Name Game

At the risk of making the faux pa of commenting on an event that dims my opinion in significance, I just wanted to propose a radical idea in terms of response to events like the Tucson massacre. 

Local and federal law enforcement agencies should adopt a new policy of withholding the name of suspects arrested for mass killings for a period of 6 - 8 weeks. The 6-8 week timeframe would serve to allow the news cycle to shift so that the assailant does not receive the wall-to-wall media coverage that they are seeking when they commit these acts. I am not entirely certain whether or not this would violate the Freedom of Information Act, because the information would be available eventually, just not immediately after the event. 

The primary motivation for psychopaths to commit acts like these is notoriety and fame, end of story. They are very much like the child that acts up in class and is continuously scorned by the teacher. They don't care that it's negative attention, they just care that it's attention at all. We should not indulge maniacs like the deranged individual responsible for the Arizona shootings by giving them exactly what they wanted: a platform to force-feed the world their idiotic points of view and all the famous people on television repeating their first, middle and last name.  

Just an idea. 

Interfaith Square

The recent firestorm about the construction of a mosque at ground zero seems to have engulfed the airwaves, dinner tables and casual conversations of the America public. This controversy has already begun feeding the flames of division among us, thereby advancing the agenda of an enemy that seeks to exploit our humanity and advocacy of tolerance as weaknesses. It would be an act of deliberate ignorance to presume this was unintentional.

For centuries, whenever any Islamic regime or cabal achieves some kind of holy victory, a mosque is built at the site of battle. In 705, muslim rulers built the Agsa Mosque at the top of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem after their campaign of aggressive acts. When the muslims seized Hebron in 637, they desecrated the Cave of the Patriarchs before redesigning it into the Ibrahim Mosque. Examples of this practice extend across history. (http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/04/civilization_and_mosques.html). 

Now, this is not to say that all that support the construction of the mosque are coming from an insidious place. Most supporters of the mosque are coming from a place of tolerance, unity and peace. The very values that serve as the bedrock of what make America the greatest land on Earth. It can be agreed upon by all rational sides of the debate that the construction of the mosque is, for all intents and purposes, 100% constitutional and should not be undermined by the government in any way, shape or form. Fortunately for the sound-minded, regardless of where they stand on this issue, these aforementioned realities are the very reason why there is a perfect solution that will advance the American value system while spitting in the face of Islamo-fascists around the world. 

As of today, I will seek out ways to pursue the petitioning and funding for the construction of an Interfaith plaza to be located in lower Manhattan, specifically to be built around the new construction site for the new Islamic Interfaith cultural center. This plaza will consist of a synagogue located across from the mosque, a Judeo-Christian Church of any denomination adjacent to it on the west, and a Buddhist temple adjacent to it on the east. The name for this plaza will be named Interfaith Square. 

If 9/11 taught us anything as a nation, it is how easily religious intolerance can erupt into violence and hate inflicted upon a group of innocent people. It is my belief that a truly Interfaith center would pay homage to the memory of the thousands that lost their lives that day with honor and dignity while demonstrating our calcified commitment to peace and religious tolerance. Let us send a message to those that wish to create division, regardless of the name of their God, that we as a people are bound by an unshakeable bond to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. May (Whoever You Worship) Bless America. 

- JL 

The Times, They Are A' Changin

Today, at exactly 11:55 a.m., Easter Standard Time, President Barack Obama officially set into motion the socialization of the American healthcare industry by signing a law that states by 2014, every citizen in the United States will be required to purchase health insurance, and a national healthcare program similar to medicare will be available to those too impoverished to afford a private plan. A fine will be imposed on those that refuse to purchase insurance, therefore ensuring that every taxpayer, in one way or another, will pay into a new national health insurance program. Another common term for this type of system is the Single Payer system, single meaning everyone. It is unclear whether or not the irony in the phrase was intentional.

If one wanted to socialize medicine in this country, how would they go about it? Would you introduce a bill into the Congress that dissolves the private health insurance companies directly? Of course not, no such legislation would survive a single committee, much less the entire House of Representatives. The way you would have to do it is if you designed a kind of domino effect that could only logistically and inevitably result in the desired outcome. You don't take control of the private sector outright, you simply make it impossible for it to sustain its own existence.

Some of the ways you do this is by first mandating that every single man woman and child in this country have health insurance, similar to the way auto insurance is done today. Then, you would identify virtually every way an insurance company makes profit-gains, (examining pre-existing conditions, etc.), the ways in which they determine their premiums, deductibles and coverage amounts, and essentially make them illegal. You would have to be careful to make sure the legislation explicitly states that it is illegal for THEM to exclude an individual from coverage for a pre-existing condition, not that it is illegal to exclude individuals for pre-existing conditions altogether. This is a very important distinction to make, for in the future, it will be necessary for the government to occasionally deny care to an individual for a condition they feel was self-inflicted. After all, the government can't endorse obesity or smoking by providing coverage for individuals suffering from diabetes, lung cancer or emphysema. That would send out the "wrong message." The government would have to make a statement about unhealthy living habits by denying individuals that suffer from ailments caused by them.

