I AM A SENIOR. FORGIVE ME IF I STILL VALUE MY LIFE

By VERNE STRICKLAND   FEBRUARY 2, 2013

THE SURE AND CERTAIN PERILS OF OBAMACARE. YOU WON'T GET MUCH OLDER.

Most civilized societies in the world today have traditionally paid respect to their elders, and returned the love and nurturing that were accorded up and coming generations.

Some haven’t. It is well-known that some American Indian tribes, as well as some African cultures, have left their elders to die alone when they became too weak and infirm to keep up with the pace of the larger group.

At first glance this appears  shocking  and inhumane. That’s a fair appraisal in some ways.   At least it seemed a commonsense solution to protect the welfare of the tribe. Was that a justification? Some thought so, though those left to perish might have considered it a bit harsh.

There are modern-day parallels which may require a bit of a stretch. As our Marines have done in combat situations, provisions are made to carry the weak and wounded along, rather than abandon them to the elements, predators, or even torture by the enemy. There is no question this is the honorable option.

Choices. Hard choices. Somebody has to make them.

But in America today, we come upon a situation that is not only improbable in an affluent, civilized society, but bizarre and cruel as well.

Barack Obama, president of the United States, has at his disposable a federal program, bearing his personal brand, that can be implemented as a virtual killing machine despite being labeled in medical propaganda as a “health” phenomenon – Affordable Health Care or Obamacare.

He will abuse it. That is clear enough. He says as much. He will manipulate to achieve goals unheard of in 21^st century medical annals -- to hasten the deaths of the sick and vulnerable, thus easing pressure on the federal budget that he personally has weakened to the point of collapse.

What he propose Is shameful – a description not unheard of where this unusual politician is concerned.

HERE ARE ARTICLES AND EXCERPTS – EXPOSING THE VERY REAL HORRORS OF OBAMACARE. WE ARE COLLECTING MORE. IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT THIS THREAT BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY. IGNORE IT AT PAIN OF DEATH.

Washington.

North Carolina Becomes Next Obamacare Battleground State

Over the next 30 days, North Carolina is expected to become the site for the next battle over President Obama’s signature legislation, the Affordable Care Act (ACA).  Former Gov. Bev Purdue had begun to implement the state-based exchanges under the ACA, however the newly sworn-in Republican Gov. Pat McCrory has put on hold those plans, at least for now.

McCrory’s Department of Health and Human Services announced last week that the Governor would decide whether or not to proceed with the state exchanges by February 15.  Meanwhile, due to the plans set in motion by former Gov. Purdue, North Carolina has received federal assistance to help with the exchanges.
North Carolina was awarded a $74 million grant to help with the creation of a health insurance exchange, a marketplace for individuals and small businesses to purchase insurance that’s part of the Affordable Care Act.
The money is part of $1.5 billion in exchange establishment grants offered to 11 states by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and is designed to help ready the exchanges for use in 2014.
Before McCrory’s final decision, Republican lawmakers are making attempts to water down the state’s participation in the ACA as well.  N.C. House Republican Leader, Rep. Paul “Skip” Stam said recently that removing the abortion provisions in ACA are being looked at seriously.
“There is a law being drafted to remove abortions from the health care exchange,” the Apex Republican said, adding that such a proposal likely would be introduced in the Senate. He said a “sex-selection” law is another strong possibility.  “In North Carolina you can get an abortion for any reason, including sex-selection abortions,” Stam said. “That’s something we’ve got to deal with.”
Washington.

The Impact of Obamacare on Seniors

Like most seniors, Ann Lorenz relies on Medicare as she copes with serious health care challenges, including Parkinson's Disease. Ann sees a number of doctors and depends on a variety of prescription drugs and therapies to stay independent. She worries that Obamacare threatens her access to doctors, treatment options and insurance plans - and her neurologist shares her concerns.
The SolutionGive seniors greater choice of doctors, private health plans, and services under Medicare.

Obamacare Facts & Figures

• Nearly one-quarter of all seniors rely on Medicare Advantage, the private health care option in Medicare. However, Obamacare makes such deep cuts to that program that half of those covered will no longer be able to keep the coverage they have.
• New taxes on drug companies ($27 billion) and medical device makers ($20 billion), as well as new reporting requirements and regulations imposed on physicians, will make access to health care and services more costly and difficult for seniors under Obamacare.

• THIS INFORMATION IS PULLED TOGETHER WITH HASTE, AND WITH DIRE CONCERN OVER HOW OBAMA’S MISGUIDED, INSIDIOUS SCHEMES WILL IMPACT AMERICA – SENIORS IN PARTICULAR AS SOON AS IT IS ACTIVATED. TO BLOCK IT IS FAR MORE EFFECTIVE AND CERTAIN THAT TO DISMANTLE IT AFTER IT IS LAUNCHED.

The Right Way Forward for America

After repeal of Obamacare, Congress should pursue targeted policy solutions that address practical problems faced by millions of Americans in a step-by-step and fully transparent legislative process. The elements outlined above are at the core of transforming today's health care economy into one where individuals and families can control their own dollars and make their own decisions.

Will Breazeale leaves tragic trail of domestic turmoil through decade of court records

Troubled former candidate Will Breazeale back in the news -- this time in Florida

By Verne Strickland / Politics /FEBRUARY 2, 2013

I first broke this story in April 2010 while a reporter for EXAMINER.COM. Politics can be explosive anyway, but Republican candidate Will Breazeale added a particularly volatile character to the 2010 contest pitting Breazeale against former combat Marine Ilario Pantano. This story shattered Breazeale's bid for office that year. His campaign had been rife with false information about Pantano, who wene on to win that primary handily. This information proved that Breazeale himself had more to cover up than he could manage.

