Just about sums it up- Thank you former President Carter:

John Campbell, GOP Congressman, Retiring After Current Term

Rep. John Campbell (R-Calif.) announced Thursday that he will retire at the end of his current term.

"At the end of this term, I will have spent 14 years serving in full-time, elected politics." Campbell said in a statement. "I am not nor did I ever intend to be a career politician. I am ready to begin a new chapter in my life."

Campbell, who represents California's 45th District, first made his announcement on the Hugh Hewitt radio show.

The Republican was first elected to represent his conservative-leaning Orange County district in a 2005 special election. Prior to his congressional career, Campbell was an executive at several Orange County car dealerships.

More at link:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/27/john-campbell-retiring_n_3513070.html

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I don't know about his district, but even if it's solidly red, it still bodes well, I would think, that a 14-year veteran is retiring. ??

Paul LePage May Not Seek Second Term As Maine Governor

Source: Huffington Post

Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R) announced on Wednesday that he may not seek a second term in office.

According to the Maine Sun Journal, LePage was "clearly frustrated" over the legislature's override of his budget bill veto, and told reporters in Augusta that he was uncertain about his political future.

"I am going to be meeting with my family at some point and we are going to be talking it over," LePage said. "Quite frankly, I don't know how you recover from this. I really don't know how you recover from a tax increase. This is a giant obstacle. It's like having a giant hole in the bottom of your ship and you are trying to get across the pond."

"I don't have any more priorities," he added. "We put it all in the budget and got defeated."

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/27/paul-lepage-second-term_n_3510465.html

Do you suppose sales at Lifelock will plunge now that we know it's all safely in storage at NSA? ng

Natural gas found in drinking water near fracked wells

By John Roach, Contributing Writer, NBC News

Elevated levels of methane and other stray gases have been found in drinking water near natural gas wells in Pennsylvania's gas-rich Marcellus shale region, according to new research. In the case of methane, concentrations were six times higher in some drinking water found within one kilometer of drilling operations.

"The bottom line is strong evidence for gas leaking into drinking water in some cases," Robert Jackson, an environmental scientist at Duke University in Durham, N.C., told NBC News. "We think the likeliest explanation is leaky wells," he added.

Producing natural gas from shale rock formations involves a technique called hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, that shoots several million gallons of water laced with chemicals and sand deep underground to break apart chunks of shale, freeing trapped gas to escape through cracks and fissures into wells.

http://science.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/06/24/19117694-natural-gas-found-in-drinking-water-near-fracked-wells?lite

(more at link)

Streets closed as bomb squad called to federal building in Indianapolis

Source: WTHR

Streets closed as bomb squad called to federal building in Indianapolis

Updated: Jun 24, 2013 2:36 PM EDT



INDIANAPOLIS -
A bomb squad is checking out a suspicious bag found at or near the federal building in downtown Indianapolis.

It's happening at the building in the 500 block of Pennsylvania Street. Employees are being evacuated.

Indianapolis Metro Police officers are blocking off nearby streets as they investigate.

WTHR is working to get a list of those street closures, and this story will be updated shortly. Refresh this page to see the latest updates.
(more at link)

Read more: http://www.wthr.com/story/22672025/2013/06/24/streets-closed-as-bomb-squad-called-to-federal-building-in-indianapolis

So, corporate journalists aside, are what are some real, independent places for news?

Not too many, I am sure. I am interested in news, not propaganda, not spin, not media hyped stories to deflect from the real ones.

I guess I will stick to GD from here on out. It is virtually impossible to get a current news

thread posted in LBN. With my MS, it takes me much longer to post than it does others, and inevitablly by the time I go through all the machinations of doing so, someone else has posted and I get flagged for duplicate. Shame, I would like to participate, too, but alas it just wasn't meant to be. Just know that I am LBN in spirit, if not deed. I think DU should just appoint people to post LBN, and lock it off from those who aren't appointed. That way, no one wastes time. It's not the reminders that bother me, it's the manner in which people descend on my posts like vultures. So tired. So medicated. So bummed about it all. Again, remember I am there in spirit. Peace.

Chris Kluwe: Here’s what’s wrong with Ayn Rand, libertarians

A world full of Ayn Rands would be a terrifyingly selfish place, writes the outspoken NFL star in his new book
BY CHRIS KLUWE


So I forced myself to read “Atlas Shrugged.” Apparently I harbor masochistic tendencies; it was a long, hard slog, and by the end I felt as if Ayn Rand had violently beaten me about the head and shoulders with words. I feel I would be doing all of you a disservice (especially those who think Rand is really super-duper awesome) if I didn’t share some thoughts on this weighty tome.

Who is John Galt?

John Galt (as written in said novel) is a deeply flawed, sociopathic ideal of the perfect human. John Galt does not recognize the societal structure surrounding him that allows him to exist. John Galt, to be frank, is a turd.

http://www.salon.com/2013/06/23/chris_kluwe_heres_whats_wrong_with_ayn_rand_libertarians/

(more at link)

Why shouldn’t David Gregory be charged with a crime? (Salon)

Why shouldn’t David Gregory be charged with a crime?

The NBC host thinks Glenn Greenwald may be a criminal. Here are 10 items to ponder about this gross double standard

(snip)

10. And finally, perhaps the most damning question of all: Why are so many media outlets far more interested in the minute details of Edward Snowden’s life and location than in the potential crimes against millions of Americans that he exposed?

http://www.salon.com/2013/06/24/why_shouldnt_david_gregory_be_charged_with_a_crime/

(more at link)