June 14-18, 2012

Jun 14 01:20 Michelle Malkin exposes Juan Williams' elitism
Jun 14 01:55 Chip Cravaack pushes back against FAA rulemakers
Jun 14 10:04 Jobs: The subject President Obama can't avoid
Jun 14 11:51 Coalition of Child Care Providers vs. CCPT
Jun 14 22:32 The failed policies of the past 4 years

Jun 16 11:22 RightOnline 2012: Indictment, Prosecution and Conviction

Jun 18 01:12 Gov. Dayton refuses to release contract data

Jun 16 16:07 RightOnline2012: Speaking beyond the choir

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Prior Years: 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011



Michelle Malkin exposes Juan Williams' elitism


Last night's Hannity produced unexpected fireworks when Juan Williams implied that Michellle Malkin wasn't a real journalist. Check out this exchange:



They were talking about whether there should be a special prosecutor appointed in the national security leaks investigation. This is where things got hot:


JUAN WILLIAMS: Listen, I'll tell you what Michelle. I'm a real reporter. I'm not a blogger out on the blogosphere somewhere. I'll tell you something. Real reporters...In a free press, reporters go and talk to officials and that's not classified. In a free society, we want to know what the government is doing.


First, sources and methods are kept secret to protect covert operatives. Personally, I hope I'd never find those things out because it's putting our operatives' lives at risk.



So no, Juan, I don't want to know what covert operatives are doing.

It wouldn't be surprising to find out that he took a different perspective with Valerie Plame, the CIA analyst who wasn't a covert operative.

Michelle hit back hard:


The American people are sick of the kind of snotty condescension from liberal elite journalists like Juan Williams who tell us that the rest of us are not doing our jobs, when the point is that when Eric Holder was shamefully approved and nominated and approved to be Attorney General-


Juan Williams' snotty attitude deserved a bitchslapping. That's what he got.



Let's compare the corruption that James O'Keefe, Michelle Malkin and the late Andrew Breitbart have exposed with the corruption that Juan Williams has exposed. I'm betting that these citizen journalists would make Williams look pretty pathetic by comparison.

In fact, I think it wouldn't be much of a fight.

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Posted Thursday, June 14, 2012 1:20 AM

Comment 1 by Terry Stone at 14-Jun-12 01:47 AM
I don't recall the last time Juan Williams had an original interview or idea.

Comment 2 by MCGIRV at 16-Jun-12 03:11 PM
Hear,hear! Well said!


Chip Cravaack pushes back against FAA rulemakers


Two months ago, Chip Cravaack submitted a bill that would require cargo pilots to be subject to the same rest rules that airline pilots operate under:


Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Representatives Chip Cravaack (R-MN) and Tim Bishop (D-NY) introduced H.R. 4350, the Safe Skies Act of 2012. Importantly, the bill would ensure that pilot rest requirements apply to all cargo air operations.



Following the Colgan Air Flight 3407 crash on February 12, 2009, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) developed a rule to address pilot fatigue for passenger flights using extensive scientific study, hearings, and industry feedback. The rule, which requires eight hours of rest between shifts, was finalized on January 4th, 2012. The rule is scheduled go into effect January 14, 2014, but exempts cargo pilots.

'As a former cargo pilot, I understand the importance of a single standard of safety for pilots who share the same airspace and runways with passenger aircraft. I introduced the Safe Skies Act in order to apply the new, common sense standards for pilot rest to cargo pilots as well,' said Rep. Cravaack.

Specifically, the bill directs the Secretary of Transportation to apply the rule relating to flight crew member duty and rest requirements to all-cargo operations in the same manner as they apply to passenger operations.


That bill apparently was stalled but it might've received a welcome jolt from an unlikely source :


The original pilot fatigue rule the FAA crafted, which requires airline pilots to have 10 hours of rest between flight duty periods and limits flight time to eight or nine hours during each work period, excluded cargo pilots.



That decision befuddled the Independent Pilots Association, which represents UPS pilots, and Rep. Chip Cravaack (R-Minn.), a former aviation union official and pilot of both cargo and passenger planes. Cravaack says there's no difference between flying a plane filled with people or boxes; therefore, there should be one aviation safety standard.

