U.S. Capitol dome undergoing repairs

"The historic dome is scheduled for a two-year $60-million renovation project that will see curved rows of scaffolds encircle the monument."

The cracks in the dome



Take a tour of the dome's innards

Cracked and peeling paint visible during a media tour of the Capitol dome

Retreating of the Queen's Guard: End of an era as palace sentries fall back in face of mounting fears of new 'lone wolf' terrorist attack

UK Daily Mail "Security chiefs have taken the dramatic step of withdrawing Royal Guards from their high-profile posts outside palaces amid mounting fears of ‘lone wolf’ terrorist attacks.

"Elite soldiers of the Queen’s Guard have pulled back from public positions at many landmarks in response to possible threats from Islamic extremists.

"For the first time since the height of the IRA’s terror campaign, the soldiers are also no longer allowed on sentry duty alone, and are now accompanied by armed police.

"Scroll down for video "Read more:

Krauthammer On Falling Gas Prices: Oil Production Increase Happening ‘In Spite Of Obama’

Daily Caller  "In what he calls “the biggest story of the year,” syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer said that the United States’ increase in oil production, which has aided the drastic decrease in gas prices, has happened “in spite” of President Barack Obama’s actions.

“It’s the biggest story of the year,” Krauthammer said on Fox News’ “Special Report” Friday night. “It’s damaged our enemies, the Russians, the Venezuelans, the Iranians, and, of course, it’s propelling our economy.”

“When Obama says that we of been increasing oil production, think of this,” Krauthammer continued, “oil production on federal lands has declined by 16% since 2010.”

“This has happened in spite of Obama and not because of Obama,”... “It’s occurred entirely on state owned and private lands.”  (Emphasis added, TD)

The emerging intolerance of enforced homo-orthodoxy

 Joseph Farah interprets recent Rhode Island court decision on 'gay' parade

 

 Who wouldn't want their kids to see this?

Joseph Farah "If you even think homosexuality, lesbianism and “transgenderism” might be sinful, you are a modern-day heretic – worthy of scorn, ridicule, fines, abuse, even loss of your business or job.
...

"And now, the Rhode Island Supreme Court has joined the witch hunt against Christians who take their Scriptures and faith seriously by throwing out lawsuits brought by two Providence firefighters who said their constitutional rights were violated when they were ordered to drive a truck in a gay pride parade despite their religious objections.

"The firefighters, Theodore Fabrizio and Stephen Deninno, argued that they are Roman Catholics and, therefore, do not and cannot support or condone homosexuality.

"Seemed like a reasonable request given the First Amendment."
 ..

Not so, ruled Justice William Robinson, writing for all five members of the state high court in December...

How To Turn A Red State Blue: California Edition

 

NPR  "Democrats who hope to turn Texas from red to blue are looking to California for inspiration.
Golden State Democrats now hold every single statewide office and big majorities in both houses of the Legislature. In the state that gave us Ronald Reagan, Republican registration has fallen below 30 percent. And California hasn't voted for a Republican for president since 1988.

"Where did the Republicans go wrong?

" Here's a look at how a state can go from red to blue in five simple steps:" ......
...

 

"As tough as things are for Republicans in California right now, it could be a long time before anything similar happens in Texas, says Sonenshein at the Pat Brown Institute.

" 'There's a huge lag between demographic change and political change," he says. Turning a red state blue "could [take] 20 years or more."

"Texas Republicans have time, Sonenshein says, to figure out how to keep the Texas GOP from suffering the same disastrous fate as Republicans in California."

 

comicallyincorrect.com

2015: the fruits of a Democrat-controlled government

 

Coal Mine Closings in Kentucky Kill Hundreds of Jobs   "Happy New Year from Obama and the EPA!"
"The Obama administration has made no effort to hide its disdain for the coal industry, so this report from John Ruberry of Marathon Pundit shouldn’t surprise anyone: " ...

The next Obamacare controversy is right around the corner.  "Obamacare enrollees who received subsidies to help pay for coverage will soon have to reconcile how much they actually earned in 2014 with how much they estimated when they applied many, many months ago."

"This will likely lead to some very unhappy Americans. Those who underestimated their income either will receive smaller tax refunds or will owe the IRS money."



California opens driver's license applications to illegal immigrants ..." Law enforcement officials say the program will improve road safety because licensed drivers must be tested and insured. A DMV study of 23 years of crash data found that unlicensed drivers were more likely to cause a fatal collision than licensed drivers." ...