The unbeatable competitiveness of the government program's premiums will progressively degenerate private health insurance companies. Intuitively, one would think that mandating everyone purchase health insurance from the very people that are the focus of the complaints would be counter-productive. But the left's calculations are sound, the majority of the 32 million that do not currently have coverage will qualify for government programs, per the new legislation. A large number of individuals that are currently covered will be inclined to find a way through the new legislation to qualify for them as well. When people realize that they can purchase a private plan for say 50 dollars a paycheck or a government subsidized option for 10 dollars a month, the vast majority of citizens in this country will willingly participate in the newly designed National Healthcare Service of America. (NHS).

If the government takes on millions upon millions of more people, and it's against the law to engage in profit-seeking behavior like minimizing loss by excluding for pre-existing conditions, no private insurance company in the world will be able to compete with it. As a matter of shear metaphysics, healthcare will have to become socialized.

*Side Note: I found it quite ironic when I took this photograph that he was signing the law directly in front of a young boy named Marcellus Owens, 11, who will be responsible for the debt the law will cause. We can only imagine how he will feel about that moment when he is President Obama's age.

Join the Roadblock Campaign

As the political landscape unfolds before us, unraveling into the future at a speed of 60 minutes an hour, it is becoming increasingly clear to the American people that the two party system is collapsing upon itself.

Somewhere along the way, people decided that it would be a good idea to create two dominating sets of policy positions based on divergent forms of personal world-view. On one side are an entire set of pre-ordained political positions, and another set of pre-ordained political positions arranged on the other side. If an individual agrees with a certain number of pre-ordained policy positions, then they are swiftly categorized into one of the two schools of thought. This mechanism can be likened to entering a room with two individuals already in the middle of a brutal fight, and being forced by everyone else in the room to choose a side. The obvious problem with this way of doing things is that although everyone has a team, no one breaks up the fight.

The political gridlock in Washington is not about conflicting philosophies, or upholding principles or solving the country's problems. It's not about dissent or excessive spending, taxes or tariffs. It's not about the economy or the global image of the United States. It's not about Barack Obama. This gridlock is about what every other maneuver in American politics is all about: it's about winning.

The reality is that the two major parties are about as different from one another as two football teams. And like two football teams, they are playing a game. The object of the game is to have more points on the board (elected officials) than the other team, using a ball (the political agenda) to advance down the field. The fact that the game is endless places each of the players in a situation where the only way to stay in the game is to continue playing, creating a self-perpetuating cycle of progressive dysfunction. As this game continues on, nothing else gets done. The stadium in which the game is being played dilapidates, the spectators grow restless and the field's terrain becomes rougher and rougher.

That is where we are at today. We have found ourselves at a place where the deprivation of political pluralism in this country is proving to be a systemic failure in the two party system. 

Currently, Congressmen and Senators are able to run for re-election indefinitely, giving them the ability to remain in power for substantial periods of time, and in many cases the majority of their natural lives. After firmly cementing a constituency, nothing outside of extreme political events tends to remove them from office. With each election won, their motivation to change the institutional problems within the system decays and deteriorates until, eventually, they themselves have calcified into an institutional problem within the system. Perhaps it is time for a change, a real one.

Given that the only way term limits could be imposed and enforced systemically is if the very individuals who stand to lose power ratify it into law, we are faced with an obstacle. Therefore, the People will have no choice but to construct our own systemic instrument to purify democracy. If our elected officials want to cement their power through blindly voting in alignment behind their pre-ordained political agendas, then so be it. If two can play this game, so can 300 million.

I ask that citizens of this country join me in the Roadblock Campaign to enforce term limits from the outside in, and vote every public official that has been in office for a period exceeding a total of 12 years OUT of office. Democrat, Republican, Independent or Socialist, if they can't achieve the goals of their district after 12 years, then it is safe to say that they are ineffectual and therefore should no longer have the privilege of serving public office. Any official running for a term that would exceed the 12 year limit should be voted against immediately.

The purpose of the Roadblock movement is not to hold any official policy positions outside of the democratic enforcement of term limits. No more Red teams and Blue teams. Let us send a message to Washington, D.C. that they will hear loud and clear that in America, no one is too big to fail, nor too small to succeed. Below I have listed all of the Congressman and Senators that are due to be Roadblocked. See you at the polls.

