Sports Channel: NASL 1984- Soccer Bowl: Chicago Sting @ Toronto Blizzard

Source:The Celebrated Misterk- NASL Soccer Bowl 84.

"Highlights of the Chicago Sting's win over the Toronto Blizzard in the final North American Soccer League game ever played, the second leg of the 1984 NASL Soccer Bowl.

From The Celebrated Misterk

America vs Canada to decide the NASL championship.

ABC Sports: NASL 1979- Soccer Bowl- New York Cosmos vs Vancouver Whitecaps

Source:The Celebrated Misterk- your 1979 NASL Champions.

"The Vancouver Whitecaps defeated the Tampa Bay Rowdies, 2-1 in the North American Soccer League's Soccer Bowl '79 at Giants Stadium." 

From The Celebrated Misterk

Short video of the 1979 Soccer Bowl the NASL championship game.

PBS: NewsHour- Spencer Michaels- 'California Law Aspires to Improve Mental Health'

Source:PBS NewsHour- interviewing Eduardo Vega, for this piece.

"The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and television program distributor.[6] It is a nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educational television programming to public television stations in the United States, distributing series such as American Experience, America's Test Kitchen, Antiques Roadshow, Arthur, Barney & Friends, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Downton Abbey, Finding Your Roots, Frontline, The Magic School Bus, Masterpiece Theater, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, Nature, Nova, the PBS NewsHour, Reading Rainbow, Sesame Street, Teletubbies, Keeping up Appearances and This Old House." 

From Wikipedia 

"In the wake of several recent shootings, politicians and commentators have called for improved mental health screening and treatment. Spencer Michels reports on a program in California called "Laura's Law," an unfunded mandate that has proven difficult to implement and has drawn concern about involuntary treatment for patients."

From the PBS: NewsHour

It's a good thing that California is taking a lead on something positive (for a change) as it relates to their government by funding mental health care. 

It's not as if we can't fund mental health care in this country, but it's that we've decided as a country that funding mental health care should not be a priority, or that it's too expensive. Which is not true! It should be a priority, because of the people we've lost in these shootings and we can afford it through things like health insurance and public assistance for people who can't afford it on their own. 

We're paying a bigger price in human life and I would argue financially as well when it comes to our law enforcement and corrections system and having to put mentally handicapped people in prison instead of hospitals. That if those people who committed these horrible crimes wouldn't have happened in the first place, if these people were just in mental institutions, or at the very least getting outpatient therapy and on medication. We wouldn't have seen the shootings in Aurora and Connecticut, that we've seen this year. 

NHL: NHL 1967- Stanley Cup Finals Highlights: Toronto Maple Leafs Vs Montreal Canadians

Source:Barking Clam- the Maple Leafs and Canadians in 1967.

"Color (!) highlights from the 1967 Stanley Cup Finals between the Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs! This was the last time Toronto went to the Finals; that they even made it this far was considered outstanding, as they were an old team of veterans like George Armstrong, Tim Horton and Terry Sawchuk. They would upset Montreal in six games. 

From an old NHL highlight film a friend found; I'd love to know more about where this came from. I don't know how much color footage from this period of the NHL is still kicking around. Even though the series was broadcast in color, CBC kinescopes in the NHL archive are in black and white." 

From Barking Clam 

The best rivalry in Eastern Canada playing for the Stanley Cup.

CBC Sports: NHL 1978- Stanley Cup Finals- Game Four: Montreal Canadians @ Boston Bruins

Source:Barking Clam- The Bruins and Canadians in 1978.

"Boston leads game four of the 1978 finals 3 to 2 with only a few minutes left. Can they hang on for the win?" 

From Barking Clam 

Maybe the best rivalry in the NHL playing for it all.

Tri-Star Pictures: The Freshman (1990) Matthew Broderick & Penelope Ann Miller

Source:Leather Girls- Matthew Broderick & Penelope Ann Miller.

"The Freshman (1990) - leather scene HD 720p. Penelope Ann Miller in leather skirt and jacket."

From Leather Girls

I’m not going to say The Freshman is a bad movie, because I don’t think it is. I guess I could lie about that, but I’m not, but it is certainly a very overrated preppy kind of snobby movie. With a lot of cheesy writing, especially considering this movie is at least partially about a Italian-American gangster played by Marlin Brando, or former gangster.

And movies like this don’t tend to sound so Connecticut or upper Manhattan. They don’t tend to sound so preppy and snobby and upper class, Anglo-Saxon, but this movie does at least to me. But this is one scene that I liked and it had mostly to do with Penelope Ann Miller. Who is a very funny actress and looks great in this leather suit I guess with the jacket and skirt. 

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The Fiscal Times: Thomas Ferraro & Richard Cowan- 'Will the GOP Survive the Party’s Split on Taxes?'

Source:The Fiscal Times- Congress, being invaded by escaped elephants? At least it's not escaped mental patients, this time. LOL

"Had there been a vote on Republican House Speaker John Boehner's "Plan B" to avert the so-called U.S. fiscal cliff on Thursday night, it would not have been close. He was probably 40 to 50 votes short of the number he needed to avoid a humiliating defeat at the hands of his own party, according to rough estimates from Republican members of Congress and staff members."

