Gingrich Says Gay Marriage Supporters Should Vote for Obama (ContributorNetwork)

COMMENTARY| According to the Huffington Post, while GOP presidential candidate Newt Gingrich was at a campaign stop in Oskaloosa, Iowa, an adjunct professor of writing at William Penn University, Scott Arnold, who is a Democrat, asked how Gingrich plans to engage gay Americans.

Gingrich ultimately told the man that if the most important issue for them is the definition of marriage, they should vote for Obama. We already know that Gingrich's own sister, Candace Gingrich-Jones, does not support her brother and will be voting for Obama, though she's just one person. It sounds like he feels comfortable with the amount of supporters he has to alienate gays, and people who are in support of same-sex marriage.

According to ABC News, 4 percent of the population is gay; the percentage of Americans who support gay marriage is 53 percent, according to the latest Gallup poll. Perhaps many of these same people would be voting for our current president regardless of Newt and his views, but it still seems like a large amount of voters to disregard.

No matter how loudly some like to cry about it, the tide is changing in America. LGBTs should not be discriminated against, and should be allowed into legal, committed loving relationships if they so chose. Certainly a man who has cheated on his spouses and has been married three times should be the last to make such a judgment.

On Wednesday, December 21, just a day after Gingrich made the comment that supporters of gay marriage should vote for Obama, a photo and report by the Associated Press documented an historic event. Two female Naval Petty Officers shared the first same-sex kiss at a ship's return.

The repeal of the U.S. military's "don't ask, don't tell" rule led to the two women sailors becoming the first to share the coveted "first kiss" on the pier after one of them returned from 80 days at sea. Petty Officer 2nd Class Marissa Gaeta of Placerville, Calif., remarked, "It's nice to be able to be myself. It's been a long time coming."

Though many conservatives would like to see our country's progress go in reverse, the majority of Americans don't want that to happen, and are in support of human beings entering a loving relationship whether the person is the same or opposite gender.

This summer, the legalization of same-sex marriage in New York became yet another historic milestone for human rights, proving that there may be a light at the end of the tunnel, and some day love will overcome bigotry and hate, despite Mr. Gingrich's so-called values.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20111223/pl_ac/10732997_gingrich_says_gay_marriage_supporters_should_vote_for_obama

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Video: House rejects Senate bill extending payroll tax cut

>> in jack kingston of georgia. thank you for your time.

>> thank you.

>> you get both ends here. saying house republicans holding up this deal and senate republican scott brown doubling down on the statement he issued earlier saying of the house republicans standing in the way, it angers me that house republicans would rather continue playing politics than find solutions. the actions will hurt men families and detrimental to our fragile economy. that is a republican. you heard from the president. what is your rely to that?

>> let's strip off the rhetoric and the name calling and the say that the american people are tired of this or that and you are not being partisan. here's the reality that we are in. the house is ready to compromise with the senate . we have not voted on anything. our bill that passed on a bipartisan basis last week has been rejected by the senate and given us a two-month extension. we don't think that's a good deal for the economy or the american people . they said let's go to conference. we have ten days to work this out and think the president should attend. what would happen if he showed leadership and brought mr. boehner and mr. reed downs to the white house and pulled out eggnog and maybe rum and cigars and pulled out it's a wonderful life dvds and said let's work this out.

>> you kid something you are talking about movies and eggnog and nonsense. you have people after january 1st congressman, with all due respect, let's talk in numbers here. there american people who make far less money than you who will see the tax increase after the first. are you okay with that?

>> tamron, here's what i'm saying. i am talking about leadership and the president bringing the leaders together at the white house and saying guy, let's calm down and the three of us sit in a room and work this out. we can do it because we are americans and you know what, i'm the president of the united states who has been calling for a one-year extension this entire year and the house did it on a bipartisan basis. the senate went out of town. why don't you work this out. what i'm saying is good old fashioned leadership and fellowship. something this town needs badly. i worked on a bill this year and we have it passed. it took a lot of friendship to do it. even though the senate democrats that i dealt with disagreed. i believe this can happen. i have seen bigger deals in shorter periods of time, but it takes harry reid and john baner to put their politics aside and sit down and cut a deal.