Congress:

Alabama District 4 Rep. Robert B. Aderholt - Currently serving seventh term in Congress. (14 years)

Alabama District 6 Rep. Spencer Bachus - Currently serving ninth term in Congress. (18 years)

Alaska At-Large Rep. Don Young- Currently serving 19th term in Congress (37 years)

American Samoa Delegate Rep. Eni F. H. Faleomavaega - Currently serving 11th term in Congress (21 years)

Arkansas District 1 Rep. Marion Berry - Currently serving seventh term in Congress (13 years)

Arkansas District 2 Rep. Vic Snyder - Currently serving seventh term in Congress (13 years)

Arizona District 4 Rep. Ed Pastor - Currently serving his tenth term in Congress (19 years)

Arizona District 3 Rep. John Shadegg - Currently serving his eighth term in Congress (16 years)

California District 31 Rep. Xavier Becerra - Currently serving his ninth term in Congress (18 years)

California District 8 Rep. Howard Berman - Currently serving his 14th term in Congress (28 years)

California District 45 Rep. Mary Bono - Currently serving her sixth term in Congress (12 years)

California District 44 Rep. Ken Calvert - Currently serving his ninth term in Congress (18 years)

California District 23 Rep. Lois Capps - Currently serving her sixth term in Congress (12 years)

California District 26 Rep. David Dreier - Currently serving his 15th term in Congress (30 years)

California District 14 Rep. Anna G. Eshoo - Currently serving her ninth term in Congress (17 years)

California District District 17 Rep. Sam Farr - Currently serving his eighth term in Congress (16 years)

California District 51 Rep. Bob Filner - Currently serving his ninth term in Congress (18 years)

California District 24 Rep. Elton Gallegly - Currently serving his 12th term in Congress (23 years)

California District 36 Rep. Jane Harman - Currently serving her ninth term in Congress (17 years)

California District 2 Rep. Wally Herger - Currently serving his 12th term in Congress (24 years)

California District 9 Rep. Barbara Lee - Currently serving her sixth term in Congress (12 years)

California District 41 Rep. Jerry Lewis - Currently serving his 16th term in Congress (32 years)

California District 16 Rep. Zoe Lofgren - Currently serving her eighth term in Congress (16 years)

California District 3 Rep. Dan Lungren - Currently serving his tenth un-consecutive term in Congress (total of 19 years)

California District 25 Rep. Buck Mckeon - Currently serving his ninth year in Congress (18 years)

California District 42 Rep. Gary Miller - Currently serving his sixth term in Congress (12 years)

California District 7 Rep. George Miller - Currently serving his 18th term in Congress (36 years)

California District 38 Rep. Grace Napolitano - Currently serving her sixth term in Congress (12 years)

California District 8 Rep/Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi - Currently serving her 12th term in Congress (23 years)

California District 19 Rep. George Radanovich - Currently serving his eighth term in Congress (16 years)

California District 46 Rep. Dana Rohrabacher - Currently serving his 11th term in Congress (22 years)

California District 34 Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard - Currently serving her ninth term in Congress (18 years)

California District 40 Rep. Ed Royce - Currently serving his ninth term in Congress (18 years)

California District 47 Rep. Loretta Sanchez - Currently serving her seventh term in Congress (14 years)

California District 27 Rep. Brad Sherman - Currently serving his seventh term in Congress (13 years)

California District 13 Rep. Pete Stark - Currently serving his 19th term in Congress (37 years)

California District 1 Rep. Mike Thompson - Currently serving his sixth term in Congress (12 years)

California District 35 Rep. Maxine Waters - Currently serving her tenth term in Congress (19 years)

California District 30 Rep. Henry Waxman - Currently serving his 18th term in Congress (35 years)

California District 6 Rep. Lynn Woolsey - Currently serving her ninth term in Congress (18 years)

Colorado District 1 Rep. Diana DeGette - Currently serving her seventh term in Congress (14 years)

Connecticut District 3 Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro - Currently serving her tenth term in Congress (20 years)

Connecticut District 1 Rep. John B. Larson - Currently serving his sixth term in Congress (12 years)

Delaware At-Large Rep. Michael N. Castle - Currently serving his ninth term in Congress (17 years)

District of Columbia Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton - Currently serving her tenth term in Congress (20 years)

Florida District 2 Rep. Allen Boyd - Currently serving his seventh term in Congress (13 years)

Florida District 3 Rep. Corrine Brown - Currently serving her ninth term in Congress (18 years)

Florida District 23 Rep. Alcee L. Hastings - Currently serving his ninth term in Congress (18 years)

Florida District 7 Rep. John Mica - Currently serving his ninth term in Congress (18 years)

Florida District 18 Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen - Currently serving her sixth term in Congress (12 years)

Florida District 6 Rep. Cliff Stearns - Currently serving his 11th term in Congress (22 years)

Florida District 10 Rep. C.W. Bill Young - Currently serving his 20th term in Congress (40 years)

