Since the days of George H.W. Bush, Presidents have spared the lives of a couple fortunate turkeys every year around Thanksgiving. This year, for example, President Obama will pardon two birds named Cobbler and Gobbler. The West Wing – Bartlet Pardons Turkey But PETA is actually against this act, as chairman Ingrid Newkirk addressed the Leader of the Free World today and said: “It makes light of the mass slaughter of some 46 million gentle, intelligent birds and portrays the United States’ president as being in some sort of business partnership with the turkey-killing industry/ Turkeys do not need to be ‘pardoned’-they are not guilty of anything other than being born into a world of prejudice. They are innocents who should be respected for who they are: good mothers, smart birds, and interesting animals. “You understand so well that African-Americans, women, and members of the LGBT community have been poorly served throughout history and now I am asking you to consider other living beings who are ridiculed, belittled, and treated as if their sentience, feelings, and very natures count for nothing.” Yes, she just compared the plight of turkeys to minority human beings. Are you on the side of PETA? Should President stop pardoning them? Yes, it’s only fair! Yes, it’s hilarious! No, it’s insensitive! View Poll »
Save for a controversial remark about President Obama giving gifts to ethnic groups in return for votes, Mitt Romney has kept a low profile since losing the 2012 election. Monday, a photo of Romney filling up at a gas station in La Jolla, Calif., was posted on Reddit. He appears slightly frazzled … and/or just a little annoyed: “Mitt Romney at my local gas station,” Reddit user mkb95 wrote. “He looks tired and washed up.” We know what you’re thinking … Mitt Romney pumps his own gas? Gone is his familiar, perfectly slicked-back coif from the campaign trail, but the 65-year-old apparently wasn’t as disheveled or upset as the image might suggest. “I talked to him for a good three minutes while he was filling his tank,” the poster added. “I guess he’s moving to one of his houses in the town I live in, La Jolla.” Hey, he doesn’t have much else going on now. Having run for president for the better part of six years, the former Massachusetts Governor and wife Ann Romney can finally look forward to some downtime. In fact, the couple took in a showing of Breaking Dawn Part 2 in Del Mar, Calif., one town north of La Jolla, on Saturday, then hit up a pizza place across the street. He may not be President of the United States, but on the bright side, he can enjoy the palpable on-screen chemistry of Robsten without a Secret Service detail.
Obama isn’t taking any isht from the GOP anymore! POTUS just nominated Susan Rice as his candidate for Secretary of State and, while she may be the current Ambassador to the United Nations, some shady azz Republicans like John McCain are already throwing false accusations her way. According to The Huffington Post : In a series of media appearances on Wednesday, Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) pledged they would do everything in their power to block the possible nomination of Susan Rice, the current ambassador to the United Nations, as secretary of state. The senators have based their objection on Rice’s role in disseminating the White House’s version of events in the days immediately after the September attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya. At the time, Rice told several television stations that the attack, which left four Americans including the U.S. ambassador to Libya dead, was not believed to be related to terrorism. Administration officials later acknowledged that this was incorrect, and said the misleading information was the product of incomplete “talking points” from the intelligence community, although Republicans on Capitol Hill believe the White House knew the truth sooner. To McCain, Graham, and a small cadre of colleagues, this is enough to disqualify Rice from a cabinet-level job. “Susan Rice should have known better, and if she didn’t know better, she’s not qualified,” McCain said Wednesday during an appearance on Fox News. “I will do everything in my power to block her from being the United States secretary of state.” In his press conference Wednesday afternoon, Obama took umbrage with this line of attack. “If Senator McCain and Senator Graham and others want to go after someone, they should go after me,” he said. “And I’m happy to have that discussion with them. But for them to go after the United Nations ambassador, who had nothing to do with Benghazi and was simply making a presentation based on intel she had received, and to besmirch her reputation, is outrageous.” Obama also said Rice never had a choice about whether to appear on the talk shows to discuss Benghazi. “She made an appearance at the request of the White House in which she gave her best understanding of the intelligence that had been provided to her,” he said. Some Democrats have said that the Benghazi-related attack on Rice brings to mind another secretary of state nominee, Condoleezza Rice: Her appointment by the Bush administration was opposed by those who felt her advancement of the mistaken notion that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction in Iraq similarly disqualified her from the office. During a 2002 appearance on CNN, Condoleezza Rice had said that while “there will always be some uncertainty” about the intelligence, “we don’t want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud.” When she was later nominated for secretary of state, by which point it had become clear that there were no WMD in Iraq, both McCain and Graham publicly defended her appointment despite the misstatements. Graham and his allies denounced this comparison, saying that Condoleezza Rice’s statements at the time reflected the widely agreed upon understanding of the intelligence community, while Susan Rice should have opted not to speak on the subject without more certainty.”When it comes to Condoleezza Rice, we’re not the only country that thought he was trying to get weapons of mass destruction,” Graham said. These guys just keep making themselves look more and more ridiculous! Images via Getty
