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Friday, August 31, 2012

Protests against GOP outside convention


By MARYANN BATLLE
Cronkite News Service
 
TAMPA, Fla. – Edwina Vogan came thousands of miles to be at the Republican National Convention, but the Phoenix resident was here for an entirely different reason than the delegates inside the Tampa Bay Times Forum.

Vogan, wearing a homemade costume shaped to look like a woman’s genitals, was outside the convention to protest the Republican Party’s position on women’s rights.

“Women should have a right to choice and the Republican agenda is saying, ‘No, we’ll take care of you,’” Vogan said. “That’s a pretty scary agenda.”

She joined Code Pink and other pro-choice protestors at the Women are Watching rally organized a few miles from the convention Wednesday by the Planned Parenthood Action Fund.

It was one of a steady flow of protests around the convention site that drew hundreds over the course of the week, protesting everything from women’s rights to voting rights and economic policies. They covered the political spectrum, from liberals to tea partiers who held their own rallies earlier in the week.

Some protesters even set up a makeshift camp for the week, known as “Romneyville.”

But if the goal was to get the message of protest to the crowds inside the convention hall, authorities were on hand to make sure that didn’t happen.

The area around the Tampa Bay Times Forum and the adjacent Tampa Convention Center, the two buildings hosting the convention events, resembles a military compound. Security officials in khaki-colored uniforms patrol on foot, bicycles and horses.

Tall black gates, cement barriers and even dump trucks block streets, controlling the flow of people coming in and out of security checkpoints.

Kristin Middleton, the youngest Arizona delegate at the convention, said she has not encountered any protesters. And she’s fine with the security.

“I would rather have more security than less,” she said.

About two miles from the convention, hundreds of men and women, many in varying shades of pink, gathered at a riverfront park Wednesday for the Women are Watching rally. Some sat in the outdoor amphitheater while other found shade under trees, including one that had matching pink flowers blooming from its top branches.

At the heart of the protest was a round stage where a band, made up mostly of women, played to the crowd in the humid afternoon air. Later, a woman dressed as a birth control pill box led people through chants that affirmed their cause was here to stay.

Though several minutes of heavy rain briefly disrupted the festivities, protesters stayed on, ducking under cover or throwing on ponchos and cheering when the rain stopped and the event resumed.

Vogan said a little bad weather was not enough to keep her from voicing opposition to what she sees as overly restrictive abortion laws passed by Arizona legislators.

“I wouldn’t trust anyone who seemingly says he’s going to protect women’s rights but yet at the same time is willing to take them away,” she said. “Women have rights and we should have some say over our own bodies.”

Jane Gibbons, president of the South Tampa Democrats, held a sign that said “Get your Mitts out of my pants,” a reference to newly nominated Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney. Gibbons, a registered nurse, said she believes abortion choice should be a private matter, “a decision between the woman and God.”

Delegates inside the hall took issue with the protesters.  Middleton, the Arizona delegate, said she believes the Republican Party offers women more rights because it offers them better economic opportunities.

“The other party is making it harder for them to support their families,” she said of Democratic policies and women.

Another Arizona delegate, Laura Knaperek, said women are multifaceted and the Republican Party understands that.

“The most important part of a woman’s life is to have choices,” she said.

Vogan said Arizonans who could not join the protests in Tampa should seize another opportunity to demonstrate their opposition.

“They should use the ballot,” she said.

You didn't build that - WE did

The US Capitol building in Washington. (photo: EPA)
The US Capitol building in Washington. (photo: EPA)
By Carl Gibson, Reader Supported News
29 August 12

Reader Supported News | Perspective

By Carl Gibson

id you hear the one about the guy who became a millionaire without anyone's help? The guy who oversaw his own birth, who hunted, grew and gathered all of his own food since he was a baby? The guy who found teachers to teach him, and paid for them from his own pocket? The guy who went to work every day on roads he paved all alone, burning oil that he drilled and refined on his own, in a car that he built with his own hands?