The FAA has since indicated there are errors in its cost-benefit analysis that led to excluding cargo carriers and is taking a second look. Steve Alterman, a spokesman for the Cargo Airline Association, said when the FAA crafted the cargo carve-out, all it took into account was a cost-benefit analysis finding that 'the costs so greatly outweigh the benefits by 10 or 15-to-1 that they just couldn't justify' the rule. Alterman, whose group stands behind the carve-out, expects new information from the FAA within the month. The FAA, required to offer public updates within 60 days of the review, said a second look is under way but declined further comment.

Last week, Sens. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) and Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) introduced legislation that would end what the two call a 'loophole' in pilot rest rules, a sister bill to the Safe Skies Act sponsored by Cravaack and Rep. Tim Bishop (D-N.Y.). The House bill has garnered a diverse if mostly Democratic group of more than 30 co-sponsors since its April introduction. Though it is too early to tell whether Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) will hop on board to move the legislation through committee, IPA public affairs director Brian Gaudet called the Snowe-Boxer bill a 'game changer.'


Chip Cravaack is being called extremist by the DFL because they're desparate. Chip's legislation pours cold water on the DFL's accusations.



It's impossible to take the DFL's accusations of extremism seriously when Chip's sensible rulemaking legislation is supported by Sen. Boxer, Rep. Bishop and Sen. Snowe. Sen. Boxer is as left as they get in the Senate and Sen. Snowe is the Republican senator Republicans dislike the most.

That's good work by Chip. He identified a situation that needed correcting, then proposed legislation to correct it. Now his legislation is gaining solid bipartisan support because it makes sense.

If that's the DFL's definition of extremist, then that's my definition of extremism.

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Posted Thursday, June 14, 2012 1:55 AM

Comment 1 by John von Lange at 14-Jun-12 10:22 AM
Commercial pilots, like commercial truck-bus drivers work in a job with long, very monotonous hours. Neither one of which readily lends itself to pulling over for a short nap or rest. It is a huge shame a common sense approach to safe operation of this equipment has to be legislated. But since it is, there must be a level playing field. Thank you Chip!!

Comment 2 by Jerry Kortesmaki at 14-Jun-12 11:14 AM
I am proud of the fact that the DFL calls my Congressman extremist, because he gets things done. It is extreme compared to the over 1000 days since the DFL controled senate has passed a budget. Chip just keep getting things done and we will keep supporting you....

Comment 3 by Jethro at 14-Jun-12 03:19 PM
Chip is a former airline pilot so he clearly gets it. It will be interesting to see how the new restrictive rules passed by Congress requiring 1500 hours for airline co-pilots will affect the airlines in getting pilots. Ya might be better off taking the bus.

Comment 4 by Gary Gross at 14-Jun-12 05:13 PM
Jethro, He's a former air cargo pilot.

PS- graduats from AABI-accredited programs, like SCSU, only need 800 hrs.


Jobs: The subject President Obama can't avoid


President Obama and his shrinking group of allies have tried avoiding talking about the economy and unemployment as a strategy since the campaign began. They've failed because the American people insist that the subject be front and center during this campaign.

It doesn't help that articles like this pop up in the news each week:


The number of Americans filing for first-time unemployment benefits climbed last week, indicating continued trouble for the labor market.



The Labor Department reported Thursday that 386,000 people filed new jobless claims in the week ended June 9, up 6,000 from the previous week's revised figure.

That was 11,000 more than expected. Economists surveyed by Briefing.com had forecast 375,000 people would file new claims.


If this trend continues, first-time filings will top 400,000 before the 4th of July. If that happens, President Obama's climb up Re-election Hill will get steeper by at least 5 degrees, possibly 10 degrees.



That's terrible news for this administration because they're already facing a steep uphill fight for re-election. It's also terrible news because it refutes with numerical proof that the economy is "turning the corner".