ARTICLE FIRST POSTED APR. 21, 2010 IN VERNE STRICKLAND'S EXAMINER POLITICAL BLOG 

 

Sometimes I hate my job. I do right at this moment. But if I don’t do my job now, Mike McIntyre will do it for me later, if Will Breazeale wins the GOP primary about two weeks from now.

Will Breazeale is a candidate who is waging a spirited battle in the Republican primary for North Carolina’s Seventh Congressional District. I’ve gotten to know him over the past couple of months and I like him.

But Will is dragging around an anchor which will eventually take him down. He has a rap sheet that winds through a succession of serious scrapes with the law in Georgia and in North Carolina. A personal bankruptcy filing is recorded in South Carolina.

This bulky collection of court records about Will Breazeale weighs over five pounds. It is 2 ½ inches thick. The time line stretches over a decade, and it’s ugly. I’ve seen it. It will not hide or go away.

It’s not exactly common knowledge that this incriminating file exists. But many seem to know about it. It’s a volcano ready to erupt.

These papers are on public file at the Bladen County Courthouse in Elizabethtown, NC. Both civil actions and criminal proceedings are cited there. They chronicle a lurid personal history which includes references to intimidation, aggravated stalking, criminal trespass, larceny, threats of suicide, and even threats of murder directed by Breazeale at members of his own family.

Most of the incidents described are linked to his stormy relationship with his wife, from whom he is now divorced. The couple had one child.

Only one of these entries is offered here. It is the verbatim text of an official police report describing events said to have taken place on January 6, 1995, in Georgia.

The “complainant” is identified as Mr. Breazeale’s former mother-in-law. The “offender” is identified as William James Breazeale. The report was typed in all capital letters:



“COMPLAINANT STATED THAT OFFENDER SAID, ‘I’LL BLOW YOUR FxxxxxG HEAD OFF.’ AND COMPLAINANT STATED THAT ANOTHER STATEMENT THE OFFENDER MADE WAS ‘I’LL SHOOT EVERY DAMN ONE OF YOU AND AIN’T NOBODY GOING TO STOP ME.’ COMPLAINANT STATED THAT OFFENDER HAS CALLED HER DAUGHTER AT HER HOME TWO WEEKS AGO AND MADE THREATS TO HER DAUGHER (HIS EX-WIFE CHERYL BREAZEALE). COMPLAINANT ALSO STATED THAT OFFENDER HAS BEEN CALLING HER DAUGHTER (HIS EX-WIFE CHERYL BREAZEALE) AT HER JOB IN BRUNSWICK, GA. AND THAT HER DAUGHTER HAS FILED CHARGES ON OFFENDER WITH THE BRUNSWICK P.D. (on) THIS DATE FOR STALKING AND TERRORISTIC THREATS AND PLAN TO TAKE OUT A RESTRAINING ORDER ON OFFENDER. COMPLAINANT ADVISED THAT SOMEONE HAD CUT THE LOCK TO HER ELECTRICAL BOX OUTSIDE AND CUT HER LIGHTS OFF LAST FRIDAY 01/06/95. AND SHE BELIEVES THAT IT WAS THE OFFENDER. BECAUSE HE WAS ON THE PHONE. SHE STATED TO HIM ‘YOU THINK YOUR FUNNY BY WHAT YOU’VE DONE WITH THE ELECTRICITY AND SCARING YOUR DAUGHER’ AND HE STATED ‘I CAN BE ANYWHERE AT ANY TIME’. COMPLAINANT STATED THAT OFFENDER HAS A PILOTS LICENSE AND FLIES DOWN HERE AND RENTS CARS. SO SHE’S REALLY AFRAID. BECAUSE SHE DOESN’T KNOW WHEN HE’LL BE AROUND OR WHAT HE’S DRIVING IN. COMPLAINANT ALSO ADVISED THAT THERE IS A COURT ORDER STATING THAT OFFENDER IS REFRAIN FROM ANY HARASSMENT OF HER DAUGHTER AND THAT SHE BELIEVES OFFENDER HAS ACTIVE WARRANTS AGAINST HIM IN NORTH CAROLINA.”



There’s more, so much more, but this is more than enough. I don’t care to add anything else to this searing personal litany of despair.

It might be worthy of note that Ilario Pantano, the only other viable candidate in this primary, has been relentlessly taunted by the Breazeale camp, which mocks the exoneration accorded the young Marine officer in official Article 32 proceedings.

In my interview with Will Breazeale in the early days of this primary, he said: “Since the Marine general in their version of the grand jury indictment -- I think it’s called an Article 32 hearing -- chose not to prosecute him, he is innocent of criminal wrongdoing. I back him up on that.”

But there has been little evidence of this magnanimous gesture in public debates and other campaign settings. Strange that this lack of compassion and fairness toward a fellow member of the U.S. military should backfire like this.

Meanwhile, Ilario Pantano, who vowed to run a clean and honorable race, has held his tongue when the insults fly, and set an excellent example of how to live one’s beliefs.


*** SEE RELATED STORY ON THIS FACEBOOK PAGE:


 

Dow closes above 14,000 for first time in more than five years.

