Thanksgiving Proclamation President George Washington City of New York, October 3, 1789

Happy Thanksgiving to all tomorrow - I know this rather old proclamation may make the liberals angry - but so what? - This is yet again proof of the foundations of our country and the belief systems of our great founding Fathers. - COB


Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor, and Whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me "to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness." 

Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be. That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks, for his kind care and protection of the People of this country previous to their becoming a Nation, for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his providence, which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war, for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed, for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted, for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions, to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually, to render our national government a blessing to all the People, by constantly being a government of wise, just and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed, to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shown kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord. To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease of science among them and Us, and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.

Amazing (Lantigua)

Forget that this guy has multiple grand jury indictments (innocent until proven guilty), or that he believed he didn't have to file his campaign finances, or that he thought double-dipping as Mayor & State Rep. was ok.

From The Boston Herald:

"A defiant Lawrence Mayor William Lantigua refused to admit defeat yesterday after a recount confirmed City Council Vice President Daniel Rivera is the city’s new chief executive, but one expert said it will be an uphill battle if Lantigua chooses to challenge the results in court.

“I am not conceding,” Lantigua said after the results were announced.

Rivera won by 81 votes — a wider margin than on Election Day — after the city’s Board of Registrars certified the results in which he tallied 7,628 votes to Lantigua’s 7,547."

He truly believes he still has a chance, sadly, he does in fact have a large contingent of devout supporters, minus the friends & family on the payroll. The local Spanish media have been remarkably silent on the issue as well, but we all know what's coming next: We're racists.

In Memoriam President John F. Kennedy

No comment on the politics - this was our President months after my own birth.

My research on him and study of his administration was the main spark for the rest of my life in being interested in public service and politics.

I firmly believe that a large part of our country's innocence died that day in Dallas - and that the whole world changed a bit for the worse.

It is up to those of us left to make our world a better place - and work to understand that peace, progress, and concern for our fellow man and woman are the underpinnings of a new frontier. - COB

Haverhill Post Dispensary

What do The People think? For some it's an important issue, for others, not so much. I compare this issue with casino's, the majority wants it, but no one wants it in their back yard. In this case over 63% passed it in our area, I voted in favor on a personal liberty issue, nothing else. I do find it ironic that we can have all the liquor stores we can handle, yet "pot" for some reason raises the ire with the anti-drug crowd. I'd be curious to find out how many who are against pot, but consume alcohol, which is a drug as well.

From The Eagle Tribune:

"Councilors said they had too little time to consider the new proposal, which they said they received Monday. They voted unanimously last night to continue the city’s temporary ban on such facilities to Feb. 25."

Kind of amusing since it was passed overwhelmingly by ballot measure in 2012.

"The proposals have drawn opposition from neighbors in both areas, including a petition signed by 100 Ward Hill residents."

I hope all 100 don't drink, or we have this thing called hypocrisy. 

What say ye Citizens of Haverhill?

Gettysburg Address 150th Anniversary

Gathering of notables at Gettysburg National Military Park today to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. Never a more important speech given. Too bad POTUS is too busy to attend. - COB

Three More Years (crosspost)

I thought The Bush Administration was bad, you could smell then the stench of bad reasoning for decisions made. The worse of course was committing troops for a now unending war in The Middle East, and we can't discount that it won't spill over to other areas or globally. We can argue that it's "safer" for our troops than it was for The Russians when they learned their lesson, but the region has too many natural resources not to be exploited. Throw in some financial deregulation and it still probably isn't as bad as what we have today.

From The New York Post:

 "In the home stretch of the 2012 presidential campaign, from August to September, the unemployment rate fell sharply — raising eyebrows from Wall Street to Washington.

The decline — from 8.1 percent in August to 7.8 percent in September — might not have been all it seemed. 

The numbers, according to a reliable source, were manipulated.
And the Census Bureau, which does the unemployment survey, knew it."

Anyone not asleep called this out before this, but when the media purposefully gives the current Administration freedom to do whatever it wants without question this is what we get. While our Banana Republic isn't as bad as say Russia's, we apparently have a need to step up to the plate to compete for that title too.

In just under five (5) years we get: Benghazi, Fast & Furious, IRS, Drone Strikes, Guantanamo, Whistle Blower Prosecution, Too Big To Jail, Obamacare, GDP Revision and now unemployment manipulation. It's not just Obama, it's everyone embedded with him and our political establishment, which ostensibly means most of our own government. Sure Republicans have their fair share of shenanigans, including outright crimes which I'm more than happy to call out at every chance. However, we are now in an Orwellian Era where absolutely no politician can be trusted. John Williams over at Shadow Stats is eating his just desserts, as he has been chronicling the unadjusted data points before ridiculous revisions of both Party's over the years. While I don't believe in his hyperinflation theory, his data does in fact put us in outright Depression Era waters, which even now Paul Krugman is conceding too.

House votes to let Americans keep health plans; 39 Dems defy Obama

Our President is finally being exposed for the total lack of leadership he and his team provide - even some in the MSM and now some (politically worried) Democrats are jumping ship.

Government is becoming more and more of a problem - proof positive the Liberalism really IS a mental disorder!  - COB

Nearly 40 House Democrats defied President Obama and helped the Republican majority pass a bill Friday that lets Americans keep, for one year, health plans that do not comply with Obamacare.