From The Fiscal Times

As hard as this might be to believe, the Republican Party right now is somewhat split between two political factions. The Christian-Right that probably has more power in the GOP that's made up of Christian-Nationalists,  people like Mike Huckabee and Rick Santorum. And a Conservative-Libertarian wing people like Senators Mike Lee, Rand Paul, Ron Johnson, and others the people who tend to agree more often with the Ron Paul Libertarian coalition than the Christian-Right.

But the one thing that keeps this party together, the Pat Robertson coalition and the Goldwater-Reagan coalition is hatred for taxes and their love for economic freedom and fiscal responsibility. It's just that the Goldwater-Reagan Conservatives are also support personal freedom as well and if the Republican Party isn't a fiscally as well as economically conservative party, there isn't much of a reason for them to exist, because the Christian-Nationalists and Conservative-Libertarians will be arguing everything else. Like the right to privacy, free speech, cilvil liberties, America's involvement in the world, and so-forth.

Which means that Speaker Boehner has to get a good deal out of this and be able to tell House Republicans and the rest of the Republican that even if he has to give a little on taxes, he's going to have to get a big deal on spending cuts. That at least matches whatever revenue is raised through tax hikes. And President Obama knows the position that Speaker Boehner is in right now and is trying to holdout for the best deal that he can and put as much pressure on the Speaker as possible.

The Fiscal Times: Bruce Bartlett- 'How Democrats Became Liberal Republicans'

Source:The Fiscal Times- U.S. President Barack Obama (Democrat, Illinois) a real Progressive Democrat. Not a Socialist. 

"Many on the left are puzzled by Barack Obama’s apparent willingness to support dramatic reductions in federal social spending. It is only because Republicans demand even more radical cuts in spending that Obama’s fiscal conservatism is invisible to the general public. But those on the political left know it and are scared...

From The Fiscal Times

Being a Democrat myself and a member of one of the three ideological factions in the Democratic Party, I know something about the DP's ideological diversity.

We have a classical liberal faction people like John Kerry that I'm a member of, that believes in a lot of personal freedom, but we also have a economic liberal bent to us thats not as social democratic as the Social Democrats in the party. 

Another political faction, people like economists Robert Reich and Paul Krugman, so-called Progressives or Liberals (Social Democrats, really) believe in the welfare state and what they believe big, centralized government can do for the people with people's money. (As they see it) That's a quick summary of just their economic philosophy, but perhaps you already have a pretty good idea yourself. The Bernie Sanders (Democratic Socialist, Vermont) wing of the party. 

Social Democrats want America to become Europe where taxes and regulations are not only high, but popular, to fund a welfare state where the country would be dependent on the Federal Government to take care of the people. This might sound like me being over partisan, but it's true. 

The Democrats are essentially made up of two large factions. The George McGovern wing of Democratic Socialists. And the John F. Kennedy wing of Classical Liberals and Progressive Democrats, who want to solve problems that America and the country faces, but wants to empower people themselves as much as possible to solve their own problems.

And right now the Liberals and Progressives are running the party with Barack Obama being one of them as President of the United States. So that's who is directing policy for the party right now. And as much as the right-wing wants to label President Obama as a Socialist, he's clearly not. And more of a New Democrat who has strong liberal leanings, but which is different from the McGovern coalition that's more government-centric. 

It's not as if the Democratic Party has moved to the right or even center to now where they are a center-right, or centrist party. But they've moved more to the center and since Bill Clinton, or I would even argue since Mike Dukakis in 1988, but who didn't have the political skills of Bill Clinton. The Democratic Party has become the progressive party in America: a center-left party that's no longer so Far-Left in America. And a lot of the Social Democrats are now members of social democratic third parties.

The Fiscal Times: Sarah Kliff- 'Six Things You Don't Know about Mental Healthcare Costs'

Source:The Fiscal Times- with a look at mental health care in America.

"In the wake of the Newtown school massacre, many have called for a stronger mental health safety net as one way to reduce violent shootings. Shooters in previous massacres had unmet mental health needs. By widening access to services, the thinking goes, professionals could intervene before a tragedy occurs." 

From The Fiscal Times

If something is worth doing and you have the money to do it, then it's worth paying for. And mental healthcare in America is not only something that's worth doing, but something we simply have to do to prevent future tragedies like Aurora and Newtown and unfortunately many others from happening in America. 

It's really that simple, we either pay for mental healthcare up front up, or we pay for it down the road with mentally challenged and irresponsible people making horrible decisions that results in the deaths of many people who otherwise didn't have to die. 

It gets to do we either want to pay for mental health care with our money up front, or do we want to pay for not by funding mental health care with our money up front and paying for it in high health care costs down the road with people getting free health care at the rest of us expense. And we losing more innocent lives down the road. 

It's that simple, we can fund mental health care in America, because we have the resources to do, or we choose not to and pay for it in higher health care costs down the road as well as costs in innocent human life.