You haven't heard of that guy? I haven't either.

Here in New Hampshire, a lot of the "free staters" who quote Ayn Rand novels say 
they don't need government, equate taxation with theft, and believe they carry enough guns and ammo to defend their home from intruders to not have to pay taxes for police salaries. They even talk about mixing their own concrete and fixing the potholes on their own street instead of paying taxes for road repair.

A society like that exists already: Somalia.

Somalia is a libertarian paradise where nobody pays taxes because there are no national institutions or national infrastructure. Since there's no police protection or gun regulation, guns are cheap and plentiful. There have been 14 different governments in a mere 18 years. According to UN data tables, Somalia's average life expectancy is just 50.8 years, with only 1.8 years of school on average for each child. Famine has plagued the nation ever since Al-Shabab decided to block all humanitarian aid. In January 2010, instability in Somalia led to an outbreak of violence that killed 260, wounded another 250, and left 80,000 others displaced. But hey, I'm sure Somalis are looking on the bright side - there's no big, bad government to steal tax money from them.

What the most selfish Americans don't realize is that there is nothing stopping a large band of raiders from taking their property, other than groups of armed men and women paid for with their tax dollars, ready to respond with a phone call. They don't realize the taxes that they consider theft already pay for prisons that would jail those bandits under charges of armed robbery, thanks to laws put in places by lawmakers who were paid for with the help of other people's tax dollars.

In America, we all need each other. CEOs aren't making 231 times as much as their lowest-paid employees because they work 231 times harder than those employees. The only reason the guys in suits have their jobs and their salaries is because ordinary people like us are patronizing that CEO's business, giving him the money s/he needs to pay and train employees and buy raw materials.

Selfishly proclaiming "I built this" without acknowledging the vast network of people and infrastructure that helped make your success possible is both selfish and ignorant. The first step to America restoring her place in the world and pulling herself up by her bootstraps is Americans realizing that we all need each other to make that happen.


Carl Gibson, 25, is co-founder of US Uncut, a nationwide creative direct-action movement that mobilized tens of thousands of activists against corporate tax avoidance and budget cuts in the months leading up to the Occupy Wall Street movement. Carl and other US Uncut activists are featured in the documentary "We're Not Broke," which premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. He currently lives in Manchester, New Hampshire. You can contact Carl at carl@rsnorg.org, and listen to his online radio talk show, Swag The Dog, at blogtalkradio.com/swag-the-dog.

Borowitz wraps up GOP Convention coverage...

Romney Accepts Nomination: “I Bought It”


convention-mitt.jpg

By Andy Borowitz

TAMPA (The Borowitz Report)—Coining a phrase that seems destined to become his new campaign slogan, Mitt Romney needed only three words tonight to accept the Republican Presidential nomination: “I bought it.”

Those words had a special meaning for Mr. Romney, who had to spend seventy million dollars in the G.O.P. primaries to defeat a serial adulterer, a former pizza executive, and a crackpot in a sweater-vest.

It has been an up-and-down convention for Mr. Romney, who was largely ignored at Tea Party rallies early in the week but later picked up a key endorsement from his wife.

Tonight, however, was a time to reflect, as he put it, “on money well spent.”

“Our opponents say that America is in decline, that it is no longer number one,” he said. “I say our democracy is the best that money can buy.”

Mr. Romney braided his speech with the theme of “I bought it,” reminding his audience that in order to take the White House, “I have millions to go before I sleep.”

He made an emotional appeal to a group he called “the single-issue billionaires,” imploring them, “Let me know what you want. Eliminate the E.P.A.? Bomb Iran? Mitt Romney is open for business.” The audience roared its approval.

Mr. Romney made one reference to his running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan (R., Wisc.): “Don’t let his crazy rock-and-roll playlist fool you. He’s serious about the important things: cutting taxes for the rich and ending Planned Parenthood.”

Ultimately, he ended his speech with a rousing call to arms that brought the Republican audience to its feet: “The road to the White House will be hard, and strewn with challenges. But together, there’s nothing we can’t buy.”

