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by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Liberty -vs- Tyranny

As a supporter of equal rights the decision by a New York Appeals court striking down DOMA, the second court in the nation to do so, is welcome news. Especially satisfying is that Dennis Jacobs, a conservative judge in New York wrote the following; "Homosexuals are not in a position to adequately protect themselves from the discriminatory wishes of the majoritarian public." Judge Jacobs statement, in a nutshell defines one of the greatest dangers inherent in a true democracy, something progressives advocate regularly. Rule by the majority can, and often does, create a sort of tyranny for the minority. Such is the case with DOMA.

New York (CNN) - A federal appeals court in New York became the nation's second to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act, finding that the Clinton-era law's denial of federal benefits to married same-sex couples is unconstitutional.

The divisive act, which was passed in 1996, bars federal recognition of such marriages and says other states cannot be forced to recognize them.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals determined Thursday that the federal law violates the Constitution's equal protection clause, ruling in favor of a widow named Edith Windsor, an 82-year-old lesbian who sued the federal government for charging her more than $363,000 in estate taxes after being denied the benefit of spousal deductions.

"What I'm feeling is elated," said Windsor. "Did I ever think it could come to be, altogether? ... Not a chance in hell."

The case centered on the money Windsor wanted back, but raised the more looming question of whether the federal government can continue to ignore a state's recognition of her marriage and financially penalize her as a result.

"Homosexuals are not in a position to adequately protect themselves from the discriminatory wishes of the majoritarian public," wrote Dennis Jacobs, a conservative judge in New York.

A federal appeals court in Boston made a similar ruling in May, but the moves are considered largely symbolic as the issue is expected to eventually be taken up by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Man tells senators: Defense of Marriage Act cost me my home

"This court has a limited jurisdiction," CNN legal analyst Paul Callan said. "But this is a very favorable decision for those who believe that the Defense of Marriage (Act) unconstitutionally discriminates against same-sex couples."

Those who back striking down the law "believe this decision will give them a very strong position arguing before the U.S. Supreme Court in the future," he said.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo also weighed in on the three-judge-panel's decision, saying it "provides further momentum for national progress on this important civil rights issue." {Read More}

Seeing the courts uphold the principle of individual civil rights over that of majoritarian rights is indeed a very good thing for for us all.

Via: Memeorandum

by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Liberty -vs- Tyranny

Chris Matthews once again proving his grasp of the Constitution is limited. Of course we all know he has become a great one for "winging it" of late. However, this recent commentary (opinion) from Mr. Matthew is over the top vintage progressivism on display.

Washington Examiner - On MSNBC’s “Hardball” Wednesday evening, Chris Matthews discussed the theatrics of the presidential debate with James Lipton, longtime host of “Inside the Actor’s Studio.” Lipton offered some unremarkable observations — he called Mitt Romney “the boss who tells lame jokes and waits for everybody to laugh or else” — but what made the segment remarkable was Matthews’ reaction to a portion of the debate in which Romney in essence silenced President Obama, telling him he would have a chance to speak later.

Matthews played a video clip of the exchange, in which Romney accused Obama of cutting the number of oil and gas permits awarded on federal lands:

ROMNEY: How much did you cut them by?

OBAMA: I’m happy to answer the question.

ROMNEY: All right. And it is — I don’t think anyone really believes that you’re a person who’s going to be pushing for oil and gas and coal. [Gestures.] You’ll get your chance in a moment. I’m still speaking.

OBAMA: Well –

ROMNEY: And the answer is I don’t believe people think that`s the case because –

ROMNEY: — that wasn’t the question.

OBAMA: OK.

ROMNEY: That was a statement.

After the clip ended, Matthews seemed appalled. “I don’t think [Romney] understands the Constitution of the United States,” Matthews said. “He’s the president of the United States. You don’t say, ‘You’ll get your chance.’” {Read More}

Yes indeed Chris. I'm quite sure there are many dictatorial leaders who would find themselves in agreement with you.

Via: Memeorandum

questioning

I've been in need of a new bedside table. The one I used in my bedroom reveal was on loan from my daughters' playroom. Turns out, they didn't think it was as wonderful next to my bed as I did. So back downstairs it went and the hunt was on.

At least though I knew what to look for because that table taught me I need more space. I don't know about you, but I keep a lot of crap important stuff by my bed and as dreamy (ha, no pun intended) as cleaning off my night stand on a regular basis sounds, it's not happening. 