Verne Strickland Blogmaster / Feb. 1, 2013

WHEN THE RECESSION ROARED IN, IT WAS A PERSONAL BLOW THAT SLAMMED AMERICA AT LARGE, AND ALMOST TOOK ME AND MY FAMILY UNDER. WE HAD LIVED COMFORTABLY VIA AN INVESTMENTS PORTFOLIO EARNED BY MY BUSINESS AS A MEDIA CONSULTANT. STILL, THANKS TO THE THE PERSISTENCE OF OBAMA'S VOODOO ECONOMY, WE HAVE COME CLOSE TO LOSING OUR HOME TO FORECLOSURE. WE TIGHTENED OUR BELT SEVERAL NOTCHES. THEN, HEALTH PROBLEMS SET IN, FORCING ME TO DEPEND ENTIRELY ON THE MARKET. SO THIS WAS A BIG DAY IN THE STRICKLAND HOUSEHOLD. ONE EPIC CLOSING DOES NOT A RECOVERY MAKE, BUT AT LEAST PERHAPS WE CAN NOW HAVE HOPE.

By CHRISTINA REXRODE
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK (AP) - The Dow closed above 14,000 on Friday for the first time in more than five years.

Sure, it was just a number on a board. But it was enough to raise the hopes of some investors and cause others concern about an overheated market. And it brought reminders of a different era, back before the financial crisis rocked the world economy.

The Dow Jones industrial average, a stock market index that is supposed to be a benchmark for how the entire market is faring, had been rising fairly steadily for about a month. On Friday, strong auto sales and optimism about U.S. jobs pushed it over the mark. The Dow is now just 155 points away from its highest close ever.

"There's a newfound enthusiasm for the equity market," said Jim Russell, regional investment director at U.S. Bank Wealth Management in Minneapolis.

But market watchers were divided over what the Dow milestone - or even what a potential new all-time high - really means. To some, it's an important booster to hearts and minds, making investors feel optimistic and thus more willing to bet on the market.

"The Dow touching 14,000, it matters psychologically," said Peter Cardillo, chief market economist at Rockwell Global Capital in New York. "It attracts smaller investors."

And those investors, until recently, had been shying away from stocks. Since April 2011, investors have pulled more cash out of U.S. stock mutual funds than they've put in, according to the Investment Company Institute. In the past three weeks, though, that trend has reversed, which could make January the first month in nearly two years where stock-focused funds had a net inflow.

To others, though, Dow 14,000 is nothing but a number, a sign more of how traders feel than of the economy. And it's not even the best number on the board, some traders say. Professional investors usually pay more heed to the Standard & Poor's main index, which tracks 500 companies compared to the Dow's 30. The Dow garners attention, they say, because it's more familiar to the general public.

Joe Gordon, managing partner at Gordon Asset Management in North Carolina, wasn't celebrating Friday. He thinks the gains won't last. The fact that small investors are finally piling back in the stock market, he said, is not a reason for optimism but a sign that it's getting overhyped and due to fall.

After the Dow hit its all-time record in 2007, it fell almost steadily for the next year and a half. It lost more than half its value before starting to tick back up again.

"It is good trivia to talk about on television and the radio," Gordon said, referring to the 14,000 mark. "It's meaningless to the average professional." And for workers still unemployed by the financial crisis, he said, "it really means nothing to them."

If there is dissent over what Dow 14,000 signifies, what's undeniable is that it's a rarefied event. Before Friday, the Dow had closed above 14,000 just nine times in its history. The first time was in July 2007; the rest were in October of that year.

The last time the Dow closed that mark was Oct. 12, 2007, when it settled at 14,093.08. It had reached its all-time record, 14,164.53, three days before that.

For the average investor, that was all back when the stock market still seemed like a party. Housing prices were starting to ebb but hadn't cratered. Jobs were abundant, with unemployment at 4.7 percent - compared to 7.9 percent now. Lehman Brothers still existed. So did Bear Stearns, Wachovia and Washington Mutual.

The Dow ended Friday 149.21 points higher to 14,009.79. The other indexes were also up. The S&P 500 rose 15.06 to 1,513.17. The Nasdaq composite index was up 36.97 to 3,179.10.

Auto sales helped. Toyota (TM), Ford (F), GM (GM) and Chrysler all reported double-digit sales gains for January.

The government jobs report that pushed stocks forward was mixed, but traders chose to focus on the positive. The U.S. said it added 157,000 jobs in January, which was in line with expectations. Unemployment inched up to 7.9 percent from 7.8 percent in December. Many economists, though, were encouraged because the government now says that hiring over the past year was higher than originally thought.

The jobs number is based on a survey of employers. The unemployment rate is based on a separate survey of households, which is why they can diverge.

Among stocks making big moves:

-Drugmaker Merck (MRK) fell more than 3 percent, down $1.42 to $41.83. Its fourth-quarter profit suffered because of competition from generic medicines against its blockbuster allergy drug Singulair.

- Insurance company MetLife (MET) rose more than 2 percent, up 86 cents to $38.20, after saying it plans to buy the largest private pension fund administrator in Chile.

- Zoetis (ZTS), an animal health business that Pfizer just spun off, made its debut on the stock market. It shot up 19 percent, rising $5.01 to $31.01.

____

U.S. Senate shoots down bid to halt sales of F-16s, tanks to Egypt.

 Verne Strickland Blogmaster / February 1, 2013

WHAT GIVES? ARE WE LIVING IN A PARALLEL UNIVERSE? WHERE'S THE RE-SET BUTTON?

January 31, 2013

---

By Patrick Goodenough

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 105 19

  

Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul 

(AP Photo)

(CNSNews.com) – The U.S. Senate Thursday defeated an amendment that aimed to prevent the Obama administration from transferring F-16 fighter aircraft and Abrams tanks to an Egypt in disarray.
A vote to block the measure proposed by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) – an amendment to the debt limit bill – passed by a 79–19 vote.

In a strong-worded floor statement Paul questioned the wisdom of providing the sophisticated weaponry at a time when “many see Egypt descending into chaos.”

