Americans Elect is Shady

-They refuse to disclose most of their funding.
-The funding that has been disclosed comes mostly from Arno Consulting, a far right organization that has been involved in 5 different voter fraud cases.
-Chairman Peter Ackerman is an investment banker with connections to Koch Industries and the Cato Institute. (http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/relationship.asp?personId=662219) (http://sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Cato_Institute)
-There is no oversight or transparency to their process.
-The way the site is run could easily push the results in the direction that the secret funders want it to go.


Arno Political Consultants Controversies (from wiki).

-In 2004, APC hired JSM who hired YPM who is accused of tricking people into registering to vote as a Republican.[2]
-In 2004, APC is accused of forging signatures on a petition to legalize slot machines in Miami-Dade and Broward counties.[5]
-In 2005, APC has come under fire for allegedly fraudulent ballot petitioning strategies, particularly pertaining to a Massachusetts anti-gay marriage proposal as put forth by the Massachusetts Family Institute.[6][7]
-In 2007, APC hired JSM, Inc. who hired independent contractors who gave snacks and food to homeless people in exchange for signing petitions and registering to vote.[8]
-In 2009, proponents of a payday loan veto referendum sued APC in Franklin County for breach of contract and negligence. 13,000 signatures were thrown out because the Form 15's had not been appropriately filled out. They were seeking $438,000. [9] Both parties reached an undisclosed settlement agreement on July 29th, 2009.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arno_Political_Consultants

If these two don't get a huge settlement, then the system is surely broken.

I paid a hefty fine once for playing music in my car and refusing to turn it down when a cop told me to do so. I thought I was within my rights, so I took him to court and lost.

>> ^honkeytonk73:

A veteran cop friend effectively told me once:
If a police officer asks you anything, and if you aren't legally obligated to answer. Then don't answer. Cops understand this. Their job is to 'trick' you into revealing more information than is legally required and potentially incriminate yourself. A cop can and will use anything you say against you. Their word > your word in a court of law. Even if their word is inaccurate or misconstrued based upon something you said or did.
If you are courteous, respectful, understand your rights, and are doing nothing illegal , there is no need to fear. But, if you do this and are drunk, aggressive/violent or have anything considered illegal in your vehicle. Then you better not drop the soap when you get in the slammer.
Take it this way. If you did nothing wrong and didn't break the law and they arrest you. The cops know their asses will be handed to them and you'll have a big settlement on your hands.
Most cops are the good-guys, including my friend and cousin (who is a cop). But there are some bad seeds who likely got into the job for the power factor. Those are the assholes. I was pulled over by two so far over the years.
-The first one lied and said I was speeding. I used evidence, and reverse questioning on him and indirectly got him reveal his reason for pulling me over was bullshit (I was in a sports car and he wanted a ticket to meet a quota). After a few times back and forth. He turned and walked away.
-The second one pulled me over to just be an asshole. I wasn't speeding. He was yelling, red faced. Apparently had a bad day and was taking it out on me. I looked at him calmly as he lost his shit. When he was done I said 'Is there anything else I can help you with sir?'. He also turned around and walked away.

A veteran cop friend effectively told me once:

If a police officer asks you anything, and if you aren't legally obligated to answer. Then don't answer. Cops understand this. Their job is to 'trick' you into revealing more information than is legally required and potentially incriminate yourself. A cop can and will use anything you say against you. Their word > your word in a court of law. Even if their word is inaccurate or misconstrued based upon something you said or did.

If you are courteous, respectful, understand your rights, and are *doing nothing illegal*, there is no need to fear. But, if you do this and are drunk, aggressive/violent or have anything considered illegal in your vehicle. Then you better not drop the soap when you get in the slammer.

Take it this way. If you did nothing wrong and didn't break the law and they arrest you. The cops know their asses will be handed to them and you'll have a big settlement on your hands.

Most cops are the good-guys, including my friend and cousin (who is a cop). But there are some bad seeds who likely got into the job for the power factor. Those are the assholes. I was pulled over by two so far over the years.

-The first one lied and said I was speeding. I used evidence, and reverse questioning on him and indirectly got him reveal his reason for pulling me over was bullshit (I was in a sports car and he wanted a ticket to meet a quota). After a few times back and forth. He turned and walked away.

-The second one pulled me over to just be an asshole. I wasn't speeding. He was yelling, red faced. Apparently had a bad day and was taking it out on me. I looked at him calmly as he lost his shit. When he was done I said 'Is there anything else I can help you with sir?'. He also turned around and walked away.