>> i think a lot of people agree, but you know the saying. if you want a friend in washington , get a dog. here we are with the situation that rhetoric aside, we are looking at 11 days before people start to see an increase in tax. i know that as a house republican, you stand again it and you have said that you are against raising taxes for anyone. here we are with 11 days and the senate said let's pass this and get to the hard work that is needed to get an extension for a year. why not give the american people out there the peace of mind of knowing this deal that was overwhelmingly supported by the senate and the republicans say that house republicans like yourself are playing politics. these are not my words. i am not partisan.

>> i know this. i know we are here because of the failed obama economic policies . i believe that a way out of it is a path that you can get to my friendship and bringing people in the room and saying calm down. put your differences aside. we have 11 days and we have been working on this for months. we can get a bill done and shake hands and get it done. i think by the end of this week. i have been here for 19 years and i have seen bigger deals resolved in shorter periods of time. i disagree. i think friendship is extremely important and that's why as a member of the procreations committee, i got a bipartisan deal done with democrat senators partially because of friendship and a willingness to get outside of the noise of washington , d.c. that's what the situation calls for right now and not more finger-pointing, but more off camera.

>> worry all due respect, you are saying in one breath, let's getting to and put aside the rhetoric and you started that entire idea that you are floating out there saying we are here because of the president's failed policies. that is exactly how you started this conversation that i have to interpret as perhaps faux when you start in that way.

>> tamron, i have to say we have a very unemployment rate , 11 to 13 million people out of work because we are sitting here arguing about unemployment instead of economic development and job creation . that's part of the problem.

>> does unemployment insurance matter?

>> it certainly matters. that's why i voted for a one-year extension on a bipartisan basis on the house bill that is what the president spent all this fall saying anything less would be inexcusable. he is entitled to change his mind which he apparently has. nancy pelosi and steny changed their mind and they're entitled to that. what i'm saying is to get out of this situation, the president needs to call mr. boehner and mr. reed down to the white house and get away from the noise and if you don't want the movie and the eggnog, i understand that. you can just sit down and say let's get together.

>> i will try one more time. gop senator dean helder of nevada said this of house republicans . what is playing out in washington , d.c. this week is about political leverage not about what's good for the american people . senator helder is a republican. is he wrong about house republicans ?

>> i would say this. if you want to quote the president of economic advisers, this bill will create 600,000 to one million jobs. why are we not doing it on a one-year basis to have that job creation .

>> the president wanted that.

>> 11 days is plenty of time. i have seen bigger deals in shorter periods of time come together. y am confident that mr. boehner and mr. reed can make this happen. i'm going to agree with you. a lot of finger pointing and partisanship. get away from it, but get in an isolated place and make it happen. it can be done and we need to get it done. all we are saying is we are willing to compromise and don't want to leave town until we have a deal. it puts us at a disadvantage, but will harry reid appoint to hammer out the differences which by the way is done for over 200 years. now senator reid is saying we doesn't want to appoint conferrees. shou that responsible.

>> he said i will not reopen negotiations for the house until they negotiate by republican leaders and supported by 90% of the senate . before i let you go, i have to ask you.

>> that was the senate and not the house .

>> i than, but the deal was riched in the senate and mitch mcconnell was leaving hie fiving. he praised the deal.

>> the house did not agree with that. the senate could have an agreement.

>> dear speaker boehner think there was a good deal?

>> he did not agree with the deal or we wouldn't be here. that was a senate deal and senate republicans and democrats came together. house members have not. when we have these kinds of differences, we set up a conference committee to iron out the differences. we have done this for over 200 years and on issues far bigger than this. we can make this happen. i don't think the senate is taking the right attitude by saying our way or the highway. we are gone and the american supreme a glitch, it's because house republicans stayed in town and we left and didn't accept the bill. it's not the time for our way or the highway. this is the time to sit down and come to a committee and have hare reed appoint and let's iron out the deal. i am willing to give. i am willing to look at all of the above. options and let's come up with something that's good for the economy.

>> i have to ask you, what are the constituentsing you. we are from georgia and

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/newsnation/45741356/

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"Jersey Shore's" Snooki sued by licensing company (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) ? It's another day, another lawsuit for the "Jersey Shore" crew.

Following on the heels of Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino's lawsuit against clothing company Abercrombie & Fitch, Sorrentino's pint-sized reality TV cohort, Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi, has found herself in her own legal entanglement, according to the New York Post.

Polizzi is being sued for $7 million by licensing company SRG Ventures, which claims that it entered a business partnership for a variety of Snooki-related merchandise, but the deal went south because the "Jersey Shore" starlet began negotiating with other brands behind SRG's back and stalling on the deals that SRG presented to her.