Photograph by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images.

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Homicide suspect captured at Roosevelt


Gabriel Jaramillo who was wanted in connection with a Homicide in Eagar AZ and also wanted for numerous counts of aggravated assault on police in Gila County has been taken into custody.

Gabriel Jaramillo was located and taken into custody by Gila County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Keith Thompson, Deputy Wayne Dorsett and an Arizona Department of Public Safety Special Operations Officer while Flagstaff DPS Ranger was flying overhead.

The Sheriff’s Office received a report from a local boater who said a subject approached their boat while they were swimming on the North side of Roosevelt Lake across from windy hill.  The subject was dirty and wanting water and then got into the lake.  The boater left the subject and called the Sheriff’s Office to report the incident. 

Sgt. Thompson and the AZ DPS Special Operations Officer responded to the Windy Hill boat ramp and Deputy Dorsett responded in a Sheriff’s Office Patrol Boat.  They met up with the reporting boater who directed them to the location of the subject on the North side of Roosevelt lake East of Salome cove.  All officers then used the boat to get across Roosevelt and found the subject who was visually identified as Gabriel Jaramillo.

Gabriel was taken into custody and flown to the Gila County Sheriff’s Office Roosevelt sub-station where he was checked by Tonto Basin Fire and then transported to Cobra Valley Regional Medical Center for evaluation with the assistance of the Gilbert Police Department Special Operations Unit.  The suspect was complaining of back pain due to falling down a cliff with no other injuries present.

This has been a long and dangerous search for this subject and Sheriff John Armer would like to thank the vigilant boater who reported seeing this subject and the following agencies who assisted in the almost 5 day search.  AZ Department of Public Safety (Patrol, Special Operations and Ranger Helicopters), AZ Department of Corrections K-9 and tracking teams, Globe Police Department, Miami Police Department, Pinal County Sheriff’s Office Aviation, Mesa Police Aviation, Phoenix Police Aviation, Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office Aviation and Patrol, Gilbert Police Special Operations, US Marshals Service, Apache County Sheriff’s Office and Eagar Police Department.

Construction projects impact 260, 87 travel

Traffic to be shifted to new eastbound lanes on State Route 260 at Doubtful Canyon next week

Delays up to 30 minutes starting 5 p.m. Wednesday

 

As progress continues on the State Route 260 Doubtful Canyon widening project east of Payson, eastbound and westbound drivers will begin using the newly paved eastbound lanes by 5 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 6, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation. The roadway will be narrowed to one lane at milepost 271 from 5 p.m. Wednesday, Sept 5 to 5 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 6 as crews complete paving the transition to the new eastbound lanes.

Motorists can expect delays of up to 30 minutes as a pilot car and flaggers guide traffic through the work zone in alternating directions.

The project will transform three miles of SR 260 from a two-lane road to a four-lane divided highway between the previously improved Kohl's Ranch and Christopher Creek segments. The widening of SR 260 at Doubtful Canyon is the fifth of six projects planned to improve the highway from Star Valley to the Mogollon Rim.

The $29 million widening project is scheduled to be completed by late spring 2013. Five of the six new bridges are complete and work will start on the final bridge on westbound SR 260 over Doubtful Canyon after traffic has been shifted to the new lanes.

Work on the project will be suspended during the winter months as temperatures will be too low to allow rubberized asphalt paving and concrete work.  

Drivers should adjust their travel schedules and allow extra time to reach their destinations. Message boards, temporary barricades, and signage will guide drivers through the work zone. ADOT advises drivers to proceed through the work zone with caution, slow down, and be alert for construction equipment and personnel.

ADOT works to inform the public about planned highway restrictions, but there is a possibility that unscheduled closures or restrictions may occur. Weather can also affect a project schedule. To stay up-to-date with the latest highway conditions around the state, visit the ADOT Traveler Information Center at www.az511.gov or call 5-1-1.