I completely disagree with his definition of what terrorists are. Look at what Israel are doing to the Palestinians:

They've built enormous fences around hundreds of thousands of them, often separating them or isolating the people there from other villages. Arrests, delays and degradation at these checkpoints is commonplace, and this is often just so they can go to work, or visit friends. During special events such as Jewish holidays, the West Bank can be under military closure for more than a week.
http://mideastposts.com/2011/05/02/humiliation-and-degradation-easter-at-qalandiya/

The Israeli's then illegally settle or continue to expand on what is often privately owned Palestinian land.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/21/world/middleeast/21land.html?hp&ex=1164171600&en=2e03da87b76e6581&ei=5094&partner=homepage

Then they burn their olive trees, desecrate their mosque's, beat their children and kill adult civilians.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/204101.html

What can the Palestinians do to fight back? Well pretty much nothing due to the fact Israel receives billions of dollars in military supplies and funding each year from the US Government. The UN criticizes Israel's actions and International law states that expansion of many of the settlements is illegal, however the Palestinians are literally powerless.

Many Palestinians over the years, including women, have decided to blow themselves up in public, often killing many people, children included - these people therefore are labelled terrorists. So I have to ask, which of the actions I've described that the Israeli's/US are involved in against the Palestinians would be considered as moving them more towards a type 1 civilization?

Shady

-They refuse to disclose most of their funding.
-The funding that has been disclosed comes mostly from Arno Consulting, a far right organization that has been involved in 5 different voter fraud cases.
-Chairman Peter Ackerman is an investment banker with connections to Koch Industries and the Cato Institute. (http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/relationship.asp?personId=662219) (http://sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Cato_Institute)
-There is no oversight or transparency to their process.
-The way the site is run could easily push the results in the direction that the secret funders want it to go.


Arno Political Consultants Controversies (from wiki).

-In 2004, APC hired JSM who hired YPM who is accused of tricking people into registering to vote as a Republican.[2]
-In 2004, APC is accused of forging signatures on a petition to legalize slot machines in Miami-Dade and Broward counties.[5]
-In 2005, APC has come under fire for allegedly fraudulent ballot petitioning strategies, particularly pertaining to a Massachusetts anti-gay marriage proposal as put forth by the Massachusetts Family Institute.[6][7]
-In 2007, APC hired JSM, Inc. who hired independent contractors who gave snacks and food to homeless people in exchange for signing petitions and registering to vote.[8]
-In 2009, proponents of a payday loan veto referendum sued APC in Franklin County for breach of contract and negligence. 13,000 signatures were thrown out because the Form 15's had not been appropriately filled out. They were seeking $438,000. [9] Both parties reached an undisclosed settlement agreement on July 29th, 2009.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arno_Political_Consultants

Recent example of what happens when private companies are allowed to discriminate:

Countrywide Agrees To $335 Million Settlement Over Discriminatory Subprime Loans

In the largest residential fair lending settlement reached in the Justice Department’s history, Bank of America has agreed to provide a $335 million fund to compensate victims of what one top DOJ official called “discrimination with a smile.” DOJ alleged that Countrywide, before it was owned by Bank of America, engaged in a “widespread pattern or practice of discrimination against qualified African-American and Hispanic borrowers” in their mortgage lending practices from 2004 through 2008.

The complaint, filed in the Central District of California on Wednesday, alleges that African-American and Hispanic borrowers “were more than twice as likely to be placed in subprime loans than non-Hispanic White wholesale borrowers who had similar credit qualifications.” Subprime loans carry higher interest rates.

Attorney General Eric Holder stressed at a press conference that the over 200,000 African-American and Hispanic borrowers named in the suit were qualified for the loans.

The Mayflower and the people aboard her were a deeply religious sect of people that did indeed flee to the colonies to practice their religion. I fully understand that.

What you, and most cherry-picking christians fail to acknowledge is that the Mayflower crew was not the first nor the second or even the third permanent settlement in the new world. Jamestown, roughly 20 years prior was established without pretense of religion by wealthy Europeans hoping to find gold. The were ill-equipped and not manual laborers so to speak and that's why the first Jamestown settlement was in dire straights. A second crew arrived and began growing tobacco, which, at the time, the sale of tobacco seeds was outlawed outside of Spain. John Rolfe acquired some and thus established the first functional, economically viable colony at Jamestown a full six years before the Mayflower even sailed from England.

Economy, money and enterprise is what established America, not some freedom from religious persecution as, again, Americans have been force fed for years.

You're right, the first wave of settlers weren't strongly committed Christians, although one of the first things they did upon arriving was join the Rev. Robert Hunt in a communion service. However everything else is the complete opposite of what you said. Indeed, John Rolfe was the first to establish the colony, but what you've left out is that he was a deeply committed Christian! He is the one who converted Pocahontas to Christianity and took her as a bride. He had a Christian purpose for Jamestown such as to "advance the Honor of God, and to propagate his Gospel." He also said:

"no small hope by piety, clemency, courtesy and civil demeanor to convert and bring to the knowledge and true worship of Jesus Christ 1000s of poor wretched and misbelieving people: on whose faces a good Christian cannot look, without sorrow, pity and commiseration; seeing they bear the Image of our heavenly Creator, and we and they come from one and the same mold. . ."