He based his argument on the Egyptian government’s conduct, President Mohammed Morsi’s expressed radical views, and the possibility that the weapons could be used in a future conflict against Israel.
“I think this is particularly unwise since Egypt is currently governed by a religious zealot, a religious zealot who said recently that Jews were ‘bloodsuckers’ and ‘descendants of apes and pigs,’” he said. “This doesn’t sound like the kind of stable personality that we would be sending our most sophisticated weapons to.”

It was also foolish, Paul contended, to send weapons to “both sides of an arms race.”

“We send 20 F-16s to Egypt – which already has 240 F-16s,” he said. “What does Israel feel? They’ve got to have two for every one Egypt has. It escalates an arms race, it makes it more difficult for Israel to defend herself.

“Today we have a chance to stop this folly,” he concluded, urging colleagues to support the amendment.
Egypt has received a total of 240 F-16 Fighting Falcons since a first order in 1980, the year after the Egypt-Israel peace agreement was signed.

The 20 F-16s referred to by Paul were pledged in December 2009, when President Hosni Mubarak was still in power. Lockheed Martin was awarded the contract to build 16 F-16Cs and four F-16Ds. The first four planes were delivered last week, according to Fox News. (Lockheed Martin on Thursday referred queries to the U.S. Air Force, whose comment is awaited.)

In November 2011, General Dynamics Land Systems announced it had won a $395 million contract to produce 125 M1A1 Abrams tank kits for Egypt, with deliveries due to begin in July 2013.

A F-16 Fighting Falcon in flight. (Photo: Lockheed Martin)

Restrictions waived

Rejecting Paul’s amendment, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) characterized it as simplistic, short-sighted and potentially harmful to U.S. interests.

“Would that this amendment was as simple as the junior senator from Kentucky described it,” he told senators after Paul had spoken. “His amendment would hinder our military assistance program, licenses for commercial sales of all major military equipment, including aircraft, ships, tanks, armor, parts and so on.
“It would mean a loss of thousands of American jobs. We’d incur more than two billion dollars in contract-termination penalties for U.S. taxpayers,” Leahy said.

“But we’d also put at risk our access to the Suez Canal, the over flight by the U.S. Air Force over Egyptian territory, cooperation in the Sinai, Gaza, Syria, our emphasis and our ability to keep the Israeli-Egyptian peace agreement going.

“Do I have problems with the way the Morsi government is going? Certainly,” he said. “But removing our ability to be involved, with keeping that peace agreement and our ability to influence those – this is not the way to do it.”

In a written statement – provided by the senator’s office – Leahy added that U.S. law “already conditions U.S. military aid on Egypt’s adherence to its peace treaty with Israel, and on protecting fundamental human rights and due process of law. That is current law, and it needs to be faithfully applied.”
The law he referred is an amendment authored by Leahy himself.

But Secretary of State Hillary Clinton last March announced the administration would waive the restrictions. The State Department said “Egypt has made significant progress toward democracy in the last 15 months” while acknowledging that its “transition to democracy is not yet complete, and more work remains to protect universal rights and freedoms.”

At the time Leahy criticized the decision. “Waiving the new conditions on democracy and human rights is regrettable, and handing over the entire $1.3 billion at once to the Egyptian military compounds the mistake by dissipating our future leverage,” he said in a statement.

“Using this waiver authority, at this time, sends a contradictory message,” Leahy said. “The Egyptian military should be defending fundamental freedoms and the rule of law, not harassing and arresting those who are working for democracy.”
Instability

At the time of that waiver decision and Leahy’s response, the Muslim Brotherhood’s presidential flag bearer had yet to take office, and Egypt’s new constitution was still being drafted.

Instability in Egypt has worsened significantly since then, with society deeply polarized since the controversial Islamist constitution was introduced, following a low-turnout referendum.

In recent days scores of Egyptians have been killed in violent protests, mostly in provinces adjoining the Suez Canal, with police accused of employing Mubarak-era tactics in quelling the unrest. Egypt’s army chief warned that the growing political crisis could lead to the state’s collapse.

Morsi’s opponents accuse him and his Muslim Brotherhood of betraying the spirit of a revolution many hoped would usher in democracy, rather than an increasingly Islamist state; the Brotherhood says its rivals are trying to topple an elected president.

Thursday’s vote to table Paul’s amendment passed by a vote of 29-19. Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), due to be sworn in as secretary of state on Friday, did not vote.

The no votes all came from Republicans: Sens. John Boozeman (Ark.), Dan Coats (Ind.), John Cornyn (Tex.), Mike Crapo (Idaho), Ted Cruz (Tex.), Deb Fischer (Nebr.), Chuck Grassley (Iowa), Dean Heller (Nev.), Mike Lee (Utah), Jerry Moran (Kans.), Rand Paul (Ky.), James Risch (Idaho), Pat Roberts (Kans.), Marco Rubio (Fla.), Tim Scott (S.C.), Jeff Sessions (Ala.), Richard Shelby (Ala.), John Thune, (S.D.) and David Vitter (La.).

DETAILS HAZY IN 2ND PHOENIX SHOOTING. POSSIBLE COVER-UP. NO REPORT ON WEAPON USED. (NOR ANY QUESTIONS)

Photographer: Phoenix Police Department

Alleged killer Mug Shot -- suspected suicide 

MESA, AZ - Police say the suspect in Wednesday’s Phoenix office shooting and his car have been located
Thursday morning at Mesa Riverview.

A person matching the description of the suspect, 70-year-old Arthur Douglas Harmon, was found near the car with what appears to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to Phoenix police Sgt. Steve Martos.
Martos later confirmed the body is of Harmon.

A landscaper discovered the body at the shopping center near Loop 202 and Dobson Road along the Logan Roadhouse restaurant, police said.

