{"id":1061,"date":"2012-12-30T13:34:45","date_gmt":"2012-12-30T21:34:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/politicalhat.com\/?p=1061"},"modified":"2012-12-30T13:34:45","modified_gmt":"2012-12-30T21:34:45","slug":"news121230","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/impeachreno.org\/politicalhat\/2012\/12\/30\/news121230\/","title":{"rendered":"News of the Week for Dec. 30th, 2012"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align: center;\">\n<p>News of the Week for Dec. 30<sup>th<\/sup>, 2012<br \/>\n<!--more--><\/p>\n<ul style=\"margin-left: 200px;\">\n<li style=\"text-align: left;\"><a href=\"#Hide_the_Decline\">Hide the Decline<\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: left;\"><a href=\"#Obamacare\">Obamacare<\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: left;\"><a href=\"#War__Terror\">War &amp; Terror<\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: left;\"><a href=\"#National\">National News<\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: left;\"><a href=\"#Economy__Taxes\">Economy &amp; Taxes<\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: left;\"><a href=\"#International\">International News<\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: left;\"><a href=\"#Opinion\">Opinion<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h1 style=\"text-align: center;\"><a name=\"Hide_the_Decline\"><\/a>Hide the Decline<\/h1>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">Environment &amp;<br \/>\n&#8220;Green Energy&#8221;<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/pjmedia.com\/jchristianadams\/2012\/12\/23\/earth-first-journal-assassination-hit-list\/\" target=\"_blank\">Earth First Journal Assassination Hit List<\/a><br \/>\nThe latest newsletter from the environmentalist group Earth First! Journal contains a curious topic \u2014 assassinations.<\/p>\n<h1 style=\"text-align: center;\"><a name=\"Obamacare\"><\/a>Obamacare<\/h1>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">Government in Healthcare<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/frontpagemag.com\/2012\/dgreenfield\/british-doctors-call-for-ban-on-long-kitchen-knives-to-end-stabbings\/\" target=\"_blank\">Basic errors killing 1000 NHS patients a month a study has revealed<\/a><br \/>\nThe largest and most detailed survey into hospital deaths has revealed that almost 12,000 patients are needlessly dying every year as a result of poor patient care.<\/p>\n<h1 style=\"text-align: center;\"><a name=\"War__Terror\"><\/a>War &amp; Terror<\/h1>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2012\/12\/19\/us\/state-benghazi-report\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\">State Department resignations follow Benghazi report<\/a><br \/>\nThree State Department officials, including two who oversaw security decisions at the diplomatic outpost in Benghazi, Libya, resigned in the wake of a review of security failures there, senior State Department officials told CNN Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.pbs.org\/wgbh\/pages\/frontline\/foreign-affairs-defense\/why-soldiers-keep-losing-to-suicide\/\" target=\"_blank\">Why Soldiers Keep Losing to Suicide<\/a><br \/>\nMost soldiers who take their own lives today have no history of deployment. They\u2019ve never seen combat, never been to war.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.weeklystandard.com\/blogs\/obama-blames-benghazi-attack-sloppiness-says-investigation-turned-some-very-good-leads_692347.html\" target=\"_blank\">Obama Blames Benghazi Attack on &#8216;Sloppiness,&#8217; Says Investigation Turned Up &#8216;Some Very Good Leads&#8217;<\/a><br \/>\nPresident Barack Obama blamed the terror attack three months ago in Benghazi, Libya on &#8220;sloppiness,&#8221; and said &#8220;we have some very good leads&#8221; after the long investigation<\/p>\n<h1 style=\"text-align: center;\"><a name=\"National\"><\/a>National<\/h1>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theblaze.com\/stories\/associated-press-story-believe-it-or-not-mass-killings-are-not-on-the-rise-they-are-on-the-decline\/\" target=\"_blank\">Believe It or Not Mass Killings Are Not on the Rise, They Are on the Decline<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/blogs\/the-fix\/wp\/2012\/12\/17\/nikki-haley-to-appoint-rep-tim-scott-to-senate\/\" target=\"_blank\">Nikki Haley to appoint Rep. Tim Scott to Senate<\/a><br \/>\nSouth Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) will announce Monday that she will appoint Rep. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) to the Senate, according to two sources with knowledge of the pick.