Wednesday Afternoon News Roundup

Here are some news stories I think you'll be interested in.


Did you know that Congress used to be armed... while on the floor of the House and Senate? Several beatings and assaults took place many years ago.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/12/opinion/12freeman.html?_r=2&ref=opinion

In the rough-and-tumble Congress of the 1830s, 1840s and 1850s, politicians regularly wore weapons on the House and Senate floors, and sometimes used them.

During one 1836 melee in the House, a witness observed representatives with “pistols in hand.” In a committee hearing that same year, one House member became so enraged at the testimony of a witness that he reached for his gun; when the terrified witness refused to return, he was brought before the House on a charge of contempt.

This is a good piece, testing your knowledge of which right-wing radical did or said these... well, very radical things. It might open your eyes a bit...
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2011/01/right_wing_hate_speech_quiz.html


By now you've heard a lot about Sarah Palin's map with the cross-hairs on it, probably in the context of blaming her for the Tucson shooting. Turns out those aren't cross-hairs at all, but surveyor's marks denoting places of interest.
http://townhall.com/columnists/NealBoortz/2011/01/12/sarah_palins_map/page/full/

Were the symbols on Palin’s map really the crosshairs through a gun sight, as claimed, prior to the shooting, by Congresswoman Giffords herself? Palin’s office says they were not. They claim they were surveyor’s marks. So who’s right?

I wouldn't mind seeing Herman Cain running for President in 2012. Not sure I'd vote for him or not, but he's definitely welcome in the race.
http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/gop-presidential-primary/137519-republicans-could-have-pick-of-unconventional-white-house-candidates-?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Herman Cain, a prominent African-American businessman, has formed a presidential exploratory committee and is considering launching a bid for the GOP nod. Cain, the former CEO of Godfather's Pizza, isn't a household name like some of the other possible contenders, but he's not intimidated by the competition.

Finally, most Americans seem to be thinking straight. Why do I say this? Because a recent poll shows that most Americans believe that ObamaCare will cost more money than they claim it will.
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/current_events/healthcare/january_2011/75_think_health_care_law_may_cost_more_than_estimated

Most voters still strongly feel that the health care reform law passed last year by Congress will cost more than projected.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 75% of Likely U.S. Voters think it is at least somewhat likely that the health care reform law will cost more than official estimates, with 57% who say it is Very Likely. Eighteen percent (18%) think it’s unlikely that the law will cost more than was estimated prior to its passage, but that includes just three percent (3%) who say it’s Not At All Likely.

That's it for the moment. I hope you found them entertaining and informative.