Georgia District 2 Rep. Sanford Bishop Jr. - Currently serving his ninth term in Congress (18 years)

Georgia District 9 Rep. Nathan Deal - Currently serving his ninth term in Congress (18 years)

Georgia District 1 Rep. Jack Kingston - Currently serving his ninth term in Congress (17 years)

Georgia District 5 Rep. John Lewis - Currently serving his 12th term in Congress (24 years)

Georgia District 7 Rep. John Linder - Currently serving his ninth term in Congress (18 years)

Hawaii District 1 Rep. Neil Abercrombie - Currently serving his tenth term in Congress (19 years)

Idaho District 2 Rep. Mike Simpson - Currently serving his sixth term in Congress (12 years)

Illinois District 12 Rep. Jerry Costello - Currently serving his 11th term in Congress (22 years)

Illinois District 7 Rep. Danny K. Davis - Currently serving his seventh term in Congress (14 years)

Illinois District 4 Rep. Luis Gutierrez - Currently serving his eighth term in Congress (16 years)

Illinois District 2 Rep. Jesse L. Jackson, Jr. - Currently serving his eighth term in Congress (15 years)

Illinois District 16 Rep. Don Manzullo - Currently serving his ninth term in Congress (18 years)

Illinois District 1 Rep. Bobby Rush - Currently serving his eighth term in Congress (17 years)

Illinois District 9 Rep. Jan Schakowsky - Currently serving her sixth term in Congress (12 years)

Illinois District 19 Rep. John Shimkus - Currently serving his seventh term in Congress (13 years)

Indiana District 5 Rep. Dan Burton - Currently serving his 14th term in Congress (27 years)

Indiana District 4 Rep. Steve Buyer - Currently serving his ninth term in Congress (18 years)

Indiana District 9 Rep. Baron Hill - Currently serving his sixth term in Congress (12 years)

Indiana District 3 Rep. Mark Souder - Currently serving his eighth term in Congress (16 years)

Indiana District 1 Rep. Pete Visclosky - Currently serving his 12th term in Congress (24 years)

Iowa District 3 Rep. Leonard Boswell - Currently serving his eighth term in Congress (16 years)

Iowa District 4 Rep. Tom Latham - Currently serving his eighth term in Congress (15 years)

Kansas District 3 Rep. Dennis Moore - Currently serving his sixth term in Congress (12 years)

Kansas District 1 Rep. Jerry Moran - Currently serving his seventh term in Congress (14 years)

Kansas District 4 Rep. Todd Tiahrt - Currently serving his eighth term in Congress (15 years)

Kentucky District 5 Rep. Hal Rogers - Currently serving his 15th term in Congress (29 years)

Kentucky District 1 Rep. Ed Whitfield - Currently serving his eighth term in Congress (16 years)

Maryland District 6 Rep. Roscoe Bartlett - Currently serving his ninth term in Congress (18 years)

Maryland District 7 Rep. Elijah E Cummings - Currently serving his eighth term in Congress (16 years)

Massachusetts District 8 Rep. Michael E. Capuano - Currently serving his sixth term in Congress (12 years)

Massachusetts District 10 Rep. Bill Delahunt - Currenly serving his seventh term in Congress (13 years)

Massachusetts District 4 Rep. Barney Frank - Currently serving his 15th term in Congress (29 years)

Massachusetts District 3 Rep. James McGovern - Currently serving his seventh term in Congress (13 years)

Massachusetts District 7 Rep. Edward J. Markey - Currently serving his 17th term in Congress (34 years)

Massachusetts District 2 Rep. Richard E. Neal - Currently serving his 11th term in Congress (22 years)

Massachusetts District 1 Rep. John W. Oliver - Currently serving his tenth term in Congress (19 years)

Massachusetts District 6 Rep. John F. Tierney - Currently serving his seventh term in Congress (14 years)

Michigan District 4 Rep. Dave Camp - Currently serving his tenth term in Congress (19 years)

Michigan District 14 Rep. John Conyers, Jr. - Currently serving his 22nd term in Congress (45 years)

Michigan District 15 Rep. John D. Dingell, Jr. - Currently serving his 27th term in Congress (55 years)

Michigan District 3 Rep. Vernon J. Ehlers - Currently serving his eighth term in Congress (16 years)

Michigan District 2 Rep. Pete Hoekstra - Currently serving his eight term in Congress (16 years)

Michigan District 5 Rep. Dale Kildee - Currently serving his 17th term in Congress (34 years)

Michigan District 13 Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick - Currently serving her seventh term in Congress (14 years)

Michigan District 12 Rep. Sandy Levin - Currently serving his 14th term in Congress (28 years)

Michigan District 1 Rep. Bart Stupak - Currently serving his ninth term in Congress (18 years)

Michigan District 6 Rep. Fred Upton - Currently serving his 12th term in Congress (24 years)

