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Marines celebrate 238th birthday

The Marines are celebrating their 238th birthday Sunday. To mark the occasion, Commandant of the Marine Corps, released a birthday message:

For 238 years, The United States Marine Corps has proudly served our great Nation with unfailing valor – bolstered by the enduring fortitude of our fellow Marines, our families, and our friends. This is why each year on November 10th, Marines from all generations gather together, in groups large and small, to celebrate the birthday of our Corps and to reflect on the proud legacy and warrior ethos we share. This is what unites us as Marines. From our first battle at New Providence to today in Afghanistan, Marines have always shown that they were made of tougher stuff – that when the enemy’s fire poured in from all angles, and the situation was grim, Marines unequivocally knew that their fellow Marines would stay behind their guns, fight courageously, and drive the enemy from the battlefield. We have always known hardship, fatigue, and pain…but we have never known what it is to lose a battle!

Marine of generations past built our reputation as the most disciplined and honorable warriors to ever set foot on a battlefield, and we have triumphed in every battle because our Corps has always focused on iron discipline and combat excellence. This is who we are…this is what we do! It matters not whether you carried an M-1, and M-14, or an M-16. It matters not whether you fought on a lonely island in the Pacific, assaulted a citadel in the jungle, or marched up to Baghdad. It matters not whether you are a grunt, a pilot or a loggie. What matters most is that, when the chips were down and things got tough, your fellow Marines could count on you to stand and fight…and fight we did!

This year, we celebrate the anniversary of several epic battles in our celebrated history: the 70th anniversary fo the 2nd Marine Division landing on Tarawa, the 45th anniversary of the Battle of Hue City, and the 10th anniversary of the “March Up” to Baghdad. Marines who fought in these legendary battles each made their mark upon the history of our Corps. They have passed a rich and illustrious legacy on to us – a much heralded reputation. It is ours to jealously guard, and it is up to us to make our own marks and thus proudly pass it on to the generations of Marines who will follow.

Sergeant Major Michael Barrett joins me in congratulating each of you. Because of you, your selfless service, and your many sacrifices, our Corps remains strong and ready to respond to any crisis. Throughout history, Marines have faced tough times and there will be tough times ahead, but there is no challenge we cannot overcome if we remain honorable and always faithful to our Nation, our Constitution and each other. Happy Birthday, Marines!

Semper Fidelis

James F. Amos

General, U.S. Marine Corps

Commandant of the Marine Corps

Sarah Palin tells Iowa conservatives it's time 'to stiffen our backs'

By Kay Henderson | Reuters

DES MOINES, Iowa (Reuters) - Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, who rallied members of the Tea Party in their failed effort to defund Obamacare, lashed out on Saturday against members of the Republican Party who agreed to end the government shutdown.

The 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee's comments during a speech in Des Moines come at a time of division within the party over the strategy conservative members of Congress adopted in forcing a 16-day shutdown of the federal government last month.

Polls have shown voters blamed Republicans for the shutdown.

Palin, who was speaking to hundreds of attendees at the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition's annual fall banquet, was joined by Senator Mike Lee, a Republican from Utah. Lee, along with fellow Tea Party movement star Senator Ted Cruz, was instrumental in the ill-fated attempt to defund Obamacare, the popular name for the healthcare reform law championed by President Barack Obama.

Palin told the Christian conservatives in attendance it was time to "stiffen our spines" for the 2014 elections.

"I want to encourage you to make your voice heard, to hold politicians accountable," Palin said.

The bulk of Palin's speech was focused on the nation's current political climate. She drew thunderous applause with her sharp attack on Republicans in Congress who voted in October to raise the nation's debt ceiling and reopen the government.

"They promised that they would do everything in their power to fight against socialized medicine, against Obamacare, but when it came time to stand and defund it, they waved the white flag of surrender and they threw under the bus the good guys who did stand up and fight for us," Palin said.

Palin named Lee and Cruz as leaders in that fight. Last month, Cruz also made a stop in Iowa, a key state in presidential campaigns because the Iowa caucuses are the first electoral event in the nominating process.

In 2010 Lee defeated three-term Republican Senator Bob Bennett in a primary on his way to winning the Senate seat.

In his speech on Saturday, he called on Republicans to offer up "market-based alternatives" that could replace Obamacare if the Republicans hope to have success at the polls in 2014.

