Uncivil War -Tea Party & Billionaire Birther Versus Blue Blood Republicans

 Donald Trump - Hollywood Walk of Fame

Signs of trouble in the family are brewing. As election season draws closer the mainstream Republicans are trying to keep their odd relatives in the back room, but they keep going out of the window and talking to people outside, this will get ugly.

One of the flagship signs of strife is when what seemed like a runaway train conductor in Governor Jan Brewer of Arizona pulled the emergency brakes and vetoed a bill that would have required proof of citizenship from Presidential candidates in Arizona. That proof of citizenship could have included baptism or circumcision certificates. Brewer said the bill was a bridge too far. That is saying a lot in the current climate.

Now the Republicans have a different problem, a billionaire birther who won’t stop talking about the birthplace and citizenship of President Barack Obama. Donald Trump is out of control. Trump is not subject to the pressures of Karl Rove or any official in the Republican Party. Trump is a runaway train that came out of nowhere and is leading the Republican Presidential polls.

Donald Trump has unlimited media access and has not found a news camera that he does not like. Trump is on television every week with the top rated show on NBC in the Celebrity Apprentice. Who would have imagined that the real Americans would get behind a New York billionaire as their champion to take their country back.

After the Republican Party used Tea Party enthusiasm to make gains in the 2010 mid-term elections, they now expect them to go to the back of the bus and be quiet. Tea Party members and birthers are not going away quietly. Now the Republicans have to deal with the odd Uncle sitting in the middle of their living room because they didn’t tell him that his behavior was strange when it suited their purposes.

Rush Limbaugh Calls Obama Voters Savages

Rush Limbaugh Calls Obama Voters Savages

Rush Limbaugh officially kicked off his 2012 election campaign of President Barack Obama bashing by calling Obama supporters vile, savages and walking debris. This was in response to the President speech to the nation on the 2012 budget.

Republicans were outraged over the fact that President Obama illustrated the difference in approach to addressing the nation’s budget issues by drawing a contrast between his approach and theirs. What is so interesting is that the Republican position was already written in black and white in the form of Congressman Paul Ryan’s budget plan.

Ryan’s budget plan laid it all out and was passed by the House of Representatives on April 15, 2011. Ryan’s budget proposes to end Medicare as we know it and distribute it out as vouchers that do not guarantee full cost coverage for medical care if private insurance costs increase. Another part of the Republican plan was to maintain the Bush tax breaks for the rich while slashing Medical coverage for seniors.

What President Obama pointed out was a system that hammered on the poor and elderly while allowing the rich to become richer was unfair and painted a pessimistic view of America. Republicans were outraged that their actual written plans for the United States was presented to the American public as a plan that favored the wealthy over the old, poor and sick. Well.

Now there seem to be hurt feelings that the President pledged to protect older Americans from potential lack of health coverage due to escalating private health insurance costs versus the Medicare guarantee that is in place now.

There is a line of thought that says to the Republicans that in order for them to avoid being publically called Scrooge then don’t put his mask on and wear it around town. Now Limbaugh goes into the gutter to express his view, but Limbaugh is not elected to any office and only plays to an audience that shares his views. The Republicans on the other hand should represent everyone in the districts and states, not just the rich that contribute to their campaigns.

2012 Budget Fight – Democrats Can Thank Sarah Palin For Advantage

Big Business Wants The Precious

The United States government avoided a shutdown at the last minute, but a fight for the future of the United States looms as the 2012 budget battles takes shape. Democrats can thank Sarah Palin for giving them the upper hand in the Senate.

The next few months will determine if the United States emerges out of the dire financial situation it finds itself in as a nation that abandons long held principles of compassion for personal and political gain or as a country reclaiming the core of it greatness. The stage is set and in many ways the lines on the field of battle have been drawn.

The coming budget fight is a test of what this country will be for the next 50 years or more. You see the United States is viewed by many as something to be exploited for the gain of certain groups while others view it as a idea that represents a way of life, those two opposing points of view are at war.

Take the lines drawn in the near government shutdown that recently took place, all the way until the last hours the budget measure was held up by an added measure that would have defunded Planned Parenthood that had very little to do with actual budget numbers. In the end the Planned Parenthood defunding measure was removed from the final bill. In a separate measure Republican Congressman Paul Ryan authored a 2012 budget that basically ends Medicare as we know it an transitions to a voucher system that allows seniors to purchase health care from private insurance companies. Ryan’s plan may not become law, but it signals the difference between how the same issued is viewed, one view is from a need to provide guaranteed care to seniors and the other is to provide something for care to seniors, but there is no guarantee that it will be enough. An article titled “Paul Ryan Budget Proposal Approved By House Panel ” by Ricardo Alonzo-Zaldizar and Alan Fram April 6, 2011 and published in the Huffington Post goes into details of Ryan’s budget plan.

Ryan’s plan basically turns health care for seniors over to private insurers, with all of the issues that everyone has with private insurers of escalating cost etc. How long would it be before private insurers and medical providers increased the cost of care beyond what vouchers would cover? If vouchers could not cover the costs of the medical car required then suddenly seniors need to come out of pocket or be basically uninsured.  The attack on Planned Parenthood had a similar tone, but was approached from a cynical angle of not funding abortions. There is a law that prevents federal funds from being used to fund abortions.

