Virginians favor tighter gun control, survey finds | GoDanRiver.com

More surprisingly good news from the Old Dominion:

A coalition of U.S. mayors Wednesday released a survey that claims broad support in Virginia for tighter background checks on the purchase and sale of firearms in the commonwealth.

According to the survey, conducted by the Democratic polling firm Hart Research for the group Mayors Against Illegal Guns:

•84 percent of Virginians support requiring gun dealers to notify police when someone fails a background check.

•88 percent of Virginians support a law to require background checks for all guns sold at gun shows.

•85 percent of Virginians support tracking the bulk purchase of semi-automatic assault rifles.

The survey coincided with the introduction of the Fix Gun Checks Act of 2011, introduced in the U.S. Senate by Sen. Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y.

The legislation would require federal agencies to disseminate records on people who are prohibited from purchasing guns, such as felons, drug abusers and the mentally ill. It also would require nearly all gun buyers to pass a background check.

The 550-member mayor’s group, supported by families of victims of the Virginia Tech shooting massacre, claims that “millions of records of dangerous individuals are still missing” from the National Criminal Information System. It says a law passed after the Tech massacre to facilitate the process has not been fully funded.

via Virginians favor tighter gun control, survey finds | GoDanRiver.com.

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AMERICAblog News: NBC-WSJ poll: ‘Conservatives’ overwhelmingly support liberal policies

There was a time people were put into Mental Institutions for ignoring facts and reality, now they simply become Republicans and get elected to Congress…

More truth is coming out and awareness is starting to go up…

But the GOP continues to ignore the facts and what most Americans really want…

From AmericaBlog:

This recent Rachel Maddow Show segment is one of the best multi-media essays I’ve seen. Rich in thought, beautifully written, beautifully structured, perfectly presented.

The headline — A new NBC-WSJ Poll from 3/2/11, composed of 36% conservatives and only 24% liberals, found the following support levels:

81% – Taxing millionaires

68% – Eliminating Bush tax cuts

74% – Eliminating oil & gas subsidies

77% – Public union bargaining rights

Amazing data.

More:   AMERICAblog News: NBC-WSJ poll: ‘Conservatives’ overwhelmingly support liberal policies.

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Frank sees gay equality in my lifetime | Reuters

I hope he’s right…

I’m more optimistic than I have ever been in my life…

Time is on our side as most young people don’t share the prejudices of those my age and older…

From Reuters:

The highest-profile openly gay lawmaker predicted on Wednesday that the United States could soon see an end to legalized discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender.

“We are on the verge of major breakthroughs,” Representative Barney Frank told the Reuters Future Face of Finance Summit.

He pointed to President Barack Obama’s decision last month to stop defending a law that defines marriage as being between a man and a woman, and a vote by Congress that will lead to an end of the ban on gays serving openly in the military.

“I can foresee now an end to legal inequality based on sexual orientation and gender equality some time in my lifetime,” said Frank, who turned 70 three days ago.

via Frank sees gay equality in my lifetime | Reuters.

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Pigeon O’Brien: How the John Edwards Affair Ended Up in the Enquirer

And now a little Democratic hypocrisy…

This is a fascinating story on The Huffington Post about how the John Edwards affair came to the attention of the press.

And even more information on who Rielle Hunter really is…

I encourage you to click the link to read the entire story.

It’s worth your time…

This is the function of the press in a democracy: It is to present the truth so that we may cast our votes knowledgeably. We have absolutely no right to know who kisses whom in a darkened car or pokes someone on Facebook. But other personal choices tell us if this person is fit to govern. What is this person’s essential character? What might this person do once given trust? Does this person respect women as human beings? Does he take responsibility for his actions? Does he betray those who trust in him behind their backs? We don’t just have a right to know, we have a responsibility to know. Our constitutionally mandated free press serves this role.

MORE:   Pigeon O’Brien: How the John Edwards Affair Ended Up in the Enquirer.

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Dorian de Wind: ‘Don’t Touch My Maid,’ or My Pool Boy

Also from The Huffington Post…

More GOP hypocrisy….

The bill, House Bill 2012, would make hiring an “unauthorized alien” a crime punishable by up to two years in prison and a $10,000 fine. What’s wrong with that, you ask, that’s enforcing the law of the land.

But wait, this is not a twinge of abiding by the law. No, it is a Texas-size loophole large enough to drive a Texas-size truck full of undocumented immigrants through it.

You see, there is a big Texas “unless” attached to the proposed law.

According to The Lookout, hiring such an “unauthorized alien” would be a crime, “unless that is, they are hired to do household chores”:

via Dorian de Wind: ‘Don’t Touch My Maid,’ or My Pool Boy.