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/newsbusters.org\/blogs\/dan-gainor\/2012\/12\/16\/msnbc-s-ed-schultz-talks-gun-confiscation\" target=\"_blank\">MSNBC\u2019s Ed Schultz Talks Gun \u2018Confiscation\u2019<\/a><br \/>\nLiberals always say they don\u2019t want to take away guns. But give them an awful tragedy like the Newtown, Conn. shooting and they get bolder and more honest. MSNBC host Ed Schultz showed a rare bout of such honesty during a brief Twitter exchange Saturday. Schultz asked \u201cWhy should anyone own an assault rifle ?\u201d and followed it up by saying \u201cit&#8217;s the confiscation of these types of weapons that counts and will have an impact.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/newsbusters.org\/blogs\/matt-hadro\/2012\/12\/17\/cnns-lemon-goes-anti-gun-tirade-calls-assault-weapons-ban\" target=\"_blank\">CNN&#8217;s Lemon Goes on Anti-Gun Tirade, Calls for Assault Weapons Ban<\/a><br \/>\nCNN anchor Don Lemon went on an anti-gun rant on Monday morning and called for an assault weapons ban. Lemon is only the latest CNN anchor to abandon journalistic standards and push for gun control.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtontimes.com\/news\/2012\/dec\/14\/dem-lawmaker-get-gun-control-obama-must-exploit-sh\/\" target=\"_blank\">Democratic lawmaker: To get gun control, Obama must \u2018exploit\u2019 shooting<\/a><br \/>\nA veteran Democratic lawmaker believes the nation will go along with stronger gun control laws if President Obama \u201cexploits\u201d the Newtown, Conn., tragedy and nudges Congress to action.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nationalreview.com\/corner\/335835\/sen-manchin-its-changed-me-andrew-johnson\" target=\"_blank\">Sen. Manchin: \u2018It\u2019s Changed Me\u2019<\/a><br \/>\nWest Virginia Senator Joe Manchin appeared on both MSNBC\u2019s Morning Joe and Andrea Mitchell Reports to discuss gun control in the wake of the Newtown tragedy.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/washington.cbslocal.com\/2012\/12\/17\/va-sen-warner-changes-stance-on-assault-weapons\/\" target=\"_blank\">Va. Sen. Warner Changes Stance on Assault Weapons<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Sen. Mark R. Warner, among the few Senate Democrats to hold favor with the National Rifle Association, said Monday that the Connecticut elementary school massacre has reversed his stand on assault weapons.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com\/2012\/12\/17\/sen-elect-joe-donnelly-pro-gun-democrat-now-open-to-gun-control-measures\/?utm_source=twitterfeed&amp;utm_medium=twitter&amp;utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_politicalticker+%28Blog%3A+Political+Ticker%29\" target=\"_blank\">Sen-elect Joe Donnelly, pro-gun Democrat, now open to gun control measures<\/a><br \/>\nAnother pro-gun Democrat who has been endorsed by the National Rifle Association told CNN Monday that he&#8217;s open to looking at new legislation to tighten gun laws in the wake of the school massacre in Connecticut on Friday.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/holder-has-called-for-anti-gun-campaign-by-media-cultural-figures\/article\/2516161#.UM-ONPm1Z0x\" target=\"_blank\">In &#8217;95, Holder called for anti-gun info campaign: &#8216;Brainwash people into thinking about guns in a vastly different way&#8217;<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/hotair.com\/archives\/2012\/12\/18\/booker-shifting-focus-to-senate\/\" target=\"_blank\">Booker shifting focus to Senate?<\/a><br \/>\nA little over a week ago, Cory Booker told CBS\u2019 Face the Nation that he was considering a run against Chris Christie in next year\u2019s New Jersey gubernatorial election, while offering a few qualifications on commitment to it.  \u201cI\u2019ve got to\u2026 be a part of my party\u2019s push forward,\u201d Booker told Bob Schieffer, \u201cwhether it\u2019s me as a candidate, or supporting other candidates for that office.\u201d  On the other hand, Booker also said, \u201cI\u2019m actually looking at [a Senate candidacy] a lot as well.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.americanthinker.com\/2012\/12\/obamas_stealth_redistribution_strategy.html\" target=\"_blank\">Obama&#8217;s Stealth Redistribution Strategy<\/a><br \/>\nResentment of the rich trumps all else in liberalism, and we are defending against a multi-front class war. President Obama is using a shotgun approach to redistribute your wealth, with multiple attacks on your income, property, savings, and cost of living.  These coordinated attacks started after the 2008 election and are now set to hit critical mass in his second term.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtontimes.com\/blog\/inside-politics\/2012\/dec\/19\/obama-taps-biden-lead-gun-violence-curb\/\" target=\"_blank\">Obama taps Biden to lead gun-violence curb<\/a><br \/>\nPresident Obama has tapped Vice President Joseph R. Biden to lead an administrationwide effort to curb gun violence in the aftermath of the massacre in Newtown, Conn., on Friday.