Pollster Concedes Fla, N.C., And Va. To Mitt

Suffolk Polling has stopped polling for Florida, North Carolina and Virginia because they have found Romney with solid leads and strong trend lines.


Obama won all three states in 2008.

Hat tip to Larry Schweikart, who also notes that an analysis of Ohio early voting shows Democrats way down in all counties.


Obese News Anchor Sinks Over Weight Issue

By Chris Freind

Part 1 of 2 on obesity, bullying and the lack of shame in America

Think just because there’s a presidential election there aren’t other “big” issues? Believe that, and pigs can fly.

In fact, there is a large — huge, even — discussion eating at many Americans, the girth of which we are still trying to get our arms around. 

What is this weighty issue that once again has been feasted upon by both sides?

The massive rate of obesity in America, and whether publicly calling attention to it, as well as obese individuals themselves, should be on the table.

The obesity issue got cooking again after overweight news anchor Jennifer Livingston of WKBT in La Crosse, Wisconsin, received a private email from a viewer.  Kenneth Krause called her weight into question, asking whether she considered herself “a suitable example for this community’s young people, girls in particular,” and adding, “Obesity is one of the worst choices a person can make and one of the most dangerous habits to maintain.” He ended by hoping that she would, “reconsider (her) responsibility as a local public personality to present and promote a healthy lifestyle.”

Since Livingston’s skin was surprisingly thin for someone in the public eye, she responded with a four-minute on-air editorial rebuking Krause.  

But rather than giving viewers food for thought regarding her perspective on obesity, she left everyone wondering “Where’s the beef?” by barely weighing in on the issue at all. Instead she had a cow, ranting incessantly about bullying.  Yes— bullying. To the point where she even blubbered about how those struggling with sexual preference, skin color and even acne needed to stand up to bullying.

Bravo!  And since anchors often sink, that classic bait-and-switch tactic ensures Ms. Livingston a long political career should her day job not pan out.

However…

While many other media outlets are fawning over Livingston’s diatribe, Freindly Fire won’t serve up Grade A compliments so freely.  This is far too much at steak — stake, sorry — to allow her to duck the meat of the issue.  

*****

First item on the menu are the facts:

1. Livingston received a private email, and chose to go public with it. Krause didn’t “bully” her, but offered his opinion to a public figure —which Livingston certainly is. She could have responded privately or simply ignored it. Getting nasty emails is part of the job.  Hell, Yours Truly gets pummeled so often — including occasional death threats — that a “bullying” email like Krause’s would be a dream. If you can’t take the heat, get out of the…kitchen.

And would someone please explain how a non-vulgar, non-threatening email can be even remotely considered bullying?

2. Every single aspect of the obesity epidemic needs to be discussed in an open, straightforward and respectful manner, whether feelings are hurt. That’s not bullying. It’s constructive dialogue, something quickly disappearing from the American scene.

3. The vast, vast majority of obesity cases — which includes nearly 40 percent of the American adult population — are due to lifestyle choices, namely, immense overeating and a lack of physical activity. Only an extremely small percentage is related to medical conditions.

4. Let’s put a fork in the myth — perpetuated by so many obese people — that thyroid conditions are more prevalent than the common cold. Not only are they rare, but there are numerous medications which treat that condition, combating weight gain. Interestingly, Livingston never mentioned during her editorial that she had a thyroid condition. That morsel only came out after the story — and Livingston herself — became an international headline.

*****

In fairness to Livingston, it would seem that Krause formulated his opinion not knowing if she did in fact have a medical condition that has contributed to her obesity.  While the odds were certainly in his favor that she did not, it would have been more prudent to have addressed that question in his correspondence.

That said, as big as Livingston has become, given her appearances on national television shows, she is not the issue. Nor is Krause.

But before we get to the skinny on obesity, it is equally to important understand what this issue isn’t about — namely bullying.  Does it exist? Of course. Always has and always will. And reasonable efforts should be made to fight it. But “bullying” has become the catch-all phrase we use whenever someone feels jilted, offended, or bad about themselves.  The truly tragic part is that combating real bullying has taken a backseat to an all-appeasing political correctness running rampant throughout America.

From social media to the schoolyard, we’ve reached the point where children are no longer permitted to fight their own battles, instead seeing the authorities swoop in at the first sign of conflict.  Sounds nice, and sometimes such intervention is necessary, but for the most part, that paternalism leaves children woefully unprepared for that pesky thing called The Real World.  And now we are seeing the results of that crib-to-college coddling: our businesses are “sanitized” risk-averse petri-dish experiments for social engineering, our wars are fought so as to not offend the enemy, and scoreboards are often turned off in youth sports so a team down by 5 goals doesn’t cry and quit.  But no worries! Everyone gets a trophy so all can feel good about themselves.

Maybe if America prioritized growing up and not out, we’d be a whole lot better off.

