*TONIGHT'S ANDREA SHEA KING SHOW--CAPITOL HILL INSIDER, ELIZABETH LETCHWORTH... PLUS OTHER LINKS OF INTEREST BELOW

THE ANDREA SHEA KING SHOW--9PM ET.
Capital Hill insider Elizabeth Letchworth, founder and publisher of GradeGov.com, will give an update on the most dangerous and dysfunctional body in DC: your congress. Many topics will be covered, so prepare to take notes--there will be a test. Letchworth updates our listeners every Wednesday night.

*NoisyRoom's Terresa Monroe-Hamilton has posted today's FINANCIAL NEWS UPDATE. A must read for interesting (scary) articles about the economy. Yesterday's FNU provided this very telling econ info piece that indicates the economy's not doing as well as some would lead you to believe.

*Trevor Loudon at NEW ZEAL posted a video covering the history of Political Correctness. I thought PC began around the 1960s, but Loudon's presentation takes you back to the original birthplace of this insidious Marxist tool.

*Kitty Myers over on the east coast sent me an interesting article about former congressman Eric Massa. Ordinarily I would've skipped over this piece but since Kitty suggested it, I read the whole thing--6 pages. I'm glad I did, too.

*In today's Sacramento Bee there's a piece about congressman McClintock. He's my rep here in Northern California. In it, he gives the other members his opinion of the lame-duck session, and offers up a bit of history too. Radio Patriot posted the vid.

*Gateway Pundit posted about another rep in congress--Jan Schakowski. This Marxist is Marathon Pundit's rep in the Chicago area. Imagine that--Chicago. Schakowski's talking to the Russian media, so what could go wrong there? Read it and watch the vid--you'll see.

*Andrea Shea King's WorldNetDaily column--Surfin' Safari--is hot off the presses. This week she's on top of the latest governmental intrusions into your life--"BIG BROTHER IN THE PALM OF YOUR HAND." There's more than one govt intrusion this week. If it's important and has to do with the internet, Andrea covers it. Surfin' Safari is published each week and hits the stands on Monday evenings.

WORST PLACES TO LIVE WHILE RETIRED...AND TONIGHT'S ANDREA SHEA KING SHOW: DR. KATE VANDERMOER, ELIZABETH LETCHWORTH

Are you approaching retirement? If so, I bet you've been thinking of just where you'd like to spend those glorious retirement years.

Well, I can tell you where you DON'T want to spend them. For one, California. Why? Because California has been rated as the second worst place to live if you're retired. And now that you know the second worst place, you probably want to know the absolute worst place to live if you're retired. I'll give you a hint: I was born there--that answer and much more here.

*John Ruberry at Marathon Pundit gives us his take from the Land of Lincoln.

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TONIGHT on THE ANDREA SHEA KING SHOW--9 PM ET:

Dropping by at the top of the show will be Dr. Kate Vandermoer who'll give us a report on the LTC Terry Lakin trial being held at Ft. Meade, MD. Dr. Kate has been inside the courtroom during the trial and has first-hand knowledge of the proceedings.

Then Capitol Hill insider Elizabeth Letchworth of GradeGov.com will join us with updates on the federal fiscal fireball that's about to enter the atmosphere via your congress. You won't want to miss her insights on this catastrophe.

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POLLING STATION SET-UP IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

Polling station

SackBoxer

Kristinn Taylor directed us to this cartoon posted at Free Republic. Taylor and Andrea Shea King have been writing extensively about Code Pink's involvement with terror groups. "SackBoxer" was drawn by Iowa-born artist, Linda Eddy.


Elect CARLY FIORINA

*Retired LTC Buzz Patterson tells the story of Code Pink and Barbara Boxer at Andrew Breibart's BIG PEACE.

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Purchase Buzz' book at Amazon.

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INSTEAD, LET'S CALL HER AN EX-SENATOR

BELL, CA. HEADED FOR RECEIVERSHIP; CITY OFFICIALS' PARTY AFFILIATION DISCOVERED--SURPRISE, SURPRISE!