"Frustration is not a platform. Anger is not an agenda and outrage, as a habit, is not even conservative," Lee said.

(Editing by Alex Dobuzinskis)

Chris Christie: I'm a Conservative, Not a Moderate

BY MICHAEL WARREN

New Jersey governor Chris Christie, a Republican, is on his way to winning big in his bid for reelection Tuesday, and there's already talk he may be on his way to running for president in three years.Speaking to CNN's Jake Tapper, Christie argued he's not a moderate as he's sometimes portrayed.

"I'm a conservative," Christie told Tapper. "I've governed as a conservative in this state, and I think that's led to some people disagreeing with me in our state, because it's generally a left-of-center, blue state."

The governor added, "The difference has been is I haven't tried to hide it, or mask it as something different.

Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrims: Time-Travel Adventures with Exceptional Americans

by Rush Limbaugh

MEET RUSH LIMBAUGH’S REALLY GOOD PAL, RUSH REVERE!

Okay, okay, my name’s really Rusty—but my friends call me Rush. Rush Revere. Because I’ve always been the #1 fan of the coolest colonial dude ever, Paul Revere. Talk about a rock star—this guy wanted to protect young America so badly, he rode through those bumpy, cobblestone-y streets shouting “the British are coming!” On a horse. Top of his lungs. Wind blowing, rain streaming. . . .

Well, you get the picture. But what if you could get the real picture—by actually going back in time and seeing with your own eyes how our great country came to be? Meeting the people who made it all happen—people like you and me?

Hold on to your pointy triangle hats, because you can—with me, Rush Revere, seemingly ordinary substitute history teacher, as your tour guide across time! “How?” you ask? Well, there’s this portal. And a horse. My talking horse named Liberty. And—well, just trust me, I’ll get us there.

We’ll begin by joining a shipload of brave families journeying on the Mayflower in 1620. Yawn? I don’t think so. 1620 was a pretty awesome time, and you’ll experience exactly what they did on that rough, dangerous ocean crossing. Together, we’ll ask the pilgrims all our questions, find out how they live, join them at the first Thanksgiving, and much more.

So saddle up and let’s ride! Our exceptional nation is waiting to be discovered all over again by exceptional young patriots—like you!

Stewart to Sebelius on health care law “Am I a stupid man?”

CNN's Leslie Bentz
(CNN) - "The Daily Show" took a more serious turn Monday night when host Jon Stewart introduced his guest for the evening, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

Sebelius, who has been on a media blitz in recent weeks as the health care exchanges for the Affordable Care Act opened for business on October 1st, has appeared on multiple networks to promote the new law and to attempt to tamp criticism of its rollout.

As the secretary sat down to begin the segment, Stewart opened a laptop on his desk. “I’m going to attempt to download every movie ever made, and you’re going to try to sign up for Obamacare, and we’ll see which happens first.”

Sebelius admitted the website rollout “started a little rockier than we’d like,” but said the administration had been working to make improvements. “It’s better today than it was yesterday, and it will keep getting better.”

The sign-up websites were offline for part of the weekend as efforts were made to fix multiple glitches that caused delays for many who attempted to use the program in the first few days.

When asked how many individuals had signed up for insurance so far, Sebelius admitted, “I can’t tell you, because I don’t know ... we will be giving monthly reports.” She added that hundreds of thousands of accounts had been created, which indicated to the administration that those consumers “are going to go shopping” for insurance as the next step.

The segment became more contentious as the Comedy Central host turned to the subject of the individual mandate, specifically the fact that while many businesses were given a one-year delay to comply with the law, individuals were not.

“If I’m an individual that doesn’t want this, it would be hard for me to look at a big business getting a waiver," Stewart said. "I would feel like you are favoring big business because they lobbied you ... but you’re not allowing individuals that same courtesy.”

Sebelius denied that was the case, but danced around answering the question directly, sticking instead to talking points.

After pressing her further on the issue to no avail, a somewhat exasperated Stewart finally smiled and asked, “Am I a stupid man?”

Later, as he threw to commercial, Stewart said he still was “not sure why individuals can’t delay” and asked the secretary if he could keep asking her that same question when they returned.