When idiots like Gene Sperling say that President Obama should take credit for reducing the unemployment rate from 9.8% to 8.2% , he's showing just how bankrupt this administration's thinking is. That rate drop has far more to do with people quitting looking for work out of frustration than it has to do with lots of jobs being created.

If President Obama wants to claim credit for imposing policies that kill jobs, that's his right. As strange as that sounds, that's essentially what he's attempting to do.

When anyone from this administration talks about "27 straight months of private sector job growth", they're admitting that the private sector job growth isn't producing sufficient revenues to pay for police officers and firefighters.

Here are some questions I'd love the White House press corps to ask:



  • Has Obamacare caused businesses to keep their capital in cash or gold?


  • Has Dodd-Frank made it more difficult for community banks to make small business loans?


  • Has the EPA's regulations made it more difficult to mine for coal or drill for oil?






The answer to each of those questions is yes. If this administration wasn't so hostile to fossil fuel production, gas prices would be substantially lower and substantially more people would be employed working oil rigs or building pipelines. In turn, tax revenues would increase and deficits would shrink dramatically. It's time to fire this flunkie and replace him with someone who, at minimum, won't screw things up like this administration has. It's time to hire someone who still believes in capitalism.

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Posted Thursday, June 14, 2012 10:04 AM

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Coalition of Child Care Providers vs. CCPT


I've written frequently about Gov. Dayton's collaboration with AFSCME in their attempt to force small businesses to join a union or make fair share payments.

This article wasn't the first article I wrote about the subject but it was the first article that attracted attention to the subject. Shortly after that, I wrote about Judge Lindman's ruling that scuttled Gov. Dayton's attempt to force unionization. This article , though, is about the federal lawsuit, which trumps all other actions.

Despite the federal lawsuit, though, child care small businesses still worry :


Despite prevailing against politically powerful unions and Minnesota's top elected official, however, they aren't taking anything for granted, other than the reality that home-based private providers remain more vulnerable than ever to the same forces and tactics.



'Governor Dayton made it clear that it is his intent to make this a legislative issue next session. The fight to remain independent is far from over,' warns a recent coalition email sent to thousands of Minnesota licensed family child care providers.


The Coalition of Child Care Providers is right to worry. CCPT isn't giving up just because a court ruled against them:



One of the unions behind the organizing drive, AFSCME Child Care Providers Together, has already signaled its intention to continue the to pursue unionization.



'Governor Dayton respects our democratic right to decide for ourselves whether or not we want a union. Every day we wait makes us one day stronger,' said Lisa Thompson of AFSCME Council 5 in a statement. 'We've already united to increase the qualilty of child care, to improve access for working parents, and to stabilize our profession. Any judge or legislator who tries to stop that is hurting the families who depend on us to keep their kids healthy, learning and safe.'


Lisa Thompson is pro-union shill who'll say anything. The things she said in this statement aren't worth the paper they're printed on.



First, Gov. Dayton doesn't respect democracy because he wanted only a handful of child care small businesses to have a vote in a matter that affects every child care small businesses. He wanted only 4,300 child care small businesses to have a vote, not 11,300.

Limiting the vote to 40% of the people affected by Gov. Dayton's executive order isn't respecting democracy. It's rigging an election .

Second, AFSCME's contribution to quality child care is negligible. It isn't verifiable, though it's nice-sounding.

Third, Thompson's statement that "Any judge or legislator who tries to stop that is hurting the families who depend on us to keep their kids healthy, learning and safe" is spin through and through. It's based on the belief that these child care small businesses can't "keep kids healthy, learning and safe" without unions helping them.

Simply put, that's BS.

The thing that these unions aren't taking into account is the fact that the Constitution, specifically the First Amendment, gives individuals the right to petition government and to pick the person or organization that they want to represent them.

That means child care small businesses alone have the right to pick a trade organization or a lobbying firm to lobby the legislature. It even gives them the right to lobby the legislature personally if they choose that option.

In this fight between the CCPT and the Coalition of Child Care Providers, I'm betting that the CCPT will lose because the Constitution isn't on their side.