Funding mental health care in America is fairly simple and will mean higher health care costs up front. Especially if we don't do anything further to reform our unaffordable health care system, because what we need to do is pass a law that would require all health insurers private and public to cover mental health care for their customers. Which means premiums would rise in the short run, because more health care would be covered. And the costs for Medicare and Medicaid would go up in the short run as well, but we need to seriously reform both Medicare and Medicaid anyway and get those costs under control. 

We also need to add mental health care to what they cover as well for reasons I've already laid out, but what I just laid out for mental health care just goes to cover patients and the mental health care that they receive. 

And for patients who need to be institutionalized, we need to adequately fund our mental hospitals especially the public ones and that means making mental patients eligible for public assistance while they are institutionalized for the ones who can't afford the stay on their own.

It really gets down to priorities and what we need to be paying for as a nation and health care is clearly one of those things including mental health care and is one of the failures of the 2010 Affordable Care Act that they didn't cover mental health care in that legislation and is something we are still paying for as a nation almost three years later after that legislation became law. And something we need to finally do to prevent future tragedies from happening in the future.

The Fiscal Times: Edward Morrissey- 'Shame on Congress for Robbing Hurricane Sandy Victims'

Source:The Fiscal Times- Hurricane Sandy survivors.

"Never let a serious crisis go to waste.  That quote from Rahm Emanuel came during the dark days of the 2008 financial collapse, when Democrats wanted to make sure that the Congressional intervention of TARP carried with it plenty of “opportunity to do things you couldn’t do before.” 

From The Fiscal Times

Bad news for people on the Left and people on the Right who believe in limited government and fiscal responsibility, for a couple of reasons.

One, Senator Barbara Mikulski will become the next Chairman of the Appropriations Committee in the next Congress. She is a major porker and one of the members of Congress who have a habit of attaching non-relevant spending to appropriations bills. And I imagine she'll have some non-relevant amendments to the Sandy disaster relief bills.

Two, the other one being that Senator Milkulski's colleagues in Congress will be doing the same thing to the Hurricane Sandy disaster relief bills as well. We are running up run away debt and deficits and Congress is just adding to the problems by borrowing more money from other countries to fund their pet projects. 

Congress is the only reason why even disaster relief bills need to be paid for even if that means coming up with a national fund to finance disaster relief like a so-called trust fund. And getting non relevant amendments off of appropriations bills.

Disaster relief like another else the U.S. Government does including defense and military operations that involve helping our so-called allies and victims of civil war in other countries, should be paid for upfront. 

What Congress (both in the Senate and House does) is say: "We'll pay for this spending down the road. But what we need to do is get this money out the door as fast as possible, instead of arguing for how it should be paid for." But they don't even do that. They borrow the money upfront and then move onto other priorities. Which generally involves more borrowing. And Americans who at least care about our deficit and national debt, are left to wonder why we run up big deficits and add to out national debt every year.

CFL: 'The Final Wynne- Original Documentary'

Source:CFL- Hamilton's Ivor Wynne Stadium.

"CFL.ca presents an elegant retrospective into the final moments at Ivor Wynne Stadium before it shut its doors after 84 years." 

From the CFL 

As far as stadiums go as far as what Ivor Wynne had to offer: Ivor Wynne Stadium wasn't that much of a stadium. But it was a great little stadium as far as the atmosphere it had and the home field advantage it gave the Hamilton Tigercats.

The Fiscal Times: Bruce Bartlett- 'Jack Kemp Showed GOP How to Appeal to Minorities'

Source:The Fiscal Times- Jack Kemp, Washington Mayor Adrian Fenty & U.S. Delegate Eleanor H. Norton.

"Tuesday, the Jack Kemp Foundation held its annual dinner in honor of the late congressman, HUD secretary and 1996 Republican vice presidential nominee. The two featured speakers were Rep. Paul Ryan and Sen. Marco Rubio, both of whom cite Kemp as a major influence on their thinking. Both are also thought to aspire to the 2016 Republican presidential nomination.

From the The Fiscal Times

Jack Kemp could appeal to non-traditional Republicans, racial minorities, as well as people who live in big cities, especially in the Northeast, Midwest and West Coast, because he was basically a Classical Conservative-Libertarian on social issues. Rather than with the Religious-Right. 

Jack Kemp spoke about economic conservatism in a way that showed non-traditional Republicans how economic conservatism worked for them. That if people get themselves a good education and there's economic opportunity for them, then they can be successful in life and have a much better future. Instead of living off of public assistance most of their lives, as well as raise their kids on public assistance. Which tends to be the message of so-called Progressive Democrats (Democratic Socialists, really) to people who live in poverty. 

Jack Kemp believed that government can help you help yourself, so you can live a productive life. And be able to take care of yourself and not have to live off of public assistance.

Jack Kemp was a classical big tent Republican, not in the sense that he was a moderate who votes Conservative on some things and liberal on others but that he was inclusive of people who aren't traditional Republicans. Who don't live their lives the way a typical Bible Belt Republicans might live. 

Jack Kemp used the message of conservatism to bring people into the GOP, rather than telling non-traditional Republicans that they are Un-American or lazy. Unlike Mitt Romney, Jack Kemp didn't put people down who lacked job skills and depended on public assistance. 

