It can be hard to get attention for your agenda in a town like Washington, but Georgia trucker Earl Conlon figured out a way: take the Beltway hostage.

Conlon's comments in a U.S. News & World Report story that he and thousands of truckers from across the country (and possibly Canada) planned to come to the nation's capital Friday and bring traffic to a standstill on the inner loop of the Capital Beltway zinged across the Web and were picked up by outlets ranging from Fox News to the Huffington Post. The rally was dubbed "Truckers for the Constitution."

But it is a hoax.

"The comments to U.S. News were designed to do one thing and one thing only: stir the feather of the mainstream media," said Conlon, a father of three. "Nothing gets the attention of the mainstream media like some sort of disastrous threat. I knew it was going to ruffle some feathers."

So while thousands of truckers may indeed come to Washington on Friday and many of them may travel along the inner loop of the Beltway, honking their horns, they won't intentionally shut down traffic, he said.

No wonder these idiots don't care about the government shutting down, they think it's getting ready to kill them...

(Personally, I didn't share this with my sister, but I believe that given the obvious significant physical differences between most 14 / 15-year-old boys and most 17 / 18-year-old young men, high schools and parents really have no business allowing freshmen to play football at the varsity level.)

I love watching football, but I agree with you, the statistics and evidence regarding head injuries in the NFL are indeed sobering, if not alarming. But I don't think the public is going to buy THIS as a credible substitute.

I was at once horrified and angry and stunned by how hard the powers-that-be worked to suppress and repress and deny and hide what was being learned about repetitive brain injury and football's role in it.  How they stonewalled the families.  How they treated Dr. Omalu and Dr. McKee.

Ira Casson made me want to throw something at the TV.

The Guardian is following this mess live, here.

Guardian says:

Fox News' Ed Henry reports a version of Boehner's offer that does not sound like the "clean" debt ceiling lift the White House has insisted on. Boehner appears to be offering short-term relief on the debt ceiling in exchange for concessions to reopen the government, according to Henry.

Ed Henry reports via Twitter:

GOP "offer": Debt limit hike to Nov. 22; budget comm conferees to work on broader deal; POTUS agree to talks on CR, spending

What I don't get, isn't the end suppose to be a glorious time for the devoted, what's the problem ?  Either the second coming of Jesus is a good thing or it's not, seems like she's not behind it 100%, almost like she's using it to scare the hell of the idiot class.

Bloomberg.com, July 29, 2013
Al-Qaeda Backers Found With U.S. Contracts in Afghanistan

Supporters of the Taliban and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan have been getting U.S. military contracts, and American officials are citing "due process rights" as a reason not to cancel the agreements, according to an independent agency monitoring spending.

The U.S. Army Suspension and Debarment Office has declined to act in 43 such cases, John Sopko, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, said today in a letter accompanying a quarterly report to Congress.

"I am deeply troubled that the U.S. military can pursue, attack, and even kill terrorists and their supporters, but that some in the U.S. government believe we cannot prevent these same people from receiving a government contract," Sopko said.

Scott: "Anyways, it's weird, but more importantly I seriously hope this is a line fans will never cross."

In Dec. 1993, the National League champion Philadelphia Phillies traded ace closer "Mitch "The Wildman" Williams -- who had saved 43 games for them during the regular season season -- to the Houston Astros, after numerous threats were made against his life in the two months following the Phillies' World Series loss in six games to the Toronto Blue Jays.

Williams' initial transgression was blowing a five-run lead at home in the top of the 9th, as the Phillies lost a critical Game 5, 15-14. He then compounded that in Toronto two days later, with the Phillies holding a 6-5 lead in the bottom of the 9th, by giving up a Series-ending, three-run walkoff homer to the Jays' Joe Carter.

Hey, that's Philadelphia, where as the quip goes, fans are so tough on the hometown teams that they'll boo an Easter egg hunt at their kids' pre-school.

But the trade to Houston so disheartened Williams, even though he's originally from east Texas, that he never regained his former swagger. The following season, after refusing a rehab assignment to the Astros' Triple-A affiliate in Tucson, he packed up his bags and walked out on the Astros. He was later signed by the California Angels, but by 1997 was out of baseball entirely. He stayed away for ten years, and returned only in 2007 as a studio analyst for the MLB Network.

He was a contestant for a local vocal contest here 4 years ago. I was a judge (there to simonize!) Anyhoo, he was my top pick, by far: great sounding voice, good intonation, timing, stage presence. YES!

All I've seen so far is a tweet from Bob Lewis (the reporter) saying, "The error was mine and I take responsibility for it."