In a bold move, Republican Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney’s campaign has released its very first political ad of the 2012 Presidential race and it is a lie. Regardless of what party you support, there is no denying the deception in this message.

The ad in question, which was being shown in New Hampshire last week, used a partial quote of then Senator Barack Obama from an October 2008 speech. The ad uses this portion of the quote, “If we keep talking about the economy, we’re going to lose,” we can hear now President Obama say. When in fact, after digging, with very little difficultly you can find that the actual full context of the quote was, “Senator McCain’s campaign actually said, and I quote, if we keep talking about the economy, we’re going to lose.”

We have seen ads from parties on both sides which have skewed the truth or taken quotes out of context to serve their message. But never has an ad gone so far to flat out lie to the public. This ad is a blatant deception of the truth to the public. Whether you are a Republican, a Democrat or an Independent, this evolution of political advertising should stop here.

Candidate Romney has defended this ad saying “There was no hidden effort on the part of our campaign. It was instead to point out that what’s sauce for the goose is now sauce for the gander.” At least he was honest. There was obviously no hidden effort at deception as it took almost no time at all to look up the true context of the quote. Unfortunately it is not as simple to discover who in the campaign was responsible for the message in this ad.

The person responsible for this message should be held accountable. While there are many who will call this article a leftist strategy, I only ask you to watch the ad and then look up the quote for yourself and make you own determination.
For too many years, these “swift-boating” tactics have been gaining in popularity while trying to find the true message of any campaign has been more difficult to find due to constant back and forth jabs at each other.

In a move heralded as the only logical move, Penn State’s board of trustees fired Joe Paterno this past Wednesday. In an interesting development a lawyer for one of the alleged victims says the board “Made the wrong call by firing Joe Paterno.”

Harrisburg civil attorney Ben Andreozzi, who has been advising some of the alleged victims of former Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky, issued the statement Thursday. The complete statement read:

“The board of trustees got it wrong. They should have consulted the victims before making a decision on Mr. Paterno…They should have considered these victims watch TV and are aware of the students’ reaction and may not want to be associated with the downfall of Mr. Paterno. The school instead elected to do what it felt was in its own best interest at the time. Isn’t that what put the school in this position in the first place?”

This statement only backed up the views in State College and around the country who have now decided it is Penn State’s Board of Trustees’ time to head to the woodshed and share responsibility as well. They are now viewed by many as the latest villains in the deplorable scandal that has rocked not only the college football world but the country and the world over.

Unfortunately with the protests and riots that broke out after the firing of the man who help shape a college into what it is today, some believe that it is possible that the victims may somehow fear being made the villains when all is said and done. They fear the possibility of bearing the burden and weight of the downfall of probably the most iconic figure in college football history.

Hopefully now that everything is out in the open and the Penn State board has rendered its verdict, the victims can move forward without doubt. Even the man they call JoePa has realized his inaction is what led to his fate stating “I wish I did more.”

Some Penn State students have organized a candlelight vigil Friday night at 9:30pm followed by a 10pm moment of silence in from of the Old Main building in support of the victims. Even after the firing of their coach, the victims should bear witness to the students supporting them and not worry about blowback from coming forward. America and the world know you are the victims and you have a nation of millions behind you.

I woke today and wondered what I would read in the news. What I read is sad and shows the deepest and darkest sides of America.

In Mississippi the so-called “personhood” amendment had been rejected. So in Mississippi a woman is still allowed to choose. The pro-life movement must be so mad.

I also read a very amusing post on the Huffington Post website, which you can read by clicking here. Theater Professor Domenick Scudera wrote an article about being gay in one of the most creative and hilarious ways possible. The article made me laugh but the underlying message is one of great sadness. Reading this article may be amusing but it also exposes the intolerance of certain things in our society such as gay people and as mentioned above abortion.

The United States of America has been heralded as the land of opportunity, where freedom of speech and freedom of choice reign free. Society has come so far but now it seems to be regressing.

Freedom of choice is supposed to be just that…the freedom of choice. You cannot pick and choose which choices people are allowed to make. That is no longer freedom. Unfortunately to those who are intolerant, if someone chooses to live their life staying true to their hearts and openly gay, it is their choice. If you want to quote the bible and point out how same sex relations and marriage are against God, then take the time to go back and read Matthew 7:1 “Judge not, that you be not judged.” You believe them to be sinners. Okay. They are sinners in your eyes. So remember tolerance and accept that they choose to sin. It is not our choice so who are we to say it is wrong? We can believe it is wrong but the choice is not up to us. If you believe they will burn for their sins then so be it but let them live in peace. Leave the judgment to God.

Remember, remember the masks from November. Or any other month for that matter. As the Occupy Wall Street, as well as many Occupy (Insert city name), protest grows, it seems themovement has taken a page from “V for Vendetta” and adopted the Guy Fawkes mask as its symbol.