Kemp was interested in empowering these people to be able to take care of themselves. And hopefully this is the direction that people like Senators Mike Lee, Ron Johnson, Rand Paul, Marco Rubio and Representatives Paul Ryan, Jason Amash and others people who look up to Jack Kemp, will try to move the GOP into this direction.

National Archives: Tim Naftali- 'Watergate: The 18 ½ Minute Gap and Haldeman's Notes'

Source:The National Archives- President Richard M. Nixon and his Chief of Staff Bob Haldaman. 

"Three days after the Watergate break-in on June 17, 1972, President Richard Nixon and his chief of staff H.R. "Bob" Haldeman met in the Executive Office Building to discuss the incident. This Inside the Vaults video short examines the famous 18 ½ minute gap in the White House tapes, which occurred during this meeting. A multi-agency team under National Archives direction examined Haldeman's two pages of notes, attempting to decipher what was said in the gap in the tape.

Nixon Library director Timothy Naftali, David Paynter of the National Archives and independent researcher Phil Mellinger discuss the case and the results of the forensic analysis.

Inside the Vaults includes highlights from the National Archives in the Washington, DC, area and from the Presidential libraries and regional archives nationwide. These shorts present behind-the-scenes exclusives and offer surprising stories about the National Archives treasures. See more from Inside the Vaults at...

From The National Archives

One of the most fascinating and most unnecessary stories in American history, because President Nixon was going to get reelected overwhelmingly anyway in a landslide, because he was running against someone who was seen as a Socialist (and not just by Richard Nixon) in Senator George McGovern and President Nixon was a Moderate by comparison. But that is what Richard Nixon was always about when it came to politics which was information. 

Not saying President Nixon ordered the actual Watergate break in but it looks like it seemed like what he wanted according to the people who worked for him in the White House with his intelligence unit in the White House (the plumbers) believing that President Nixon at the very least wouldn't have a problem with the break in and thinking he might protect them if they were to get caught. 

The Plumbers got caught in 1972 because they weren't professional burglars. They were like a karaoke act at a nightclub or some dive just outside of an airport. They simply didn't know what they were doing and literally got caught on the spot at the Watergate Hotel.

CNN: 'Marijuana is Now Legal in Washington State'

Source:CNN- Holy smokes, Batman! Marijuana is now legal in Washington State. LOL

"A new law makes it legal to possess and smoke marijuana in Washington state, but pot possession is still a federal crime."

From CNN

One of the best stories of 2012, because it proves how far America is moving to become that big government out of our wallets and personal lives country that both Barry Goldwater and John F. Kennedy, who agreed as often as it snows in Los Angeles, that they both advocated for in the 1960s. 

It also shows that even though Millennial's are flirting with socialism and big government from the Left, ( Far-Left, really) That my Generation X is becoming a generation that doesn't want Uncle Sam or any other government uncle running our lives for us. 

Marijuana legalization was a fringe issue even back in 2004 and now eight years later it is legal in two more states in Colorado and Washington  and could be headed to New Hampshire, my State of Maryland, California, and perhaps other states in the next 5-10 years. Because more Americans are coming to realize the failures of the so-called War on Drugs and that we need a better approach to how we deal with narcotics like marijuana and instead locking people up for possessing or usage of it, legalize and regulate it like legal narcotics. Like alcohol, tobacco, prescription drugs and other drugs. 

CSPAN: Assistant Leader Mitch McConnell- 'Opposed Filibustering Judicial Nominees: Back in 2005'

Source:Democracy or Hypocrisy- U.S. Senate Assistant Leader Mitch McConnell (Republican, Kentucky) in 2005.

"Senator McConnell Opposed Filibustering Judicial Nominees" 

From Democracy Or Hypocrisy

The whole Senate filibuster debate, part of it is definitely about hypocrisy, depending on which party is in charge. 

Senate Republicans the current minority caucus in the Senate, are using to their full advantage with the 47 members a very large Senate minority (soon to be 45 members in the next Congress) the ability to not only block but obstruct legislation. Which is a little different, for the minority party to block legislation, you simply block the final vote on it. Which is very common in the Senate going back to the 1950s or longer but if you obstruct legislation, you try to kill the legislation even before it gets to that point by even blocking it from coming to the floor. 

The motion to proceed rule that prevents the Senate unless there are sixty votes, from even debating legislation. And thats the main problem in the Senate right now, it's not that legislation is not being passed but the simple fact that legislation is not even being debated and considered. And since both sides have a history of hypocrisy on this issue. It's going to take a bipartisan solution to fix the obstructionism in the Senate.

Benny C: Alex Jones Show- 'Lord Christopher Moncton: Marxists Now Taking Over UKIP Members Children'

Source:Benny C- Lord Moncton, talking about so-called British Marxists.

"Lord Christopher Monckton talks about the British state kidnapping children from UKIP members and other efforts to attack the anti-establishment political party. Science & Public Policy Institute" 

From Benny C

Good to hear some real conservative opposition thought in Britain, at times even British Conservatives sound like Progressives or Social Democrats in Britain. Doesn't mean I agree with Lord Christopher Moncton as someone who is not a Nationalist which is what this guy sounds like as someone who believes foreigners and other are trying to brainwash British children. 

