It looks like extension of the Bush Tax Cuts are likely to get passed. However, it doesn’t come without a price. I wouldn’t be surprised if they don’t try and through in tons of pork. Of course, if they want to add special discounts on an orthopedic mattress I’m up for that, since it is on my Christmas list.

Included right now are extension of breaks for ethanol and other forms of alternative energy. The tax provision would be aimed at increasing production of hybrid automobiles, biodiesel fuel, energy-efficient homes, coal and energy-efficient household appliances.

This Weeks Post Was Suggested By Beth

PFC Chance Phelps
19 years old from Dubois, Wyoming
3 Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force
April 9, 2004

“I don’t think anything can prepare you for two young men standing in the living room telling you your son’s been killed,” said Gretchen Mack, mother of PFC Chance Phelps. “It’s just surreal. They were crying.” The last time she had talked her to son was a few days before his death. “He said, ‘Mom, I’m fine.’ He sounded great. It was really good to be able to talk to him. It made us feel better.”

PFC Phelps was KIA while battling insurgents just outside of Baghdad, Iraq.

Friends recall Phelps as a fun-loving, hard-nosed kid. “He was big but didn’t throw his size around to intimidate people”, said Jarod Estey. “He was probably the toughest kid I knew growing up in grade school. He was probably the biggest kid, too — well-built and strong. But he was real easy going. He always had a smile on his face.”

“He was very in tune politically,” said his mother. “He knew what he wanted for this country. … He told me after 9/11, ‘I absolutely have to go. I’ve got to do something.’” But joining the military isn’t anything new for the family. His father, John Phelps, is a Vietnam veteran. And his sister, Kelley, works at the Pentagon and is engaged to an Army sergeant.

“He had an unusual amount of zest,” said his mother. “He just possessed this quality that he had to be in the thick of things all the time. He was very, very positive, very funny. … His main thing in life was making people laugh.”

You can read more here.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Who are the Republican Front Runners for 2012? According to recent polling, Barack Obama would beat Sarah Palin 45% to 40%. Mitt Romney beats the President, 46% to 45%, but Obama would beat Mike Huckabee 46% to 44%. Two dark horses for the race are Michael Bloomberg, the independent mayor of New York City and Chris Christie, the Republican Governor of New Jersey.

Bloomberg, would probably not have a chance. According to polling, 61% do not want him to run for President.

Electability is also about looks. Many have criticized Chris Christie for his weight and have suggested he read apidexin review, diet and exercise. I haven’t seen any polling number for Christie, but is approval rating in a Democratic state is about 49%. Christie claims he won’t run in 2012, but we will see.

President Obama may giving away promotional stress balls this Christmas to members of the House and Senate. Things have been pretty tense their with the discussion of the extension of the Bush Tax Cuts and unemployment benefits.

According to MSNBC:

Last night, President Obama announced the framework of a compromise that would extend the Bush tax cuts for all income levels in exchange for a 13-month extension of jobless benefits, as well as a payroll-tax holiday. ”Sympathetic as I am to those who prefer a fight over compromise, as much as the political wisdom may dictate fighting over solving problems, it would be the wrong thing to do,” Obama said. “The American people didn’t send us here to wage symbolic battles or win symbolic victories.”

This Weeks Post Was Suggested By Cindy

By now I’m sure you’ve all heard about 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines “Darkhorse” and the heavy casualties they’ve taken since being deployed to Afghanistan in September. Almost 20 causalities in October and November. Below is a list of the 3/5 Darkhorse Marines that I was able to find. If I’ve missed anyone please let me know. I’m not able to profile them all individually, but you can go here to find more information on these men.