Bell city manager Robert Rizzo is led away in cuffs at his home.

Here's the deal in Bell, Ca.: Four of the city council members are going to jail for imposing millions of dollars in illegal taxes and business fees. The money will have to be refunded to the taxpayers and Bell will more than likely end up in receivership.

California's AG Jerry Brown is involved and will most certainly clean up the situation in Bell, return the money and send these criminals to jail. No doubt in my mind that Brown will use this as an example of his ability to clean up California's problems as he campaigns for the governorship. He'll need a lot of handcuffs, that's for sure.

Still no mention in the article of any party affiliation. Since Bell is outside of LA, it's a good guess they're democrats. If republican, it would've been mentioned prominently in the article.

"With four of Bell's five City Council members facing corruption charges, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted to push for a court order to seize authority from them and turn day-to-day management over to an appointed receiver." --continue reading.

More Bell coverage here, here and timeline of events.

Ann Coulter at WorldNetDaily uncovered the party affiliation in an August column:

"The one newspaper to cough up party affiliations, the Orange County Register, admitted that the corrupt officials were all Democrats only in response to reader complaints about the peculiar omission.

"Lots of news stories on the scandal in Bell used the word 'Democrat' or 'Democratic.' But that was only to say that the DEMOCRATIC attorney general of California, Jerry Brown, who is running on the DEMOCRATIC ticket for governor, is investigating the Bell officials' salaries."

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**SCANDAL** BELL, CA. OFFICIALS ARRESTED, TAKEN TO SLAMMER--updated

If the government--federal, state and local--ever wants to regain its credibility, this is what'll have to happen on a grand scale:

"Cooley said one arrest required authorities to use a battering ram.

"The suspects were booked into county facilities and will be kept away from other inmates for their protection, Los Angeles County sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore said." --continue reading about city officials as they hit the perp walk.

I'm thinking these city crooks have less to fear from the inmate population than the voting public. After all, they do have a little something in common with the inmate population. Just sayin.'

*UPDATE: Larry in the comments asks a great question. One that we usually ask first.

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FEDS REFUSE TO FOLLOW OUR CONSTITUTION...

... and California follows suit. La Shawn Barber reports.

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OBAMA, SESTAK, CALIFORNIA, STOLEN VALOR

This week many things kept me away from blogging, but now that it's Saturday I have a moment to comment on a few of the topics that have been on my mind.


THE OBAMA PRESS CONFERENCE
10 months between pressers is ridiculous. And this one was no better than any of the others. As with any Obama presser, we always get to hear from his teleprompter before any questions are fielded by The One. With all that has taken place over the previous 10 months, I found it incredible how few questions he took and the limited topics they covered. After all, the US Govt has taken over a massive percentage of our economy, so I sorta figured there might be a reporter in the room who would like to ask about that one. But I was wrong.

About that teleprompter. I'm finding the extensive use of this device a bit creepy. You?

When Obama clearly pointed out he was in charge of BP's gulf operations but didn't have a clue when it came to the resignation/firing of one of his key officials involved in it, well, that's when I started making the popcorn. Because no matter what Obama said from that point forward, this presser was going in the books as a disaster. Since Obama has mastered the fine art of lying, I will probably consider all future pressers as disasters too. I know he's my president but that does not change the fact that he's a liar. After all, Marxists aren't known for their open, honest exchanges with the public; the voting public, in his eyes, is simply a gaggle of suckers, especially those who voted for him. Suckers.

The non-answer about Sestak took balls, but with the lapdogs sitting before him, it was not surprising. No way was he going to delve into the facts on that one. Had he mentioned Bill Clinton's name in connection to Sestak, even the lapdogs would've began wagging their tails and drooling, with a few even peeing on the carpet. Lapdogs do that. But The One was saving that Clinton tidbit for after the long weekend began, hoping beyond hope that we'll forget about the issue by Tuesday. More on Sestak later.