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/news.investors.com\/print\/ibd-editorials-perspective\/110812-632759-obama-to-wield-bigger-disparate-impact-club.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">Obama To Unleash Racial-Preferences Juggernaut<\/a><br \/>\nIf your organization has a policy or practice that doesn&#8217;t benefit minorities equally, watch out: The Obama administration could sue you for racial discrimination under a dubious legal theory that many argue is unconstitutional.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theblaze.com\/stories\/nra-sees-huge-spike-in-membership-after-sandy-hook-massacre-numbers-said-to-dwarf-past-trends\/\" target=\"_blank\">NRA Sees Huge Spike in Membership After Sandy Hook Massacre; Numbers Said to \u2018Dwarf Past Trends\u2019<\/a><br \/>\nThough it has remained largely silent since the horrific school shooting in Newtown, Conn. last week, the National Rifle Association has reportedly registered about 8,000 new members a day since the tragedy.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/news.uk.msn.com\/health\/squeezing-breasts-can-stop-cancer\" target=\"_blank\">Squeezing breasts &#8216;can stop cancer&#8217;<\/a><br \/>\nA little squeeze may be all that it takes to prevent malignant breast cells triggering cancer, research has shown.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=6w_ze-2r9c4\" target=\"_blank\">Unedited footage of union assault on Steven Crowder<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.examiner.com\/article\/analyzing-shooting-rampage-statistics-after-newport-school-shooting?no_cache=1355682457\" target=\"_blank\">Analyzing shooting rampage statistics after Newtown school Shooting<\/a><br \/>\nThe average number of people killed in mass shootings when stopped by police is 14.29<br \/>\nThe average number of people killed in a mass shooting when stopped by a civilian is 2.33<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.latimes.com\/health\/boostershots\/la-heb-human-hands-evolution-fist-fighting-20121220,0,85974.story\" target=\"_blank\">Shape of human hand may have evolved for fighting, scientists say<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2012\/12\/21\/nyregion\/cuomo-says-he-will-outline-gun-measures-next-month.html?_r=1&amp;\" target=\"_blank\">Cuomo Says He\u2019ll Outline Gun Proposal Next Month<\/a><br \/>\nGov. Andrew M. Cuomo said Thursday that he had started discussions with leaders of the State Legislature about new gun control measures, and that he planned to propose a package of gun legislation in his State of the State address on Jan. 9.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/shine.yahoo.com\/photos\/2012-bans-slideshow\/\" target=\"_blank\">2012: The Year in Bans<\/a><br \/>\nBefore the New Year has even begun, proposals to ban everything from assault weapons to vaccine ingredients are in the works for 2013. But as 2012 has proven, no ban goes down without a fight. This past year, everything from baby bottles and baggy pants, to buffet binges and bare bums have been subject to controversy. Online, in schools, and in courtrooms, new rules gave way to both progress and setback, both praise and outrage. If nothing else, a few bans just made us laugh.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/thepatriotperspective.wordpress.com\/2012\/12\/23\/david-gregory-violates-dc-gun-law-on-national-tv\/\" target=\"_blank\">David Gregory Violates DC Gun Law On National TV \u2014\u2013 Update: CNN\u2019s Don Lemon Admits To Breaking Gun Laws, Too?<\/a><br \/>\nMeet the Press\u2019s studios are located in Washington DC.  This morning on \u201cMeet the Press\u201d, David Gregory decided to wave around a 30-round AR-15 magazine.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/bigstory.ap.org\/article\/ap-source-retired-gen-norman-schwarzkopf-dies\" target=\"_blank\">Desert Storm commander Norman Schwarzkopf dies<\/a><br \/>\nTruth is, retired Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf didn&#8217;t care much for his popular &#8220;Stormin&#8217; Norman&#8221; nickname.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/iowahawkblog\/status\/284701229001605120\" target=\"_blank\">A Briton is 5 times more likely to die from government health care than an American is to die from a gunshot.<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.sacbee.com\/2012\/12\/27\/5079151\/california-gun-sales-increase.html\" target=\"_blank\">California gun sales jump; gun injuries, deaths fall<\/a><br \/>\nGun deaths and injuries have dropped sharply in California, even as the number of guns sold in the state has risen, according to new state data.