Liberal Forum

Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) scoffed at that notion that a senator would ask for a vote on a bill in good faith while requiring that it be “filibuster-proof.” “This may be a moment in Senate history, when a senator made a proposal that, when given an opportunity for a vote on that proposal, filibustered his own proposal,” he said. “I don’t think this has ever happened before.” Harry Reid has voted against his own bills repeatedly, under exactly the same circumstance. It's amazing that liberals,especiallya Senator in leadership like Durbin either doesn't know that, or lies. Of course Democrats lap this crap up without knowing or caring about the truth.

Harry Reid has voted against his own bills repeatedly, under exactly the same circumstance. It's amazing that liberals,especiallya Senator in leadership like Durbin either doesn't know that, or lies. Of course Democrats lap this crap up without knowing or caring about the truth. That is a lie. Harry is the Majority Leader. There is a special rule that if the majority leader votes "yes" and the bill is defeated, its GONE, but if he votes "No" and its defeated, it can be brought back again at a later time. Harry Reid has only voted no on bills (even if they were his own) which already FAILED the vote for the EXPRESS purpose of "saving" the bill to be brought back later. No where NEAR the same circumstance. Liar. /pwned

That is a lie. Harry is the Majority Leader. There is a special rule that if the majority leader votes "yes" and the bill is defeated, its GONE, but if he votes "No" and its defeated, it can be brought back again at a later time. Harry Reid has only voted no on bills (even if they were his own) which already FAILED the vote for the EXPRESS purpose of "saving" the bill to be brought back later. No where NEAR the same circumstance. Liar. /pwned you should be sure of your facts before calling anyone a liar. http://www.washingto...-own-debt-bill/ This one was "an accident": http://voices.washin...y-votes-no.html

you should be sure of your facts before calling anyone a liar. http://www.washingto...-own-debt-bill/ This one was "an accident": http://voices.washin...y-votes-no.html Link 1: Harry didn't vote against his own bill. FAIL Link 2: Harry voted Yes (after correction). FAIL Please do me a favor. Stop changing the color of your lipstick, you're leaving rainbows on my d1ck. Signed, your owner.

Harry is the Majority Leader. There is a special rule that if the majority leader votes "yes" and the bill is defeated, its GONE, but if he votes "No" and its defeated, it can be brought back again at a later time. Harry Reid has only voted no on bills (even if they were his own) which already FAILED the vote for the EXPRESS purpose of "saving" the bill to be brought back later.No where NEAR the same circumstance.I guess Golfboy doesn't understand the difference between this type of procedural maneuver and filibustering your own bill, which is what McConnell did.

I guess Golfboy doesn't understand the difference between this type of procedural maneuver and filibustering your own bill, which is what McConnell did. I'd like to know what Goofboy does understand. So far ...

I'd like to know what Goofboy does understand.Very little.

One of those human rights granted by the creator is to exertcontrol against another person? You bet your ***. The first sniveler of your kind was Cain, who implied that we are not our brother's keeper - that lying murderer. You bet your *** you have a right to use force against other people - a right and a duty, in fact. Just try [excrement]ting in my kitchen and see what happens.

You bet your ***. The first sniveler of your kind was Cain, who implied that we are not our brother's keeper - that lying murderer. You bet your *** you have a right to use force against other people - a right and a duty, in fact. Just try [excrement]ting in my kitchen and see what happens. Does that mean when the government comes to shut down a business because it didn't abide by the ADA, the owner is free and clear to shoot to kill in defense of his ktichen because the government was **** in it?

Does that mean when the government comes to shut down a business because it didn't abide by the ADA, the owner is free and clear to shoot to kill in defense of his ktichen because the government was **** in it? No. He can do what he wants, and then deal with the consequences. What it means is that in the real grownup world, where your silly PREscriptions are irrelevant because they are ineffective DEscriptions, the village really DOES have a say, and individual property rights really are NOT the end all, be all, circle-jerk masturbatory trump card that you fantacize them to be. We do not have to WAIT for a polluter to pollute and get caught, and get convicted, and go bankrupt without making good. We can REGULATE the substances he's dealing in and prevent the pollution in the first place. That's an example of village rights trumping property right, son.