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Posted Thursday, June 14, 2012 11:51 AM

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The failed policies of the past 4 years


President Obama has complained frequently about the mess that was dumped into his lap. He's frequently whined about the "failed policies of the last 8 years." It's time to take the gloves off for this fight. The statistics from the last 15 jobs reports don't paint a pretty picture:


2012:

May: 69,000

Apr.: 115,000

Mar.: 121,000

Feb.: 227,000

Jan.: 243,000

Subtotal: 775,000

June Revision: -49,000

2012 Total: 726,000





2011:

Dec.: 200,000

Nov.: 120,000

Oct.: 80,000

Sept.: 103,000

July: 117,000

June: 18,000

May: 54,000

Apr.: 244,000

Mar.: 216,000

2011 Subtotal: 1,152,000

Grand Total 3/2011-5/2012: 1,878,000


That's an average of 125,200 jobs created per month, less than what's needed to keep up with population growth. What's more, if you eliminate the isolated months where the economy created 200,000+ jobs, that per month average changes dramatically.



Only 748,000 jobs were created in the other 10 months. That's a pathetic average of less than 75,000 jobs created per month.

Is that the type of anemic job growth we expect during a recovery? Of course it isn't. Americans expect better than that.

When President Reagan argued that we stay the course, there were unmistakable signs that the recovery would be robust. For instance, 1,100,000 jobs were created in September, 1983. That job growth was tied to a robust recovery which featured several quarters of 6-8% GDP growth.

Economic growth during this administration has been pathetic. The economy only grew by 1.2% in 2011. The Q1/2012 GDP number was just revised downward to 1.7%.

Based on those figures, President Obama simply isn't credible when he says that the economy "has turned the corner." I'd believe him if he said we might be heading for another nosedive but I don't believe that we're heading in the right direction.

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Posted Thursday, June 14, 2012 10:32 PM

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RightOnline 2012: Indictment, Prosecution and Conviction


It's safe to say that last night's Tribute to Andrew Breitbart was a great event for a great man. As good as that event was, the next event was even better because it was, in many ways, a continuation of the tribute.

Sarah Palin rocked the house with her speech, which focused on the "lamestream media." She talked about the lamestream media camping out at the local diner to find out "the dirt" about Bristol Palin. She talked about how they learned that Todd Palin wasn't a registered Republican. She said that Todd "had never been a registered Socialist" in reference to President Obama.

Gov. Palin said that bloggers and others who use social media were needed because "those independent-minded bloggers have the courage to report the truth."

Gov. Palin presented the indictment against the lamestream media but it was Michelle Malkin who prosecuted the case. Ms. Malkin said that she wasn't willing to call the radical left "good people who conservatives disagree with." She said that the radical left were criminals, after which she rattled off a lengthy partial list of the disgusting behavior of the OWS crowd.

Ms. Malkin also talked about the Kimberlin scandal. She said that "Everyone in this room should have their backs", a line that drew a major round of applause.

After Gov. Palin presented the indictment and Michelle Malkin prosecuted the case, Occupy Unmasked delivered the conviction against the radical left. Occupy Unmasked is a Citizens United production. Stephen Bannon directed the documentary.

First, Occupy Unmasked is a stinging closing argument against the radical left and their protectors. People like Dylan Ratigan, then of CNBC, and Tasha Lennard, still of the NYTimes, did their best to populate Zucotti Park and activate the radicalism of the OWS criminals.

Footage of the criminals assaulting the police and committing acts of vandalism was incredibly powerful. Ties to major labor unions, aka the Teamsters and the SEIU, exposed the OWS 'movement' as being the biggest astroturf effort in the radical left's history since the anti-war movement of the 60's and 70's.

Notice that I didn't call these thugs protesters. The rapists, the murderers, the vandals and the people that created the disgusting public health hazards aren't protesters. They're convicted criminals or are awaiting trial. It's ironic that some of the thugs awaiting trial are trust fund babies, future members of the 1%.

With the amount of footage created by citizen journalists of the crimes, there isn't any doubt that the people awaiting trial will be convicted. Strong eyewitness testimony will seal these criminals' fate.