According to SRG, the company had presented ideas for Snooki-branded lingerie, watches and school supplies. Yes, school supplies.

Polizzi's management company, Neon Entertainment, is also named in the suit.

Sound like the squabbling of a couple with a past? That's not far off. In October, Polizzi sued SRG to get out of her contract with them, claiming that SRG fell short of its obligations, failing to line up sufficient branding partnerships and -- perhaps the crux of it all -- cash.

SRG's counter-strike has failed to rattle the diminutive MTV charmer -- at least according to her spokesperson, who told TheWrap, "Ms. Polizzi disputes SRG's version of the facts and looks forward to her day in court."

SRG and Neon Entertainment did not immediately respond to TheWrap's request for comment.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tv/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111221/tv_nm/us_snooki_lawsuit

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The high cost of child care

CLASP

By Allison Linn

If you?re a working parent, chances are at some point you?ve bemoaned the high cost of child care.

The lower your income, the more likely you are to have reason to complain.

A recent graphic from CLASP, an advocacy group for low-income people, shows that families with working moms who live below the poverty line and have kids under 15 are spending 40 percent of their monthly income on child care expenses.

That?s a more than 10 percentage point increase from 2002, according to CLASP.

Both sets of data are based on information from the U.S. Census Bureau, and they exclude people who are getting child care for free or from a family member, government or charity program. The most recent data was released in the spring of 2010.

Hannah Matthews, the director of child care and early education for CLASP, said it?s not clear why child care costs have increased so substantially for very low-income families. One hypothesis is that child care costs are going up while incomes are dropping or staying steady.

The 40 percent figure is also very high in comparison to families who earn 200 percent above the poverty line, or more. Those families are paying just 7 percent of their monthly income in child care expenses.

Matthews noted that many families in the 7 percent range also likely feel pained by that child care bill.

?It?s 7 percent of their income and feels like such a large amount. It?s striking to think about what it feels like for a family that?s in the 40 percent chart there - what they?re dealing with just to make ends meet,? she said.

?Related:

The high cost of single parenthood

Who's going hungry

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Do you feel squeezed by high child care costs?

?

Source: http://lifeinc.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/15/9475285-good-graph-friday-that-child-care-bill

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Russian rig sinks, more than 50 feared dead (Reuters)

MOSCOW (Reuters) ? A drilling rig with 67 crew on board capsized and sank off Russia's far eastern island of Sakhalin on Sunday while being towed through a winter storm, leaving more than 50 dead or missing in the icy Sea of Okhotsk.

Emergency officials said the crew of an icebreaker and tugboat rescued 14 workers alive from the jack-up rig, the 'Kolskaya', which was operated by a Russian offshore exploration firm. They recovered four bodies from the water.

"The Kolskaya keeled to its side ... and sank within 20 minutes. The depth of the water at the site is 1,042 metres (3,400 feet)," Russia's federal water transport agency said on its website.

Four of the survivors, suffering from hypothermia, were airlifted by helicopter to land and taken to hospital after the disaster struck at 12:45 p.m. (0145 GMT).

The rest of the crew were missing, 200 km (125 miles) off the coast of remote Sakhalin island. The water temperature was one degree Celsius (33.8 Fahrenheit), giving survivors around 30 minutes before freezing to death, according to maritime and rescue websites.

Three rescue craft, as well as helicopters, were sent to scour the waters for survivors from the rig owned by Arktikmorneftegazrazvedka (AMNGR), a unit of state-owned Zarubezhneft.

"There is no ecological danger. The vessel was carrying the minimum amount of fuel as it was being tugged by two craft," said a spokesman for AMNGR.

The incident was a blow to efforts by Russia, the world's largest energy producer, to step up offshore oil and gas exploration to stave off a long-term decline in onshore production.

The jack-up rig, which has three support legs that can be extended to the ocean floor while its hull floats on the surface, was heading from Kamchatka to Sakhalin when it overturned in stormy conditions with a swell of up to 6 metres.

"(President) Dmitry Medvedev has ordered all necessary assistance be provided to the victims of the drilling platform accident and has ordered a probe into the circumstances of the loss of the platform," the Kremlin said. The Emergencies Ministry said it would work through Sunday night.

GAZPROM OFFSHORE DRILLING

Russia's federal Investigative Committee, which answers to the president, said it would investigate the accident and would question rescued workers as well as those responsible for organising the towing of the craft.

