Meet the new boss, same as the old boss: Nork leader executes ex-girlfriend, 11 others

North Korea's Kim family must be the spawn of Satan.

From the Los Angeles Times:

A North Korean firing squad last week executed a former girlfriend of leader Kim Jong Un and 11 other entertainers for allegedly violating laws banning pornography, a South Korean newspaper reported Thursday.

The report by Chosun Ilbo, an English-language newspaper of a Seoul media conglomerate, deemed the reported Aug. 20 executions a death blow to expectations that Kim would oversee a transition of his isolated and tyrannized people into a more open era.

Among the dozen performers shot to death while their families and former band members were forced to watch was Hyon Song Wol, a singer Kim reportedly courted a decade ago but was forced to abandon by his dictatorial father, Kim Jong Il.

Hyon was pictured by North Korean state television performing at a concert Aug. 8 in Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, less than two weeks before her execution, Chosun Ilbo reported, posting a picture of the singer juxtaposed against one of Kim applauding at the concert.

Technorati tags: news north korea asia world news

Why not give the time and date too? Obama mulling 'limited, narrow' attack on Syria

Prince Hamlet, otherwise known as President Obama, says he is considering a "limited, narrow" attack on Syria.

Why doesn't Obama just give the time and date too?

Technorati tags: Obama asia world news War on Terror

ILL-inois: Despite drop in membership, Big Labor campaign contributions soar

Writing for the Northwest Herald, the Illinois Policy Institute's Scott Reeder brings up an interesting fact. Despite a decline in labor union membership in the Prairie State, political campaign contributions are way up.

For years, organized labor has boasted of its strength in numbers, but as its membership has dwindled, increasingly its political clout has come in the form of dollars going to politicians.

In fact, between 2005 and 2011, the number of union workers in Illinois has dropped from 927,000 to 876,000.

Despite the 5.5 percent membership drop, the amount of money Illinois unions have given to politicians has increased 41 percent during the same period.

“Unions aren’t persuading people to join, so the only way they can exert influence is through lobbying and political campaigns,” said my Illinois Policy Institute colleague, Paul Kersey.

Technorati tags: news Politics Illinois chicago illinois politics Democrats chicago politics labor unions

Spotted: Jesse Jr at posh Beverly Hilton

Not the Beverly Hilton

For a guy who is supposedly suffering from financial problems, I find it unusual that disgraced former Illinois congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. is staying at the pricey Beverly Hilton near Los Angeles.

From ABC 7 Chicago's Chuck Goudie:

According to an onlooker, Mr. Jackson was overheard singing to himself and talking with other guests on the veranda.

When he was back in his room here, ABC7's Chuck Goudie had a conversation with Mr. Jackson about why he was in Beverly Hills, California.

Jackson said: "I am covering my bases considering my near future."

He said he came here to see Jackson family relatives who live in southern California, including the 68-year-old Charles "Chuck" Jackson, the younger brother of the Rev. Jesse l. Jackson.

Junior told Goudie that he traveled to California with an executive of Anheuser-Busch. The brewing giant--once a target Jackson's shakedown-artist father--essentially handed over a North Side Chicago beer distributorship to Junior's younger brothers.

The Chicago Democrat's 30-month prison sentence begins in November.

Technorati tags:Illinois Politics Illinois Democrats chicago current events congress Jesse Jackson

(Video) Inside the Reagan Library—Rancho Del Cielo and Camp David

In another Ronald Reagan Presidential Library--Camp David and the Reagan Ranch, formally known as Rancho Del Cielo, are explored.



Related posts:

• (Video) Inside the Reagan Library: The Hollywood Years
  
• (Video) Inside the Reagan Library: First Lady Nancy Reagan
• Report from Tampico, Illinois on Reagan's 100th birthday
• Reagan lifeguard statue effort underway in Dixon, IL
• Money goal reached: Tampico Reagan statue coming this fall
• Marathon Pundit's Ronald Reagan Trail

Technorati tags: politics Reagan republican Ronald Reagan Americana conservative america tea party california politics California

Big f*cking deal: Another ObamaCare delay

"This is a big f*cking deal." Joe Biden, March 23, 2010, about the signing of the ObamaCare billl.

If ObamaCare is so great, why are there so many delays in implementing it?

Here's the latest one, courtesy of Reuters:

The Obama administration has delayed a step crucial to the launch of the new healthcare law, the signing of final agreements with insurance plans to be sold on federal health insurance exchanges starting October 1.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) notified insurance companies on Tuesday that it would not sign final agreements with the plans between September 5 and 9, as originally anticipated, but would wait until mid-September instead, according to insurance industry sources.

Nevertheless, Joanne Peters, a spokeswoman for HHS, said the department remains "on track to open" the marketplaces on time on October 1.

The reason for the hold-up was unclear. Sources attributed it to technology problems involving the display of insurance products within the federal information technology system.

Technorati tags: politics health universal health care socialism obamacare law Biden news Joe Biden

They don't really care about the kids: Reformed ACORN behind today's boycott of Chicago schools

With the far-left ,"the issue isn't the issue." They always have a so-called greater goal, usually full-blown socialism.

Action Now, the reformed ACORN, organized today's boycott of the Chicago Public Schools to protest school closings. Also calling the boycott is Parents 4 Teachers, which I suspect is a Chicago Teachers Union front group.

From their blast email sent yesterday:

P4T is proud to join students, parents and community members from across Chicago and 21 cities across the country in the "Education is a Human Right" boycott.

So to protest school closings--and supposedly an inferior education experience for students--ACORN 2.0 and Parents 4 Teachers supports pulling kids out of the classroom today.

They don't really care about the kids.

Related post:

Ayers, new ACORN, wants UN to probe Chicago school closings

Technorati tags: Politics Chicago Illinois illinois politics left wing extremists current events socialism democrats education chicago politics chicago teachers union