For more information about this project, please visit www.azdot.gov/statewide or contact Tricia Lewis, Prescott District senior community relations officer, at 928.606.2420 or tlewis@azdot.gov. Visit www.facebook.com/azdot, www.twitter.com/ArizonaDOT or www.azdot.gov for more information about ADOT. For more information about ADOT projects and programs across Arizona see the agency's latest blog posts at http://adotblog.blogspot.com

Paving on SR 87 near Sunflower continues

Delays up to 45 minutes possible Thursday

                                                                                          
The Arizona Department of Transportation is repaving a seven-mile segment of State Route 87 north of Sunflower (mileposts 218-225). Work to complete the first layer of pavement is scheduled from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 30.

The highway will be narrowed to one lane in each direction and delays of up to 45 minutes are possible. ADOT encourages drivers to allow extra travel time to reach their destinations and be alert for construction equipment and personnel.

No work is scheduled Friday, Aug. 31 through Labor Day, Sept. 3.

Work to complete the final layer of pavement on the $2.7 million project is scheduled from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 4 through Friday, Sept. 7. The highway will be narrowed to one lane in both directions during work hours until the paving is completed.

ADOT works to inform the public about planned highway restrictions, but there is a possibility that unscheduled closures or restrictions may occur. Weather can also affect a project schedule. To stay up-to-date with the latest highway conditions around the state, visit the ADOT Traveler Information Center at www.az511.gov or call 5-1-1.

For more information about this project, please visit www.azdot.gov/statewide or contact Tricia Lewis, Prescott District senior community relations officer, at 928.606.2420 or tlewis@azdot.gov. Visit www.facebook.com/azdot, www.twitter.com/ArizonaDOT or www.azdot.gov for more information about ADOT. For more information about ADOT projects and programs across Arizona see the agency's latest blog posts at http://adotblog.blogspot.com.

GC Dentention Center kids produce mural

Check out the attachment to see the mural done by the kids at the Gila County Juvenile Detention Center.  Go to this website http://www.handteqstudios.com and click on the link " "SEE OUR LATEST PROJECT GLOBE DETENTION CENTER MURAL"  for more in action photos.  A great collaborative effort with Chandra Shekhar and Kathy Coker, the Detention Administrator!

Borowitz' convention coverage continues

Ryan Launches Campaign Theme of Lying About Everything


TAMPA (The Borowitz Report)—In his speech to the Republican National Convention last night, Vice-Presidential nominee Paul Ryan test-drove what the Romney-Ryan campaign says will be a major theme for the 2012 Republican campaign: “lying about everything.”

“The question was, how many whoppers could you pack into one speech?” the campaign adviser Tracy Klugian said. “All I can say is, when Fox News accuses a Republican of lying, you know you’ve witnessed something historic.”

Mr. Ryan pronounced himself pleased with his performance, noting that he only strayed into the truth when he recited the names of his wife and children.
“That won’t happen again,” he laughed. “Call it opening-night jitters.”

As for Presidential nominee Mitt Romney, he said he was working “around the clock” to add additional lies to his speech tonight: “I’m no Paul Ryan, but, darn it, I’m going to do my best.” 

Photograph by Lauren Lancaster.

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Get religion at Library Bookstore in Sept.

During the month of September, The Library Friends of Payson Bookstore is featuring the religion section.
 
Included in this section are spiritual books, devotional guides, and bibles.  Humor, Self-Help, and Inspirational books are, also, being offered at a two-for-one special for the entire month of September.  This is a fine opportunity to pick-up books to make you laugh, books to improve your health, and books to inspire beautiful dreams. 
 
A new, 50 Cent Bargain table has been set up in the library lobby.  All items placed on this table will be sold for 50 cents.  Browse the books and videos and find great bargains on favorite authors, non-fiction books, and informative videos.
 
Bookstore prices range from $4.00 to $1.00 for hardback books based on copyright dates.   This is a great, everyday value which two-for-one specials render an even better value. 
 