Britain does now have a growing nationalistic Far-Right even what is called in America a Tea Party. And I have more faith in the local auto mechanic's knowledge about brain surgery than I have in Alex Jones when it comes to anything related to news and current affairs in general. 

UK Conservatives and even their leader Prime Minister David Cameron, have somewhat of a tendency to sound like American Progressives or Social Democrats when it comes to social policy. Not as Far-Left as the Labour Party (but who is, at this point) in Britain, which is hard to do even in Britain. But not what in America would be known as a center-right Conservative Party that promotes individual freedom and conserving the U.S. Constitution.

PBS: NewsHour- Jeffrey Brown- 'As Kurds Fight for Freedom in Syria, Fears Rise in Turkey'

Source:PBS NewsHour- a Syrian man being interviewed for this piece.

"The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and television program distributor.[6] It is a nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educational television programming to public television stations in the United States, distributing series such as American Experience, America's Test Kitchen, Antiques Roadshow, Arthur, Barney & Friends, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Downton Abbey, Finding Your Roots, Frontline, The Magic School Bus, Masterpiece Theater, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, Nature, Nova, the PBS NewsHour, Reading Rainbow, Sesame Street, Teletubbies, Keeping up Appearances and This Old House." 

From Wikipedia 

"In Syria's civil war, a third party fights for autonomy against Syrian rebels and Assad's government troops: Syria's Kurds. Turkey's own Kurd population watches on, increasing tensions, especially for those sympathetic to the PKK, who have waged insurgencies for freedom. Margaret Warner reports."

From the PBS NewsHour

There may be some type of Independent State of Kurdistan that could be emerging from the revolution against the Assad Regime in Syria, where Syrian Kurdistan would merge with Iraqi Kurdistan and Turkish Kurdistan. Similar to what happen to the Jews in the Middle East after World War II, where they were rewarded with the Jewish State of Israel as a result of the ethnic discrimination they received in Europe and Arabia. 

A United Kurdistan that would also include Kurdish Iran might be the only way to end the ethnic violence that the Kurds have been receiving from Arabs, Turks and Persians. And independent Kurdistan that has a responsible government with checks and balances where the people have the freedom over their own lives and are not held down by their own government. Which is what has developed in Israel for the Jews, as well as Kurdistan in Iraq which operates as an independent province of Iraq. Even when Saddam Hussein was President of Iraq and had dictatorial rule over the rest of the country. 

This would never be easy because Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran, would fight hard to hold onto their part of Kurdistan. 

Lou Dobbs: 'Paul Krugman- Calls For 91% Tax Rate'

Source:Lou Dobbs- talking about Paul Krugman's tax proposal.

"New York Times Economist/Columnist Paul Krugman is putting the president's tax hike proposal to shame. Krugman is advocating for a 91% marginal tax rate! Lou punches wholes in Krugman's brilliant idea and illustrates why the country's spending problem that won't be fixed by higher taxes alone." 

From Lou Dobbs 

I get on the Christian-Right a lot about them wanting to take America back to the 1950s politically in a cultural sense at least, but they are not the only political faction that wants to do this. So-called Progressives (Socialists, in actuality) want to take America back to the 1950s economically and its not just that they want all of the Bush tax cuts to expire, including for the middle class, but they want every tax cut thats been passed since the 1960s to expire as well, that Bush, Clinton, Reagan and Kennedy as President's, because they believe that the more money that the Federal Government has, the more equal the economy will be, because the Feds will have all of these resources to build up America to its potential and no one will ever have too much or too little again. 

And when people say something like: "Well, with my taxes being up so high, how am I supposed to pay my bills, with Socialists answering: "Well, don't worry about it because the Federal Government will now provide the services that you need to survive based on what they believe you need and what little money you have left, you can spend as you please." 

Lou Dobbs called Paul Krugman a "tax and spend Liberal" which tells you how much Mr. Dobbs knows about Liberals. Which is about as much as fish know how to read or who won the last Super Bowl. Its Liberal Democrat Jack Kennedy who first cut our taxes from those huge rates ranging from 25-90% in the 1950s and cut them across the board in the 1960s, not Conservative Dwight Eisenhower in the 1950s or Conservative Gerry Ford in the 1970s.  So-called Progressives (Socialists, in actuality) point to Sweden and that it works there, very different country, as far as population and culture. Swedes want to be taken care of, where as Americans by in-large prefer to be as independent from government as much as possible.

C-SPAN: BookTV Afterwords- Darryl Scott Interviewing James Patterson: 'The Eve of Destruction'

Source:C-SPAN- Author James Patterson, on CSPAN's BookTV. 

"The historian explores a year that he says began with a sense of optimism but that ended with a bitterly divided country and a conservative resurgence that would define later decades.  In 1965, President Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law, sent additional U.S. troops into Vietnam and presided over the race riots in major cities.  The Bancroft Prize winning historian discusses the pivotal year with former Howard University History Chair and author of "Contempt & Pity," Daryl Michael Scott."

From C-SPAN

Very interesting program about race relations in America in the 1960s. I agree with James Patterson that the 1960s wasn't really like one decade, but probably more like two, two-year decades, culturally, politically, how people presented themselves, talked, related to each other. 