So there you have it. Will the United States rewind the clock using the need to control our national debt to a time where seniors are left to fend for themselves on health issues? Will women continue to be under assault on their freedoms when it comes to reproductive health? The push to move more functions to private companies will be loud and intense. The Environmental Protection Agency will be under attack and branded as too restrictive as exemptions on what emissions it can regulate have already been surfaced.

Get ready as a push for profit over serving the public has begun. All is not lost as the Tea Party Republicans only control the House of Representatives. Of all people, Democrats may have to thank Sarah Palin backed candidates like Sharon Angle and Christine O’Donnell as the reason the Republicans don’t control the Senate. Sarah Palin helped provide a firewall against the Tea Party, you betcha.

Trump’s Trumped Up Birth Certificate? Where Was He Born? Is He One Of Us?

Donald Trump Star Hollywood Walk Of Fame

Donald Trump has produced a birth certificate, but it turns out it was not official. Questions abound as his mother was born in Scotland, his wife in Slovenia and his plane seems to be registered in the Bahamas, can this guy even run for President?

An article titled “Trump Failed To Produce Birth Certificate” by Ben Smith March 28, 2011 and published in Politico exposes the issue. Did Trump manage to throw himself under the bus? After going into full birther mode, Trump fell short of producing the long form birth certificate that he is clamoring for President Barack Obama to produce.

Trump’s birth certificate that he released to NewsMax came form the hospital that he claims to have been born in and not from the Department of Health, where official birth certificates come from with the city registrar’s signature on the document. Doesn’t the Donald have people to research these things? Did he say I’m fired to someone after this gaff?

How do we know that this guy is not some plant from the beginning to one day assault us with distracting television shows and muddle up the election process while the real puppet masters run the show. Come on Donald, show the American people your real birth certificate so we know that you are a natural born citizen.

UAE - United Arab Emirates Contribute 12 Jets To No Fly Zone In Libya

 UAE F-16

UAE Mirage

The United Arab Emirates is the first Arab nation to contribute fighter jets to the no-fly zone coalition patrolling Libya. The mix of aircraft has not been confirmed, but speculation is that 6 F-16s and 6 Mirage fighter jets will join the air fleet.

The participation of an Arab country in active combat engagement sends a strong signal that this not simply a group of western countries imposing their will on another Arab nation. An article titled

“UAE contributes 12 planes to Libya no-fly zone: US official” by the AFP March 24, 2011 and published on Yahoo News has details on the announcement.

Below are specifications on the F-16 and Mirage fighter jets.

Mirage 2000 by Dassault

General characteristics

• Crew: 1
• Length: 14.36 m (47 ft 1 in)
• Wingspan: 9.13 m (29 ft)
• Height: 5.20 m (17 ft)
• Wing area: 41 m² (441.3 ft²)
• Empty weight: 7,500 kg (16,350 lb)
• Loaded weight: 13,800 kg (30,420 lb)
• Max takeoff weight: 17,000 kg (37,500 lb)
• Powerplant: 1× SNECMA M53-P2 afterburning turbofan
• Dry thrust: 64.3 kN (14,500 lbf)
• Thrust with afterburner: 95.1 kN (21,400 lbf)

Performance

• Maximum speed: Mach 2.2 (2,530+ km/h, 1,500+ mph) at high altitude/ 1,110 km/h (690 mph) at low altitude
• Range: 1,550 km (837 nmi, 963 mi) with drop tanks
• Ferry range: 3,335 km (1,800 nmi, 2,073 mi) with auxiliary fuel
• Service ceiling: 17,060 m (59,000 ft)
• Rate of climb: 285 m/s (56,000 ft/min)
• Wing loading: 337 kg/m² (69 lb/ft²)
• Thrust/weight: 0.91

Armament

• Guns: 2× 30 mm (1.18 in) DEFA 554 revolver cannon, 125 rounds per gun
• Hardpoints: 9 total (4× under-wing, 5× under-fuselage) with a capacity of 6,300 kg (13,900 lb) external fuel and ordnance
• Rockets: Matra 68 mm unguided rocket pods, 18 rockets per pod
• Missiles:
• Air-to-air missiles:
• 6× MBDA MICA IR/RF
• 2× Matra R550 Magic-II and 2× Matra Super 530D
• Air-to-surface missiles:
• 2× AM.39 Exocet
• 2× AS-30L laser guided missile
• 1× ASMP tactical nuclear cruise missile
• Bombs: 9× Mk.82

Avionics

• Thomson-CSF RDY (Radar Doppler Multi-target) radar

F-16 by Lockheed Martin

General characteristics

    * Crew: 1

    * Length: 49 ft 5 in (15.06 m)

    * Wingspan: 32 ft 8 in (9.96 m)

    * Height: 16 ft (4.88 m)

    * Wing area: 300 ft² (27.87 m²)

    * Airfoil: NACA 64A204 root and tip

    * Empty weight: 18,900 lb (8,570 kg)

    * Loaded weight: 26,500 lb (12,000 kg)