The courts have convicted the OWS thugs. The lamestream media, President Obama and Nancy Pelosi would have the people believe that these criminals are people frustrated with current economic conditions. They'd have us believe that the OWS movement isn't what it is: an attempt by the radical left to bring down the capitalist system and to throw the Constitution out.

I strongly recommend everyone who wants to know the truth and the details about the OWS movement should get a copy of David Bossie's and Stephen Bannon's documentary. Follow this link to preorder Occupy Unmasked. You'll be glad you did.

Last night's events and speeches were a stunning indictment, prosecution and conviction of the radical left.

It's the type of tribute to Andrew Breitbart that he would've loved.

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Originally posted Saturday, June 16, 2012, revised 24-Jun 5:49 PM

Comment 1 by eric z. at 20-Jun-12 10:25 AM
Breitbart and Brodkorb were cut from the same bolt of cloth.


Gov. Dayton refuses to release contract data


It's been 2 weeks since an agreement was announced between public employee unions like MAPE and AFSCME and the Dayton administration . Mike Parry, the chairman of the Subcommittee on Employee Relations, still hasn't seen the contracts. Yesterday, Chairman Parry issued this statement:


PARRY CALLS ON DAYTON TO RELEASE LABOR CONTRACTS



Waseca- According to an announcement on Thursday, May 31st from AFSCME Council 5 (AFL-CIO), AFSCME and MAPE reached a 'tentative deal on a two-year collective bargaining agreement with the State of Minnesota.'

The announcement came after nearly 11 months of stalled negotiations between the Dayton administration and labor unions. As a result, state employees have been working under expired contracts, receiving automatic, unnegotiated salary increases.

Subcommittee on Employee Relations Chairman Mike Parry (R-Waseca) sent a letter on Friday, June 1st requesting a copy of the contract to the Minnesota Management and Budget Department (MMB). The letter was another attempt by Senator Parry and members of the subcommittee to obtain information about the progress of collective bargaining activities with state employees, as afforded the subcommittee by Minnesota statute 3.855.

Friday, more than two weeks after the deal was announced, Subcommittee on Employee Relations members have yet to receive a copy of the contract from MMB.

'It's been more than two weeks since I requested a copy of the contract from Governor Dayton's administration. MMB Commissioner Schowalter assured me that I would receive the information midweek this week but so far, nothing. What are Governor Dayton and his union buddies trying to hide in the contracts?

Given the Dayton Administration's refusal to substantively participate in past meetings and the drawn out, 11 month negotiation process, it was not surprising that they are stalling and delaying the release of the agreed contract with subcommittee members,' said Senator Parry. 'Minnesota deserves transparency and accountability, but the Dayton Administration continues to keep the public in the dark, siding with big union interests instead of Minnesota taxpayers.'


It's time for Gov. Dayton to release the contracts so the Subcommittee on Employee Relations can fulfill its oversight responsibilities.



As I wrote earlier, it's been announced that Gov. Dayton caved on most of the unions' major demands. If Gov. Dayton doesn't get this information to Chairman Parry's subcommittee, they can't complete their oversight responsibilities.

If Gov. Dayton doesn't release the contracts, Parry's subcommittee won't have a choice but to reject it. They certainly can't give a contract its blessing without first finding out what's in it. If Gov. Dayton doesn't give the committee the information, they should reject it without hesitation.

I suspect that that's Gov. Dayton motive. I'd bet that ABM, AFSCME, MAPE and other PEU's want so they can rail about the GOP's war against working families. I'd bet the proverbial ranch that Denise Cardinal and Carrie Lucking are chomping at the bit for the time they can start that meme.

Frankly, I triple-dog dare them. The conservative blogosphere will eviscerate them if they try telling those tall tales. It isn't that we have a huge readership. It isn't that we'll have a Alida Messinger-sized advertising budget.

It's that the DFL will have to repeat that again and again and again, only to have the conservative blogosphere destroy their meme with a week's worth of truthtelling.

It's time for Gov. Dayton to turn the contracts over to the subcommittee. If he doesn't, then that's proof that Gov. Dayton would rather have the political issue than do what's right.