Mesa police then found Harmon's vehicle, Martos

UPDATE: Second victim in office complex shooting reported dead.


VERNE STRICKLAND:


THIS A POSSIBLE COVER-UP. NEWS OF THIS DEADLY INCIDENT HAS BEEN BACK-PAGED IN THE NEWS, DESPITE ITS RELEVANCE TO GUN BAN HEARING IN WASHINGTON, AND PRESSURE TO CONTROL OR BAN ASSAULT WEAPONS.

WHY ARE THERE NO OFFICIAL REPORTS ON THE TYPE OF WEAPON USED IN THIS LATEST PHOENIX MASS SHOOTING? 

SECRETS OF THE DEADLY MESA ATTACK!

With all of the furor over the "need" to ban assault weapons, HOW COULD THIS STORY LANGUISH OVERNIGHT WITHOUT A MENTION OF THE KIND OF WEAPON USED IN THIS MURDEROUS ASSAULT? 

This is an Obama cover-up. The weapon surely was a handgun, but the gun-ban radicals don't want you to know that smaller weapons can also kill and maim numerous victims in short order. This news would stop the assault weapons ban in its tracks. 

If the alleged killer was found dead in a vehicle of suspected suicide does it not make sense that the weapon he used to kill himself, and his victims, would be inside?

 

NC Senate Republicans Reject Obamacare Expansions

Verne Strickland Blogmaster / January 31, 2013

919-733-5708
2007 Legislative Building
Raleigh, N.C. 27601

January 30, 2013 Shelly Carver, 919-301-1744

Senate Republicans Reject Obamacare Expansions
Decline to pursue state-based health exchange, Medicaid expansion



 

NC Senate Pro Tempore PHIL BERGER

Raleigh, N.C. – North Carolina Senate leaders introduced legislation Wednesday to opt out of participation in several costly provisions of the federal Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.

Senators Tom Apodaca (R-Henderson), Harry Brown (R-Onslow) and Bob Rucho (R-Mecklenburg) filed Senate Bill 2 to exempt North Carolina from establishing a state-based health insurance exchange or a state-federal partnership exchange.

The bill also directs the N.C. Department of Insurance to return unspent taxpayer funds awarded by the federal Department of Health and Human Services earlier this month to create a state-federal partnership exchange.

“Obamacare was forced on us against our will by the federal government, and they should shoulder the burden of implementing it,” said Sen. Apodaca. “Any claim that North Carolina would ‘control’ this program is nothing more than an illusion.”

Senate Bill 2 also rules out expansion of the North Carolina Medicaid program. In its 2012 decision on Obamacare, the U.S. Supreme Court exempted states from the federal mandate to expand Medicaid eligibility. Based on the court’s ruling, North Carolina has the authority to opt out of expansion.

Costs for North Carolina’s existing Medicaid program have increased significantly in recent years. In 2012, the General Assembly was forced to fill a surprise Medicaid shortfall that totaled more than $500 million. Recent figures from the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services indicate that an expansion of the program would add hundreds of millions of dollars in additional state costs to North Carolina’s Medicaid budget through 2019.

“Senate Republicans are committed to ensuring every North Carolinian receives the highest quality health care and outcomes,” said Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger (R-Rockingham). “Saddling our citizens with the enormous costs of a new federal bureaucracy and entitlements is simply not the way to achieve this goal.”

Background:
Under Obamacare, each state must have in place a health exchange where individuals and small businesses, which are now mandated to have insurance, can purchase health care coverage. There are three options: a state-run exchange, a state-federal partnership exchange and a federally-run exchange. Senate leaders have spent months evaluating the implications of each type of exchange.

In November 2012, former Gov. Beverly Perdue prematurely declared her intent to establish a state-federal partnership exchange – three months before the deadline for the state to make this declaration – while at the same time applying for $73.9 million dollars in federal grant funding to set up the new government program.
* NHCGOP Chairwoman Rhonda Amoroso expedited delivery of this news release.

Phoenix Office Shooting -- Multiple Injuries. What question do you want answered? What the hell kind of gun was used?

VERNE STRICKLAND BLOGMASTER / JANUARY 30, 2013



*** SHOOTING IN PHOENIX. MULIPLE PEOPLE INJURED. BUT WHAT THE HELL KIND OF WEAPON WAS USED? FIRST THING EVERYONE WILL ASK. NO ANSWER HERE. THIS STORY IS LIKELY GOING TO PROVE THAT PEOPLE CAN BE MURDERED WITHOUT THE USE OF AN ASSAULT WEAPON! LET'S GO "HUNTING" FOR AN ANSWER, A SOLUTION AND A CULPRIT SOMEWHERE ELSE. THE GUNMAN DID IT!

 

This frame grab provided by abc15.com shows the scene at a Phoenix office complex where police say someone shot at least three people on Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2013. Officer James Holmes said the victims were taken to hospitals and did not know if their injuries were life threatening. (AP Photo/abc15.com)

Multiple people were wounded during a shooting at an office complex Wednesday morning in Arizona, Reuters reports.

Authorities are searching for a suspect described as a white male in his 60s, according to Fox 10. He was last seen driving away from the scene in a white SUV.