1962 doesn't look much different from lets say 1957. Late 1963 post-JFK Assassination is where you see the decade change with Baby Boomers growing up and seeing an America that they don't like that much and don't seem to fit into.

You have the civil rights movement that young adult Americans from the Silent Generation (people born in the 1920s and 1930s) who were a big part of and you have Baby Boomers who were in college and coming of age in the 1960s, becoming part of the civil rights movement. 

The Vietnam War starts becoming controversial as far as America's role in it in 1965. If you look at the movies and music language starts becoming stronger and harder. No more what the devil or darn to express anger and amazement, but instead what the hell and damn, started becoming mainstream words and expressions in American culture. Even though today they would just be considered moderate swearing.

African-Americans, women, gays, started to feel the freedom to be themselves in America and expect that their constitutional rights would be enforced as well as everyone else in the country. 

The mid and late 1960s is where you really start to see free expression and individualism becoming a big part of American culture, as well as our diversity the two things that really make America exceptional. 

So yeah, 1965-69 looks much different from 1960-64, but the 1963-64 looks much different than 1960-62. So you could definitely make a good argument that the 1960s was actually three decades in one, instead of one ten-year decade.

CFLTV: CFL 2012- Western Final: Calgary 34, Vancouver 29

Source:CFL- the CFL West Final, from B.C. Place in Vancouver, British Columbia.

"The Calgary Stampeders took an early lead and held on to defeat the BC Lions and book their trip to Toronto to take on the Argonauts in the 100th Grey Cup." 

From the CFL

Great win on the road for the Calgary Stampeders.

CFLTV: TSN: CFL 2012- Eastern Final Toronto Beats Montreal 27-20

Source:CFL- the 2012 CFL East Final at Montreal Olympic Stadium.

"Ricky Ray led the Toronto Argonauts to victory over the Montreal Alouettes to capture the Eastern Division Championship and book their spot in the 100th Grey Cup in Toronto." 

From the CFL

Big upset for the Toronto Argonauts.

Recovering Politician: 'Jonathan Miller- Talks Solutions on Fox News'

Source:No Labels- Jonathan Miller, talking to Fox News.

"TAKE ACTION and contact Congress: action.nolabels.org" 

From No Labels 

I got the perfect nickname for a Washington sports franchise: the Gridlocks since so little gets done. And perhaps some of that has to do with the fact that so many Washingtonians get stuck in traffic. LOL

CBC Sports: CFL 1976- Grey Cup: Regina Roughriders vs Ottawa Renegades: Highlights

Source:CBC Sports- battle for the Rough Riders from 1976.

"1976 Grey Cup highlights Ottawa Rough Riders vs. Saskatchewan Roughriders" 

From CBC Sports

Battle of the Roughriders! You would have to be familiar with the CFL to get that joke, but one reason why the CFL doesn’t get as much respect in America as perhaps it should it because they did at least at one point have multiple clubs with the same nickname. 

But this was a very good Grey Cup game, 23-20 the Red Blacks (as the Ottawa CFL club is called now) beat the Roughriders. Ottawa was able to move the ball well and score points against perhaps the best defense in the CFL in 1976, the Roughriders that only gave up about fifteen points a game. And had the best pass defense in the CFL. They also scored 428 points so they had a very good balanced team. 

The Red Blacks were able to move the ball with their balanced offense and shut out the Roughriders in the fourth quarter.

Crook & Liars: Heather's Blog- 'You Want to Raise the Retirement Age? Walk a Mile In Our Shoes First'

Source:Crooks & Liars- If it's Sunday, it's Meet The Press With Chuck Todd. Sorry, I couldn't help myself.

"(Chuck Todd: Republicans will give Democrats all the revenue they want, if they just agree to raise the retirement age. Trust them.) I don't know about anyone else, but as someone who has actually worked at one of those jobs where you take a... 

From Crooks & Liars

You can save Social Security long term and do it in a way that doesn't hurt anyone who needs it or even hurt anyone whose going to collect from it, by doing simple things like having the wealthy pay for for it and collect less out of it. Raising the retirement age for anyone who can physically and financially afford to work longer, so construction workers, coal miners people who've worked back breaking jobs their whole working lives would be exempt from the new retirement age and could start collecting at 62-65, depending on their financial and health status. 

But for people who can, want and even should work longer, they'll be able to do that. If they can physically and financially afford to without collecting from Social Security and we could use these savings to save Social Security long-term and help to pay down our debt and deficit and do these things in a way that doesn't hurt anyone.

Haver Blog:- 'Is Andrew Sullivan a Conservative?'

Source:Haver Blog- Conservative columnist Andrew Sullivan, speaking at Harvard University, about being conservative.

“I wanted to talk tonight about some things that appear to be contradictions—religions, political philosophies, that are thought to be in conflict, but are not in conflict… I want to try and argue that our politics have been too simplified and polarized, that our culture is too divided, that we need to accept the complexity and flawed nature of being human… [I want to do it] in a semi-autobiographical way, in covering three things about myself that I have been told for years cannot coexist… I want to come out tonight as a Christian. I want to come out tonight as a conservative, and I want to come out tonight—in a much less controversial way—as a homosexual. Certainly, I think Haverford would view the latter as the least provocative identity to grasp, but that’s because you haven’t heard me talk about what I believe Christianity and conservatism really are.” 