Minnesota District 8 Rep. James L. Oberstar - Currently serving his 18th term in Congress (36 years)

Minnesota District 7 Rep. Collin Peterson - Currently serving his tenth term in Congress (20 years)

Mississippi District 4 Rep. Gene Taylor - Currently serving his eleventh term in Congress (21 years)

Mississippi District 2 Rep. Bennie Thompson - Currently serving his eighth term in Congress (16 years)

Missouri District 7 Rep. Roy Blunt - Currently serving his seventh term in Congress (13 years)

Missouri District 8 Rep. Jo Ann Emerson - Currently serving her eighth term in Congress (16 years)

Missouri District 4 Rep. Ike Skelton - Currently serving his 17th term in Congress (34 years)

Nebraska District 2 Rep. Lee Terry - Currently serving his sixth term in Congress (12 years)

Nevada District 1 Rep. Shelley Berkley - Currently serving her sixth term in Congress (12 years)

New Jersey District 1 Rep. Robert E. Andrews - Currently serving his tenth term in Congress (20 years)

New Jersey District 11 Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen - Currently serving his eighth term in Congress (16 years)

New Jersey District 12 Rep. Rush Holt - Currently serving his sixth term in Congress (12 years)

New Jersey District 2 Rep. Frank A. LoBiondo - Currently serving his eighth term in Congress (15 years)

New Jersey District 6 Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. - Currently serving his 11th term in Congress (22 years)

New Jersey District 8 Rep. Bill Pascrell - Currently serving his seventh term in Congress (13 years)

New Jersey District 10 Rep. Donald M. Payne - Currently serving his 11th term in Congress (22 years)

New Jersey District 9 Rep. Steven Rothman - Currently serving his seventh term in Congress (13 years)

New Jersey District 4 Rep. Chris Smith - Currently serving his 15th term in Congress (29 years)

New York District 5 Rep. Gary Ackerman - Currently serving his 14th term in Congress (28 years)

New York District 7 Rep. Joseph Crowley - Currently serving his sixth term in Congress (12 years)

New York District 17 Rep. Eliot Engel - Currently serving his seventh term in Congress (13 years)

New York District 22 Rep. Maurice Hinchey - Currently serving his ninth term in Congress (18 years)

New York District 3 Rep. Pete King - Currently serving his ninth term in Congress (18 years)

New York District 18 Rep. Nita Lowey - Currently serving her 11th term in Congress (22 years)

New York District 4 Rep. Carolyn McCarthy - Currently serving her seventh term in Congress (14 years)

New York District 6 Rep. Gregory Meeks - Currently serving his sixth term in Congress (12 years)

New York District 8 Rep. Jerrold Nader - Currently serving his ninth term in Congress (18 years)

New York District 15 Rep. Charles B. Rangel - Currently serving his 20th term in Congress (40 years)

New York District 16 Rep. Jose E. Serrano - Currently serving his ninth term in Congress (17 years)

New York District 28 Rep. Louise Slaughter - Currently serving her 12th term in Congress (24 years)

New York District 10 Rep. Edolphus Towns - Currently serving his 14th term in Congress (28 years)

New York District 12 Rep. Nydia M. Velazquez - Currently serving her ninth term in Congress (18 years)

New York District 9 Rep. Anthony Weiner - Currently serving his sixth term in Congress (12 years)

North Carolina District 6 Rep. Howard Coble - Currently serving his 13th term in Congress (26 years)

North Carolina District 2 Rep. Bob Etheridge - Currently serving his seventh term in Congress (13 years)

North Carolina District 3 Rep. Walter B. Jones - Currently serving his eighth term in Congress (15 years)

North Carolina District 7 Rep. Mike McIntyre - Currently serving his seventh term in Congress (14 years)

North Carolina District 9 Rep. Sue Myrick - Currently serving her eighth term in Congress (15 years)

North Carolina District 4 Rep. David Price - Currently serving his 12th term in Congress (23 years)

North Carolina District 12 Rep. Mel Watt - Currently serving his ninth term in Congress (18 years)

North Dakota Rep. Earl Pomeroy - Currently serving his ninth term in Congress (18 years)

Ohio District 8 Rep. John Boehner - Currently serving his tenth term in Congress (20 years)

Ohio District 9 Rep. Marcy Kaptur - Currently serving her 14th term in Congress (28 years)

Ohio District 10 Rep. Dennis Kucinich - Currently serving his seventh term in Congress (14 years)

Ohio District 14 Rep. Steven C. LaTourette - Currently serving his eighth term in Congress (16 years)

Oklahoma District 3 Rep. Frank Lucas - Currently serving his eigth term in Congress (16 years)

Oregon District 3 Rep. Earl Blumenauer - Currently serving his seventh term in Congress (14 years)