The real issue is how to gnaw away at the exploding obesity rate, an epidemic that is all-consuming.  Obesity-related medical costs are soaring (over twenty percent of all health care spending) as cases of diabetes, heart disease and stroke meteorically rise.  Health insurance premiums for everyone increase in order to subsidize the obese. Worker productivity is down. Even energy costs are up.  

But perhaps most alarming, America’s young people are being de-sensitized to obesity and all of its negative effects.  In what is fast becoming a “do-whatever-makes-you-feel-good” society, that makes for an extremely dangerous recipe.

And the best way — maybe the only way — to change that fatitude is shame, a value in thin supply.  Part Two will chew that fat on how shame, correctly utilized, can lighten the load on America’s youth.

A Day To Celebrate The Death Of Che

Yesterday, Oct. 8, President Obama while campaigning in California — California? — formally dedicated a national monument to labor leader Caesar Chavez. The monument came about not via legislation but through an executive order  under the Antiquities Act — Antiquities Act?


If the president truly wanted to honor “latinos”, though, today would be the day that he would celebrate as today is the day the murderous sadist Che Guevara  met justice in Bolivia in 1967. 

Guevara is responsible for setting up Cuba’s oppressive labor camps and killing dissidents without a trial, something he has confessed in his diary — not the motorcycle one — that he likes to do. He also said trials were unnecessary.

He is described as ordering the death of one teenaged dissident in front of the boy’s mother who was begging for his life.

Which is kind of ironic as he begged from his own life when the Bolivian counter-terrorists finally caught up with him.

So today let us celebrate the death of Che.

Hat tip Tom C.



Houses Passes, Considers Veterans Bills

The House passed several measures last week to benefit Pennsylvania servicemen and servicewomen who honorably served our country, said State Rep. Jim Cox (R-129) 
House Bill 2428 would offer a special designation on Pennsylvania driver’s licenses for veterans who served in any branch of the United States Armed Forces, including reserve units or the National Guard, and who were discharged or released from such service under conditions other than dishonorable.
House Bill 2591 would bring the State Employees’ Retirement System (SERS) into compliance with the Federal Heroes Earning Assistance and Relief Act of 2008 (HEART) and would conform Pennsylvania law regarding pension credit for military leave for state employees and SERS members with federal law.
Senate Bill 623 would encourage stage agencies to contract with veteran-owned small businesses.
Cox also said additional veterans benefits bills were approved in House committees. 
The House Transportation Committee voted in support of Senate Bill 1531, which would create the Veterans’ Trust Fund to authorize grants to the PA Veterans Foundation and other veterans’ and charitable organizations for the purposes of providing benefits to veterans and their families. Revenue for the fund will come from proceeds paid by PennDOT from sales of a special “Honor Our Veterans” license plate and from contributions from a voluntary $3 check-off from driver license and vehicle registration renewals.
The House State Government Committee passed Senate Bill 1255, which would enact the Uniform Military and Overseas Voters Act to simplify the process of absentee voting for United States military and overseas civilians in state elections conducted in Pennsylvania.
The House Judiciary Committee approved Senate Bill 1442, which would update the Pennsylvania Code of Military Justice, which enforces order and discipline upon the Pennsylvania National Guardsmen who are not in active federal service under Title 10 of the United States Code. The code has not been extensively updated since 1975, and many of the current provisions date back to the Military Code of 1949.

Obama Lying About His Study Says Economist

Harvey Rosen, the Princeton economist who Obama is citing as the authority that Romney’s tax plan won’t work, says the President is not telling the truth.

“I can’t tell exactly how the Obama campaign reached that characterization of my work”, he told the Weekly Standard.  ” . . The main conclusion of my study is that under plausible assumptions a proposal along the lines suggested by Gov. Romney ca both be revenue neutral and keep the net tax burden on taxpayers with incomes above $200,000 about the same.”
Maybe the President wasn’t lying. Maybe he and all his experts just couldn’t understand it. Maybe he just needs new experts. Maybe we just need a new president.

A ChiCom Connection With Obama

Breitbart News is reporting that the Obama.Com website is owned by a man in Shanghai with strong ties to state-controlled Chinese banks.

Breitbart notes that the website’s donation page does not require the entrance of a credit card security code making it easy to hide foreign donations.
Breitbart notes that 68 percent of all internet traffic to Obama.Com comes from foreign visitors.
Breitbart is promising more details.

Killing With Kindness

The state House, last week, approved legislation  that would limit the ways in which animals can be euthanized and increase the fine for violating the rules from $250 to between $500 and $1,000, said State Rep. Jim Cox (R-129) 

He said the House also last week approved House Bill 2409, which provides a mechanism for animal care organizations to seek compensation for care provided to an animal that was seized due to animal cruelty charges. This would allow the caregivers to seek compensation from the owner of the animal or the defendant in the animal cruelty case.

Cox said he voted for all the bills.