From Haver Blog 

"Andrew Sullivan, blogger and political commentator with The Daily Beast was at the JFK Jr. Forum on November 17, 2011 to deliver the annual Theodore H. White Lecture. Mr. Sullivanís remarks focused on his definition of Conservatism. Mr. Sullivan highlighted the need for Conservatism in today's society, saying, "Now more than ever, Conservatism is needed to rescue our world." 

Source:Harvard University- Conservative columnist Andrew Sullivan, speaking at Harvard University.

From Harvard University

"Absolutely. I wrote a book on my conservatism, 'The Conservative Soul.' But in so far as the word has been hijacked by religious fundamentalists and emotionally arrested Randians, I am not one of them. I'd fit easily into a conservative party in any other western democracy. But the GOP is a rogue in the western world - the most extremist right-wing party in any modern democracy by a mile. Banning all abortion and all gay marriages? Denying climate change science?" 

From Politico 

Andrew Sullivan is exactly what a Conservative should be in a political sense. He represents exactly what conservatism actually is and not how it's been stereotyped. 

The fact is Andrew Sullivan is a Conservative but the Christian-Right populist Tea Party GOP today is not conservative. (At least in the political sense) Not so sure about that anymore and I guess since they've combined their religious views with their political views, they believe they can credibly call themselves Conservatives.

But the GOP aren't and here's why: a political Conservative is someone who believes in conserving individual freedom. Thats how Barry Goldwater and Ron Reagan built the Republican party that remained intact up until the early 1990s when Bill Clinton became President and the GOP went theocratic and statist. And not just that a Liberal Democrat from the South was now President of the United States of all things.

Everything that President Clinton essentially represents, now came to power as well, someone who was from the 1960s generation and was looking to progress America past the 1950s and that generation and wanted to make America more inclusive for all Americans. 

The Far-Right Confederates were fairly quiet during President Reagan's and President Bush's tenure, but once Liberal Democrats came to power, they made their voices known and the GOP and conservatism has been going downhill ever since.

Ayesha Omer: Riding a Motorcycle

Source:Daily Motion- Pakistani actress Ayesha Omer, getting on a motorcycle.

"Ayesha Omer riding a motorcycle."

From Daily Motion 

“Pakistani Tv Actor Ayesha Omar showing sexy butt in blue jeans please like share comments and susbcribe for more videos.

Pakistani Tv Actor Ayesha Omar showing sexy butt in blue jeans please like share comments and susbcribe for more videos. Pakistani Tv Actor Ayesha Omar .

Pakistani Tv Actor Ayesha Omar showing sexy butt in blue jeans please like share comments and susbcribe for more videos. Pakistani Tv Actor Ayesha Omar .” 

Source:Daily Motion- Pakistani actress Ayesha Omer, getting on a motorcycle.

From Anderson Sons  

This photo is from someone or some group that calls itself Pakistani First. But the video is not currently available online right now.

Source:Anderson Sons- Pakistani actress Ayesha Omer riding a motorcycle.

I’ll be honest and say that I have no idea who the hell Ayesha Omer is. If someone told me that they were shooting their girlfriend in Miami, Florida and she is a local school teacher in Cleveland or some place, I would believe him. I mean why wouldn’t I, because again I have no idea who Ayesha Omer is.

When I saw this video I looked her up on Google to get a better idea who she is. And all I really saw was several photos of her and that she is from Pakistan and is a Pakistani actress. But from just seeing her in this video wants me to see more of her. Because she looks like someone who would make a very sexy beautiful biker chick and perhaps could do a lot more. So hopefully I’ll get to see more of her in the future.  

You can also see this post on WordPress. 

You can also see this post at The Action Blog, on Blogger.

You can also see this post at The Action Blog, on WordPress.

You can also see this post at The New Democrat, on WordPress. 

You can also see this post at The New Democrat, on Blogger.

CFL: CFL 2012- WSF Recap- Regina 30, Calgary 36

Source:CFL- The Calgary Stampeders vs the Regina Roughriders (as call them) .

"Drew Tate hooked up with Romby Bryant for a 68-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter as the Calgary Stampeders hung on to defeat the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the Western Semi-Final."

From CFL

One of the best playoff games I've ever seen in any league with no one able to sustain enough momentum long enough in the game to put it away until the end, with three touchdowns scored and two lead changes in the last few minutes.

Tomo News Funnies: 'Marijuana Legalization 2012- Colorado, Oregon, & Washington Vote'

Source:Tomo News Funnies- Holy smokes, Batman! We may finally be able to smoke marijuana legally! LOL

"Marijuana legalization 2012: On November 6, citizens in Colorado will vote on Amendment 64 (the Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act), citizens in Washington state will vote on Initiative 502, and citizens in Oregon will vote on Measure 80 (the Oregon Cannabis Tax Act).