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/news.yahoo.com\/former-president-george-h-w-bush-moved-intensive-211000828.html\" target=\"_blank\">Former President George H.W. Bush moved out of intensive care<\/a><br \/>\nFormer President George H.W. Bush&#8217;s condition improved enough for him to be moved on Saturday out of the intensive care unit and into a regular room at the Houston hospital where he was admitted last month for respiratory problems, a spokesman said.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/moelane.com\/2012\/12\/26\/neil-abercrombie-daniel-inouye-brian-schatz-hawaii\/\" target=\"_blank\">Neil Abercrombie ignores Daniel Inouye\u2019s dying wish, picks Brian Schatz for Hawaii Senate.<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.myfoxphilly.com\/story\/20385390\/fi\" target=\"_blank\">Teen&#8217;s Mom Speaks Out On Her Son and &#8216;Explosive&#8217; Chemicals<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/pjmedia.com\/blog\/gun-control-fails-say-statistics-from-gun-control-advocates\/?singlepage=true\" target=\"_blank\">\u2018Gun Control Fails,\u2019 Say Statistics from \u2026 Gun-Control Advocates<\/a><br \/>\nAll you need to know: the key gun statistics, straight from the gun-control groups themselves<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nationalreview.com\/corner\/336610\/obama-i-will-get-gun-control-first-year-nathaniel-botwinick#\" target=\"_blank\">Obama: I Will \u2018Get [Gun Control] In The First Year\u2019<\/a><br \/>\nToday on Meet the Press, President Obama promised to \u201cmove [gun control] through Congress; I\u2019d like to get it done in the first year.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/thehill.com\/blogs\/blog-briefing-room\/news\/274881-obama-hopes-to-enact-new-gun-control-measures-in-2013\" target=\"_blank\">Obama hopes to enact new gun-control measures in 2013<\/a><br \/>\nPresident Obama on Sunday said he would make gun control a priority in his new term, pledging to put his \u201cfull weight\u201d behind passing new restrictions on firearms in 2013.<\/p>\n<h1 style=\"text-align: center;\"><a name=\"Economy__Taxes\"><\/a>Economy<br \/>\n&amp; Taxes<\/h1>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/chart-us-manufacturing-indices-2012-12?nr_email_referer=1&amp;utm_source=Triggermail&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_term=Money%20Game%20Chart%20Of%20The%20Day&amp;utm_campaign=Moneygame_COTD_121712\" target=\"_blank\">The major manufacturing indices are pointing to a US slowdown<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nationalreview.com\/corner\/335846\/over-9-billion-sandy-bill-transportation-spending-wont-occur-two-years-katrina-trinko\" target=\"_blank\">Over $9 Billion in Sandy Bill for Transportation Spending That Won\u2019t Occur for Two Years<\/a><br \/>\nTaxpayers for Common Sense vice president Steve Ellis e-mails reporters a list of projects getting funded in the $60.4 billion Sandy relief bill being pushed forward, including those that are either not Sandy-related and\/or not urgent<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nationalreview.com\/corner\/335935\/comfort-dogs-newtown-help-kids-and-adults-deal-grief-betsy-woodruff\" target=\"_blank\">Comfort Dogs in Newtown Help Kids (and Adults) Deal with Grief<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.redstate.com\/2012\/12\/18\/republicans-must-retreat-not-surrender-on-the-fiscal-cliff\/\" target=\"_blank\">Republicans Must Retreat, Not Surrender, on the Fiscal Cliff<\/a><br \/>\nWhat George Washington Could Teach John Boehner &amp; Mitch McConnell<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.the-american-interest.com\/wrm\/2012\/12\/19\/do-gooders-ruining-lives-in-congo-with-the-best-of-intentions-of-course\/\" target=\"_blank\">Do-Gooders Ruining Lives in Congo\u2014with the Best of Intentions, Of Course<\/a><br \/>\nA small provision in the Dodd-Frank financial reform law was supposed to stop valuable \u201cconflict minerals\u201d from fueling war in eastern Congo.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/Big-Government\/2012\/12\/20\/CA-Tax-Revenues-Continue-To-Drop-Precipitously-After-Residents-Voted-To-Increase-Taxes\" target=\"_blank\">CA Tax Revenues Continue to Drop Despite Voter-Approved Tax Increases<\/a><br \/>\nOn Tuesday, California released a report that revealed state tax revenues have plummeted even further below Gov. Jerry Brown\u2019s (D) estimates, even after residents voted to increase taxes via Proposition 30 in November\u2019s elections.