Oregon District 4 Rep. Peter DeFazio - Currently serving his 12th term in Congress (24 years)

Oregon District 2 Rep. Greg Walden - Currently serving his sixth term in Congress (12 years)

Oregon District 1 Rep. David Wu - Currently serving his sixth term in Congress (12 years)

Pennsylvania District 1 Rep. Robert Brady - Currently serving his sixth term in Congress (12 years)

Pennsylvania District 14 Rep. Mike Doyle - Currently serving his eighth term in Congress (16 years)

Pennsylvania District 2 Rep. Chaka Fattah - Currently serving his eighth term in Congress (16 years)

Pennsylvania District 11 Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski - Currently serving his 13th term in Congress (26 years)

Pennsylvania District 17 Rep. Tim Holden - Currently serving his ninth term in Congress (18 years)

Pennsylvania District 16 Rep. Joe Pitts - Currently serving his seventh term in Congress (13 years)

Rhode Island District 1 Rep. Patrick Kennedy - Currently serving his eighth term in Congress (16 years)

South Carolina District 6 Rep. James E. Clyburn - Currently serving his ninth term in Congress (17 years)

South Carolina District 4 Rep. Bob Inglis - Currently serving his sixth consecutive term in Congress, seventh overall (17 years)

South Carolina District 5 Rep. John Spratt - Currently serving his 14th term in Congress (28 years)

Tennessee District 2 Rep. John J. Duncan, Jr. - Currently serving his 11th term in Congress (22 years)

Tennessee District 6 Rep. Bart Gordon - Currently serving his 13th term in Congress (26 years)

Tennessee District 8 Rep. John Tanner - Currently serving his 11th term in Congress (21 years)

Tennessee District 3 Rep Zach Wamp - Currently serving his eighth term in Congress (15 years)

Texas District 6 Rep. Joe Barton - Currently serving his 13th term in Congress (26 years)

Texas District 8 Rep. Kevin Brady - Currently serving his seventh term in Congress (13 years)

Texas District 25 Rep. Lloyd Doggett - Currently serving his eighth term in Congress (16 years)

Texas District 17 Rep. Chet Edwards - Currently serving his tenth term in Congress (20 years)

Texas District 20 Rep. Charles A. Gonzalez - Currently serving his sixth term in Congress (12 years)

Texas District 12 Rep. Kay Granger - Currently serving her seventh term in Congress (13 years)

Texas District 29 Rep. Gene Green - Currently serving his ninth term in Congress (18 years)

Texas District 4 Rep. Ralph Hall - Currently serving his 15th term in Congress (30 years)

Texas District 15 Rep. Ruben Hinojosa - Currently serving his seventh term in Congress (14 years)

Texas District 18 Rep. Sheila Jackson - Currently serving her seventh term in Congress (14 years)

Texas District 30 Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson - Currently serving her ninth term in Congress (18 years)

Texas District 3 Rep. Sam Johnson - Currently serving his 11th term in Congress (21 years)

Texas District 27 Rep. Solomon Ortiz - Currently serving his 14th term in Congress (28 years)

Texas District 14 Rep. Ron Paul - Currently serving his seventh consecutive term in Congress (13 years)

Texas District 16 Rep. Silvestre Reyes - Currently serving his seventh term in Congress (14 years)

Texas District 23 Rep. Ciro Rodriguez - Currently serving his seventh term in Congress (13 years)

Texas District 32 Rep. Pete Sessions - Currently serving his seventh term in Congress (14 years)

Texas District 21 Rep. Lamar Smith - Currently serving his 12th term in Congress (23 years)

Texas District 13 Rep. Mac Thornberry - Currently serving his eighth term in Congress (15 years)

Virgin Islands Delegate Rep. Donna Christensen - Currently serving her seventh term in Congress (14 years)

Virginia District 9 Rep. Rick Boucher - Currently serving his 14th term in Congress (28 years)

Virginia District 6 Rep. Bob Goodlatte - Currently serving his ninth term in Congress (18 years)

Virginia District 8 Rep. Jim Moran - Currently serving his tenth term in Congress (20 years)

Virginia District 3 Rep. Bobby Scott - Currently serving his ninth term in Congress (18 years)

Virginia District 10 Rep. Frank R. Wolf - Currently serving his 15th term in Congress (30 years)

Washington District 3 Rep. Brian Baird - Currently serving his sixth term in Congress (12 years)

Washington District 6 Rep. Norm Dicks - Currently serving his 17th term in Congress (33 years)

Washington District 4 Rep. Doc Hastings - Currently serving his eighth term in Congress (16 years)

Washington District 1 Rep. Jay Inslee - Currently serving his ninth unconsecutive term in Congress (18 years total)

Washington District 7 Rep. Jim McDermott - Currently serving his 11th term in Congress (22 years)

Washington District 9 Rep. Adam Smith - Currently serving his seventh term in Congress (14 years)