The defections from 39 members of Mr. Obama’s party highlighted the pressure on Congress to help people who lost coverage because of the president’s signature law, as balky websites keep a veil over alternative plans and pressure mounts on the Democrat-led Senate to forge a remedy.

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SPECIAL COVERAGE: Health Care Reform

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“Let’s face it, millions of people right now have a cancelled policy,” Rep. Ron Barber, Arizona Democrat, said before voting for the Keep Your Health Plan Act.

The House passed the bill, 261 to 157, despite a veto threat from Mr. Obama and objections from Democrats who said the legislation was an insidious attempt to rot the Affordable Care Act from the inside out.

Four Republicans voted against the bill, perhaps because it could be viewed as an attempt to smooth over Mr. Obama’s controversial reforms.

Rep. Fred Upton, Michigan Republican, offered the bill at the height of furor over Mr. Obama’s oft-repeated promise that people who liked their health plans could keep them. Millions of Americans received cancellation notices because their plans did not meet the health care law’s coverage requirements, forcing the president to apologize as vulnerable Democrats scrambled to find a legislative solution.

Rampant glitches on the HealthCare.gov website — a federal portal that connects 36 states with plans under Obamcare — have intensified the problem, because people losing their policies cannot explore their options.

Mr. Barber said some Arizonans are “beside themselves.”

“Because by December 31 they don’t have health coverage, and they can’t get on the exchange to find out what’s available,” he told reporters.

Mr. Obama announced an administrative remedy on Thursday that permits insurers to offer a one-year renewal to people who hold noncompliant plans, and Senate Democrats are pushing legislation that would let existing enrollees hold onto their plans indefinitely.

The Republican-led bill goes further, allowing new enrollees to gain current health plans that do not comply with Obamacare.

Democratic opponents of the bill said the GOP offered a hocus-pocus fix that amounts to yet another attempt to repeal Mr. Obama’s signature law.

“It basically allows them to sell low-quality 2013 plans all through 2014, nothing else,” Rep. Frank Pallone, New Jersey Democrat, said.

Rep. Jim McGovern, Massachusetts Democrat, deemed it a “colossal waste of time.”

The White House said Mr. Obama would veto the House bill because it would likely increase the number of people with barebones plans, undermining Obamacare’s attempts to offer better protections through state-based insurance markets.

If too many young and healthy people keep noncompliant plans, a high proportion of sicker consumers on the exchanges — people with preexisting conditions can no longer be denied — would cause premiums to rise and spoil Mr. Obama’s overhaul.

“The Administration supports policies that allow people to keep the health plans that they have,” the White House said in a statement of administration policy. “But, policies that reverse the progress made to extend quality, affordable coverage to millions of uninsured, hardworking, middle class families are not the solution.”

The House voted shortly before Mr. Obama met with insurance company executives at the White House.

The president made no mention of his renewal proposal in remarks before the meeting. Instead, he said they would be “brainstorming” ways to make Americans aware of their coverage options.

“Because of choice and competition, a whole lot of Americans who’ve always seen health insurance out of reach are going to be in a position to purchase it,” he said.

But Mr. Obama’s administrative decision has some state insurance commissioners worried. The logistics of grabbing back people who received cancellation notices are murky, they said, and it may prevent customers from contributing to a robust exchange in their respective states.

Rep. John Fleming, Louisiana Republican, said Mr. Obama’s fix “really only offers political cover for Democrats. It doesn’t really do anything substantial.”

He said the Upton bill is a step in the right direction, but he is working on legislation that lets Americans “meet the individual mandate as long as you purchase insurance that you like that you’re comfortable with.”

“What I’d like to do is actually put in effect rules and regulation and laws that actually allow that [individual] market to come back together again,” he said, an idea that would surely roil Mr. Obama’s plans to build balanced exchanges through his law.

GOP lawmakers insisted they like to scrap the whole law, despite their vote to amend Obamacare’s problems.

“It is merely to stop the bleeding,” Rep. Michael Burgess, Texas Republican, said.

Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/nov/15/house-votes-let-americans-keep-health-plans-39-dem/#ixzz2kkro3OLf
Follow us: @washtimes on Twitter

Thank You From COB

Hello to All my Friends here at the Haverhill Citizen Blog

I wanted to say thank you for your notes and well wishes and for the many of you who have stayed active here - I truly appreciate it.

The last four weeks have been tough. I was hospitalized with pneumonia (that developed from bronchitis.) Also, while being hospitalized, an older heart murmur problem resurfaced - and I did some time in the ICU for that as well.

I am home now, and feeling much better and was actually able to walk a 1/2 mile at a brisk pace yesterday and am on the road to recovery - and yes, dammit it's cold!

I just wanted to explain my absence - now that that's done - enough about me.

I would like to get back to posting here (and even at Duncan's site - that looks great).  I hope you all will still continue to visit and I wanted to check in with you all and make sure you would be interested in continuing.

I tend to stay more local with articles - but will always post stories and comments regarding world events as well.

Hopefully there still is an interest - please let me know with your comments. You can also email me at HaverhillCitizenBlog@yahoo.com.

Once again - thank you all very much for your patience, understanding, and notes - I hope I offend no one by saying I appreciate it very much and I hope God blesses you and your families with all his mercy.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Best Regards,

COB

CoB Will Return!

CoB got in touch with me to tell me he is doing ok. He came down with an illness but will be back sometime later next week.