HSBC: Too Big To Prosecute?Announcement of the immense fine was overshadowed Tuesday by efforts to explain why, in one of the clearest cases of criminal money laundering in recent memory, no one would be facing jail time. Criminal conviction on money laundering violations would have also forcibly prevented HSBC from doing business in the United States.Lanny Breuer, Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division, disputed suggestions that the bank was "too big to be prosecuted," but did not dispute the idea that the Justice Department was looking for ways to penalize the bank without compromising the jobs and beneficial economic activity that the massive bank supports."Our goal here is not to bring HSBC down," said Breuer."I wouldn't say it's too big to prosecute. I'm not going to say that. ... I don't think the bank thinks it got off easy."American officials said the $1.92 billion fine -- the largest ever in such a case -- would send a pointed message to financial institutions that have been lax in weeding out the banking activities of criminals and terrorists."The HSBC settlement sends a powerful wake-up call to multinational banks about the consequences of disregarding their anti-money laundering obligations," said Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), whose investigative subcommittee first aired concerns about HSBC's actions in hearings earlier this year.Critics of the settlement said Tuesday that the government had missed a rare chance to send an unmistakable signal about the threat posed by financial institutions willing to assist drug lords and terror groups in moving their money."How much more do you need to know?," said Jack Blum, an international banking expert in Washington, D.C. "These people managed to cross virtually every line that was crossed. It was an astonishing amount of criminal behavior.""I'd say this is a signal to other banks that if you do this kind of stuff you'll get a parking ticket," said Blum. "You pay the fine, and you move on. And that's unacceptable."Breuer said, "I don't think you can make a strong argument that we haven't addressed the underlying issue."The fine, while large, represents only a fraction of the bank's business -- in 2011 HSBC had net income of $16.8 billion. Markets responded to the settlement by sending HSBC's stock up. HSBC Holdings PLC's share price in London was trading 0.5 percent higher. Analysts said the bank will be able to absorb the cost of the settlements.According to Shore Capital analyst Gary Greenwood, the penalties are equivalent to around 9 percent of each company's 2012 pretax profits.The U.S Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Loretta Lynch told reporters today that HSBC ignored "numerous red flags and warnings about the money laundering risks."The bank "routinely did business with entities on the U.S. sanctions list," she said, "evading U.S. prohibitions on such transactions by disguising the source of the funds so the payments would go through."Some of the most egregious activities involved efforts by the bank to assist Mexican drug lords in moving the massive amounts of cash they were receiving through their criminal activity, giving the bank the reputation as the bank of choice for drug gangs, Lynch said.In a statement, HSBC Group Chief Executive Stuart Gulliver said, "We accept responsibility for our past mistakes. We have said we are profoundly sorry for them, and we do so again. The HSBC of today is a fundamentally different organization from the one that made those mistakes.""Over the last two years," said Gulliver, "under new senior leadership, we have been taking concrete steps to put right what went wrong and to participate actively with government authorities in bringing to light and addressing these matters."So can I avoid criminal prosecution if I commit a crime, as long as I am profoundly sorry?

Pennsylvania Governor Rejects Health Insurance Exchange Pennsylvania will allow the federal government to implement a major part of President Barack Obama's health care reform law without state input, Gov. Tom Corbett {R} announced Wednesday.Pennsylvania won't create a health insurance exchange under the law, making it the22nd stateto leave the authority to the federal government, Corbett said in a press release. These health insurance exchanges will be the online gateways where as many as 30 million people will be able to obtain health coverage and access financial assistance starting in 2014 under Obamacare.Congress intended for the federal government and the states to share responsibility for the oversight and implementation of these new health insurance marketplaces, but nearly half of states, almost all of them run by Republican governors, have rebuffed the plan and ceded control to the federal government ahead of a Friday deadline for states to decide whether the health insurance exchanges will be state-run, federally run or jointly administered.Corbett said the slow pace of federal regulators and a dearth of information about states' rights and financial commitments contributed to his decision to opt out of this central plank of Obamacare, a law he opposes."Health care reform is too important to be achieved through haphazard planning. Pennsylvania taxpayers and businesses deserve more. They deserve informed decision making and a strong plan that responsibly uses taxpayer dollars," Corbett said in the press release. "Therefore, I have decided not to pursue a state-based health insurance exchange at this time.Read more at link in title.So I guess what my governor is saying is that he is incapable of anything other than haphazard planning.