Guy Fawkes is of course famous for his attempted destruction of parliament in London in 1605 on November 5. Fawkes was captured and executed for the plot. November 5th went on to become known as Guy Fawkes Night or Bonfire Night in Great Britain and the Observance of 5th November Act or Thanksgiving Act was created a year later to observe the failed attempt on King James the first.
Over the centuries, the figure Guy Fawkes has gone from terrorist to a symbol of taking on the powers that be in protest. Funny how an image can change over time.

In 2006 the Wachowski brothers adapted the Alan Moore comic series “V for Vendetta” into a screenplay. In the comic and the film a hero called ‘V’ wears a Guy Fawkes mask while battling the fascist, post-nuclear war regime which usurped the Monarchy in futurist England. “V” represents a voice for the people, challenging them to stand up for their rights.

How does this all tie in with protests and hacker groups? Well the film did all the leg work. From 1606 the image of Guy Fawkes the terrorist has turned into Guy Fawkes the freedom fighter. In the film ‘V’ Guy Fawkes is seen as just that and ‘V’ sees him as the perfect symbol for his agenda. That and a penchant for very well spoken diatribes endear us to the character in the film. In one of ‘V’s’ public address he makes a very profound statement. “There is something very wrong with this Country.” Later in the film we hear probably one of the most memorable lines “People should not be afraid of their government. Governments should be afraid of their people.”

The latest development, reported by EW is public relations firm 42West have “dumped” Swank over a disagreement over how to handle the fallout from the aforementioned appearance.

Swank apologized for attending the birthday, informing the media that she “would have never gone” if she had a “full understanding” of the event.

I guess she doesn’t read the paper much. Kadyrov has been targeted for human rights violations as well as possible war crimes. Swank has fired her manager Jason Weinberg who had managed the star for over eight years over the ordeal and two of her agents at CAA have actually been moved out of her service.
So no manager, no PR firm and a new agent. I guess someone is going to have to watch out who she helps blow out the candles in the future.

The Sofia News Agency reports that a stuntman has died in a botched explosion on the set of the much anticipated Expendables 2. There were two other injured in the blast and one of them was reported to be in critical condition but is now said to be stable and on “command breathing”.

The second unit was believed to be filming an explosion scene on a rubber boat in Bulgaria in the town of Elin Pelin. No word yet as to how the explosion scene went awry that resulted in the stuntman’s death. No names have been released at this point. The first unit with director Simon West and Sylvester Stallone were some two and a half hours away at another location.

A representative from Nulmage/Millenium Films confirm the death and released this statement, “It is with great regret that we confirm this unfortunate accident. Our hearts go out to the families and those on the production affected by this tragedy. The filmmakers are working closely with the authorities in responding to and investigating this accident.”

The second installment of the highly successful Expendables film which saw the return of some of our favorite 80’s action stars, reunites all the big names once again as well as adding   Jean-Claude Van Dam, Liam Hemsworth and they have expanded the role of Arnold Schwarznegger.

This tragedy cannot help but leave a scar on the film famous for their explosions and body count. Thought and prayers are sent out to the victim’s family. We will not be able to help think of his loss when sitting in front of the big screen. And rightfully so.

While the country is suffering from record rates of obesity, it is very refreshing to know there are groups out there who are proactive and trying to make a difference in this battle by starting at the beginning, with our youth.

Action for Healthy Kids has taken to the schools to battle the country’s obesity problem. Volunteers for the organization have recently given 11 schools in Chicago, Denver and Washington D.C. makeovers.
Hundreds of volunteers composed of parents, educators, community members and corporate employees, lent their time, their muscle and their nutritional expertise to Action for Healthy Kids ‘ Get in the Action program to take the fight to where it was needed most. The schools benefited from tastings of healthy foods while being educated on the importance of a healthy diet and to aid in expanding the opportunities for the students to have access to a variety of physical activities.
In Chicago the group transformed an unused space in one school into an indoor fitness center and converted an undefined field into a soccer field at another. A third school had volunteers convert a paved playground into an active play space with a football field as well as a track, hopscotch markings and more. At the same time they provided the delicious, healthy food taste tests while stressing the importance of nutrition and healthy eating.
Meanwhile in Denver volunteers held wellness fairs as well as fruit and vegetable taste tests. Four schools had the volunteers help out and even showed the students and staff some fun-filled brain breaks of physical activities. And in Washington D.C. four schools had lessons in community gardening and healthy foods. As well the group upgraded playground equipment and even converted an alley into an outdoor physical education space.
Obesity is a crisis all over the country. One parent in Chicago was so inspired by the group, she became a member. Yvette Cook, whose eight-year-old daughter’s elementary school was transformed, was so impressed she joined the call. She was quoted as saying, “”They have a nice playground now.  There wasn’t anything before. But now it’s like, lights, camera, action,” Cook says of the paved playground turned active play space.  “And the kids got to try a lot of different,  healthy foods that they’d never had before. …  I think it’s great. I’m all for this. It’s so needed. So many kids never knew what Brussels sprouts were before and didn’t really know how to eat healthy.”