Everything’s bigger in Texas. That apparently includes secession petitions . A petition to allow Texas to secede from the United States has qualified to receive a White House response, garnering more than 81,000 signatures. The Texas secession movement’s leader said President Obama’s reelection was a “catalyzing moment” for his group’s efforts “to quit the United States.” Daniel Miller, president of the Texas Nationalist Movement, said: “I am completely aware that Election Day was a catalyzing moment, but I do not believe that the underpinnings of this are solely about Barack Obama.” “This cake has been baking for a long time – it’s the Obama administration that put the candles on the cake and lit it for us.” The Texas secession petition reads : Given that the state of Texas maintains a balanced budget and is the 15th largest economy in the world, it is practically feasible for Texas to withdraw from the union. To do so would protect it’s citizens’ standard of living and re-secure their rights and liberties in accordance with the original ideas and beliefs of our founding fathers which are no longer being reflected by the federal government . The support for the petition has surged despite Texas Gov. Rick Perry – who has flirted with the secession idea in the past – callng to support the union. The governor’s press secretary, Catherine Frazier, said that Perry “believes in the greatness of our Union and nothing should be done to change it.” Perry does, however, “share the frustrations many Americans have with our federal government.” The Lone Star State is not exactly alone. Residents in more than 40 states have filed secession petitions to the Obama administration’s “We the People” site. Though none of the breakaway efforts have come even close to Texas’ huge number, many petitions have attracted 20,000-30,000 signatures.
When did Cornel West turn into a stunt queen??? Cornel West Calls Obama “Republican In Blackface” Cornel West has made it clear that he feels that President Obama should be more proactive in tackling issues like poverty and the prison-industrial complex. Some African Americans see the professor’s views as divisive, while others say he’s speaking truth to power. Recently in an interview with Democracy Now, West and Tavis Smiley were asked about the president’s priorities, and while Smiley said Americans must encourage the POTUS to be the best he can be, West was much more critical… Via The Root : “I think that it’s morally obscene and spiritually profane to spend $6 billion on an election, $2 billion on a presidential election, and not have any serious discussion—poverty, trade unions being pushed against the wall dealing with stagnating and declining wages when profits are still up and the 1 percent are doing very well, no talk about drones dropping bombs on innocent people. So we end up with such a narrow, truncated political discourse, as the major problems—ecological catastrophe, climate change, global warming. So it’s very sad. I mean, I’m glad there was not a right-wing takeover, but we end up with a Republican, a Rockefeller Republican in blackface, with Barack Obama , so that our struggle with regard to poverty intensifies” … The language that Cornel uses about the President of the United States is inappropriate, disrespectful and not specific with words that will give volunteerism to the needs of the people in this country, and just completely outrageous with poor communication through name-calling. It is hate-speech rhetoric and only displayed by those who have a self-centered interest through the priorities that Cornel appears to voice. Do you agree with Cornel West?
Must be nice… A Gallery Of Photos Of Jerry Rice’s California Home Via Realtor San Francisco 49ers great Jerry Rice has re-listed his Hall of Fame home in Atherton, CA. The prolific wide receiver, considered by many to be the greatest NFL player of all-time, has had the 13,908-square-foot estate on and off the market since mid-2009 and now asks $10.5 million for the luxe property. Built in 2001 by Lencioni Construction, the three-story French chateau-style design features a total of six bedroom suites, seven full baths and three half baths, and a wealth of modern conveniences befitting a perennial All-Pro. Of its amenities (which range from a state-of-the-art movie theater to a game room to a full bar and wine room) nothing stands out more than Rice’s personal training facility. Those who followed the more intimate details of Rice’s career are well aware of the wideout’s epic conditioning program, a training regimen that included daily runs up the Bay Area trail gauntlet known simply as ‘The Hill’. So it comes as no surprise to learn that the Niners great’s home gym comes fully stocked with over $500,000 worth of weights and training equipment, a sauna, and a steam room complete with cold-plunge. “That has been the most important part of the house for me,” Jerry told Haute Living in a 2001 interview. “If I’m up late and can’t sleep, I can just trot downstairs for a workout and then relax in the sauna or rejuvenate with the cold plunge. I love it for privacy reasons, too. I love being able to get into my workout without having to consider the social aspects of going out to a gym.” Rounding out Rice’s grand, 1.2-acre abode are such backyard luxuries as a pool, spa, covered veranda with a stone fireplace, a dog kennel, and, finally, an additional guest quarters with a kitchenette and full bath. Classy guy, with a classy crib, check out the pics after the flip. Images via Realtor