Not so surprising was Obama's usual presser format: calling on reporters from a roster. Yes, others have done it too, but it isn't right and it leads some to wonder if this "so-called" exchange isn't pre-arranged. I like the old days when it was a free-for-all. The other tactic Obama uses is lengthy answers. I've sat through shorter lecture forums in college. In sports, this is called burning, or killing, the clock, and Obama's good at it. Burning the clock means having to take fewer questions, and we know Obama isn't a fan of having to give answers when he isn't in total control of this Hollywood production.

Obama referring to his daughter's "plugging the hole" comment. Two words: Jimmy Carter. And the "Drill, baby, drill" comment tells us Obama/DNC/RNC remain scared to death of Palin's power with WE THE PEOPLE. You know, the suckers.

Finally, I find the BP disaster another coincidence and "lucky break" for Obama, since his agenda for Greening the Economy--Cap and Trade--are yet to be realized. Obama had a similar "lucky break" with Goldman Sachs' legal problems happening just as his Wall St. Reform Act was stuck in the Senate. He is lucky, no?

So this BP oil disaster helps Obama sell the public on the evils of fossil fuels and big oil corporations and, of course, the immediate need for alternative fuels like solar and wind. Never mind that these technologies don't actually exist in a form that could replace fossil fuels. Those are little details Obama will work out at a later date. For now, he'll settle for your tax dollars. Do we even know the cause of the BP disaster? Interesting question, I think.


JOE SESTAK'S WHITE HOUSE JOB OFFER
Now that we know Bill Clinton is involved, you can rest assured that something illegal has taken place. Like Obama, Bill Clinton is a liar. I have but one question: Why did Sestak open his mouth in the first place and then continue doing so? I'll tell you my theory later on.

You have to keep in mind a couple things about Sestak: He's a two-term congressman and a retired Vice-Admiral (3 star). Although he has taken many orders during his career, he's mostly accustomed to giving them. He's certainly not accustomed to having his hand forced, especially when it comes to his personal ambitions in life.

I think the phone call from Bill Clinton, at Rahm's behest (White House), went something like this: the White House/DNC would like for you to get out of the race against Specter, and in return we're prepared to offer you a high-level position elsewhere, (probably at a later date.) I don't think Clinton called Sestak and yucked it up with him like a couple old college chums, either. I think Clinton pressured Sestak but with an offer of a position that was meaningful and of value, albeit not as meaningful or valuable as being a US Senator. There might have been an implied threat as well--lack of DNC support? Remember, Sestak isn't in the Navy anymore, and he isn't required to take orders from anyone in the White House.

Because of the possible legal ramifications involved here, Sestak was enough of a politician to allow the White House time to fabricate a story on how the conversation went. After the story line was set, Sestak would play along.

Here's why I think the official White House/Clinton/Rahm/Sestak explanation is total fantasy: You don't offer a two-term congressman and retired Vice-Admiral, who is most likely going to defeat Specter for the senate nomination, a non-paid advisory position on some BS committee, and expect that he would accept. No, you offer him something of great value, maybe not as valuable as a senate seat, but something close. If you believe one word of the "official" White House story line, then you need to cut back on your alcohol consumption.

Rahm connected with Clinton, who later made the call to Sestak, for one reason: That way if this thing ever went south, Rahm could always say Clinton must have misunderstood what he (Rahm) meant, and Clinton, of course, would agree. And the most important aspect would be Obama--he was obviously busy "plugging the hole" and didn't know a thing about it.

Back to why Sestak opened his mouth in the first place and continued to do so. I don't think Sestak liked having "the arm" put on him by the White House--the Chicago way. By admitting the job offer in the media, Sestak might have been sending Obama and his Chicago thugs a message--that he (Sestak) will not be pushed around. But being the smart politician, Sestak did give the White House ample time to fabricate a story to be marketed to the public--an escape hatch. After all, Sestak is no dummy. His many admissions of the job offer didn't just fall out of his mouth by accident. Know this to be true.