This isn't Trojan horse-style medical marijuana legalization. Each of these measures would permit citizens to possess a defined amount of marijuana, without a doctor's permit.

Polls show strong support for Amendment 64 in Colorado. Opponents, however, worry about motorists driving under the influence of marijuana. Governor John Hickenlooper has argued that legalization would send the message to kids that drugs are OK. Backers of legalization in Oregon said marijuana could increase tourism, much like the wine industry has increased tourism."

From Tomo News Funnies

Hopefully the next step for marijuana legalization in America will be marijuana legalization, but state by state with a federalist approach. Not the Obama Administration trying to legalize marijuana through executive order, not that they would do that anyway. But instead Uncle Sam backing off and allowing for the states and localities, to make their own decisions on marijuana. And no longer arresting people for simply possession or usage of marijuana, if they're 21 or over. Because even though marijuana may be legal in one jurisdiction, it is not legal nationally.

And I'm not being optimistic on this, because I haven't seen any evidence of this happening yet, but hopefully the Obama Administration, will take a wait and see approach and see how marijuana legalization is working in Colorado and Washington State and see how it works there. 

President Obama was overwhelmingly reelected in the Electoral College by Liberal Democrats such as myself, who want to see marijuana legalization nationwide and take a states rights approach. And say: "Look, we aren't going to legalize marijuana nationwide, but if states want to do this, then that's their decision as long as they are taxing and regulating it. And that it will up to the states to regulate this while the Federal Government won't endorse or interfere with it." But they are responsible for the consequences of it as well. 

And let's see five years from now how marijuana legalization is doing in America. Is tax revenue up in the states, is crime less, more, or about the same, does our criminal justice system have fewer offenders, or not, etc. And then go from there.

Russia Today: The Big Picture With Thom Hartmann- David Frum: 'What Was Conservative Like Before Fox News'

Source:Russia Today- David Frum: columnist and editor of The Atlantic Magazine.

"RT (formerly Russia Today) is a state-controlled international television network funded by the Russian federal tax budget.[5][6] It operates pay television channels directed to audiences outside of Russia, as well as providing Internet content in English, Spanish, French, German, Arabic, and Russian.

RT operates as a multilingual service with conventional channels in five languages: the original English-language channel was launched in 2005, the Arabic-language channel in 2007, Spanish in 2009, German in 2014 and French in 2017. RT America (since 2010),[7] RT UK (since 2014) and other regional channels also offer some locally based content." 

From Wikipedia 

"David Frum, contributing editor at Newsweek and The Daily Beast and a CNN contributor. He is the author of seven books, including most recently, his first novel Patriots published in April 2012. In 2001-2002, he served as speechwriter and special assistant to President George W. Bush. What was Conservative America like before Fox News and Rush Limbaugh came to town - and how have they helped to create an alternate reality in American politics? We'll pose that question and more to David Frum in tonight's Conversations with Great Minds...

From The Big Picture RT

There are several problems with the GOP right now and I'm not going to try to make the case that the GOP is dead or something and will be an indefinite opposition party or minority party in the Senate or lose their majority in the House in two years to never retake the majority again. This just in: I'm not a political commentator for Salon, The Nation, or MSNBC.

That is what happened in 2008 when people were predicting the death of the GOP and looked strong again, in large parts to the Democratic party by late 2009, when they picked up a couple of governorships. But it's not so much right now or perhaps even in the next two years that the Republican Party is in danger of becoming an indefinite opposition party as well as minority party in Congress. (Both House and Senate) But within four years if they stay on current course and not able to reach out to their limited base of support right now across the country, they'll continue to lose most of the big states in the union and struggle to even win Senate seats that are in normally safe states for them.

The Republican Party has two major problems and either one of them could put them in position of becoming a minor third party if not addressed, where we would see another party take its place. 

Problem one- they are two small, they rely mostly on Anglo-Saxon, male, Evangelical, older rural voters, while the rest of the county that lives in major metropolitan areas vote Democratic. Roughly 40% of Caucasians, 60% of all women, over 70% of  Latin and Asian Americans and 90% of African Americans who are still about 13% of the population, that Democrats never have to worry about losing.

The other problem for the GOP is that they have an information gap: not enough people who actually know what's going on, politics or otherwise and too many people they rely on to just tell them what they want to here instead, something positive about the Republican cause and so-forth, Fox News being a perfect example of this.

The demographic gap is huge for the GOP, because it's not only so limited, but it's also getting smaller and older. As America is moving to becoming a racially and ethnically minority and majority country. Which means for the GOP to remain competitive in the future, they are going to have to broaden their base. And the information gap is critical as well, because not enough Republicans, especially professional Republicans actually knows what's going on.

So we see like with election last Tuesday where only Fox News is finding polling that suggests that Mitt Romney would either win or can win. Which is why we saw all of those Republicans who were shocked to find that President Obama was reelected Tuesday night because there weren't enough Republicans who had that information themselves.

The GOP doesn't have to die or become an indefinite opposition minority party, which they are in danger of happening to them within the next four years. But to prevent this, they do have to broaden their base and bring in new voters and get better information, people who actually report what's going on, so Republicans can actually respond to what's happening. Rather than what they want to happen that benefits them.