Bookstore stock is ever changing so stop by often.  Our volunteers are always happy to see you.  The Bookstore is located to the right of the circulation desk just inside the Payson Public Library, 328 N. McLane Road.
 
 For more information visit the Library Friends of Payson website at www.libraryfriendsofpayson.org

Yes, Vagina, there is no Sanity Clause

Reader Supported News | Perspective

By John Cory
Reader Supported News
readersupportednews.org
28 August 12

omen, don't worry your beautiful little brains about the recent brouhaha over legitimate forcible rape and pregnancy and all that lady-parts crazy health care talk or the fact that all that crazy talk is actually included in the GOP platform.

Mike Huckabee said that forcible rape can be a really good thing, and he's a compassionate conservative, right? He pointed to Ethel Waters, a child of rape who couldn't have become famous singing Taking a Chance on Love if she had been born, you know, the regular way.

Sharon Angle said that when life hands you lemons you need to make lemonade, because - well, I'm not sure but I guess lemons are the biblical fruit of rape or something. And Missouri GOP Committeewoman Sharon Barned defended crazy Todd Akin by saying, "... at that point, if God has chosen to bless this person with a life, you don't kill it."

God might have been too busy to bless you with protection from being raped, but He loves you enough to give you a souvenir. And you damn well better keep it.

It's like that scene at the end of "Life of Brian," where everyone gets crucified on a cross and they break into song: Always Look on the Bright Side of Life.

What you need to understand is that this is all about big government and big government needs to be shrunk small enough to fit into your bedroom or better yet, shrunk to the size of a transvaginal probe that fits in your uterus because that's the only way to protect the rights of the unborn, because once the child is born, they don't have any more right to survival than the rest of us. That's what makes America great.

Now I can see the confusion in your eyes because you don't understand all this "forcible rape" and "legitimate rape" terminology being flung around like so much free monkey-poo at the zoo, but it's really nothing to worry about. All of that will be defined when the time comes - and defined by those who understand these things, which is to say, not you. So relax and learn to enjoy it.

There is no need to clutter up your beautiful mind with liberal voodoo-science or wonder how such a painful and brutal thing as rape can be warped and spun into a positive or even patriotic near-religious experience. No ma'am, when it comes to crime and lady-parts, the good Christian GOP doesn't need science, health issues, or facts - they've got God. And God's Word is good enough for government work. Know what I mean?

The horror and trauma of rape is monstrous and life-long whether it's the rape of a woman, girl, or boy. It is vile and cruel. It should not be fodder for politics or for religious-magical-myth-making fanaticism. Nor should there ever be any qualifier attached to the word RAPE. Only snake-oil opportunists would employ such bullshit tactics. Snake-oil salesmen and the right-wing GOP. Same-same.

If you really believe that God gift-wraps rape with pregnancy then I never want to meet your God let alone believe in such a cruel and immoral creature.

Our politics and religiosity have become deeply warped and absolutely insane.
Maybe Planned Parenthood and other women's health organizations should hold a fundraiser by printing and selling t-shirts that read:

Yes, Vagina, there is no sanity clause!

Just a thought.

Borowitz reports from GOP convention

Disturbed Man Gets Past Convention Security, Gives Keynote Address



chris-christie-rnc.jpg

By Andy Borowitz
 
TAMPA (The Borowitz Report)—A mentally unhinged man slipped past security at the Republican National Convention last night and delivered a keynote address before he was subdued.

The man ranted incoherently on a variety of subjects, frightening many in the national television audience as security officials plotted their next move.

“We thought if we let him blow off some steam, maybe he would go quietly,” said the security spokesman Harland Dorrinson. “But he just kept shouting. I thought he was going to chew someone’s face off.”

After the man was subdued with a tranquilizer dart, Presidential nominee Mitt Romney said, “I hope he gets the help he needs,” adding, “Having said that, I’m going to repeal Obamacare on Day One.”

The entire incident has left the security staff “on edge,” Mr. Dorrinson said.

“A crazed individual breaking in and giving a nationally televised speech is a once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing,” he said. “But it could happen again tonight.”