So more storage was needed. But also, I wanted something different. Something certainly different than anything I had. Nothing that screamed 'hello, I'm a bed side table. Won't you lie down?'

A tall order but nothing I can't find after a little digging. And right around my birthday, this table was found at a local shop, by the same name actually - found. Happy Birthday to me! It had plenty of storage and an industrial/vintage feel. This sucker can take a beating. Not that I'm particularly abusive with my furniture, but you know.

Getting this table for my birthday ment I've had it since July. So why haven't I posted about it until now? Because I wanted to live with it for a while. See how I liked it and get a feel for what I would want to do to it, if anything. I was waiting for my table to talk to me.

And now that I've lived with it I'm thinking I want to fresh it up just a bit. Specifically its color.

Ever since I picked up this orange greek key tray in Florida, I'm thinking orange might be the way to go. Pretty surprising I know since we all know my fears about orange. I must be growing. Or drunk.


So, what say you? Know of any good orange spray paint colors? I've got to have spray paint - can you imagine brushing this sucker? Any other color ideas?

by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Liberty -vs - Tyranny

Guess Who the Arrogant One Is...

Tuesday night's debate between the two presidential candidates was, beyond doubt, a better night. Particular for Obama. There was no question but what he at least had hot blood cursing through his arteries and veins.

Whether it is coincidental or not is of course subjective, but the numbers clearly show a tilt in response time favoring the democratic candidate.

National Review - If you want more time to get your message out in debates, it’s good to be a Democrat.

According to the CNN debate clock, President Obama spoke at greater length than Mitt Romney during both debates, as did Vice President Biden during his debate with Paul Ryan. In the first debate, Obama spoke for 3 minutes, 14 seconds more than Romney — which means he got 8 percent more talking time than Romney. In last night’s debate, Obama spoke for 4 minutes and 18 seconds longer than Romney, giving him 11 percent more talking time. Obama talked for 52 percent of the time when either man had the floor, while Romney talked for 47 percent.

During the vice presidential debate, the gap wasn’t as wide: Biden spoke for 1 minute, 22 seconds more than Ryan. Still, that gave Biden 3 percent more speaking time than Ryan.

Combine the above statistical data with the fact that candidate Romney gets interrupted a bunch more than the President one has has to question just why that is. Yes?

Via: Memeorandum

Here is another post that is related to my project I made with Poshlocket.com. Today you will see this sparkly Renzo Chain Necklace, that I chose from their online shop, styled with a brown chunky cardigan, orange trousers, my new hat and a needlepoint vintage bag. I created a "Fall combination " once again, with bright and earthy pieces, against this metallic sparkle necklace. This look totally works for me !


                                                                          Necklace: thanks to Poshlocket.com/ Here
                                                                          Cardigan : Liz Claiborne/ another great one Here
                                                                          Trousers: Zara/similar design/ Here and Here
                                                                          Bag: vintage
                                                                          Hells: Nine West/ similar design Here
                                                                          Sunglasses: Chloe
                                                                          Hat: from Marshalls/ similar Here 

I'm 'out of the office today' helping out my friend Tiffany while she moves into her fab new house. I'm talking about my 5 favorites of fall, and I'll give you a hint - they are good.

by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Liberty  -vs - Tyranny

Like a loyal political soldier Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton steps up and accepts full responsibility for the lax security in Benghazi that cost Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans their lives.

CBS News - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sought to take responsibility for the attacks on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, on Sept. 11 in a series of interviews on Monday.

"I take responsibility" for what happened on September 11, Clinton told CNN Monday after arriving in Lima, Peru, for a visit. The series of interviews with U.S. television networks were Clinton's most direct comments on the deadly attack, which killed U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans.

Clinton insisted President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden are not involved in security decisions.

"I want to avoid some kind of political gotcha," she told CNN." {Read More}

Credit to the Secretary of State for shouldering the responsibility for the lax security and resultant loss of life. I'm sure the President will now sleep easier at night.

Via: Memeorabdum

Happy Tuesday everyone! To make this day more joyful I have a new GIVEAWAY: $50 gift card to spend on Tellstyle.com. You are going to find a great selection on their online shop! To enter follow the requests:

                                        - Follow Bittersweet Colours with Google Friend Connect OR Facebook Page (here)
                                        - Follow Tellstyle on Facebook (here), Twitter(here), Pinterest (here)
                                        - Leave a comment under this post with your name and your email address.