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Charlie White, Indiana Elections Chief, Indicted On Voter Fraud Charges

And of course he’s a Republican…

The GOP is always screaming about “voter fraud” in an attempt to suppress Democratic voters- mainly minorities-even though there has never been any evidence of Democratic voter fraud.

Glad to see the Republicans caught in another act of hypocrisy….

From the Huffington Post:

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana’s top elections official was indicted Thursday on voter fraud and other charges for allegedly listing his ex-wife’s address as his own on voting and loan forms, and ineligibly serving on a town council, a prosecutor said.

The Hamilton County grand jury charged Republican Secretary of State Charlie White with seven felony counts in all, including three counts of voter fraud, two counts of perjury, and one count each of theft and financial fraud, said John Dowd, one of two special prosecutors asked to investigate the matter.

Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels called on White to step aside until the case is resolved.

via Charlie White, Indiana Elections Chief, Indicted On Voter Fraud Charges.

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The Hollow Cry of ‘Broke’ – NYTimes.com

Amen…

With most creative types being Democrats, you would think we could do a better job of getting this message out…

One of the reasons we fail is the Corporate-owned Media…

In this case, the New York Times is right (emphasis is mine):

A country with a deficit is not necessarily any more “broke” than a family with a mortgage or a college loan. And states have to balance their budgets. Though it may disappoint many conservatives, there will be no federal or state bankruptcies.

The federal deficit is too large for comfort, and most states are struggling to balance their books. Some of that is because of excessive spending, and much is because the recession has driven down tax revenues. But a substantial part was caused by deliberate decisions by state and federal lawmakers to drain government of resources by handing out huge tax cuts, mostly to the rich. As governments begin to stagger from the self-induced hemorrhaging, Republican politicians like Mr. Boehner and Mr. Walker cry poverty and use it as an excuse to break unions and kill programs they never liked in flush years.

via The Hollow Cry of ‘Broke’ – NYTimes.com.

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Public Policy Polling: Obama strong in Virginia

It’s early, but this is still good news…

Maybe my old home state is regaining it’s sanity….

Now, if only Tom Perriello will run for Jim Webb’s open Senate seat and win, I’ll almost feel safe to cross the border again…

Virginia seems like a state Republicans almost have to win next year if they want to take back the White House but if the voting was today Barack Obama would take it again by a margin comparable to or greater than what he won in 2008.

Obama leads Mitt Romney by 6 points in the state at 48-42. That’s identical to the size of his victory over John McCain in 2008. After that his leads increase to 8 points over Mike Huckabee at 51-43, 12 over Newt Gingrich at 51-39, and a whooping 19 over Sarah Palin at 54-35.

Part of the reason Obama’s doing well in Virginia is that he has respectable, if not great, approval numbers there. 48% like the job he’s doing to 45% who disapprove. There are two keys to his solid standing. The first is that 87% of Democrats stand with him- that’s an indication he’s generally holding onto white voters within his party, even ones who might lean a little bit more to the conservative side of the ideological spectrum.

The other key to his standing is that he’s coming close to breaking even with independents- 48% disapprove of him to 42% who approve. It may seem counter intuitive that negative numbers with those voters are a good sign for Obama, but after two straight election years where independents in Virginia leaned toward the GOP by a margin of about 30 points a Democratic politician getting just slightly negative reviews from them is progress.

via Public Policy Polling: Obama strong in Virginia.

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Bill Maher on Jerry Falwell

I love this….

Truly classic…

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Source: Anne Hathaway, James Franco “Hate Each Other” – UsMagazine.com

The endless night begets an endless chain of stories…

I still love them both…

But friends don’t let friends work with bad writers…

Someone should have stopped them!

I still expect them to each be winners one day…

No winners here!

A source tells Us Weekly that Anne Hathaway, 28, and James Franco grew to “hate each other” as they rehearsed to host the Oscars Feb. 27.

“She had to provide all the energy — he was just phoning it in,” says a second insider. (“James seemed in his own little world,” during the Oscar telecast, says another source. “Producers were pissed.”)

In fact, as UsMagazine.com reported Monday, after the awards, Franco, 32, skipped his own party at L.A.’s The Writer’s Room.

“He went immediately back to NYC because he was pissed about how the show went,” adds a third source.

Franco’s rep responds, “This is absolutely not true,” while Hathaway’s rep says, “Anne had a wonderful experience with him.”

Still, fans should expect a new MC in 2012. Insiders say both Hugh Jackman and Billy Crystal want the gig again.

More:  Source: Anne Hathaway, James Franco “Hate Each Other” – Movies, TV & Music – UsMagazine.com.

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