Photograph by Chris Maddaloni/CQ Roll Call/Getty Images.

Romney Hailed as Regular Guy by Woman with Horse in Olympics



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By Andy Borowitz
 
TAMPA (The Borowitz Report)—On the opening night of the 2012 Republican National Convention, the Presidential nominee Mitt Romney received fulsome praise for being a “regular, down-to-earth guy” from his wife, Ann, whose dressage horse, Rafalca, competed in the London Olympics.

“Mitt has never let his success go to his head,” Mrs. Romney said. “Take away the seven-thousand-square-foot house in La Jolla and the bank account in the Caymans, he’s still the same fun-loving boy who pinned a gay kid to the ground and cut off his hair.”

Mrs. Romney adopted an intimate tone as she attempted to describe “the Mitt only I know.”

“Every now and then, Mitt will give me this devilish smile of his, and I know that can only mean one thing,” she said, flushing slightly. “He just fired someone.”

In a small flub that many delegates found endearing, Mrs. Romney said, “Mitt Romney is like you or me—he puts his pants on one leg at a time. Oh, wait. He has a fellow who does that for him. My bad.”

But the nominee’s wife brought the convention audience to its feet with her closing endorsement of her husband: “I promise you that if you elect Mitt President of the United States, he will never give less than thirteen per cent.” 

Photograph by Spencer Platt/Getty Images.

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

PROOF: Taxes rich dodge would pay off deficit


By Paul Buchheit
Nation of Change
Monday, Aug. 27, 2012
 
Conservatives force the deficit issue, ignoring job creation, and insisting that tax increases on the rich wouldn't generate enough revenue to balance the budget. They're way off. But it takes a little arithmetic to put it all together. In the following analysis, data has been taken from a variety of sources, some of which may overlap or slightly disagree, but all of which lead to the conclusion that withheld revenue, not excessive spending, is the problem. 

1. Individual and small business tax avoidance costs us $450 billion.
The IRS estimates that 17 percent of taxes owed were not paid, leaving an underpayment of $450 billion. In way of confirmation, an independent review of IRS data reveals that the richest 10 percent of Americans paid less than 19% on $3.8 trillion of income in 2006, nearly $450 billion short of a more legitimate 30% tax rate. It has also been estimated that two-thirds of the annual $1.3 trillion in "tax expenditures" (tax subsidies from special deductions, exemptions, exclusions, credits, capital gains, and loopholes) goes to the top quintile of taxpayers. Based on IRS apportionments, this calculates out to more than $450 billion for the richest 10 percent of Americans. 

2. Corporate tax avoidance is between $250 billion and $500 billion.
There are numerous examples of tax avoidance by the big companies, but the most outrageous fact may be that corporations decided to drastically cut their tax rates after the start of the recession. After paying an average of 22.5% from 1987 to 2008, they've paid an annual rate of 10% since. This represents a sudden $250 billion annual loss in taxes. Worse yet, it's a $500 billion shortfall from the 35% statutory corporate tax rate. 
3. Tax haven losses range from $337 billion to $500 billion.
The Tax Justice Network estimated in 2011 that $337 billion is lost to the U.S. every year in tax haven abuse. It's probably more. A recent report placed total hidden offshore assets at somewhere between $21 trillion and $32 trillion. Using the lesser $21 trillion figure, and considering that about 40% of the world's Ultra High Net Worth Individuals are Americans, and factoring in an annual 6% stock market gain based on historical records, the tax loss comes to $500 billion. 
Article image
4. That's enough to pay off a trillion dollar deficit. Reasonable tax changes could pay it off a second time: 
 
(a) A non-regressive payroll tax could produce $150 billion in revenue.
Get ready for some math. The richest 10% made about $3.84 trillion in 2006. A $110,000 salary, which is roughly the cutoff point for payroll tax deductions, is also the approximate minimum income for the richest 10%. A 6.2% tax paid on $1.43 trillion ($110,000 times 13 million payees) is about $90 billion. The lost taxes on the remaining $2.41 trillion come to about $150 billion. 