    * Max takeoff weight: 42,300 lb (19,200 kg)

    * Powerplant: 1× F110-GE-100 afterburning turbofan

          o Dry thrust: 17,155 lbf (76.3 kN)

          o Thrust with afterburner: 28,600 lbf (127 kN)

Performance

    * Maximum speed:

          o At sea level: Mach 1.2 (915 mph, 1,470 km/h)[39][92]

          o At altitude: Mach 2+[92] (1,500 mph, 2,410 km/h[1]) clean configuration

    * Combat radius: 340 mi (295 nm, 550 km) on a hi-lo-hi mission with six 1,000 lb (450 kg) bombs

    * Ferry range: 2,280 NM (2,620 mi, 4,220 km) with drop tanks

    * Service ceiling: 60,000+ ft (18,000+ m)

    * Rate of climb: 50,000 ft/min (254 m/s)

    * Wing loading: 88.3 lb/ft² (431 kg/m²)

    * Thrust/weight: 1.095

F-16C block 52 with conformal fuel tanks.

M61A1 on display.

Armament

    * Guns: 1× 20 mm (0.787 in) M61 Vulcan 6-barreled gatling cannon, 511 rounds

    * Hardpoints: 2× wing-tip Air-to-air missile launch rails, 6× under-wing & 3× under-fuselage pylon stations holding up to 17,000 lb (7,700 kg) of payload

    * Rockets:

          o 4× LAU-61/LAU-68 rocket pods (each with 19× /7× Hydra 70 mm rockets, respectively) or

          o 4× LAU-5003 rocket pods (each with 19× CRV7 70 mm rockets) or

          o 4× LAU-10 rocket pods (each with 4× Zuni 127 mm rockets)

    * Missiles:

          o Air-to-air missiles:

                + 2× AIM-7 Sparrow or

                + 6× AIM-9 Sidewinder or

                + 6× IRIS-T or

                + 6× AIM-120 AMRAAM or

                + 6× Python-4

          o Air-to-ground missiles:

                + 6× AGM-45 Shrike or

                + 6× AGM-65 Maverick or

                + 4× AGM-88 HARM

          o Anti-ship missiles:

                + 2× AGM-84 Harpoon or

                + 4× AGM-119 Penguin

    * Bombs:

          o 8× CBU-87 Combined Effects Munition

          o 8× CBU-89 Gator mine

          o 8× CBU-97 Sensor Fuzed Weapon

          o Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser capable

          o 4× GBU-10 Paveway II

          o 6× GBU-12 Paveway II

          o 4× JDAM

          o 4× Mark 84 general-purpose bombs

          o 8× Mark 83 GP bombs

          o 12× Mark 82 GP bombs

          o 8× Small Diameter Bomb

          o 3× B61 nuclear bomb

    * Others:

          o SUU-42A/A Flares/Infrared decoys dispenser pod and chaff pod or

          o AN/ALQ-131 & AN/ALQ-184 ECM pods or

          o LANTIRN, Lockheed Martin Sniper XR & LITENING targeting pods or

          o up to 3× 300/330/370 US gallon Sargent Fletcher drop tanks for ferry flight/extended range/loitering time.

Avionics

    * AN/APG-68 radar

Michele Bachmann To Form Presidential Exploratory Committee

 Michele Bachmann

It seems that Michele Bachmann is throwing her hat into the ring to run for President. She stated that she will form a Presidential exploratory committee by June or sooner.

An article titled “Michele Bachmann to form exploratory committee in June, possibly earlier ” by Shannon Travis goes into her announcement. There may end up being two sides to the Republican Presidential race. One side could contain Michele Bachmann, Sarah Palin and Donald Trump. The other side could feature Mitt Romney, Haley Barbour and Tim Pawlenty.

It may be good to have this mix, because the sideshow crowd could keep the public awake as they listen to real points being debated by the serious side of the group. Think of the spectacle, birtherism, fiscal policy and you're fired all on the same stage.

Japan Earthquake Triggered Tsunami Damage In The United States Of America

Tsunami Damage In The United States of America

The United States is a long way from the power and destruction of the 8.9 earthquake and resulting tsunami that devastated Japan. We all send the Japanese people good wishes and prayers for a full recovery. Even with thousands of miles of ocean to cross the power of the tsunami still made an impact on the United States.

Initial reports said that the tsunami wave went around the Hawaii Islands, but video evidence show that a glancing blow was struck on the big island of Hawaii in the town of Kona over 3,850 miles from Japan. Unbelievably, cities in California were affected over 5,478 miles away.

Although the scale of damage in the United States can’t begin to compare with that in Japan, the tsunami managed to claim a life over 5,000 miles away from where it started. An article titled “NorCal man drowns trying to photograph tsunami” by the Fox 5 San Diego Staff and CNN Wire March 11, 2011 and published on the Fox 5 San Diego  website tells of a California man that was swept out to sea and drowned while trying to photograph the incoming tsunami waves.

Although the magnitude of suffering was vastly different from Japan to the United States, they were both touched by death and destruction from the same event that demonstrated the awesome power of nature. Man still lives with forces greater than himself.