Police said one victim was in extremely critical condition, ABC 15 reports.
More from the Associated Press:

By JACQUES BILLEAUD, The Associated Press PHOENIX — A gunman opened fire at a Phoenix office building on Wednesday, wounding three people, one of them critically, authorities said. Police were searching for the shooter.
The remaining two victims' injuries were less severe, Sgt. Tommy Thompson said. Police do not believe the shooting was a random act, Thompson said.
Authorities said police believe there was only one shooter.
A SWAT team surrounded a house 7 miles from the shooting scene that police said is connected to the shooting. Officers were talking to someone who was not the suspect, Sgt. Steve Martos said.
The gunfire prompted terrified workers throughout the complex to lock the doors to their offices and hide far from the windows. SWAT officers searched the building.
"Everyone was just scared, honestly, just scared," said Navika Sood, assistant director of nursing at First at Home Health Services who along with her co-workers locked the entrances to their office.
Sood said authorities evacuated the office about 30 minutes after she first heard the popping noises.
The shooting took place on the same day that hearings on legislation to address gun violence were convened in Washington, with former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords testifying for stricter gun controls.
A gunman shot Giffords in the head during a shooting rampage in Tucson in January 2011.
Around 10:30 a.m., the gunman arrived at the office building and got into a dispute with someone, a conflict that escalated to the point where he drew a gun and shot three people, Thompson said.
Vannessa Brogan, who works in sales support at an insurance business in the three-story complex, said she heard a loud bang that she thought at first was from somebody working in or near the building.
She said others at the business thought they heard multiple loud noises. She said people locked themselves in offices until authorities evacuated the complex that houses insurance, medical and law offices.
Becky Neher, who works for a title company in the building, said the two gunshots she heard sounded like two pieces of metal banging against each other.
Watching from her second-story office, she saw people leaving the building.
"Someone yelled, `We have a shooter,'" she said. She saw two victims lying on the ground outside the back side of the building. She said health care workers who have offices in the complex came out to help.
Don Jaksa, a software consultant who works in the building, said he was listening to the radio when he suddenly heard "two pops." He said he didn't think they were gunshots.
"My co-worker goes to the range all the time," he said. "He identified it as gunfire."
His co-worker then locked the door. After five minutes, they left and ran into police and someone carrying a stretcher. The police escorted them back to their office and told them to lock the door again.
They were eventually evacuated, and as he sat on a rock outside the complex, his wife called to make sure he was OK after seeing the shooting on the news.
Workers were later allowed to leave the building. Two hugged each other when they got outside.
"You don't expect this when you come to work," worker Lindsa Rincon said.
___
Associated Press Writers Paul Davenport, Felicia Fonseca and Terry Tang contributed to this report.

The Media: Keeping Americans Uninformed? I Think So.

 Verne Strickland Blogmaster / January 30, 2013

 Most Americans don’t believe that the mainstream media report     accurately and fairly.

 

January 30, 2013 By David Fiorazo 

inShare

The majority of Americans don’t believe that the mainstream media reports accurately and fairly. Polls also show that distrust of today’s media is at a record high. It is important to understand where their loyalty lies -- and by their reporting, it’s extremely easy to see that the elite media has an anti-Christian, secular-progressive worldview. Pay attention to how they report the news, especially when it comes to religion, politics, and social issues.

Does the media monitor the power of the United States government, regardless of whether there is a Republican or Democrat in the White House? Do they report on subjects such as abortion or same-sex marriage with no bias, and do they treat conservatives differently than they do liberals? Do they omit certain stories if the facts don’t support their narrative? Most of us already know the answers to these questions.

We’re going to examine the growing March for Life movement and look at the actual numbers, but let’s first look at a few basic Principles of Journalism:

1. Journalism’s first obligation is to tell the truth
2. Its first loyalty is to citizens
3. Its essence is a discipline of verification

4. Its practitioners must maintain an independence from those they cover
5. It must serve as an independent monitor of power

Has the media reported in detail on the hundreds of executive orders President Obama has signed – more than any other president – in just his first four years in office? He recently signed 23 executive orders on gun control alone. Today, however, we’re talking about life.

Approximately 83% of Americans feel abortion should have some restrictions placed on it by law, but only 3% of media elites do. Translation: the media often believe or support the exact opposite of the majority of citizens to whom they report the news. The president’s abortion views are extreme. On last year’s Roe V. Wade anniversary, Obama said he intends to “continue our efforts to ensure that our daughters have the same rights, freedoms, and opportunities as our sons to fulfill their dreams.”

According to Life Site News, the 2012 March for Life was estimated at around 400,000 participants, likely putting this year’s event at the half million mark. At what other time in America do a half a million people rally for the same cause every single year?  The event was promoted and shared by many on social media through blogs, photos, status updates, and tweets; but the major media outlets either downplayed the story or ignored it altogether.

Instead, they preferred to report on Beyoncé lip-syncing the National Anthem, a college football player with an imaginary girlfriend, Hollywood liberals handing out more awards, gun control, and the First Lady’s new hairstyle. Instead of holding State Department officials accountable for the Benghazi assassination scandal, the media chose to swoon over Hillary Clinton, even though her testimony was calculated, masterfully evasive, and uninformative.

Polls have shown that a majority of Americans believe abortion is morally wrong. According to one Gallup poll, 61% say abortion should be illegal. Next to preaching the gospel/free speech, this is the most important Christian battle in the public arena. We rarely hear much about abortion in the news media.

As a general rule of thumb, esti­mated numbers at pro-abortion marches are doubled or multiplied while numbers at pro-life events – if mentioned at all – are cut in half, minimized, or ignored. This is interesting, given that the pro-life movement is much larger than the civil rights movement ever was.

The culture war in America often intensifies whenever liberals feel outnumbered or threatened. Remember Chick-Fil-A Day last summer? The battle for life is no different.

One of the biggest battlefields in the country is the media. Think about this for a minute: you can search the Internet for, watch on television, or read about nearly everything imaginable under the sun. However, isn’t it peculiar and suspicious that it can be extremely difficult to find detailed, factual information on the truth about abortion?

We’re talking about one of the most common, frequent ‘medical procedures’ in America. Try finding helpful, biological, and medical specifics about exactly how abortion is performed as well as any possible cautions, repercussions, and side effects.