West Virignia District 1 Rep. Alan B. Mollohan - Currently serving his 14th term in Congress (27 years)

West Virginia District 3 Rep. Nick J. Rahall, II - Currently serving his 17th term in Congress (34 years)

Wisconsin District 2 Rep. Tammy Baldwin - Currently serving her sixth term in Congress (12 years)

Wisconsin District 3 Rep. Ron Kind - Currently serving his seventh term in Congress (14 years)

Wisconsin District 7 Rep. David Obey - Currently serving his 21st term in Congress (41 years)

Wisconsin District 6 Rep. Tom Petri - Currently serving his 16th term in Congress (31 years)

Wisconsin District 1 Rep. Paul Ryan - Currently serving his sixth term in Congress (12 years)

Wisconsin District 5 Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner - Currently serving his 16th term in Congress (32 years)

The Senate:

Hawaii Senator David Akaka - Currently serving his third term in the Senate (20 years)

Montana Senator Max Baucus - Currently serving his fifth term in the Senate (32 years)

Utah Senator Bob Bennett - Currently serving his third term in the Senate (18 years)

New Mexico Senator Jeff Bingaman - Currently serving his fifth term in the Senate (28 years)

Missouri Senator Kit Bond - Currently serving his fourth term in the Senate (24 years)

California Senator Barbara Boxer - Currently serving her third term in the Senate (17 years)

Kansas Senator Sam Brownback - Currently serving his third term in the Senate (14 years)

Kentucky Senator Jim Bunning - Currently running for a third term in the Senate (12 years)

West Virginia Senator Robery C. Byrd - Currently serving his ninth term in the Senate (54 years)

Washington Senator Maria Cantwell - Currently serving second term in the Senate (Term of 12 years will end in 2012)

Mississippi Senator Thad Cochran - Currently serving his fifth term in the Senate (32 years)

Maine Senator Suane Collins - Currently serving her third term in the Senate (14 years)

North Dakota Senator Kent Conrad - Currently serving his fourth term in the Senate (23 years)

Idaho Senator Mike Crapo - Currently serving his second term in Senate (12 years) 

North Dakota Senator Byron L. Dorgan - Currently serving his third term in the Senate (18 years) 

Illinois Senator Richard J. Durbin - Currently serving his third term in the Senate (14 years) 

Wyoming Senator Mike Enzi - Currently serving his third term in the Senate (13 years) 

Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold - Currently serving his third term in the Senate (18 years) 

California Senator Diane Feinstein - Currently serving her third term in the Senate (18 years) 

Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley - Currently serving his fifth term in the Senate (29 years) 

New Hampshire Senator Judd Gregg - Currently serving his third term in the Senate (18 years) 

Iowa Senator Tom Harkin - Currently serving his fifth term in the Senate (26 years) 

Utah Senator Orrin G. Hatch - Currently serving his sixth term in the Senate (33 years) 

Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson - Currently serving her third term in the Senate (17 years) 

Oklahoma Senator James M. Inhofe - Currently serving his third term in the Senate (16 years) 

Hawaii Senator Dan Inouye - Currently serving his eighth term in the Senate (47 years) 

South Dakota Senator Tim Johnson - Currently serving his third term in the Senate (14 years) 

Massachusetts Senator John Kerry - Currently serving his fifth term in the Senate (25 years) 

Wisconsin Senator Herb Kohl - Currently serving his fourth term in the Senate (22 years) 

Arizona Senator Jon Kyl - Currently serving his third term in the Senate (16 years) 

Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu - Currently serving her third term in the Senate (16 years) 

New Jersey Senator Frank R. Lautenberg - Currently serving his fifth term in the Senate (28 years) 

Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy - Currently serving his sixth term in the Senate (36 years) 

Michigan Senator Carl Levin - Currently serving his sixth term in the Senate (31 years) 

Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman - Currently serving his fourth term in the Senate (21 years) 

Arkansas Senator Blanche Lincoln - Currently serving her second term in the Senate (12 years) 

Indiana Senator Richard G. Lugar - Currently serving his sixth term in the Senate (34 years) 

Arizona Senator John McCain - Currently serving his fifth term in the Senate (28 years) 

Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell - Currently serving his fifth term in the Senate (25 years) 

Maryland Senator Barbara Mikulski - Currently serving her fourth term in the Senate (24 years) 

Washington Senator Patty Murray - Currently serving her third term in the Senate (18 years) 

Rhode Island Senator Jack Reed - Currently serving his third term in the Senate (14 years)

Nevada Senator Harry Reid - Currently serving his fourth term in the Senate (24 years) 

West Virginia Senator John D. Rockefeller IV - Currently serving his fifth term in the Senate (25 years) 

New York Senator Charles Schumer - Currently serving his second term in the Senate (12 years) 

Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions - Currently serving his third term in the Senate (13 years) 

Alabama Senator Richard Shelby - Currently serving his fourth term in the Senate (24 years) 

Maine Senator Olympia Snowe - Currently serving her third term in the Senate (16 years) 

Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter - Currently serving his fifth term in the Senate (30 years) 

Oregon Senator Ron Wyden - Currently serving his third term in the Senate (14 years)

Brace for Impact

A cyber attack on the United States of America is no longer a vague possibility in the distant future, but now a seemingly imminent event that is going to occur in the very near future. 