"The violation of safety rules during the towing of the drilling rig, as well as towing without consideration of the weather conditions ... are believed to be the cause of the (disaster)," investigators said on their website.

The 'Neftegaz-55' tugboat, also owned by AMNGR, had been towing the Kolskaya and took part in the search effort, but pulled out after suffering hull damage from the high waves.

The tug, carrying most of the crew rescued from the rig, had taken on water and was trying to limp to port. An icebreaker, the 'Magadan', was still at the scene.

As night fell, an air search team was called off, and another was set to resume the quest for survivors the next day.

"With daybreak the search from the air will continue with an Mi-8 helicopter along with the sea teams," agency Itar-Tass reported an Emergencies Ministry official as saying.

The rig, built in Finland in 1985, had been working on a minor gas production project in the Sea of Okhotsk for a unit of state-controlled gas export monopoly Gazprom, the company said.

Russia's prize offshore gas and oil fields lie northeast of Sakhalin. Two major offshore projects are already producing oil and gas off the island: Sakhalin-1, operated by Exxonmobil and Sakhalin-2, in which Gazprom has a controlling stake.

The disaster is unlikely to seriously affect oil or gas production. AMNGR said the vessel was no longer under contract when it sank.

Operating conditions in the region, explored by Soviet geologists in the 1960s and 1970s, are among the harshest for Russian energy companies.

WINTER CONDITIONS

Winter often lasts 220-240 days in the waters off Sakhalin, where the main companies operating are ExxonMobil, Gazprom, and Royal Dutch Shell. They produce oil and gas, sometimes in icebound conditions, for export largely to Asian markets.

Sakhalin-2, in which Shell and Mitsui also have stakes, produces 10 million tonnes per year of liquefied natural gas at Russia's only LNG plant in the port of Prigorodnoye for export to Asia, much of it to Japan.

Each tanker of crude oil produced by at the 160,000 barrels-per-day Sakhalin-1 project, operated by ExxonMobil, is escorted by two icebreakers when ice thickness reaches 60 cm (2 feet).

State-controlled Rosneft this year reached a major deal with Exxon to explore for oil and gas in the Kara Sea, to the north of the Russian mainland, a largely unexplored region estimated to hold over 100 billion barrels of oil.

Poor infrastructure and chronic corner-cutting in Russia have contributed to several sea disasters, notably the sinking of the nuclear submarine Kursk in the Barents Sea in August 2000, in which all 118 aboard were killed.

(Additional reporting by Douglas Busvine; editing by Alistair Lyon)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/weather/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111218/wl_nm/us_russia_platform_capsize

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Early rally fades; stocks down for the week

By Associated Press

An early rally faded on the stock market Friday, leaving indexes down about 3 percent for the week as worries resurfaced about a breakup of the euro. BlackBerry maker Research in Motion plunged after slashing its forecast for holiday sales.

The Dow Jones industrial average closed down 2.42 points Friday, less than 0.1 percent, at 11,866.93. It had been up as many as 99 points after the Italian government won a confidence vote on austerity measures. It turned mixed around midday as Fitch warned that it might downgrade the debt of Italy, Spain and four other countries that use the euro.

Materials and industrial companies rose, signaling that traders expect the economic recovery to remain on track. Utilities, health care and consumer staples companies lagged the market as traders sold stocks that are considered to be safer when the economy is weak.

The Dow Jones industrial average broke a three-day slump Thursday on news that claims for unemployment benefits plunged last week and measures of manufacturing in the Northeast improved dramatically. The Dow lost 360 points over the first three days of the week as investors questioned whether Europe's agreement to closer coordinate fiscal policy would be enough to save the euro from a catastrophic breakup.

Some analysts believe nervousness about Europe this fall and winter pushed stock prices lower than their fair value. Investment adviser Uri Landesman, president of Platinum Partners, expects stocks to rise into next year because of the growing likelihood that economic news and European headlines will remain positive.

"The odds are, the news is going to be better than the market is discounting," Landesman said. He said the market is near the low end of its recent trading range, and a dose of positive news could set off a mini-rally. Any market moves next week could be sharp as trading volume thins out before the Christmas holiday, Landesman said.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 3.89, or 0.3 percent, to 1,219.65. The Nasdaq composite index rose 14.32, or 0.6 percent, to 2,555..33 The Dow is down 2.6 percent for the week; the S&P 2.8 percent. The Nasdaq lost 3.5 percent.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury note plunged to 1.85 percent from 1.93 percent earlier Friday after the government said consumer prices were unchanged last month, suggesting that inflation remains low. Low inflation makes bonds more attractive because it doesn't diminish the buying power of the fixed return a bond provides over time.