Last week, I wrote about the anguish of abortion, including verifiable symptoms a woman may experience as well as many cases that resulted in death.

Celebrated and sold as choice, freedom, privacy, and rights, abortion has been covered up by the mainstream media or re-framed as a fight for birth control. Sadly, the message to kids and young single adults is sex without consequences. What a disservice, especially to women who’ve gone through the grief, guilt, or regret of their decision.

The new normal where journalism is concerned is if a story doesn’t fit their narrative and their politics, the mainstream media with their anti-biblical worldview simply refuse to report the honest facts to citizens they’re supposedly informing. Rather than telling people about problems in America that affect us, they ARE part of the problem in America.

The media has too much power: power to influence people, affect public opinion, and sway elections – and they do. Know the truth, share information, and help change culture.

If you’re concerned like I am about the lack of truth in journalism today, know what news outlets you can trust and share those sources with others. Talk to friends, write, blog, email, and, most importantly, pray for this nation! We should be asking God to open people’s eyes to what’s really happening in this country. Maybe He will still have mercy on America.

New border security relies heavily on drones to hunt illegal immigrants

Verne Strickland Blogmaster / January 29, 2013

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

INSIDE POLITICS

 The immigration overhaul framework top senators released Monday relies heavily on more drones to patrol the border with Mexico as a key way to control the flow of illegal immigrants.

"Our legislation will increase the number of unmanned aerial vehicles," the senators said in their framework, saying they also hope to boost border patrol agents and surveillance equipment.
The proposal doesn't say how many drones would be added to the federal fleet, but the reliance on drones could be problematic at a time when some in Congress are calling for a review of how law enforcement uses them.
And the Homeland Security Department's inspector general has reported that U.S. Customs and Border Protection's current drone program is chaotic and the agency can't keep its drones flying at the rate it had promised.
The agency didn't even budget for enough maintenance money to repair broken drones.
"CBP risks having substantially invested in a program that limits resources and its ability to achieve [its] mission goals," the inspector general said earlier this month.
Border security is a critical part of any immigration bill. In 2007, voters' fears that the border was not yet secure helped sink a push by President George W. Bush and top senators to pass immigration reform.
This time, senators said they'll grant immediate legal status to illegal immigrants but won't let them get in the citizenship line until the borders are more secure.
The Obama administration argues it's made huge strides on border security during its four years in office.
Illegal crossings are down dramatically from their high in the middle of the last decade.
But a recent Government Accountability Office report found that the Border Patrol still captures only about 60 percent of all estimated illegal border crossers, and found that while the number of apprehensions of illegal immigrants is down, drug seizures are up — suggesting traffic is increasing.

GOD SPOKE TO ME OUT OF LOVE AND MERCY WHEN I NEEDED IT MOST

When the words "Let Not Thy Heart Be Troubled" were uttered by the earthly choir, the voices and the music were transformed into stunning celestial song like the voices of a heavenly choir. I was transfixed. It only lasted for a few moments, but I knew that God had spoken to me in a very 
special way.






By Verne Strickland, January 29, 2013

The Blaze is running a series on God speaking to us personally. I have had such an experience. I wouldn't be revealing this were it not for this series.

Durrene and I and our three boys had lived in Raleigh for several years, and attended a Presbyterian Church. She was found to have lung cancer, and was hospitalized at Duke Medical Center, where she was scheduled for surgery.

Alone at home, but for our boys, I fell on my knees each night and morning asking God for his mercy, and for healing. At the end of each prayer, I added, emulating our Lord in the Garden of Gethsemane, "Nevertheless, not my will but Thine be done." The weather was atrocious, for days, with dark foreboding skies and vicious rain, but I would drive to Durham to be by her bedside.

One night my innocent little girl was sitting on the bed in her hospital room, smiling, and asked if I would take a picture of her. I made an excuse. It broke my heart. I could not bear to capture her like this the night before her surgery.

She survived it, and, immediately after receiving the news, I went to a little Chapel in the hospital to express my thanks. I wept unashamedly at God's goodness and mercy.

That was only the first sign of trouble. Within weeks a tumor was then found in her liver. This took us quite by surprise. It was a real blow to us. She remained at Duke. I visited daily. On Sundays I went alone to the church in Raleigh to seek God's counsel and protection.

Everything was normal on the morning at church that I experienced a wonderful gift. I stood with the congregation as the choir launched into a wonderful hymn, which I knew well. When the words "Let Not Thy Heart Be Troubled" were uttered by the earthly choir, the voices and the music were transformed into stunning celestial song like the voices of a heavenly choir. 

I was transfixed. It only lasted for a few moments, but I knew that God had spoken to me in a very special way. I will never forget it. I rushed home, where Durrene was resting on that particular morning. I shared the experience with her through tears of gratitude and wonder. She was so moved.

We trusted that we had received a sign from God, and took Him at His word.
The liver tumor was found to be a mass of blood vessels -- ugly and menacing, but totally benign. We knew our Lord had blessed us in special way -- not because we deserved it, but, because in his love and mercy, He knew we truly needed His blessed assurance.

He speaks to all of us, and often. He has given us a whole book -- the Holy Bible -- where his plan for each of us can be found. I look forward with such anticipation and longing to hear the voices of His angels in Heaven.

God is no stranger. We were known to Him before His work in Creation was accomplished. He will reach down to converse with us if we seek Him.

North Korean cannibalism reported as drought extends rural famine.

  Verne Strickland Blogmaster / January 29, 2013

 

 

 

 

 

Eating human flesh in North Korea

 Monday, 28 Jan 2013 04:51 PM

By Dale Eisinger

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Two children were reportedly murdered and eaten by their father as famine-entrenched citizens of rural North Korea resorted to cannibalism.

