GerryBlog Feature:

THE ART ARCADE - Now Featuring: "SUMMER TRUE COLORS"
With "Take A Summer Garden Moment"

THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - "Take Your Country Back"

Telling It Like It Is:

New jobless claims rise in sign of weak job market
WASHINGTON — Initial claims for unemployment benefits rose last week for the second time in three weeks. As jobless claims grow and benefits shrink, Americans have less money to spend and the economy can't grow fast enough to create new jobs. "We find the level and direction in jobless claims somewhat troubling and the increase is likely to feed double-dip fears," said John Ryding, an economist at RDQ Economics in a note to clients.

Former Justice Department Lawyer Accuses Holder of Dropping New Black Panther Case for Racial Reasons
A former Justice Department attorney who quit his job to protest the Obama administration's handling of the New Black Panther Party voter intimidation case is accusing Attorney General Eric Holder of dropping the charges for racially motivated reasons.

The Rasmussen Poll Reports on Obama Drop in Approval and Deficit Concern
The Presidential Tracking Poll for Thursday shows that 26% of the nation's voters Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as president. Forty-five percent (45%) Strongly Disapprove, giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of -19. Eighty-two percent (82%) say it’s important to cut the federal deficit in half by 2013 but just 23% think that’s even somewhat likely to happen.

Supreme Court Decision Damages Constitutional Rights of Religious Organizations
ACLJ - In a 5-4 decision, the high court upheld a California law school’s denial of official recognition of a Christian student group. The Christian group refused to agree to let non-Christians to become voting members or leaders. The ACLJ filed an amicus brief with the high court in the case of Christian Legal Society v. Martinez representing numerous Christian campus organizations.

G20 summit agrees on deficit cuts by 2013
The G20 leaders agreed to cut budget deficits Leaders at the G20 summit in Canada have agreed to cut national budget deficits without stunting economic growth.

Supreme Court Upholds 2nd Amendment-Right to Bear Arms.
The Supreme Court ruled on Monday that the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution protects the right of all Americans to bear arms in a five to four vote.

Obama is rebuffed at summit in Canada by leaders who want to reduce deficits first
HUNTSVILLE, Ontario - Obama made little headway in his call for more stimulus to keep the world economy growing. Instead, he ran into strong opposition from countries wanting to put deficit reduction first.

Wall Street Journal Poll - Confidence Waning in Obama, U.S. Outlook
Americans are more pessimistic about the state of the country and less confident in President Barack Obama's leadership than at any point since Mr. Obama entered the White House, according to a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll. Sixty-two percent of adults in the survey feel the country is on the wrong track, the highest level since before the 2008 election. Just one-third think the economy will get better over the next year, a 7-point drop from a month ago and the low point of Mr. Obama's tenure.

"You Can't Fire Me, I'm Outta Here."
Gen. Stanley McChrystal resigns, Obama nominates Gen. David H. Petraeus to lead the war in Afghanistan. The friction between the military leadership and the Obama administration began almost immediately after the president took the office last year and has grown as the situation in Afghanistan has deteriorated.

Judge blocks Gulf offshore drilling moratorium
NEW ORLEANS – A federal judge struck down the Obama administration's six-month ban on deepwater oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday, saying the government rashly concluded that because one rig failed, the others are in immediate danger, too.

Senator: 'Obama Says No Border Security without Amnesty'
On Friday, Arizona Republican Senator Jon Kyl told the audience at a North Tempe Tea Party town hall meeting that during a private, one-on-one meeting with President Obama in the Oval Office, the President told him, regarding securing the southern border with Mexico, “The problem is, . . . if we secure the border, then you all won’t have any reason to support ‘comprehensive immigration reform."

Gallup: Majority Doesn't Want Obama Re-elected
A majority of Americans do not think President Barack Obama should win re-election, according to a new Gallup poll. Gallup says that 51 percent of the registered voters surveyed say "no," 46 percent say "yes" and 3 percent don't know.

GAO Audit Explores Use Of Taxpayer Funds By Family Planning Groups
Hearst Newspapers/San Antonio Express: "Anti-abortion lawmakers in Congress have determined that federal taxpayers poured at least $967 million into family planning organizations such as Planned Parenthood over the last eight years - money they said potentially freed the health-service enterprises to use other donations to perform abortions.

Pelosi's New District Office Costs $18,736 a Month
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's district office in the new federal building in San Francisco costs a whopping $18,736 a month -the highest rental paid by any member of the House - or, more precisely, the highest rental paid by taxpayers on behalf of a member of the House.

Oil Spill Should Revive ANWR Drilling Push We continue to need oil. US drilling will help the economy and help American workers.
Rep. Senator Kyl said the Gulf of Mexico oil spill lends credibility to proposals to drill in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). “You are not in 5,000 feet of water. You have a got a pipeline nearby. You have experience drilling in that area just a few miles away,” Kyl told reporters Tuesday.

24% Strong Approval For Obama
The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Wednesday shows that 24% of the nation's voters Strongly approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as president. 44% Strongly Disapprove,giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of -20. Republicans hold a ten-point edge on the Generic Congressional Ballot.

Debt Surpases Joblessness In polls

Gulf Oil Leak - BP Was Not Prepared for Deep-Water Oil Spill: CEO.
Jun 4, 2010 ...BP did not have all the equipment needed to stop the leak from its Macondo well in the Gulf of Mexico in the aftermath of the explosion.

BP: Not prepared for Gulf oil spill; pipe awaits cut
"What is undoubtedly true is that we did not have the tools you would want in your tool kit, - Considering how big this has been, very little [oil] has gotten away from us." said BP CEO Tony Hayward.