Marine Sgt. Ian M. Tawney
Marine Lance Cpl. James D. Boelk
Marine Lance Cpl. Joseph C. Lopez
Marine Lance Cpl. Alec E. Catherwood
Marine Lance Cpl. Irvin M. Ceniceros
Marine Pfc. Victor A. Dew
Marine Lance Cpl. Joseph E. Rodewald
Marine Lance Cpl. Phillip D. Vinnedge
Marine Cpl. Justin J. Cain
Marine Lance Cpl. John T. Sparks
Marine 1st Lt. William J. Donnelly IV
Marine Lance Cpl. James B. Stack
Marine 2nd Lt. Robert M. Kelly
Marine Lance Cpl. Randy R. Braggs
Marine Lance Cpl. Brandon W. Pearson
Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew J. Broehm
Marine Sgt. Matthew T. Abbate

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Women are second class citizens in Iran. While woman in the US are worried about equal pay, medical bills or even treatment for eczema, these seem mundane when you are worried about extreme punishments. This story is from Newsmax. I don’t think this would happen to a man in Iran in the same situation:

The conviction of 40-year-old Jahed had enraged human rights activists because they alleged that she was forced to confess to a murder she didn’t commit. Authorities contended that Jahed, a former “temporary” wife of Iranian soccer star Nasser Mohammad Khani, had admitted to stabbing his “permanent” wife, Laleh Saharkhizan, in 2002, although she retracted the confession repeatedly during her trial, the Daily Mail reported.

The victim’s family, who attended the execution, rejected last-minute appeals for clemency. Khani also watched as Jahed bowed her head and prayed for a few moments before she burst into tears.
Then Khani’s son, whose age is not known, stepped forward and kicked away the chair to send her to her death.

In the Shiite religion — the majority belief in Iran — men and women can marry for an agreed period of time. Men can have up to four permanent wives, and any number of temporary wives. Women can be married to only one man at a time.

According to Wiki Leaks they are doing nothing wrong. According to the US Government, they are putting people in danger. While they claim to be ethical, are they crossing the line? Read their mission statement:

WikiLeaks is a non-profit media organization dedicated to bringing important news and information to the public. We provide an innovative, secure and anonymous way for independent sources around the world to leak information to our journalists. We publish material of ethical, political and historical significance while keeping the identity of our sources anonymous, thus providing a universal way for the revealing of suppressed and censored injustices.

While they claim to be honest journalists that just want to give the public information, is there an alternative motive?

Amazon.com, who was hosting the site, stopped due to pressure from the government and the public. The site is now hosted in Sweden.

While Charles Rangel, a member of the House of Representatives since 1970, certainly looks good (there was no need for treatment for acne when he was younger), his finances speak a different tune. Brought up on 11 ethics violations, the House is getting ready to vote on censure for the Congressman from New York. Rangel, on the other hand, is hoping just for a reprimand.

Rangel, who certainly must know the rules of the House, should be ashamed. Anyone who is running, or is already in political office, knows what is expected of them. Rangel, with all his excuses, still should have known better!

This Weeks Post Was Suggested By Steve

Cpl. Ira H. Hayes
3rd Parachute Battalion, 2nd Battalion, 28th Marines, 1st Headquarters Battalion, HQMC
January 12, 1923 – January 24, 1955

Ira Hamilton Hayes, participant in the famous flag raising on Iwo Jima, was a Pima Indian, born at Sacaton, Arizona, on 12 January 1923. In 1932, the family moved a few miles southward to Bapchule. Both Sacaton and Bapchule are located within the boundaries of the Gila River Indian Reservation in south central Arizona. Hayes left high school after completing two years of study. He served in the Civilian Conservation Corps in May and June of 1942, and then went to work as a carpenter.

You can read more about Cpl. Hayes here.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Just out – the bipartisan deficit commission appointed by President Obama has finally made some recommendations. However, I don’t think there are going to be very many people happy with the outcome. Recommendations include raising the gasoline tax, eliminating the mortgage-interest deductions, raising the retirement age to 69 and reduction Social Security and Medicare. There seems to be some benefits to corporations on one hand, but on the other taking them back and more. The American people will be looking more for job stimulus and an improving economy in the ways of jobs or small business opportunity. The commission might want to go back to the drawing board.