Later, while addressing the issue of businesses cutting back hours for employees to avoid having to provide health care under the new regulations, Sebelius held firm. “Economists, not anecdotal folks, but economists, say there is absolutely no evidence that part-time work is going up. In fact, it’s going down,” she said. The secretary also said that for the first time ever, part-time employees in the United Sates would now have the option to purchase health insurance under the new law.

Toward the end, Stewart argued that a market-based strategy toward health care is a flawed concept in itself and that a single payer system would have been a more simple approach. But Sebelius jumped in, saying, “if we could have perhaps figured out a pathway, that may have been a reasonable solution.”

“So this is jerry-rigged to deal with the crazy people?” Stewart asked.

“I think the president did not want to dismantle the health care that 85% of the country had," Sebelius responded.

They Thought It Was Patriotic, The School Saw It As Suspendable

They Thought It Was Patriotic, The School Saw It As Suspendable « CBS Minnesota
RED WING, Minn. (WCCO) – Students said they wanted to show their love for their country, but a superintendent believes it went a little too far.

The result? More than a dozen students are suspended for drawing on doors and windows and scattering small American flags outside their high school.

It took place Monday at Red Wing High School as part of Homecoming Week, but it’s a back-and-forth that’s gone on for weeks.

“Red, white, and blue streamers, small American flags and erasable paint,” Bryce Reps said.

He’s a senior and took part in the senior “prank.”

Some seniors covered almost every window, some outside doors, even the skylight with the paint.

“We have to take these things seriously,” Red Wing Schools Superintendent Karsten Anderson said.

There’s a bit more to this red, white, and blue demonstration that dates back to last month.

When the high school didn’t mark the anniversary of 9/11 as it had in years past, Reps said he took it personally.

“I’m planning to go into the Air Force,” Reps said.

He wrote a letter to the editor of the local paper and got a petition signed by 400 students. The school then decided to always mark the day with a moment of silence.

“Whenever there’s a concern by students or parents, we hear them out,” Anderson said.

Then, this week some students wanted Monday to be called Merica Day, without the “A.” Teachers don’t think they knew the word carries negative connotations.

“That’s why we wanted a National Pride Day instead of a reference to a ‘South Park’ cartoon,” Anderson said.

Even after kids were told they could dress up, some seniors went ahead with their plans to “decorate,” in their own words.

“My last day of school was yesterday,” Reps said.

Bryce has been suspended for five days. He hopes the punishment doesn’t affect his future plans.

“It’s a senior prank, not the crime of the century, or anything along those lines,” Reps said.

Last year, the Red Wing school district settled a lawsuit that came from an unsanctioned dress-up day.

A student claimed racial discrimination when some kids dressed up for what was called “Wangster Day.” That girl has been paid $90,000 by the district.

Three years later, TheTeaParty.net finally gets IRS tax-exempt OK

BY PAUL BEDARD

One of the groups at the center of the IRS scandal has finally received its tax-exempt status after a three year delay prompted by a politically driven move to block Tea Party and other conservative groups, many that slammed the president during his reelection, from winning the special status.

TheTeaParty.net, one of the nation's largest tea party groups, told Secrets that the long-sough declaration arrived Monday, well over three years after they applied for 501c(4) tax-exempt status in March of 2010, the start of the Tea Party movement. The notice came in a letter from the IRS.

The group said that the IRS branch headed by the recently retired Lois Lerner endured harassment by agents targeting mostly conservative non-profit groups for their political donors, agenda and even reading lists, all against the rules.

"After four years battling Lois Lerner's shock troops, we are relieved that the IRS has relented and finally recognized our right to operate as a non-profit,” said Todd Cefaratti, founder of TheTeaParty.net. “First they tried to ignore us. Then they tried to discredit us. And then they tried to deny our legal rights. Hopefully this is the beginning of the end to a sad chapter in our government’s targeting of its own citizens," he added.

Commenting on the long legal battle, the group’s lawyer, Dan Backer, said legal threats from the group helped squeeze out the positive decision. “It just proves the only way to beat the overreach of government is to fight back,” he said.

In addition to winning the IRS ruling, the group joined with another titled the “Contract From America” to form a partnership to highlight the original GOP Contract With America that turned 20 years old this week. They plan to promote the contract during the midterm elections, when the original was used to help win the Republicans their first control of Congress in decades.

Paul Bedard, The Washington Examiner's "Washington Secrets" columnist, can be contacted atpbedard@washingtonexaminer.com.