If something illegal did take place--remember Bill Clinton is involved--Sestak should have reported it immediately to congress and the AG. But in Washington DC self-interest always comes before doing the right thing. That being said, this whole situation has the potential of backfiring on Sestak come November.
Legally, where does this story go from here? Nowhere. Obama owns and controls all four branches of government. As a result, there are no longer any checks and balances in Washington DC. Transformation, baby! *For more on the Sestak story, Newsy.com has a great video round up.


CALIFORNIA'S ECONOMIC FREEFALL
In an earlier post, I said California was going off the financial cliff. I misspoke there. California has gone off the economic cliff, and we're in freefall, fast approaching economic terminal velocity. It's just a matter of time until we "buy the farm." Here's a few examples of why this state is doomed:

California is in debt to the tune of tens of billions. They report the figure at around $44 billion but that's a lie and everyone knows it. It's much, much larger. The job situation? In the toilet and on its way to the sewage treatment plant. California--doomed

In the city of Sacramento, their budget is hemorrhaging red at $43 million. And what's city hall doing with their time and our dollars? Enacting an Arizona boycott. Yes, you read that correctly. Sacramento--doomed.

Overall, how do things look in other cities? Well, in the SF Bay Area, the city of Antioch is now considering bankruptcy. If they do, they'll be the second California city to do so in two years. Antioch--doomed.

A school district here in the Sacramento area is getting down to business and cutting the fat out of their school district budget, a budget that's $17 million in the red. Natomas Unified is closing eight school libraries. And how many libraries do they have? Eight. I've always said those damn school books would one day be our economic ruin. I was right.

Let's see, art classes gone; music and band gone; chorus gone, and shop class was history years ago. I wonder if it ever dawned on anyone that maybe--just maybe--they should get rid of the economic, progressive morons running this district? Natomas School District--doomed.

California--DOOMED! If you don't think so, just read the 4th and 5th paragraphs of this article. Then you'll understand. Does your state operate this way? You'd better hope not.


RICHARD BLUMENTHAL AND NEIL CAVUTO
Last week I posted about Neil Cavuto's defense of Richard Blumenthal. I couldn't believe that Neil pieced together such a convoluted excuse for Blumenthal's actions, and then took aim at those of us who were making an issue of Blumenthal's Stolen Valor. Neil said our criticisms were "silly," "nonsense," and "didn't matter." I attempted to enlighten Neil as I didn't think he understood the issue since he never served in the military. (I assume he hasn't served.)

As the week wore on, I expected Blumenthal to finally buckle under the pressure and apologize. Well, he made an attempt but I don't think it was a real apology, nor do I think he really cares. Because if he did, he would've pulled out of the senate race, and he certainly wouldn't have EMAILED his so-called apology to a Hartford newspaper, either. Anyone guilty of Stolen Valor does not deserve to be seated in the US Senate, the US House, White House or any other public office.

I also expected Neil to revisit his own remarks on Blumenthal, possibly clarifying them or even apologizing for being so wrong on such an important issue both inside and outside the military community. If Neil did this, I missed it. I looked for his comments until Wednesday, found none and decided to discontinue looking for them. Neil, for me, used to be appointment tv. I will continue to watch but will no longer plan my day around his telecast. If I see his show, fine. If not, oh well. Stolen Valor is a deal breaker for me. Might not be for you, but it is for me.

This whole Blumenthal Stolen Valor issue has made me wonder why Neil was so quick to defend him. Are they friends, neighbors, live in the same state, wives hang out together, or did Blumenthal once bring Neil a dozen donut holes? Anyone have an idea?

Defending someone who's guilty of Stolen Valor is risky business, I would think. At the very least, it shows one's true character. I don't think Neil's a bad guy, never did. And that's why I'm so confused by his defense of Blumenthal's Stolen Valor. There is no defense for such an act, especially from someone in Blumenthal's high profile position within the state of Connecticut.

Again, I will attempt to help Neil with this issue. Most importantly, Blumenthal is a lawyer and a politician. But let's just stick with the lawyer part for now.