It has been confirmed that Amy Winehouse had stayed clean and no drugs were found in her system at the time of her death. But unfortunately another vice was too blame. Amy Winehouse died of alcohol poisoning on July 23rd 2011 at the infamous age of 27.

British coroner Suzanne Greenaway has finally rendered a verdict of “death by misadventure,” stating the singer had died of accidental alcohol poisoning . The statement read “The unintended consequence of such potentially fatal levels (of alcohol) was her sudden and unexpected death,”.

Pathologist Suhail Baithum had confirmed “very large quantity of alcohol — the level in her blood put her more than five times over the legal drunk-driving limit.”

In July at the time of her death Police Detective Inspector Les Newman arrived on the scene after receiving a call from a security guard. As you all know by now the room was littered with empty vodka bottles as Winehouse was found in her bed unresponsive and not breathing.

Her doctor at the time, Dr. Christina Romete, had said the night before she died Winehouse seemed “tipsy but calm”. Winehouse had never discussed suicide and even seemed excited for her upcoming birthday.

The Winehouse family can at least sleep better at night now knowing what had transpired. Family spokesman Chris Goodman was quoted as saying “The court heard that Amy was battling hard to conquer her problems with alcohol and it is a source of great pain to us that she could not win in time,” he said. He also stated the family feels relieved “to finally find out what happened to Amy.”

A tortured soul, Amy had finally kicked the drugs but still couldn’t beat the bottle. Dr. Romete even presribed her Librium to help her cope with the systems of withdrawl from the booze. The coronoer confirmed these pills had no role in her death.

The world lost a great and innovative talent whose signature voice will be recognized for years to come.

Where the government fails, leave it to a group of hackers to succeed. The infamous “Anonymous” hacker group decided to target a collection of child pornography sites called Freedom Hosting and succeeded in not only crashing the sites but also releasing the names of almost 1600 users who frequent them. Anonymous even took down one of the world’s largest sites, Lolita City, which is believed to contain over 100gb of content.

At least the cyber vigilantes were cordial enough to issue a warning. Anonymous issued a warning to Freedom Hosting to remove the illegal content from their servers. Either Freedom Hosting didn’t feel threatened or chose to ignore the warning which led to the ensuing attack. The site was down for 5 minutes wherein Anonymous was able to retrieve the information on their users which they released to the public at large.

The attack was carried out by the sub-group Operation Darknet who considers Freedom Hosting “enemy number one”. The group released a statement calling for an end to child pornography content on their sites as well as services to any future child porn sites. “”We will continue to not only crash Freedom Hosting’s server, but any other server we find to contain, promote, or support child pornography,” they said. Anonymous also issued a statement regarding the names released saying, “If the FBI, Interpol, or other law enforcement agency should happen to come across this list, please use it to investigate and bring justice to the people listed here”.

While Anonymous has been responsible for the hacking of many corporations and police department’s emails, this latest move has generated positive support from the public for targeting a common enemy of the general public. While the actions by the group could affect an operation being undertook by authorities, there is no denying you can’t help but to feel better knowing someone out there is trying to do something about child pornography.
Child pornography is a very dark side of society which seems able to operate in shadow and veiled from the public eye, only seen by those in the know. I know I myself will sleep better tonight knowing that some organizations out there are hacking for the greater good to stop horrors such as this and not trying to get my credit card number.

Jon Stewart has had enough.  Stewart ripped the GOP on Tuesday night on The Daily Show for their conservative rhetoric about Occupy Wall Street.

In recent media coverage, the GOP has been using catch phrases such as “Take it to the streets” and “Ready for battle” which you would assume would coincide with the actions of citizens in cities all over the U.S. right? Wrong. The party is primarily opposed to the protest. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor has previously said that Americans need to “Take this country back.” Here, a month after Occupy Wall Street protests, Cantor is accusing the movement of pitting Americans against Americans. Of course Stewart saw the flaw in his logic right away.

Stewart’s rebuttal, “If Republicans don’t condone pitting Americans against Americans, well then, who is that we Americans should be ‘taking this country back’ from?”

As only Jon Stewart could, he had flow charts and clips backing up his comment while breaking down exactly who conservatives believe is the actual enemy against Americans. The list included liberals, federal employees, activist judges, the entertainment media as well as global warming advocates. The cherry on the cake was Newt Gingrich who believes the enemy includes “Tenured professors who can flunk you if you’re conservative” and “gay people who are living together.”

The masterpiece moment would have to be when Stewart summed up the how hard it must be for the GOP to “Love America so much, but hate almost three-quarters of the people in it.”

To view the clip click here.

Stewart has definitely touched a nerve as these statements and views from the GOP show just how out of touch with everyday Americans they are. Cantor’s comments combined with those of Rick Santorum that the key to the economy lies in traditional marriage expose the GOP’s lack of connection with what is wrong with the country. While campaigning for the republican nomination, the candidates are displaying a complete lack of understanding of the economy and the issues that plague the citizens across the country.

Occupy Wall Street is a cry for help. A cry falling on deaf ears in the Republican party. It is about time both parties work together and take heed of the central message this protest is about. “NO MORE”