According to reports coming out of the isolated country from Japan-based Asia Press in Osaka, the famine has reached such desperate levels that in more than one instance North Korean citizens are consuming human flesh.

An estimated 10,000 North Korean citizens have died as a result of the lack of food in the "hidden famine," as activists refer to the food shortage. Food shortages have spread across the Northern and Southern Hwangae regions, as drought ravages the rural provinces south of Pyongyang, the country's capital.

One report says the father was summarily executed, according to Scotman.com in Edinburgh.

"In my village in May, a man who killed his own two children and tried to eat them was executed by a firing squad," an Asia Press embedded citizen journalist said. "While his wife was away on business he killed his eldest daughter and, because his son saw what he had done, he killed his son as well. When the wife came home, he offered her food, saying: 'We have meat.'"

"But his wife, suspicious, notified the Ministry of Public Security, which led to the discovery of part of their children's bodies under the eaves," the journalist said.

Asia Press reported that one man exhumed his own grandchild, boiled the corpse, and ate the body. A North Korean official even confirmed to a citizen journalist at least one instance of cannibalism.

"In a village in Chongdang County," a mid-ranking Korean Workers Party official told one journalist, "a man who went mad with hunger boiled his own child, ate his flesh and was arrested."

The reports are considered credible.

The pariah nation faces increasingly tough sanctions in the international community as military programs move forward on ballistic missile tests that, in some cases, are aimed deliberately at the United States.

© 2013 Newsmax. All rights reserved.

Mississippi may close down its last abortion facility.

Health Department will revoke clinic's operating license after inspection finds non-compliance. 

Verne Strickland Blogmaster / January 29, 2013

by Cheryl Sullenger | Jackson, MS | LifeNews.com | 1/28/13 12:55 PM

The last remaining abortion clinic in Mississippi, the Jackson Women’s Health Organization, has received notice from the Health Department that it intends to revoke the clinic’s operating license after an inspection found that it is has not complied with a state law that requires that all abortionists maintain local hospital privileges.
Closure of the clinic may take up to six weeks until a hearing can be held and a formal revocation can take place. JWHO will be allowed to continue operating until the hearing can be held.
“We are confident that these are the final days for the last abortion clinic in Mississippi. We look forward to the moment when it can no longer unjustly take innocent lives or place the lives and health of woman at risk,” said Troy Newman, president of Operation Rescue and Pro-Life Nation. “If that abortion clinic’s abortionists are so bad that no hospital will have them, then the clinic is just too dangerous to operate.”
Newman continued, “Women deserve better than to be left to fend for themselves in the event of abortion complications while the abortionist flies off to another state leaving others to clean up his mess. Without an abortion clinic preying on women while they are vulnerable, women will have the opportunity to seek legitimate medical services and other community resources readily available to them that will not leave them suffering in an ER without proper continuity of care.”
Clinic owner Diane Derzis is certainly no stranger to legal problems. Last year she was ordered to shut down her New Woman All Women abortion clinic in Birmingham, Alabama, after inspectors found 76 pages of violations following the hospitalization of three patients in one day for abortion complications.
As she was in the process of losing her dangerous Birmingham clinic, Derzis filed suit to block the new Mississippi law. She received an injunction that extended the deadline for compliance while she sought hospital privileges for her three out-of-state abortionists. That deadline passed on January 11, 2012, without JWHO’s abortionists obtaining hospital privileges.
On January 16, state inspectors visited JWCO and found them in non-compliance. The Derzis received a letter Friday, January 25, from the Health Department notifying her that the State planned to revoke its operating license.
The Jackson area has seven hospitals where JWHO’s three out-of-state abortionists could seek privileges. Those abortionists are Willie Parker of Washington, D.C., Bruce Elliot Norman of South Carolina, and Gary Burks Broadnax of Georgia. The trio did not apply at two facilities because those hospitals are operated by religious groups that were unlikely to grand privileges to abortionists. The other five hospitals rejected their applications.
CLICK LIKE IF YOU’RE PRO-LIFE!

A fourth abortionist employed by the abortion clinic had hospital privileges, but those expired July 27, 2012, and have not been renewed.
A Health Department hearing is expected within a month. Meanwhile, Derzis continues to challenge the Constitutionality of the law, a desperate effort that is not expected to succeed.
“Essentially, when we boil things down beyond the rhetoric, Derzis is fighting to keep abortion dangerous. That is an appalling betrayal of women, who will be better off without this predatory clinic in their midst,” said Newman.
LifeNews.com Note: Cheryl Sullenger is a leader of Operation Rescue, a Kansas-based pro-life that monitors abortion practitioners and exposes their illegal and unethical practices. The group is known for serving as a watchdog of Planned Parenthood and other abortion businesses.

Obama wants to punish America for its heritage, history and values.

 

 This stellar post was offered by an internet friend, and I feel it deserves some studied attention. VS

CBS and MSNBC law guests now want America to abolish the Const. Oh there are some nice sweet things there, one dunce avered. But old dead white men wrote it. These people like Obama and his chilling hatred of Fox News and Rush because they oppose his socialist agenda, is one more step in driving America down and punishing it for its heritage, history and values. and the Moron Voters, mostly libs , yutes, university and law dunces like the guy on CBS, want to undo all 200 plus years of America. For what? The agenda of a radical black state senator from the failing state of Ill. where his goals for America will be as successful as they were for Ill. and all other Blue States. The end of American energy, business, freedoms, Bill of Rights and all to prop up this naif in the WH.

 Kenneth Glenn Koons.  Jan. 28, 2013