATCHEE, Fla. -The family of a 7-year-old boy says their son was hurt after small meteorites fell from the sky while he was playing outside."

They are NOT our friends--U.S. Sent B-52s Into China Air Zone, Official Says

U.S. Sent B-52s Into China Air Zone, Official Says - Bloomberg:
"The U.S. flew two unarmed B-52 bombers into a disputed air-defense zone claimed by China, the first test of China’s response amid escalating tensions in the region that have implications for international air travel."

"Obama" becoming a synonym for "turkey"?

And everyone thinks it's Walmart's fault-------When Roosevelt (he was a democrat...OMG!) replaced "Thanks" with commerce.

Pilgrims and Indians and the First Thanksgiving:
"In 1939, Franklin D. Roosevelt departed from tradition by declaring November 23, the next to the last Thursday that year, as Thanksgiving.
All of Lincoln's successors had proclaimed Thanksgiving for the final Thursday in November.
But in 1939, the National Dry Goods Association had requested Roosevelt move Thanksgiving back one week to allow for a longer Christmas season. 
This caused considerable controversy, with 23 states celebrating Thanksgiving on the 23rd, and 23 states waiting until the 30th.
This Thanksgiving was called "Franksgiving" by many who considered Roosevelt's proclamation an outrage.
In 1941, Roosevelt announced that the extending of the Christmas season had caused no increase in retail sales, and on November 26, 1941, he signed a bill that established the fourth Thursday in November as the national Thanksgiving holiday, which it has been ever since."

Turkey lyin' to a turkey....

And the silent bailout continues. Hey, it's a black city......-----Detroit gets $24M federal grant to hire 150 firefighters

Detroit gets $24M federal grant to hire 150 firefighters | The Detroit News:
"The Detroit Fire Department was awarded $24 million in federal funding to hire 150 firefighters, lawmakers announced Wednesday.
U.S. Sens. Debbie Stabenow and Carl Levin said the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Program grant will help protect Detroiters."

▶ WKRP "As God as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly" Thanksgiving - YouTube

▶ WKRP "As God as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly" Thanksgiving - YouTube: "

Birth of the democrat party

"I am no cook. But I can follow the directions. Which said to let the bird chill in the sink for a few hours."

The Desolate Wilderness

More if you care about our history:
Review & Outlook: The Desolate Wilderness - WSJ.com:
"Here beginneth the chronicle of those memorable circumstances of the year 1620, as recorded by Nathaniel Morton , keeper of the records of Plymouth Colony, based on the account of William Bradford , sometime governor thereof:
So they left that goodly and pleasant city of Leyden, which had been their resting-place for above eleven years, but they knew that they were pilgrims and strangers here below, and looked not much on these things, but lifted up their eyes to Heaven, their dearest country, where God hath prepared for them a city (Heb. XI, 16), and therein quieted their spirits."

Try this at today's Thanksgiving......

Ask each person this question:
The Pilgrims celebrated the first Thanksgiving.
Who were they thanking?
What were they giving thanks for?
 

Governor William Bradford's 1623 Thanksgiving Day Proclamation

Governor William Bradford's 1623 Thanksgiving Day Proclamation

Inasmuch as the great Father has given us this year an abundant harvest of Indian corn, wheat, peas, beans, squashes, and garden vegetables, and has made the forests to abound with game and the sea with fish and clams, and inasmuch as he has protected us from the ravages of the savages, has spared us from pestilence and disease, has granted us freedom to worship God according to the dictates of our own conscience.
Now I, your magistrate, do proclaim that all ye Pilgrims, with your wives and ye little ones, do gather at ye meeting house, on ye hill, between the hours of 9 and 12 in the day time, on Thursday, November 29th, of the year of our Lord one thousand six hundred and twenty-three and the third year since ye Pilgrims landed on ye Pilgrim Rock, there to listen to ye pastor and render thanksgiving to ye Almighty God for all His blessings.
--William Bradford
Ye Governor of Ye Colony

The Real Story of Thanksgiving-The one they don't teach in schools anymore.

An especially good rendition of the first Thanksgiving.

Read it all.
Make sure your kids read it.
Have a wonderful, thankful Thanksgiving!
The Real Story of Thanksgiving - The Rush Limbaugh Show
......But while most of the rest of the world has been experimenting with socialism for well over a hundred years – trying to refine it, perfect it, and re-invent it – the Pilgrims decided early on to scrap it permanently. What Bradford wrote about this social experiment should be in every schoolchild's history lesson If it were, we might prevent much needless suffering in the future. 

