Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-visit-marks-trials-resilience-graduates-tornado-hit-192053999.html

Barbara Boxer War Barbara Mikulski Feds will spend Does an October surprise still linger? Carl Levin Malia and Sasha

Hi I’m Pakinam Amer and I’m very happy to be here today at World Have Your Say at 1100GMT broadcasting from Cairo, Egypt.

I am a journalist who’s passionate about investigations, current affairs, travel and positive psychology and quite recently our very own Tahrir square, and where it has taken Egypt. Personally my love for this country has been renewed there during the 18 days of the first revolt, but since then, quite frankly it has been a roller coaster of emotions.

The joy at toppling a dictator that has been ruling by an iron fist for almost three decades has given way to hope, that soon became muddled by fear and doubt as political forces and even voices on the streets became divided, and as the military rulers who took over following former President Hosni Mubarak overstayed their welcome. Many of the ideals that the revolution have called for — freedom and dignity — have not been realized. And the utopia that Tahrir has brought was short-lived.

If anything, voices of dissent were stifled, more men and women were beaten up and even killed for demonstrating for legitimate demands in Tahrir square, female protesters were sexually assaulted, and some political groups, like the Islamists, have broken ranks with the revolutionaries and chose to play politics instead, wavering between positions sometimes, and abandoning Tahrir at others.

The future is as uncertain as ever. The layman, who can barely make ends meet in a country where over half the population is drenched in poverty, has become disenchanted with a revolution that has seemingly threatened security and dragged on far longer than anticipated. The revolutionaries want their basic human rights and want to keep protesting, while many Egyptians just want food on the table and things to go back to “normal.”

The road ahead is full of possibility but also fear. What is happening to our revolution? Is it failing? Has Tahrir lost its power? Could it be salvaged? What do you think Egypt should do at this sensitive juncture? What actually can be achieved? You can post here or at facebook.com/worldhaveyoursay and do call during the show country code plus 44 20 70 83 72 72 and we have set up a special hashtag for this week #mywhys

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/worldhaveyoursay/2011/12/on_air_at_11gmt_has_the_revolu.html#302105

War Barbara Mikulski Feds will spend Does an October surprise still linger? Carl Levin Malia and Sasha Mitch McConnell

As usual, when it comes to the left, you can get more people in a room to tell others what to do and how to do it, then you can find on the street doing anything. That’s not to dismiss the danger to America from leftist groups constantly meeting, planning and plotting ways to undermine American liberties; however, here is an interesting contrast.

As both Breitbart and the Washington Free Beacon reported yesterday, a number of anti-liberty loving groups came together in D.C. on May 10 to plot the future of their ongoing assault on small government advocate the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). There were plenty of left tilting hats in the room. Attacking ALEC is a stated priority for them.

Leading progressive organizers met on May 10 to coordinate their attack plan against the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), discussing ways to pressure corporations into abandoning the group for its small-government advocacy and turn against what they call the “vast, right-wing conspiracy.”

The participants, including representatives from such far-left groups as Common Cause, Color of Change, and ProgressNow, met for lunch in a conference room at the AFL-CIO headquarters in Washington, D.C.

But this weekend, when it came time to do something besides plot in Charlotte, N.C., although the media seems to be providing some cover by claiming it was “about 50 protesters,” photos from the effort doesn’t appear to quite meet that number. Of course, that didn’t stop them from trying to disrupt a WellPoint meeting in an attempt to shout down others exercising their right to free speech.

Protesters disrupt WellPoint annual meeting

Union representatives and other protesters repeatedly interrupted Chairwoman and CEO Angela Braly after she opened the meeting and introduced proposals for shareholder voting. One person presented a petition she said was signed by 15,000 people asking the Indianapolis company for more disclosure.  

Here’s what all that planning in D.C. and infringing on the rights of others actually produced when it took time for them to hit the street.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BigGovernment/~3/snb6GKD5EWw/Anti-ALEC-Effort-All-Hat-And-No-Cattle

John Kerry Poll says Bill Nelson bill dies in Senate auto bailout Republican senators CNN.com

Source: http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2012/05/17/kth-should-charity-marketers-be-avoided/

Mike Johanns Palin ethics law Lieberman with Dems Jim Webb Trade Regulators: Bailout program is working Middle-class tax cut

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/secular-islamist-egypt-chooses-president-170845298.html

Nuclear Power GOP, not conservatives, lost election Franken seated Herb Kohl Jon Tester Tom Harkin Pat Toomey

This came just a day after a massive protest against a bill designed to tackle online copyright theft.

The Sopa and Pipa bills triggered a Wikipedia blackout, supported by other sites like Google, Flickr and Facebook.

So why are some people so desperate to see Sopa succeed – and others so keen to stop it?

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/worldhaveyoursay/2012/01/the_sopa_pipa_debate.html#302870

Jim Risch Richard Blumenthal Obamas stimulus plan Palin campaign trail Kelly Ayotte GOP warned Emanuel

Source: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2012/05/17/its_not_easy_being_rich__114171.html

Does an October surprise still linger? Carl Levin Malia and Sasha Mitch McConnell secretary of state Citigroup U.S. on wrong track

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/alabama-governor-signs-bill-tweaking-immigration-law-040237047.html

Jay Rockefeller Palin most popular Republican resolution supporting Israel WMD How Obama can fix the economy Scott Brown Obama threatens veto

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/gorilla-patriarch-columbus-zoo-surrogacy-program-dies-215336805.html

Dear Obama: Send loans fast Mary Landrieu Jay Rockefeller Palin most popular Republican resolution supporting Israel WMD How Obama can fix the economy

Source: http://www.balloon-juice.com/2012/05/19/champions-league-final-open-thread-2/

bill dies in Senate auto bailout Republican senators CNN.com How U.S. should respond Claire McCaskill Pat Roberts