The Pope Joins Twitter VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI's debut on Twitter got off to a bumpy start on Wednesday, with mockery outweighing piety in reaction to the first tweets from the leader of the world's 1.1 billion Catholics.The pope's second tweet -- "How can we celebrate the Year of Faith better in our daily lives?" -- prompted a string of tongue-in-cheek- answers."With some nice cold chocolate milk. And the Lord?" wrote one user tweeting in Portuguese with the handle @tensoblog.Another distinctly sin-minded user, @binnie, joked: "Hookers and blow." The Vatican has emphasised that it welcomes all kinds of reactions to the pope's tweets as it regards social networks as a democratic forum. Vatican officials say they believe the risks of mockery are outweighed by the importance of spreading the Catholic message to a younger global audience. There were some bizarre requests as well, with @johnnypalomba on the pope's Italian account asking the Vatican to celebrate the Year of Faith by including a column on the Roma football team in its official newspaper L'Osservatore Romano. Some commenters referred to the clerical child abuse scandals which have rocked the Catholic Church over the past decade. @ElHijoDePutin, tweeting in Spanish, answered the pope on how to mark the Year of Faith by saying: "Mmm, by not raping children and by paying property tax." Among the thousands of replies and re-tweets there were also many requests from Twitter users for the Roman pontiff to "follow" them. One of the more off-the-wall questions was from @A_Hiccup who asked the pope: "What are your thoughts on Dhoni's captaincy" -- a reference to the captain of India's cricket team, Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Writing in French, @GgRrEegOorYy asked: "Have you got 10 euros?" @damiengwalter took a graver tone, asking the pope to have "a less confused and corrupted mythic belief system." In the same vein, @pinchinn wrote: "Explain to me why it's a bad idea to wear a condom," prompting a reply from @luu_maz criticising the tweeter for "a total lack of respect". In reaction to the pope's fourth tweet -- "How can faith in Jesus be lived in a world without hope?" -- @johnfreiler was unimpressed, tweeting: "You are a huge bummer, dude."

Doing ALEC's Job, Michigan Passes Laws Allowing Guns In SchoolsWhat timing. The Michigan state legislature rammed this ALEC-written legislation through in a midnight lame-duck session, the night before a gunman killed all those teachers and children in Sandy Hook. The spineless and shameless Gov. Rick Snyder is expected to sign it.Lawmakers in both the House and Senate approved Senate Bill 59 to allow concealed weapons in several gun-free zones Thursday, as well as doing away with county boards currently overseeing concealed pistol licensing.The Michigan House and Senate voted Thursday to allow concealed fire arms for licensed carriers in previously restricted areas, including churches and schools.Read MoreSo when do they pass the law that says you can carry a gun into Michigan's state capitol, or when you visit a legislator's office?That is still illegal.

So when do they pass the law that says you can carry a gun into Michigan's state capitol, or when you visit a legislator's office?That is still illegal.well, as we can see from all the recent shooting sprees....those "gun free zones" really do a hell of a lot of good.

well, as we can see from all the recent shooting sprees....those "gun free zones" really do a hell of a lot of good.So why are the Michigan state capital and the legislator's offices still gun free zones?If it's good enough for schools and churches, why not for them?

So why are the Michigan state capital and the legislator's offices still gun free zones? If it's good enough for schools and churches, why not for them? i absolutely agree that people should be able to carry guns into courthouses and legislator's offices. kind of defeats the purpose of the 2nd amendment that we aren't allowed to.

i absolutely agree that people should be able to carry guns into courthouses and legislator's offices. kind of defeats the purpose of the 2nd amendment that we aren't allowed to. Tell that to the lawmakers in Michigan.

Joe Scarborough: Newtown Shooting Made 'Ideologies Of My Past' On Guns IrrelevantJoe Scarborough said on Monday that the massacre in Newtown had forced him to rethink his "long-held" belief about gun rights.In a lengthy monologue, Scarborough talked about how shaken up he had been by the killing of 20 children at Sandy Hook Elementary School on Friday. He noted that his children's ages averaged that of some of the murdered victims."From this day forward, nothing can ever be the same again," he said. "... Let this be our true landmark ... politicians can no longer be allowed to defend the status quo."He said that he was a "conservative Republican" who had been solidly aligned with the NRA during his time in Congress, and had previously held libertarian views on the Second Amendment. But he added that Friday "changed everything.VIDEO

Oklahoma 3-Year-Old Dies In Accidental ShootingA 3-year-old boy is dead after shooting himself in the head early Saturday afternoon, authorities said.The boy was visiting a relative at a home in the 1500 block of Derby Lane, about four miles southeast of Guthrie. He found a loaded handgun in a bedroom, Logan County sheriff's Capt. Richard Stephens said.Stephens said the call came in just after noon. He said criminal charges will not be filedThe boy's name and hometown were not immediately released.http://newsok.com/3-...article/3738015I would love to see some gun enthuisiasts speak out about people like this who don't keep their guns secured so children can't get hold of them.It's irresponsible gun owners like this who give gun owners a bad name.This is hardly an isolated incident.A Google search brings up incident after incident just like this one.