(b) A minimal estate tax brings in another $100 billion.
The 2009 estate tax, designed to impact only the tiny percentage of Americans with multi-million dollar estates that have never been taxed, returns about $100 billion per year. 

(c) A financial transaction tax (FTT): up to $500 billion.
The Bank for International Settlements reported in 2008 that annual trading in derivatives had surpassed $1.14 quadrillion (a thousand trillion dollars!). The Chicago Mercantile Exchange handles about 3 billion annual contracts worth well over 1 quadrillion dollars. One-tenth of one percent of a quadrillion dollars could pay off the deficit on its own. 

More conservative estimates by the Center for Economic and Policy Research and the Chicago Political Economy Group suggest FTT revenues of a half-trillion dollars annually. 

Add it all up, and we've paid off the deficit, almost twice. More importantly, the avoided taxes and a few other sensible taxes could provide sufficient revenue for job stimulus without cutting the hard-earned benefits of middle-class Americans.

Monday, August 27, 2012

P-S Arts & Craft fest is this weekend

"The Pine Strawberry Arts & Crafts Guild cordially invites you to the 32nd annual Labor Day Weekend Arts and Crafts Festival taking place on Saturday, Sept. 1 and Sunday, Sept. 2 at the Pine Community Center grounds in Pine, Arizona. Pine is located 15 miles north of Payson on Highway 87, in the heart of Arizona, easy to get to from anywhere in the state.
 
The festival in the beautiful mountains and ponderosa forests of Arizona's Rim Country features the original work of over 80 of Arizona and the Southwest's finest artists, along with the work of some very talented crafters who create all hand-made, top quality items - all juried and made in the USA.
 
Guests can enjoy a pancake breakfast, with all the trimmings, served by the Pine Strawberry Fire Department. The Senior Citizens Affairs Foundation of Pine and Strawberry will be making their ever-popular Navajo tacos in the Senior Dining Room, adjacent to the Pine Thrift Store. In addition, there will be plenty of food vendors to satisfy the appetite of any hungry festival-goer.
 
The cozy mountain towns of Pine and Strawberry have many historical sights, quaint restaurants and antique and specialty shops to delight visitors. You can visit the Strawberry Schoolhouse, the oldest schoolhouse in Arizona or the Fossil Creek Goat and Llama Farm and Dairy for an unforgettable experience.
 
Come re-live the old west in historic Pine and Strawberry, savor the magnificent beauty of the Rim Country, and celebrate American craftsmanship at the Labor Day Weekend Arts & Crafts Festival."

God sends Isaac to punish GOP

IF WE THOUGHT LIKE RIGHT WING FUNDAMENTALISTS...

We'd have to say the impending arrival of Hurricane Isaac at the Republican National Convention is a sure sign that God is not pleased with the Republicans and their choice of Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan as standard bearers.

It's also a sign that President Obama's birth certificate is real because if it weren't, God would surely have diverted Isaac to Hawaii to punish those state officials who keep insisting the President's long form birth certificate is authentic.


Romney calls for tax cuts to fight Isaac

By Andy Borowitz

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TAMPA (The Borowitz Report)—With Hurricane Isaac heading towards the site of the 2012 Republican National Convention, presumptive G.O.P. nominee Mitt Romney today called for the government to respond with a round of “emergency tax cuts.”

“If this hurricane is as powerful as predicted, it could destroy many people’s second and third homes,” Mr. Romney said. “In that worst-case scenario, it would be inhumane to ask them to pay more than thirteen per cent.”

Vice-Presidential pick Paul Ryan echoed Mr. Romney’s sentiments, adding that he was glad he voted to cut emergency relief earlier this year because “big government needs to stay out of hurricanes.”

“If the federal government got involved with this hurricane, they’d make the usual mistake of sending food, water, and medical supplies,” he said. “Clearly, what this situation calls for is vouchers.”