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.weeklystandard.com\/blogs\/spending-increase-55-percent-under-obamas-plan_691133.html\" target=\"_blank\">Spending to Increase 55 Percent Under Obama&#8217;s Plan<\/a><br \/>\nSpending will increase 55 percent over the next decade, if President Barack Obama&#8217;s budget plan goes into effect. The finding comes from the Republican-side of the Senate Budget Committee, which notes that Obama&#8217;s &#8220;Proposal Would Spend $880 Billion Over Already Projected Increases.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/2012\/12\/21\/swiss-gold-idUSL5E8NL4N820121221\" target=\"_blank\">Tiny gold bars latest rage for jittery investors<\/a><br \/>\nPrivate investors in Switzerland, Austria and Germany are lining up to buy gold bars the size of a credit card that can easily be broken into one gram pieces and used as payment in an emergency.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/how-the-fiscal-cliff-fight-will-end-unhappily-for-republicans\/article\/2517099#.UN-zdzUSY1-\" target=\"_blank\">How the fiscal cliff fight will end (unhappily for Republicans)<\/a><br \/>\nThe word among some Senate Republicans is that a fiscal cliff deal is likely to be struck by Sunday, or Monday at the latest.  (And Monday, being December 31st, is in fact the latest a deal could be struck to avoid January 1 tax increases.)  Those Senate Republicans hope the final deal will make permanent current tax levels \u2014 Bush tax cut levels \u2014 for everyone who makes below $500,000.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.atr.org\/trillion-obamacare-tax-hike-hitting-jan-a7393\" target=\"_blank\">$1 Trillion Obamacare Tax Hike Hitting on Jan. 1<\/a><br \/>\nOn January 1, regardless of the outcome of fiscal cliff negotiations, Americans will be hit with a $1 trillion Obamacare tax hike.<\/p>\n<h1 style=\"text-align: center;\"><a name=\"International\"><\/a>International<\/h1>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/worldnews.nbcnews.com\/_news\/2012\/12\/16\/15944080-conservatives-sweep-to-power-in-faltering-japan?lite\" target=\"_blank\">Conservatives sweep to power in faltering Japan<\/a><br \/>\nJapan&#8217;s conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) surged back to power in an election on Sunday just three years after a devastating defeat, giving ex-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe a chance to push his hawkish security agenda and radical economic recipe.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.the-american-interest.com\/wrm\/2012\/12\/16\/abe-ldp-take-japanese-elections\/\" target=\"_blank\">Abe, LDP Take Japanese Elections<\/a><br \/>\nJapan\u2019s election results are in, and the vote has gone as expected. As most predicted, the Liberal Democratic Party have won elections handily, taking power from the Democratic Party, which has cycled through three Prime Ministers over the past four years. Now, the charismatic, nationalist LDP leader Shinzo Abe will assume the premiership for the second time in five years. But despite a wide margin of victory, Abe appears to be proceeding cautiously<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com\/atlas_shrugs\/2012\/12\/women-without-hijabs-were-prevented-from-voting-in-egypt.html\" target=\"_blank\">Women without Hijabs were prevented from voting in Egypt<\/a><br \/>\nIs it any wonder the sharia constitution passed?<br \/>\nMore of Obama&#8217;s progress in Egypt. And American women supported that prig.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/news\/worldnews\/europe\/france\/9748655\/Gerard-Depardieu-to-return-French-passport.html\" target=\"_blank\">G\u00e9rard Depardieu to return French passport<\/a><br \/>\nG\u00e9rard Depardieu has declared that he will return his French passport and leave his homeland, in an exasperated letter where he fired back at the French government&#8217;s criticism of his decision to move to Belgium.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/frontpagemag.com\/2012\/dgreenfield\/british-doctors-call-for-ban-on-long-kitchen-knives-to-end-stabbings\/\" target=\"_blank\">British Doctors Call for Ban on Long Kitchen Knives to End Stabbings<\/a><br \/>\nThe good news is that if we ever do get that assault rifle ban, followed by a handgun ban, followed by a ban of anything that can shoot bullets, the \u201cBanners\u201d will still have a banner year of banning all the other ways with which people kill other people.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/2012\/12\/29\/us-france-tax-idUSBRE8BS05M20121229\" target=\"_blank\">French court rejects 75 percent millionaires&#8217; tax<\/a><br \/>\nFrance&#8217;s Constitutional Council on Saturday rejected a 75 percent upper income tax rate to be introduced in 2013 in a setback to Socialist President Francois Hollande&#8217;s push to make the rich contribute more to cutting the public deficit.