The gains were broad. Eight of the 10 industry groups in the S&P 500 index rose, led by materials and industrial companies. U.S. factories in some regions have seen shipments and orders rise this month, according to two surveys released Wednesday. Materials companies are benefiting from soaring commodity prices.

Research In Motion Ltd. plummeted 11 percent after the company said late Thursday that new phones seen as critical to its future will be delayed until late next year. RIM also is taking a big loss on unsold tablet computers and predicted that its BlackBerry sales will fall sharply during the holiday sales season.

Online game developer Zynga Inc. fell 5 percent in its first day of trading on the Nasdaq. The maker of Farmville's initial public offering was priced late Thursday at $10 per share, raising $1 billion. That means the San Francisco company can boast the biggest Internet IPO since Google Inc. first offered shares in 2004.

Among the other companies making big moves:

• New York-area cable TV provider Cablevision Systems Corp. plunged 9 percent following the sudden departure of its chief operating officer, Tom Rutledge.
• Adobe Systems Inc. jumped 6.6 percent after the software maker reported earnings and revenues that were far better than what analysts had expected. Analyst Walter Pritchard at Citigroup said the quarter was a "blow-out when most expected weakness."

? 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://bottomline.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/16/9501150-early-rally-fades-stocks-down-for-the-week

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Terror detainee turned over to Iraqis

WASHINGTON?? The last American prisoner in Iraq, a Hezbollah commander linked to the kidnapping deaths of four U.S. soldiers, was turned over to the Iraqi government Friday, the White House said.

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U.S. officials have long feared that such a transfer would lead to Ali Mussa Daqduq's release from prison. But his case became enmeshed in both international diplomacy and the Washington political debate over how best to prosecute suspected terrorists.

Under President George W. Bush, prosecutors had planned to someday charge Daqduq in a U.S. criminal court. But those plans were scrapped after Obama took office and lawmakers began restricting the president's ability to bring terrorist suspects into the United States for trial.

Many Republicans had wanted Daqduq prosecuted before a military tribunal at the Guantanamo Bay base in Cuba. The Obama administration had hoped a compromise would be to prosecute Daqduq in a first-of-its-kind military commission on U.S. soil.

But the Iraqi government would not let the United States take Daqduq out of the country for trial, White House spokesman Tommy Vietor said.

"We have sought and received assurances that he will be tried for his crimes," Vietor said Friday.

It was not immediately clear what charges he could face. The U.S. has said he was part of a brazen raid in which four American soldiers were abducted and killed in the Iraqi holy city of Karbala in 2007.

'A new chapter': US officially ends Iraq war

Iraq has had a shoddy record on detainee security. Last year, just a week after the U.S. turned more than 1,000 detainees at its Camp Cropper prison over to Iraqi control, four al-Qaida-linked detainees escaped. An investigation showed that the detainees had inside help.

That had lawmakers worried that Daqduq would return to Hezbollah soon after his transfer. Shortly before the White House announcement, Sen. Mark Kirk, a Republican, was gathering signatures on a letter to Obama.

"Daqduq's Iranian paymasters would like nothing more than to see him transferred to Iraqi custody, where they could effectively pressure for his escape or release," Kirk wrote. "We truly hope you will not let that happen."

Sen. Saxby Chambliss, Republican vice chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, fumed over the release of Daqduq.

"Rather than ensure justice for five American soldiers killed by Hezbollah terrorist Ali Musa Daqduq, the administration turned him over to Iraq, once again completely abdicating its responsibility to hold on to deadly terrorists. Given Iraq's history of releasing detainees, I expect it is only a matter of time before this terrorist will be back on the battlefield."

Vietor said a trial at Guantanamo Bay was never an option, either for the Iraqis or for the administration.

"The policy of this administration, because we believe it's in our national security interest, is to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, not add to the population," he said.

Two Iraqi officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case, said Daqduq was in the custody of Iraqi judiciary authorities in Baghdad. Daqduq will stand before an Iraq investigative judge, one official said. Investigative judges decide whether there is enough evidence for a trial and recommend specific charges, somewhat like a grand jury does in the U.S. system.

? 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45699836/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/

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