"The experience that we had in this common course and condition, tried sundry years...that by taking away property, and bringing community into a common wealth, would make them happy and flourishing – as if they were wiser than God," Bradford wrote. "For this community [so far as it was] was found to breed much confusion and discontent, and retard much employment that would have been to their benefit and comfort. For young men that were most able and fit for labor and service did repine that they should spend their time and strength to work for other men's wives and children without any recompense...that was thought injustice." 
Why should you work for other people when you can't work for yourself? 
What's the point? Do you hear what he was saying, ladies and gentlemen?
 The Pilgrims found that people could not be expected to do their best work without incentive. 
So what did Bradford's community try next? 
They unharnessed the power of good old free enterprise by invoking the undergirding capitalistic principle of private property. 
Every family was assigned its own plot of land to work and permitted to market its own crops and products. And what was the result?

.... In no time, the Pilgrims found they had more food than they could eat themselves. Now, this is where it gets really good, folks, if you're laboring under the misconception that I was, as I was taught in school. So they set up trading posts and exchanged goods with the Indians. The profits allowed them to pay off their debts to the merchants in London. And the success and prosperity of the Plymouth settlement attracted more Europeans and began what came to be known as the "Great Puritan Migration." Now, you probably haven't read this. You might have heard me read it to you over the previous years on this program, but I don't think this lesson is still being taught to children -- and if not, why not? I mean, is there a more important lesson one could derive from the Pilgrim experience than this? 
Thanksgiving, in other words, is not thanks to the Indians, and it's not thanks to William Bradford. It's not thanks to the merchants of London. Thanksgiving is thanks to God, pure and simple......

Thanksgiving Proclamation - Proclamation - Thanksgiving Day - 1863

WallBuilders - Thanksgiving Proclamation - Proclamation - Thanksgiving Day - 1863

President Abraham Lincoln's Proclamation of Thanksgiving
Issued, October 3, 1863

The year that is drawing towards its close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God.

In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to invite and provoke the aggressions of foreign States, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere, except in the theater of military conflict; while that theater has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union.

The needful diversions of wealth and strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defense have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship. The axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battlefield; and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom.

No human counsel hath devised, nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.

It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and voice by the whole American people; I do, therefore, invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a Day of Thanksgiving and Prayer to our beneficent Father, who dwelleth in the heavens. And I recommend to them that, while offering up the ascriptions justly due to him that, for such singular deliverances and blessings; they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it, as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes, to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility, and union.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the city of Washington this third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the independence of the United States the eighty-eighth.

Abraham Lincoln

Wal-Mart deserves the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize for improving the lives of millions of low-income consumers globally

Wal-Mart deserves the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize for improving the lives of millions of low-income consumers globally | AEIdeas:
"Bottom Line: Any neutral observer who looks at the significant economic benefits generated by Wal-Mart in terms of everyday low retail prices for groceries, prescription drugs, clothing, and household items that generate billions of dollars in cost savings for low-income Americans, along with millions of job opportunities in cities across America for low-income Americans with above-market compensation and significant advancement opportunities, could only come to one conclusion: Wal-Mart is truly great for low-income Americans.

Inspired by this Vancouver Sun article and to provide some counterbalance to Professor Massengill’s vilification of Wal-Mart, I hereby nominate Wal-Mart for the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize for its significant contributions to society, for improving the US and world economies, for directly creating more than two million jobs worldwide at its retail outlets and helping to support many thousands of jobs indirectly for all of the thousands of suppliers to Wal-Mart, and for its contributions to improving the lives of millions of lower-income consumers by offering “Everyday Low Prices.”"

Ace of Spades' Talking Points for Talking With Your Obnoxious Progressive Family Members About Obamacare This Thanksgiving

Ace of Spades' Talking Points for Talking With Your Obnoxious Progressive Family Members About Obamacare This Thanksgiving:
"6. Remember when you were so confident, arrogant, snotty, sneering, and dismissive about legitimate and informed concerns about Obamacare? 
You were wrong.
And you weren't just wrong on the facts, but you were wrong on a human level.
You very nearly screamed your ignorant opinions and shouted down dissent.
You sneered at people as ignorant who actually knew more than you did, and you indulged in entirely-unwarranted moral preening about your alleged concern for the poor.
Despite the fact that you never do anything to actually aid the poor.
Apparently shouting at relatives is your idea of "charity.""

I'm thinkin' this won't look as good 20 years from now.......or as real.......Tattoos so real it's scary

Tattoos so real it's scary | Home - Social Local:

Remember the "bad old days" when this was considered an outrage? ---Crowd of 100 Illegal Aliens Attack U.S. Border Patrol, Mexican Authorities Let Them Go

Crowd of 100 Illegal Aliens Attack U.S. Border Patrol, Mexican Authorities Let Them Go:
"A group of 100 Mexican nationals illegally crossed into the United States and attacked U.S. Border Patrol Agents with rocks and bottles, according to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency (CBP).
The violent group was allowed to run back into Mexico and were permitted to disperse by Mexican authorities without being arrested or otherwise suffering any consequences for their brutal attacks on U.S. law enforcement.
The attack occurred in southern California on November 24, 2013. "