"[W]e have just witnessed Greece stand up to a truly vile campaign of bullying and intimidation, an attempt to scare the Greek public, not just into accepting creditor demands, but into getting rid of their government. It was a shameful moment in modern European history, and would have set a truly ugly precedent if it had succeeded."

This manufactured crisis was certainly not German Chancellor Angela Merkel's finest hour. Given how Greece once forgave Germany's war debt as both a sign of good faith and a means to help the Germans get back on their feet, Merkel's bald attempt to strong-arm the Greek people into a state or perpetual economic subordination was truly heartless and shameful. We'll see what she does next in the wake of Greece's decisive rebuke of her efforts.

The U.S, was lead by Carli Lloyd's hat trick, the first ever in women' World Cup play, during the first half.

Lloyd won the Golden Ball trophy for best player of the World Cup, and the Silver Foot, placing second to German player Sasic in scoring.

Hope Solo once again won the Golden Glove for best goalkeeper of the tournament.

This was the final World Cup for Abby Wambach who holds the record for most goals scored in international competition, man or woman.

YEA, USA women!!!!!!!

Here's what I know: we can refute and rebut and counter and contradict the utter BS jim posts here until our fingers bleed, and it isn't going to change anything.  The more we hoist jim on his own petard, the more ridiculous his arguments get.

Reading his comments and trying to parse his whacked-out logic is an exercise in futility and frustration.

Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56
men who signed the Declaration of Independence?

Their story. Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died.

Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned.

Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary
Army; another had two sons captured.

Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War.

They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.

What kind of men were they? Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists.

Eleven were merchants. Nine were farmers and plantation (farmers)owners; men of means, well educated. But they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured.

Carter Braxton of Virginia, a planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts,and died in rags.

Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward.

Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton,Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.

At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt.

Francis Lewis had his home and  properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife,and she was tortured and died within a few months.

John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished.

"I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

In 1923, the words, "the Flag of the United States of America" were added. At this time it read:

"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

In 1954,in response to the Communist threat of the times, President Eisenhower encouraged Congress to add the words "under God," creating the 31-word pledge we say today. Bellamy's daughter objected to this alteration. Today it reads:

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

Former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura told conspiracy theorist Alex Jones this week that he was considering running for president with help from the Libertarian Party -- but wouldn't be joining the Libertarian Party if he did.

"The libertarians have put out a gesture to me to come to their convention and that I would have a very good chance of getting their nomination for president," Ventura explained. "But one thing will have to be clear on: I do not want to join them as a party."

He said he wanted to be the first president since George Washington who didn't belong to a political party. "I need that from them, that they won't require me to be in their party to receive their nomination, because that's firepower I think you can win the election with. That simple thing."

"Look at the last national election, 64 percent of the people failed to turn out to vote," he added. "Well, those are all my potential customers. Those are my potential voters. If I can rejuvenate them to come back and watch their vote count, you win."

Lt. Todd Joyce said the man was detained at the entrance of the Cross Creek Mall in Fayetteville on Thursday evening after first being spotted in a Macy's store at the shopping center. The store was evacuated and some other businesses in the mall closed their doors briefly while officers searched the rest of the mall for a second armed person. No one else was found.

Joyce said the man was in custody and that charges were pending. He did not release any other details, including the man's identity, or whether he was believed to have posed any threat.

Mr Lyle survives to return as part of the team

I have come to think that the terms of the harsh EU approach seemed to be born of arrogance and stubbornness more than anything else.  This is especially so when one considers how others have helped out a number of these same Euro leaders when hardship confronted them. Now, we find the leader of Germany, Angela Merkel, in her capacity as Euro leader holding the tightest, most rigid line calling for little to no relief for Greece ... uh, the same Germany that was in more than dire straits before countries led by the U.S. bailed that country out economically following the total disaster wrought by Germany's onslaught during WWII.  Yes, that bail-out of Germany was premised, in part, by our concern about the then Soviets.

WASHINGTON -- Health insurance companies around the country are seeking rate increases of 20 percent to 40 percent or more, saying their new customers under the Affordable Care Act turned out to be sicker than expected. Federal officials say they are determined to see that the requests are scaled back.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans -- market leaders in many states -- are seeking rate increases that average 23 percent in Illinois, 25 percent in North Carolina, 31 percent in Oklahoma, 36 percent in Tennessee and 54 percent in Minnesota, according to documents posted online by the federal government and state insurance commissioners and interviews with insurance executives.

The Oregon insurance commissioner, Laura N. Cali, has just approved 2016 rate increases for companies that cover more than 220,000 people. Moda Health Plan, which has the largest enrollment in the state, received a 25 percent increase, and the second-largest plan, LifeWise, received a 33 percent increase.

SNIP

The rate requests, from some of the more popular health plans, suggest that insurance markets are still adjusting to shock waves set off by the Affordable Care Act.

It is far from certain how many of the rate increases will hold up on review, or how much they might change. But already the proposals, buttressed with reams of actuarial data, are fueling fierce debate about the effectiveness of the health law.

A study of 11 cities in different states by the Kaiser Family Foundationfound that consumers would see relatively modest increases in premiums if they were willing to switch plans. But if they switch plans, consumers would have no guarantee that they can keep their doctors. And to get low premiums, they sometimes need to accept a more limited choice of doctors and hospitals.

And do you think that working for the government is a bad thing?

  1. The flag should be folded in its customary manner.
  2. It is important that the fire be fairly large and of sufficient intensity to ensure complete burning of the flag.
  3. Place the flag on the fire.
  4. The individual(s) can come to attention, salute the flag, recite the Pledge of Allegiance and have a brief period of silent reflection.
  5. After the flag is completely consumed, the fire should then be safely extinguished and the ashes buried.
  6. Please make sure you are conforming to local/state fire codes or ordinances.

But since you have made, if I understand correctly, your living for your whole life working for the government I can certainly understand you wanting it well funded.

You weren't saying/assuming he worked for the government in the past, you said what you said. He quotes it back to you, so this is the third time that it's on this thread, so revising your comment to make me seem unreasonable isn't going to work this time.

And, FYI: complaining it's out of context on the thread where the whole context can be had won't work for you either.

It's a shame, sport, but better luck next time.  

And, your assertion that I am against making the border a Berlin Wall is correct, but there is no flow, or not much of one, since 2009, and we don't have the technology to do it effectveliy, unless you want to do what the Romans did and station military posts and garrisons from San Ysidro going east to he mouth of the Rio Grande.  Then you have the problem of of supplying them in a Western United States that is becoming dryer and dryer, especially the Sonoran Desert areas where a man needs a mule or some other means to carry the water necessary to survive in such a hellish environment.  The Chinese built a wall, the French built the Marginot Line.

And even if you can seal off the land-land borders, there's thousands of miles of sea coast available as well.  Even with drones and electronic devices to collect and transmit data, you still need a human mind to evaluate it and make decisions when action should be taken.  Heck, they can't even catch drug smugglers now using primitive flatboats to ship their wares along the California Coast these days.

If you truly want illegal immigration stopped after the ones here get a green card, you have to go after the bosses.

Of course some of the comments are responding to Mondriggian who doesn't know what an assumption is and insists on demonstrating that.

Mondriggian, if you don't completely stop the flow the problem continues just as if a bleeding accident victim doesn't have the bleeding stop they will bleed out.

The truth is that the rank and file of the unions are on my side. It is the so-called leaders who are in the pocket of the Demo politicians that want what the Demos want....votes.

And I want to do whatever is necessary. The human suffering our lack of action has caused is horrendous.

I have also written time and again that I would put the employers, or bosses in your words, in jail.