All good lawyers must be able to communicate. Words are their tools, both written and spoken. Lawyers use words with the same precision a doctor uses a scalpel. Exacting. Blumenthal is not just your everyday, run-of-the-mill lawyer, either. He has a resume that arrives before he does. A legal pedigree most lawyers would kill for.

From Blumenthal's bio: He's serving his fifth term as Connecticut's AG. Unprecedented. Early in his career, he was an aide to Sens Moynihan and Ribicoff. And he clerked for Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun. He served as a United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, later becoming the Chief Federal Prosecutor for Connecticut. Blumenthal also was elected to the Connecticut House of Representatives. And he has argued before the United States Supreme Court. The list goes on and on.

Blumenthal's schooling: Graduate of Harvard (Phi Beta Kappa, Magna Cum Laude.) Graduate of Yale Law School, and Editor-in-Chief of the Yale Law Journal. Impressive.

I think we can all agree that a man with this background gets his message or point across in a very effective way. Words are tools, either written or spoken; they have precise meaning. Whether Blumenthal is communicating to you, a jury or the Supreme Court of the United States, he makes his point clearly. A man like this knows exactly what he means to say when he says it.

Men with this background, training and experience, do not make a habit of talking off-the-cuff in a reckless manner, especially about service in Vietnam. Blumenthal, I would say, doesn't even speak off-the-cuff when ordering his breakfast at Denny's! And he certainly wouldn't mistake "during Vietnam" with "in Vietnam." Ever. The subject of Vietnam is much too important and sensitive a topic for a man of his abilities to all of a sudden become sloppy when communicating about it.

Neil, your boy Blumenthal is worse than a liar--he's guilty of Stolen Valor. He's admitted as much, albeit rather weakly:

"At times when I have sought to honor veterans, I have not been as clear or precise as I should have been about my service in the Marine Corps Reserves,''

Clear or precise? Give me a break. Stolen Valor is Stolen Valor. Neil, I look forward to your follow up on this issue. If you're man enough, you will. If not, well...

READ THE FINANCIALS, THEN TAKE SHELTER

As you've probably heard, economically the world is on fire, or about to be. I like to stay in touch with the latest market news by reading TMH's Financial Links page. (She's still in bed, but later on just scroll down until you see it--She's up now.) In the meantime, here's a great world financial markets page. No matter what the time, there's some market activity taking place somewhere on the globe, a story, event--you name it. Or, there's always Gerald Celente.

REAL-TIME WORLD FINANCIAL MARKETS

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Sestak admits the White House offered him a job--bribe--to get out of the race against Specter, but never went into detail about it. I thought that odd. Blackfive (Uber Pig) drops the hammer on the good Admiral via Instapundit. And, did the ballerina offer Sestak the job?

If you're in need of cheering up, here's the story that'll do it. One of the geniuses in the MSM gave a commencement speech recently... but it was to the WRONG college. Talk about not doing your homework! When she saw the name Rev. Billy Graham in her research, a light should've turned on. Dim bulb Ann Curry's worst day ever.

You've been warned many times by many people--prepare for the worst, just in case. Rod Serling shows you what it could be like if you're not prepared: THE SHELTER. Part one of three. You'll find your way to the other parts.

Speaking of taking shelter, California is going off the financial cliff. It's official, and there's no stopping it or hiding the facts. Here's the latest breakdown of unemployment in the Golden State from '08 to the present. The graphics used in this presentation look great. The numbers, though, are ugly. Just for fun, push the "play" button and watch California go down the toilet.

THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE CALIFORNIA JOB MARKET

Then there's Gov. Chris Christie.

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GREATNESS IS BORN--RONALD WILSON REAGAN, FEB 6, 1911

Ronald Wilson Reagan was born on this day, February 6, 1911, at 111 South Main Street, Tampico, Illinois. His birth took place in a second floor flat above the Pitney General Store. Morton Grove's John Ruberry traveled there one day and blogged about the experience. Also, Andrea Shea King has a wonderful video tribute to our 40th president along with a note to Mrs. Reagan: To Nancy, With Love.