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/news\/religion\/9762745\/Christianity-close-to-extinction-in-Middle-East.html\" target=\"_blank\">Christianity &#8216;close to extinction&#8217; in Middle East<\/a><br \/>\nChristianity faces being wiped out of the \u201cbiblical heartlands\u201d in the Middle East because of mounting persecution of worshippers, according to a new report.<\/p>\n<h1 style=\"text-align: center;\"><a name=\"Opinion\"><\/a>Opinion<\/h1>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/legalinsurrection.com\/2012\/12\/kyriarchy\/\" target=\"_blank\">Kyriarchy<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/michaelscomments.wordpress.com\/2012\/12\/16\/the-implicit-racism-of-ezra-klein\/\" target=\"_blank\">The Implicit Racism of Ezra Klein <\/a><br \/>\nEzra Klein leaps proudly into the gun control controversy, claiming that he\u2019s just presenting a list of 12 \u201cfacts\u201d to help inform the debate.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/theeconomiccollapseblog.com\/archives\/22-stats-that-prove-that-there-is-something-seriously-wrong-with-young-men-in-america\" target=\"_blank\">22 Stats That Prove That There Is Something Seriously Wrong With Young Men In America<\/a><br \/>\nWhen are we finally going to admit that we have a very serious problem with this generation of young men in America?<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.the-american-interest.com\/wrm\/2012\/12\/18\/uk-punching-below-its-weight\/\" target=\"_blank\">UK Punching Below Its Weight?<\/a><br \/>\nAn excellent new column in the FT takes on one of Britain\u2019s biggest flaws: its widespread tendency to underestimate its own relevance. Although Britain is no longer the globe-dominating power it once was, it remains one of the richest and most powerful countries in the world, a fact that too many Britons tend to forget<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.weeklystandard.com\/blogs\/demography-cliff_690756.html\" target=\"_blank\">The Demography Cliff<\/a><br \/>\nThe New York Times has finally discovered that fiscal cliffs aren\u2019t the only thing that menace the modern nation-state. There\u2019s a demographic cliff, too. A couple weeks ago, the Times\u2019s Ross Douthat wrote a column about America\u2019s bleak demographic future and suggested that the reason we aren\u2019t having enough babies is that we\u2019ve become a decadent society.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/pjmedia.com\/eddriscoll\/2010\/05\/09\/liberal-fascism-the-font\/\" target=\"_blank\">Liberal Fascism: The Font<\/a><br \/>\nWhile I was flying back from New York City a couple of weeks ago, I finally got around to watching the DVD of the 2007 movie Helvetica. Simply put, this is The Greatest Movie Ever Made About a Type Font, but then, the roster of this cinematic genre wouldn\u2019t take all that long to assemble. (Hopefully someone is shooting Font Wars: The Zapf Dingbats Strike Back even as we speak.)<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>News of the Week for Dec. 30th, 2012<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,43,17,6,29],"tags":[41,15,9,22,33,24,3,11,30],"class_list":["post-1061","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-healthcare","category-news-of-the-week","category-progressives","category-science","category-war-terror","tag-2nd-amendment","tag-democrats","tag-europe","tag-fail","tag-gop","tag-leviathan","tag-obama","tag-obamacare","tag-scoamf"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/impeachreno.org\/politicalhat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1061","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/impeachreno.org\/politicalhat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/impeachreno.org\/politicalhat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/impeachreno.org\/politicalhat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/impeachreno.org\/politicalhat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1061"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/impeachreno.org\/politicalhat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1061\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1062,"href":"https:\/\/impeachreno.org\/politicalhat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1061\/revisions\/1062"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/impeachreno.org\/politicalhat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1061"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/impeachreno.org\/politicalhat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1061"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/impeachreno.org\/politicalhat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1061"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}