                                                                           Unfortunately this giveaway is open U.S only.
                                                                                      Last day to enter is October 22.
                                                                                             Good luck to all of you

by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Liberty -vs- Tyranny

Could it be possible? Female support for Romney in the all critical Swing States maybe holding the keys to a Romney win? Another strong debate performance could tip the scales further for Romney. As the race goes down the stretch it's now a sure bet the Obama Team is biting their fingernails. Or knuckles...

Source: USA TODAY/Gallup Poll of Swing States taken Oct. 5-11 in Colo., Fla., Iowa, Mich., Nev., N.H., N.M., N.C., Ohio, Pa., Va. and Wis. Margins of error: +/- 4 to 6 percentage points. Nationwide head-to-head matchup based on Gallup daily tracking poll of registered voters Oct. 10-11. Margin of error: +/- 4 points.Kevin A. Kepple and Susan Page, USA TODAY

USA Today — Mitt Romney leads President Obama by five percentage points among likely voters in the nation's top battlegrounds, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds, and he has growing enthusiasm among women to thank.

As the presidential campaign heads into its final weeks, the survey of voters in 12 crucial swing states finds female voters much more engaged in the election and increasingly concerned about the deficit and debt issues that favor Romney. The Republican nominee now ties the president among women who are likely voters, 48%-48%, while he leads by 12 points among men.

The battle for women, which was apparent in the speakers spotlighted at both political conventions this summer, is likely to help define messages the candidates deliver at the presidential debate Tuesday night and in the TV ads they air during the final 21 days of the campaign. As a group, women tend to start paying attention to election contests later and remain more open to persuasion by the candidates and their ads.

That makes women, especially blue-collar "waitress moms" whose families have been hard-hit by the nation's economic woes, the quintessential swing voters in 2012's close race.

"In every poll, we've seen a major surge among women in favorability for Romney" since his strong performance in the first debate, veteran Democratic pollster Celinda Lake says. "Women went into the debate actively disliking Romney, and they came out thinking he might understand their lives and might be able to get something done for them."

While Lake believes Obama retains an edge among women voters, the changed views of Romney could be "a precursor to movement" to the Republican candidate, she says. "It opens them up to take a second look, and that's the danger for Obama."

Female voters are a critical part of the president's coalition. Four years ago, he led Republican rival John McCain by a single point among men, according to surveys of voters as they left polling places. The decisive Democratic margin of victory came from women, who supported Obama by 13 points.

Now, the USA TODAY/Gallup Poll shows Romney leading Obama 51%-46% among likely voters in the swing states. Men who are likely voters back him 54%-42%. The states are Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin.

Romney pollster Neil Newhouse says the poll shows "encouraging movement" in the wake of the first debate in Denver. Obama pollster Joel Benenson calls the method used to identify likely voters flawed.

"In the last election, Gallup's registered voter model — not its likely voter model — was a much more accurate predictor, with their likely model missing the mark in 2010 by 9 points right before the election," Benenson says. "That explains why Gallup's results are way out of line with a dozen recent swing state polls that show the president with a double-digit lead among women."

Among all registered voters in the survey, Obama leads by nine points among women and by two points overall, 49%-47%.

The poll of 1,023 registered voters, including 869 likely voters, was taken Oct. 5-11 — just after the first presidential debate and before the second one in Hempstead, N.Y. It is the 10th in USA TODAY's series of surveys in the swing states that, in the Electoral College system, are likely to determine the outcome. For the first time, with Election Day looming, the poll includes a screen to identify likely voters.

Romney's improved standing among female voters is "likely to cause major consternation among Obama supporters," says Richard Eichenberg, a Tufts University political scientist who is studying gender differences in state-level polling with Elizabeth Robinson. "If Mr. Romney has tied President Obama among women in swing states, then he has likely taken a step toward winning the election.

"But a word of caution is necessary," Eichenberg adds. "Although swing states share many similarities, President Obama's support among women is holding up well in some of them and less well in others. For example, his support among women is largely unchanged since the first debate in Ohio and Wisconsin, but it is definitely down in Colorado, Virginia and Florida." {Read More}

As it gets closer it gets more interesting.

Via: Memeorandum

I'm currently working on a little experiment in the dining room. As much as I love that big chunky sisal rug, it is a pain in my arse. It is not very easy to clean when little ones drop their food and it sheds like a...something that sheds a lot. It's like having another dog in the house.