Do tell… Polls Show That Blacks Are More In Favor Of Gay Marriage According to Christian Post Recent polls show increasing support for same-sex marriage among blacks. A national exit poll by Edison Research shows that black voters favored their state legalizing gay marriage, 51 to 41 percent. Pew polls have also showed an increase from 36 percent in 2011 to 44 percent last month supporting gay marriage. According to the exit poll conducted by Edison Research on behalf of the NEP, 51 percent of black voters said their states should legally recognize same-sex marriage, compared with 47 percent of whites who favored this idea. It’s a big shift considering that in 2011, the Pew Research Center found that only 36 percent of blacks favored legalizing gay marriage, compared with 49 percent of whites supporting it. A Pew survey found last month that long-standing racial differences in attitudes toward gay marriage were narrowing. Consistently over the past decade, blacks have been far less supportive of legalizing gay marriage than whites. But the latest survey found blacks divided more evenly on this issue than in the past, with 44 percent in favor and 39 percent opposed to allowing gay marriage. Among whites, 49 percent favored and 41 percent opposed same-sex marriage. Says the NAACP: The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the nation’s oldest African-American civil rights group, voted in May to support a resolution endorsing same-sex marriage at its board meeting in Miami, Fla. “The mission of the NAACP has always been to ensure political, social and economic equality of all people,” Roslyn M. Brock, chairman of the Board of Directors of the NAACP, said in a statement. “We have and will oppose efforts to codify discrimination into law.” Benjamin Todd Jealous, president and CEO of the NAACP, said in a statement, “Civil marriage is a civil right and a matter of civil law. The NAACP’s support for marriage equality is deeply rooted in the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution and equal protection of all people. The well-funded right wing organizations who are attempting to split our communities are no friend to civil rights, and they will not succeed.” Pow! Sounds like the Association is down to make sure that Michael and Matthew can get married and divorced like everyone else in the country. Do YOU support gay marriage? Why or why not? Image via YouTube
In a riveting and extremely moving moment at campaign headquarters in Chicago, the newly re-elected 44the President of the United States, Barack Obama, thanked staffers…
Fox has renewed The X Factor for a third season. Likely to never be a rating juggernaut along the lines of American Idol , the show has proven to be a solid fall hit, averaging just under 11 million viewers per week. Said Mike Darnell, President of Alternative Entertainment, Fox Broadcasting Company, upon announcing the pick-up: “This season, Simon and the producers of The X Factor took an already strong show and made it absolutely fantastic. The format changes are working, the contestants are unbelievably talented, and Britney and Demi – alongside Simon and L.A – have brought an incredibly fun new chemistry to the judges’ panel that our fans really love. We feel great about the show and I’m thrilled to bring it back next year for Season Three.” It’s true: Britney Spears and Demi Lovato have received rave reviews thus far. On November 1, meanwhile, The X Factor will go live with irritating co-hosts Khloe Kardashian and Mario Lopez. Teases Cowell of what’s ahead: “The gloves are off! Expect fireworks!”
Move over, Gloria Allred . Donald Trump will see your “October surprise” and raise you “gigantic” bombshell about President Barack Obama, which he plans to drop mid-week. Trump claims whatever he has on the Prez “could swing the election.” The die hard Republican, who considered running against Obama himself at one point, is planning to reveal the shocker via Twitter at some point on Wednesday, he told Fox News. What is it, exactly?! Think about “something very, very big concerning the president of the United States. It’s going to be very big. I know one thing – you will cover it in a very big fashion.” Man, oh man. Donald Trump totally isn’t the type to exaggerate for attention, either! Trump says his “large, bordering on gigantic” news could “possibly” play a role in the election … that’s right, people, it’s SO BIG that it could MAYBE make a difference! Early speculation regarding Trump’s bombshell, which comes as Gloria Allred reportedly readies her own salvo against Mitt Romney , centers on Obama’s birth certificate. Trump led the birther crusade against Obama last year, bloviating that he was not born in the United States and therefore constitutionally ineligible to run for president. He said he believes Obama’s birth certificate , which the President later released, is a fake. Trump endorsed Romney for president during this year’s GOP primary. Meanwhile, a mysterious website called The October Surprise has popped up, and promises to drop a major political bombshell on Monday at 6:30 p.m. WHO KNOWS what that might be! Presidential Election 2012 : Obama-Biden Romney-Ryan View Poll »
