Massive Storm Targets Nation's Capitol - What to do What to do?

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NEWS BULLETIN

Last night President Obama landed at Andrews AFB in the middle of a devastating 3/4 inch snowfall and his helicopter ride to the White House was grounded thus resulting in an unplanned car caravan for the thirty minute trip.

Unfortunately, the entire city was paralyzed by the insignificant and unexpected snow so all streets and highways from Washington DC to Baltimore, to Richmond, anywhere in fact including in Washington, brought the nation's capitol to a standstill rivaling the congressional inertia already in existence.

As the giant Presidential Secret Service SUVs slid sideways into the curbs trying to get to the White House advance teams were pushing cars in front of the caravan out of the way and about an hour later the President finally got to the White House.

Prognosticators said it was a sign that he did not belong in the White House in the first place.  Political analysts said it was a plot by Republicans to demonstrate how ineffective he was as president.  Palin said, what do you expect from idiots, and Cruz wanted to carpet bomb the motorcade.

Trump, of course, said HIS helicopters had no problem with less than an inch of snow and that was another reason he should be president.  Hillary mentioned something about a Socialist plot by Bernie to stop her best friend Barack Obama.

Here is what The Washington Post said about Obama.

"Even President Obama’s motorcade was affected, making its way from Joint Base Andrews at 7:26 p.m. through suburban Maryland and the District. The vehicles stopped at most stoplights and eased their way through the slow-moving traffic, often employing sirens and flashing lines.

After nearly an hour, the vehicles, slipping and skidding, started making more aggressive use of their sirens and stoplight privileges. The ride ended at the White House at approximately 8:40 p.m."

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Latest weather forecast.  Citizens stormed the National Weather Center and burnt it to the ground while Walmart reports record profits from panicked people, gas stations sold out gas supplies, hardware stores sold out salt, and groceries sold out ice for when the electric power goes out.  In short, an aura of intellectual constipation has swept over the news media, weather reporters, and public in the Eastern USA.  Nothing new about that.

Latest update for Washington, D.C. - ground zero:

Snowfall expected - 20-30 inches

Winds 50-70 mph

Water - Coastal flooding

Temperature - cold

What to do?  Go to bed, pile on the down-filled comforters, take with you whomever you get along with and do not get out of bed until Monday.

Cheers

ps I just made a bet on less than six inches of snow south of DC where we are used to 50-70 mile an hour winds and coastal flooding every few weeks.

Today's Newspaper Headlines about Snow Dusting

Inch of Snow Snarls Traffic Ahead of Expected Blizzard

An inch of snow, icy roads unleash 9 hours of traffic chaos across D.C. region

Light dusting causes chaos as massive East Coast blizzard looms

Light snow, untreated roads cause slick streets and a traffic nightmare

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CPT Twit - A Pope and Two Presidents - three most powerful leaders of the world - here now

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What a rare occasion when the three most powerful people in the world are in America for meetings. For this week Pope Francis, President Obama, and Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife First Lady Peng Liyuan congregate on Washington, D.C. and New York City for talks that could shape the future of the world.

First Pope Francis came calling after a triumphant visit to Cuba on the way, with his message of hope, peace, and compassion electrifying the crowds and knocking politics out of the news.

At the same time the Pope was landing in Washington, D.C., Chinese President Jinping and his wife were landing in Seattle on their way to our nation's capital, first for meetings with Bill Gates and prominent American industrialists.

All three will be attending the United Nations General Assembly in NYC in what could be a historic gathering to adopt the Global Goals initiative to wipe out poverty and address sixteen other major issues over the next fifteen years.

This is such a historic gathering here in America it makes one want to break out in song.

    

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Obama DOD Nominee Chuck Hagel

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January 7, 2013
Dateline: Washington, DC

Obama DOD Nominee Chuck Hagel

Lightning Rod or Voice of Reason?

Today President Obama nominated former Senator Chuck Hagel as the next Secretary of Defense and the first enlisted soldier to ever hold the office.  The nomination met with instant criticism from liberals and conservatives, Democrats and Republicans alike.

 

I believe no better nominee could be considered for this critical cabinet position and I say that not as a journalist, former political junkie or political party member but as someone deeply concerned about the future of America in a time of fiscal austerity.

 

Also I say that as someone who worked with Chuck when he first began his political career in Nebraska as we both served as congressional staffers and learned political warfare Midwestern style.

 

What does that mean?

 We served a Republican congressman from Omaha Nebraska in a congressional district that was dominated by Democrats from the city of Omaha with a non-partisan mayor and non-partisan state legislature.

 

In fact, from 1969 - 1973 I worked for three different mayors of Omaha, first a Republican, then a Democrat, then a Republican who turned Democrat in order to run against our congressional boss for US Senate in 1976.

 

Politics in the Heartland forced one to be accommodating of different views.  Once elections were decided the political party labels and political philosophies dissolved or nothing could be accomplished for the good of the people.

Compromise was a way of life and working together was far more important than party litmus tests.

When I worked in the mayors office we coordinated extensively with the GOP congressman and I got to know Chuck and appreciate the independence we all had to master in order to do good for the people.

After a stint in the Executive Office of the President I joined the same congressional office as a fellow staff member and Chuck worked in DC while I stayed in the district working with the Democrats and coordinating with the Strategic Air Command headquarters also in our district.

On many trips to Washington to meet with federal agencies Chuck let me stay at his apartment on Capitol Hill as we were both compulsive workaholics.

Chuck Hagel, though a Republican, is one of few Washington political veterans with no strings attached in terms of being beholden to special interests.  While most of our national politicians were owned by defense contractors and special interests Chuck was a former enlisted man, not career military politician, who understood the underbelly of the military and defense industry.

Because of his experience he also understood the financial implications of federal policy and was never afraid to speak his own mind, not parrot the will of the political party or president.

President's Lincoln, Eisenhower, Kennedy and Reagan all warned of the dangers of a military industrial complex, one in which our politicians and military leaders became senior executives or rich lobbyists in the defense industry when they retired, got defeated or driven from office.

Today more than ever we need government leaders who can stand up to the military industrial complex and make changes that no political party loyalist would ever be allowed to support.

Our federal government is riddled with conflicts of interest, special interests and greed because our public policy is determined as much by how much money can be made by individuals, foundations and politicians as by how well the policy serves the public good.

We need government officials who refuse to play the game that has nearly destroyed our ability to govern America FOR THE PEOPLE instead of for the political party or special interests.

Defense, like all government functions, has to be cut back and made affordable.  There are more American soldiers stationed overseas than in America and nations around the world are charging us excessive amounts for the bases we maintain to protect them.

Chuck Hagel is a pragmatic person who tells us the truth about wars and relationships and he has demonstrated consistently that he is far more patriotic than political, dating back to the two Purple Hearts he was awarded for service in Viet Nam.

We need a Defense Secretary whose first concern is for America, who is not a hack for either political party, who will not sugar coat the truth and will never forget the people and needs of Main Street America.

We also need a Secretary not interested in advancing his political career but in serving the public interest.  In the 42 years I have known Chuck Hagel and followed his career he has never been a yes man or someone who sucked up to the media to enhance his own agenda.

Hagel is an All American patriot from our nation's populist Heartland who never lost his perspective on the needs of the people nor catered to special interests in Washington.

The Senate should confirm him because of his differences with politicians and party platforms in Washington.

Jim Putnam

Publisher
Coltons Point Times
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