So after cursing at it and complaining about it, I had the hubs help me to roll it up and take it out. Just to see how it felt.


And so far I'm loving it. It's like cutting off all your hair, or a long hot shower after a camping trip. I feel lighter, and my vacuum is happy for a rest.

I was a bit perplexed about a room without a rug but the more I see it around, the more I like it.

Home of Tanja Vibe via Pinterest

Anna Spiro

Bailey McCarthy

Nate Berkus via Pinterest

Elle Decor via Pinterest

A new bag landed at my door step last week :) I will say just that: Bogdan knows how to surprise me and he also knows my love for Phillip Lim designs, especially for the bags...
I'm ready to wear this red beauty and you will see it soon on a post here on my blog and for sure a sneak peak on Instagram( here)


                                                       

Back to my grey skinny jeans, and this is only because I wanted to wear them in combination with this excellent and comfy knitwear that I received from Tellstyle.com. Probably some of you already saw a photo of the wonderful rapped box on Instagram. How great is this sweater shaped as a sweatshirt?  My answer will be : a perfect mix! and if you want to see more great pieces, visit Tellstyle.com HERE.
As you can see, I wore my DIY necklace again, as it matchesd perfectly the texture of the sweater  and it gave this monochrome outfit an extra splash of colors. Because the look wasn't colorful enough for me, I added more colors with these Zara shoes and this blazer ( a pop of yellow). After that, I could say there were  enough colors in my outfit . What do you think ?


                                                                      Sweater: thanks to Tellstyle.com/ Here
                                                                      Bag: Costume National / another favorite of mine Here
                                                                      Jeans: Mango/ similar Here
                                                                      Heels : Zara/ another excellent pair Here
                                                                      Necklace: DIY, made by Bogdan and I
                                                                      Blazer: vintage

by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Liberty -vs- Tyranny

Journey Into A Dream

Last Sail

Today is a day I have chosen to take a break from political blogging. Politics can be ugly. Too much time spent in the the battle over political ethics, philosophy, and the general sad state of our nation can, and all to often does color ones view of life and the things that add deeper meaning and beauty to our daily existence.

The pictures displayed above have special meaning for me. They are just two examples of the artistry and talent of someone I am very proud of. The young women who drew the pictures has been developing her talent and ability for some time. Watching her grow in scope and depth over the past few years has been, to say the least very rewarding.

There isn't a lot I can do for this aspiring young artistic talent, except to give her just a little more exposure by posting examples of her work here on the pages of Rational Nation USA. For those who find beauty in the two works posted here please visit Art by Lindsay Carpenter where there are many examples of her artistry. For those who may wish to purchase any of her work you can obtain further information off of her website.

Introducing My Beautiful and Talented Daughter... Lindsay Carpenter

Lindsay Carpenter

Not only can the women draw, paint, and do fantastic photography, she can write extremely well also. I've been trying to get her to write columns for Rational Nation for a couple of years. Guess she is just too busy with her art. That and being smart enough not to get drawn into the game of politics. Sometimes the kids are smarter and wiser than their parents.

Love ya Squirt... I am very proud of the women you have become.

by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Liberty -vs- Tyranny

Nate Silver, the guy who has a rather remarkable record of accuracy in predicting outcomes is now saying Romney's gain in the polls following the first debate is showing signs of staying power. Good news for the Romney campaign and his supporters and reason to cause alarm in the Obama campaign and among his progressives supporters.

The New York Times - Mitt Romney continues to surge in the FiveThirtyEight forecast, and Friday may have featured his best set of polls all year.

The best way to track a change in the polls is to look for instances in which the same firm has surveyed the same state (or the national race) multiple times. The FiveThirtyEight forecast model relies on a procedure very much like this to calculate the overall trend in the race.

Fifteen polls were released on Friday that provided a comparison with another survey conducted between the Democratic convention and last week’s debate in Denver. Mr. Romney gained an average of 4.6 percentage points in these surveys.

That is actually a bit larger than we were showing earlier in the week, when the same exercise put Mr. Romney’s postdebate bounce more in the range of three or four percentage points.

It is not clear whether Mr. Romney is still gaining ground — or whether he benefited from a couple of outlying results. The median change in the polls, which will be less sensitive to potential outliers, was a three-point gain for Mr. Romney, more like earlier in the week.