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Posted Monday, June 18, 2012 1:12 AM

Comment 1 by Bob J. at 18-Jun-12 10:44 AM
"They certainly can't give a contract its blessing without first finding out what's in it."

Aw, c'mon, Gary! That's how we pass health care legislation in this country!

In seriousness, the contracts need to be produced immediately, as they are the product of an absolutely legitimate oversight request. Good catch.

Comment 2 by walter hanson at 18-Jun-12 04:28 PM
Gary:

Silly question has the union voted on the contract. Usually depending on notification procedures to have an official vote could take a week or two. Dayton could be holding it up out of courtsey so the union could vote on it and if approved then the state gets to vote on it.

Of course if it has been voted on then there is no excuse at all not to show it to anyone in the legislature that wants to see it!

Walter Hanson

Minneapolis, MN

Comment 3 by Gary Gross at 19-Jun-12 09:41 AM
Walter, there's a deadline for the legislature, too. By law, they have to take action on it in 30 days. If the legislature doesn't take action, it automatically goes into effect. That's state law.

Going through a complex contract takes time. In other words, there isn't time for courtesy on this.

Comment 4 by walter hanson at 19-Jun-12 02:10 PM
Gary:

The ratification I was talking about was the union. Because if the union approves it then the legislature has to approve it. If the union doesn't then it's a moot point.

Of course won't the 30 days kick in only once the legislature is in official session. It seems like in the past the contract gets approved during the summer and then the legislature has acted in the past when they are in session.

Walter Hanson

Minneapolis, MN

Comment 5 by Gary Gross at 19-Jun-12 02:48 PM
Actually, the legislature isn't under any obligation to approve it under any circumstances. That's the check to the governor's balance.


RightOnline2012: Speaking beyond the choir


The great part about RightOnline is that there's a terrific set of options going on seemingly simultaneously. This morning, I attended a breakout session titled titled Preaching Beyond the Choir: Growing the Ranks in the Free Market Movement.

Prior to the first presentation, I struck up a conversation with Geraldine Lewis of News Nation Brewing . We agreed that it's impossible to show up 3 months before an election, ask somebody to vote for your candidate, then expect that group to vote for your candidate.

We agreed that what's needed is a consistent presence with the groups you hope to connect with.

The first presenter was Anita MonCrief, formerly of ACORN. She talked about how she simply went through her neighborhood, talking with people. The people simply told her what was important to them. That led Ms. MonCrief to this conclusion: "If we want to take America back, it has to be block-by-block." She said that "people won't trust us at first." That led to Ms. MonCrief's next major point

Ms. MonCrief's next major point was that it's an ongoing effort. Staying with the project is important because it's what tells people that you're with them through thick and thin. That's how people learn that you're trustworthy.

Teri Christoph was the next presenter. She focused mostly on reaching out to women, a group that Republicans haven't done well with. She said that it's her experience that it's best to have women talk with women. She said that conservative-leaning women have children so they can't do some of the activist things but they can get on social media.

Christoph then said that "Over the last 8 months, 800,000 women left the workforce", which is why the economy is the message that will resonate with women.

Another major point Ms. Christoph made is that "Anything that shrinks a family's options" is a great conversation-starter with women.

The final presenter was Mike Barerra. Here's his first major point:

Democrats want to talk to us. Republicans want to talk about us. We're just looking for someone who will talk with us.

Mr. Bererra's other major point was a reminder of something that Ms. Christoph and Ms. MonCrief said: that staying in contact with people is the key to building relationships. That, Mr. Bererra said, is how you earn people's trust. That, in turn, is how to win elections.

Looking around the room, it's apparent that the free market message is expanding into places where it's never been. The biggest demographic group represented were African-American women, followed by Hispanic men, then women in general, followed finally by young white men and women.

That's proof that the free market message is outselling the Democrats' doom and gloom, the-sky-is-falling message and that it isn't even close.

Demographics aren't destiny. Appealing to people with great ideas will persuade people. This morning's meeting was quiet. Like a powerful jackhammer is silent when it isn't in the street in front of your house.

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Posted Saturday, June 16, 2012 4:07 PM

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