Let me repeat that. 

A cyber attack on the United States of America is imminent. 

The scale and magnitude of this impending assault is uncertain, but the worst case scenario is that sometime within the next two years or so, a massive cyber attack will be launched against us by China through a proxy hostile force. Your cell phones will be disabled, as will your access to your bank accounts, medical records or email. Pockets of the country will experience severe blackouts, and the market will experience a catastrophic crash that it will not bounce back from for a matter of months. The Obama Administration will announce a State of National Emergency and "temporarily" nationalize the grid. Waves of infections will occur as people consume unsafe drinking water, and hysteria will be the norm for an indeterminate amount of time. 

Once we go back online, Internet users will be advised to re-create new emails and passwords, as their old ones will be virtually useless on any practical level. Local law enforcement agencies will be inundated with case filings citing identity theft, and many of you will lose large amounts of money that you will never get back. Identification will be required for any and all transactions made using anything other than cash that take place in the post-whatever date this happens period, and various other procedures will be put in place to circumvent theft. 

The grim aftermath of this event will not be the fault of our attackers, it will be the fault of our heroin-like dependence on digital technology. It will be our fault for basing our entire infrastructure on something as vulnerable to manipulation as the computer. It is because of this misguided reliance on software that I have but these three words to say to any and all that read this: 

Brace for Impact.  

O.J.'s Lucky 13.

O.J. Simpson's luck has finally ran out.

13 years to the day of his acquittal for the crimes the entire world knows he committed, Simpson was found guilty on all counts for kidnapping and assault during the attempted recovery of his memorabilia. Although clearly set up, Simpson was truly defeated by the one enemy destined to be responsible for his downfall: Himself.

O.J. Simpson is simply an example of a certain kind of individual that roams the planet, violent and unscrupulous, smiling while slaughtering all the things they classify as trivial, including human life. The only thing that makes him a special case is his high level of exposure, a level that was responsible for one of the greatest transgressions against justice this nation has ever collectively witnessed.

Some call it karma, an ethereal exacting of vindication by an unknown force that abhors injustice. Some say that this was all just a matter of time, considering the psychological make up Simpson and his unwavering confidence in his own capacity to escape what he rightfully deserves. Others feel that this entire situation was the result of a larger unsaid conspiracy against the man, an unspoken understanding between all the moral individuals with even the slightest opportunity to affect the course of events, a pre-determined indictment on someone that society just could simply not afford to allow to slip through the cracks of jurispudence.

Whatever it was, one fact remains: 13 years after he was admonished for committing the most heinous acts ever to be presented on the national stage in American criminal history, Orenthal James Simpson's luck has finally ran out, and at last, he is exactly where he should be.

Irony At Its Finest

The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 died in the House yesterday. A slim majority of the lawmakers did not feel that the bailout package was in line with this nation's founding principles, nor did it properly protect taxpayers from paying corporate executives of failed companies massive amounts of money. 133 of the no votes came from House Republicans, some of the most fiscal conservative members of Congress. 

Fate, it seems, is not without a terrible sense of irony. 133 of the most conservative Republicans in Congress literally just handed the American Presidency to who they call the most "wildly liberal" member of the Senate. 

The American people do not respond to the way things are, they respond to the way things seem. And the way things seem is that 133 Republicans killed a bill that caused the country to lose 1 trillion dollars in a single day. 

This, ladies and gentlemen, was what is called in politics a "Power Play." The House democrats just played the Republicans like a fiddle, presenting a bill that they did not have 218 votes for, almost guaranteeing its doomed fate on the floor. 95 democrats voted against the bill as well, providing just the right amount of votes to place the emphasis of the blame on the House Republicans. 

The American people will not see the Democrats setting up the Republicans to be blamed for the bailout package's failure, and thus the 800 point loss on the Dow Jones. The American people will see a Republican President, with a Republican economy and a Republican refusal to provide assistance as the cause of their economic problems. This fact alone will serve as the catalyst to Barack Obama's propulsion into the Presidency. 

Let us be clear, the Republicans were right to kill the package. The entire concept of the bailout plan undermines the principle of capitalism and would of cost all of us dearly in taxes. But that doesn't really matter to the market, it responded with panic, as the dems knew it would. The inevitable outcome will be Obama's victory.