Reagan is 99 today. I say "is" because in my mind Reagan is alive and well, always will be too. In my writings and conversations, I often refer to him. There's much to be said about a man of his ability, his sheer strength of will, determination and passion for this the greatest of nations. Not for one moment did Reagan ever let us forget the greatness of our nation, especially during the worst of times. He reminded us on more than one occasion that no matter the challenge before us, we as a nation could and would overcome. And we did.

Although he wasn't one of our nation's founding fathers, he was, without argument, one of our nation's re-founders. Upon entering the White House, he was of an age (69) when most are retired, or considering retirement. Not Reagan. He met our problems--and there were plenty of them--head-on, rolled up his sleeves and began working toward solutions on that long list of what ailed our floundering nation.

Before Reagan became president, Jimmy Carter was our nation's progressive leader. I was in my early twenties, fresh out of the army, in college, and followed Reagan day-by-day. And with each day I got more and more excited with the possibility of him taking back the House at 1600. To be honest, during the late '70's I was nearly embarrassed to be an American. I should never say such a thing but it was true. If you didn't live through the Carter years, you can't possibly understand my feelings.

But our greatest dream came true in November 1980. And at 12 noon, January 20, 1981, the celebration began--it was as if WWII had ended all over again. By 12:30, the oath of office was complete. Reagan, at this point, had done nothing as president, but our spirits were lifted to heights not known for quite some time. Life was good. Very good.

Reagan had a remarkable two-term presidency, and many of the benefits crafted by his administration weren't realized until after he had left office. However, we all knew why and how those accomplishments came about. As with any presidency, his too had its problems. But he was upfront and honest about them, and the American public knew and understood this. After all, Reagan, like all of us, was human.

HIS TEAMMATE AND LOVE OF HIS LIFE:

Ronald Wilson Reagan would never have become one of our greatest presidents without his teammate, the love of his life, Nancy Reagan. Whether it was in Sacramento or Washington DC, he didn't have a more ardent, supportive or protective person in his corner. Ronald Reagan was an outside-the-beltway kind of man. A politician, yes, but without Nancy at his side, he probably would've been just another actor and conservative speaker of the era. Not governor, not president.

Surrounding him, Ronald Reagan had some of the smartest, hardest working advisers. All tasked with crafting policies, speeches and events for him to attend. But not a one of them had half the sense Mrs Reagan had when it came to what was best for her man. Without a doubt, Nancy Reagan knew what was best for her husband--and she had no problem making it known. And don't think for a moment that those advisers weren't from time-to-time looking over their shoulders with an eye toward the First Lady as they put together some sort of policy or event for the president.

Mrs Reagan had more than one run-in with her husband's advisers, some are legendary. She usually came out on top too. Why? Because she knew what was best and she was determined to protect the man who lead our nation, the man she loved more than anything in life. The same man we loved and admired.

Our First Lady, Nancy Reagan, brought much to our White House. Just her name alone brings to mind words like class, style, beauty and loyalty. She brought all this to our House, and then some. She not only made our White House a thing of beauty, something to behold, to be proud of, to treasure, but she made our president look as grand as our president should look.

Just as President Reagan made us feel good about our nation, Nancy Reagan gave us a sense of comfort in knowing Ronald Reagan was well looked after. In his declining years, when he was no longer able to venture into the public's eye, Nancy Reagan made sure our re-founding president--one of history's greatest--was in the best of hands, being cared for every minute of the day, seeing that all his needs and comforts were met. As sad as I was about his illness, I took some comfort in knowing she was there for him. In a way, we were all there for him.

So, Mr. President, I salute you on your 99th birthday. I will always pray for you. I will always recall your words. And because of your words I will always have a keen sense of our nation's greatness and the possibilities it provides to us and the world.

And to Nancy Reagan, our Finest First Lady, I pray for you as well. I can't begin to thank you for all you've done, not just for our nation but for Ronald Wilson Reagan. I hope your days are filled with nothing but the goodness that life provides for us. God Bless You.