But unlike earlier, Mr. Romney is now seeing some of his best results in swing state polls. Six of the seven polls published on Friday from such states had him ahead.

Thus, just as the hypothesis of a fading Romney bounce was damaged on Friday, so was the idea (which we critiqued in an earlier post) that his gains would be more modest in the swing states. {Continue Reading For More Analysis}

In his article on October 11th Nate Silver pointed out the President's "swing state firewall" is showing signs of thinning, or becoming "brittle."

At this point in time the momentum is shifting and headed in Romney's direction. It is going to be critical for Romney to repeat his successful first debate performance against the President (two more times) for him to have a shot at winning the election.

Accomplishing the task of defeating Obama in both of the remaining debates won't be easy...


Via: Memeorandum

by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Liberty -vs- Tyranny

A very big h/t to the Left Coast Rebel. An excellent find!



Thomas Peterffy's personal story via. Youtube...

Thomas Peterffy grew up in socialist Hungary. Despite the fact that he could not speak English when he immigrated to the United States in 1956, Thomas fulfilled the American dream. With hard work and dedication, he started a business that today employs thousands of people. In the 1970s, Thomas bought a seat on the American Stock Exchange. He played a key role in developing the electronic trading of securities and is the founder of Interactive Brokers, an online discount brokerage firm with offices all over the world.

The journey towards socialism can be a slow one. A journey on which our country has been drifting (or sliding) for many years, albeit more in the fascist variant than Marxism. This immigrant from Hungary, a socialist state under the iron fist of the USSR knows first hand what evils can, and often do accompany any of the variants of socialism. A condition of existence in which the individual, and individual initiative is subordinate to the state.

Sound eerily familiar? Just a slight bit? If so do your part to spread the word. If not perhaps you might want to study up some.

Take a trip to CNN for commentary and comments. Indications are this nation is well on its way to the bottom of the slope.

by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Liberty -vs- Tyranny

Associated Press/Pool

After last night's Vice Presidential debate, if one can really call it a debate, we have little more information on Romney/Ryan specific policy positions than we had before the debate.

We learned that Smirking Laughing Distracting Gaffe Man Biden can be an effective disruptor. Whether this will play well with independents and those preferring a more serious tone remains to be seen.

At the end of the day the reasonable bet is that the debate won't change the dynamics of the race at all. So, on to the next two Presidential debates where hopefully the rubber finally meets the road. I won't be holding my breath.

WSJ - So now we know what Team Obama's comeback plan was following last week's defeat in the Presidential debate. Unleash Joe Biden to interrupt, filibuster, snarl, smirk and otherwise show contempt for Paul Ryan. The carnival act contributed to the least illuminating presidential or vice presidential debate of our lifetimes.

From the opening bell, Mr. Biden seemed to take to heart the interpretation that President Obama offered this week of his debate performance—that he had been "too polite." That was not a problem for the Veep, whose marching orders were clearly to steamroll the overmatched moderator Martha Raddatz and dismiss everything Mr. Ryan said with a condescending sneer.

By unofficial media counts, Mr. Biden interrupted the Republican some 80 to 100 times. Mr. Ryan let the bully get away with too much for our tastes, at least until he finally pushed back on the interruptions or until Mr. Biden lost steam in the last half hour. But as anyone who's been in a tavern past midnight understands, it's hard to win a fight with a guy who is shouting from the corner bar stool.

No doubt the performance cheered Democrats who needed cheering after last week, but we wonder how well it played with independents or undecided voters who tuned in to learn something.

To the extent that substance mattered, and it didn't count for much, Mr. Biden had his strongest notes on foreign policy. He too glibly rolled past the murders of four Americans at the Benghazi consulate a month ago, attributing the Administration's false early explanations to "the intelligence community." We doubt that's what the investigation will ultimately show. But on Afghanistan, Syria and to a lesser extent Iran, Mr. Biden was more sure-footed than Mr. Ryan. On Syria in particular, Mr. Ryan never said what a Romney Administration would do differently.

Mr. Ryan was stronger on domestic issues, calmly laying out the facts of Mitt Romney's proposals on taxes, Medicare and job creation. Even here, though, the debate devolved into an exchange between Mr. Ryan's policy details and Mr. Biden's free-association appeals to emotion and class solidarity—"Who do you trust on this?" {Read More}

Via: Memeorandum