So yes, Christianity was there at the outset, and it continued to be the prevailing influence in shaping this country.

I am not discounting what the pilgrims did at Plymouth. They did amazing things, especially with the Indians. I just want to clear that Plymouth was not what founded the colonies. They were not the first and were one of many.

If you won't listen to me, listen to the library of congress:

http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/religion/rel01.html


>> ^Hive13

@shinyblurry:

The Mayflower and the people aboard her were a deeply religious sect of people that did indeed flee to the colonies to practice their religion. I fully understand that.

What you, and most cherry-picking christians fail to acknowledge is that the Mayflower crew was not the first nor the second or even the third permanent settlement in the new world. Jamestown, roughly 20 years prior was established without pretense of religion by wealthy Europeans hoping to find gold. The were ill-equipped and not manual laborers so to speak and that's why the first Jamestown settlement was in dire straights. A second crew arrived and began growing tobacco, which, at the time, the sale of tobacco seeds was outlawed outside of Spain. John Rolfe acquired some and thus established the first functional, economically viable colony at Jamestown a full six years before the Mayflower even sailed from England.

Economy, money and enterprise is what established America, not some freedom from religious persecution as, again, Americans have been force fed for years.

I am not discounting what the pilgrims did at Plymouth. They did amazing things, especially with the Indians. I just want to clear that Plymouth was not what founded the colonies. They were not the first and were one of many.

>> ^hpqp:

Am I the only one whose first reaction when seeing the cannonball hole was "FAKE!!" ?

Tbh I had no idea a cannonball could do that kind of damage. I thought thay travelled a lot slower than 1000ft/s. Something with that kind of mass travelling at close to the speed of sound. I think I'd make sure there was a mountain or something between me and the nearest settlement when firing that thing.

And its not that surprising it missed those trash cans. A spherical projectile with no rifling? Yah, that shits gonna go anywhere it fucking pleases.

In a semi-related note my mum was missed by less than a metre by a bullet from a nearby shooting range when she was a teenager. I almost didn't exist due to similar accident as this

@hpqp: you may be right... and i may be way off base

i guess in my mind 'child abuse' is systematic, and this could have been just a one-off

as i said, i routinely got worse than this... but that was going on forty years ago

we all see things differently through an often-distorted lens of our own memories and experiences... and to me, something just doesn't ring true here - of course you can disagree... your opinion is just as valid as mine

let me give you an example of where i'm coming from though: my folks were very much a couple of 'spare the rod, blabla' parents - when i was naughty (which was often), i'd be physically punished

just before my 16th birthday, my parents filed for divorce - on separate occassions each of my parents brought me with them to their respective lawyer's office, where i was asked to give a statement regarding the other parent's abuse of me -- i asked each of them 'what does it matter?' and their responses were that it would help that parent's bargaining position and eventual financial settlement - each parent offered me incentives to speak out on solely their behalf

i refused, and petitioned the court for my own emancipation at age 16, which was granted

sooo... for me, it's not whether or not that what happened to hillary adams is 'child abuse' (this can be so subjective, especially when it's a single instance captured on video)

rather, i'm suspicious of the motivation and manner of her coming forward now - she's obviously a canny individual (the hidden video camera is our first indication of that), and add to that the facts i mentioned in my first post

it just strikes a chord with me, remembering how dirty i felt while my parents tried to involve me in their revenging themselves on each other

Wales, Alaska

Wales is a town in the Nome Census Area, Alaska, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 152. It is the westernmost town (or settlement of any sort) on the American mainland.

>> ^grinter:

>> ^stellar:
There are so many ways that could have gone terribly wrong.

Not to worry; I'm sure he'd get workman's comp and a nice settlement from the supermarket.


Consider I was not hearing any english, I think workman's comp is right out.

>> ^stellar:

There are so many ways that could have gone terribly wrong.


Not to worry; I'm sure he'd get workman's comp and a nice settlement from the supermarket.

I agree that it is a private matter and nobody's business.

However, when you approach public servants and involve them in your quest to "win" in a divorce settlement, then you have lost your right to "this is private."

Bad behavior on O'Reilly's part, and nothing new.


>> ^EvilDeathBee:

>> ^bareboards2:
O'Reilly seems to be confusing An Officer and a Gentleman with the cops. Adultery is unbecoming to an officer and could be grounds for loss of rank.
And this is coming from Mr Loofah.
What a hypocrite.

I disagree. As Cenk points out, he's not the one committing adultery and besides, it's no one else's business except for the people directly involved. It's not like two people who are in love, one of them in a marriage that's down the tubes, will wait until a costly divorce has been finalised. I'm not saying this is the case here, but we don't know and shouldn't judge someone else's private business