Snow-bound Californians now paying “Global Warming” gas tax hike

…Starting January 1st, though, those declining gas prices aren’t expected to go any lower. The beginning of 2015 also brings with it what some are calling California’s new hidden gas tax, which could range from 15 cents per gallon to up to 75 cents. Some in the Central Valley aren’t happy about the extra cost at the pump. JoAnne Childers of Fresno said, “I don’t like it. It’s just something else to gouge us for.”

 ... In California, we don’t really need nature to wreak havoc — our state is the quintessential example of a “man-made economic disaster.' ”.  Thanks to liberals and their hand-puppet Republican governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger

Nylons for nothing in Cuba

 

Charles Krauthammer "There’s an old Cold War joke — pre-pantyhose — that to defeat communism we should empty our B-52 bombers of nuclear weapons and instead drop nylons over the Soviet Union. Flood the Russians with the soft consumer culture of capitalism, seduce them with Western contact and commerce, love-bomb them into freedom.

"We did win the Cold War, but differently. We contained, constrained, squeezed and eventually exhausted the Soviets into giving up. The dissidents inside subsequently told us how much they were sustained by our support for them and our implacable pressure on their oppressors.
...
"Obama brought back nothing on democratization, a staggering betrayal of Cuba’s human rights crusaders. No free speech. No free assembly. No independent political parties. No hint of free elections. Not even the kind of 1975 Helsinki Final Act that we got from the Soviets as part of detente, granting structure and review to human rights promises. These provided us with significant leverage in supporting the dissident movements in Eastern Europe that eventually brought down communist rule. "

Why Obamacare won't let you keep your insurance plan

Thomas Lifson "The three-minute video embedded below does a great job explaining why Obamacare keeps forcing people out of their existing health insurance plans – and will continue to do so.  Robert Graboyes is a senior research fellow at George Mason University’s Mercatus Center, and he synthesized a lot of technical details into a highly understandable presentation..." Read more:

Youtube:

The left dislikes conservatives and tries to make it mutual

American leftism has always been about magnifying trivial complaints to serve as excuses for revolutionary action.

The Left's Base Motive: Vengeance   "American leftism has gotten an awful lot of mileage by monopolizing the moral high ground. It is the sole force in American that favors the poor. The sole enemy of racism. The sole comforter of rape victims.  The sole protector of defenseless Muslims. The sole guardian of the environment, and so on ad nauseum.

"It all falls apart eventually -- with friends like the left, nobody needs enemies. But often overlooked is that fact that it’s bogus from the start. Any prolonged glance at the left reveals it to be an ideology of power, its major tool violence, its goal revenge."

..."Leftism has always been about revenge. The works of Marx are filled with fantasies of retribution and judgment. Their tone reeks of resentment and paranoia, with blame cast for even the most trivial. "The bourgeoisie,” Marx once declared in a letter to Engels, “will remember my carbuncles until their dying day.” That’s leftism in a nutshell."    Read more:

 A final lesson from this sad chapter: Trashing the United States does not satiate foreign despots, but only increases their appetite for their own versions of unwavering and predictable political correctness.   Victor Davis Hanson

No longer the American President, huh?

Forbes.com

"Russia's Vladimir Putin was voted Most Interesting Man in Russia a month after Forbes named him the Most Powerful Man in the World. He cultivates a macho image. Last night Vladimir Putin struck and killed a deer and he said he feels awful about it, but when he's jogging he's in his own world."
Argus Hamilton

Nate Beeler Copyright 2012 Cagle Cartoons

American general: Dems are aiding and abetting the enemy

The Blaze  "Retired Army Major Gen. Paul E. Vallely didn’t mince words when describing the so-called torture report issued by partisan Senate Democrats: He said Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and the Democrats who supported her efforts are aiding and abetting America’s enemies.

"It’s clear that the controversial report revived a nearly decade-old debate in an effort at political payback for the CIA and those in the Bush administration who executed the enhanced interrogation program.

"Critics of the Democrats’ report worry of reprisal against Americans abroad as a result of its biased conclusions. Indeed, nobody responsible for implementing the EIT program was interviewed for the report. Those same critics charge that Democrats had a preconceived conclusion and then built a case by cherry-picking information to justify that conclusion.

"As for me, this report confirms that Democrats prefer not to focus on those who attacked and continue to attack us.  Instead, Democrats choose to attack those who protect us."

Transcript click here.

"Cue to 22:20 to hear the major general’s take.

How Obama spent New Year's

A.F. Branco his chief executive checking on his progress