"WHITE ONLY" Christianity; Klu Klux Klan Still Rules Southern States

Whites Only Pastor Conference Has West Alabama Residents Upset

The good folk of Winfield, Ala. have been very upset by the news of an annual pastors conference taking place near their town.

Not because of any animosity towards religious gatherings, but rather to the stipulation that only white Christians are invited.

Tyler Cantrell, the manager of Norris Music in downtown Winfield, discovered a flier for the conference earlier this week. “It was put up throughout the town in the middle of the night. When everyone was asleep and without the permission of the business owner[s],” he told WBRC news.

Despite the fact that the three-day conference in neighboring Lamar County was reportedly festooned with confederate flags and banners bearing Ku Klux Klan and white-supremacist slogans, and that it was scheduled to end July 6th with a “Sacred Christian Cross Lighting Ceremony” — not unlike the kind performed by the Klan –organizers denied that his organization was a hate group.

“The white race is God’s chosen people,” William C. Collier, the organizer of the event, told WBRC. “We don’t have the facilities to accommodate other people.

We haven’t got any invitations to black, Muslim events.

Of course we are not invited to Jewish events and stuff.”

The Christian Identity Ministries, which is running the event along with the Church of God’s Chosen, also claims on its website that the “Europeans and their descendants are the chosen people of God.” Ministry founder Mel Lewis spoke with a reporter from WAFF TV and claimed that the town’s mayor was violating their right to free speech and religious freedom.

“We are not breaking any laws. We’re not violating any ordinances. We’re bringing the Word of God to people who want it, obviously, or they wouldn’t be here,” said Lewis.

However the town’s Mayor, Wayne Silas, sees it differently. He told WBRC that “Business people are upset.

The city is upset.

The city of Winfield does not condone this.”





View Larger Map


Sources: Creative Loafing, TIME, WECT, Wikipedia, Youtube, Google Maps

Black Voters Are Not Going Back In 2012! FORWARD! "Ain't Going Let Nobody Turn Me Around" (Videos)

“The Vote is the most powerful instrument ever devised by Man for breaking down Injustice and destroying the terrible walls which Imprison men because they are different from other Men.”
Lyndon B. Johnson

"The Ballot Or The Bullet"
Malcolm X

“Bad Politicians are sent to Washington by Good People who don't Vote.”
William Simon











I'M NOT GOING BACK!

"Ain't Going To Let Nobody Turn Me Around"

FORWARD! TOGETHER! MARCH!!

It just isn't Natural for a BLACK American Citizen NOT to Support our Nation's First BLACK Legally Elected President.

It's just NOT Natural!

Despite Differences of Opinions on certain Issues, BLACK Voters should STILL Support Barack Obama's re-election.

Why?

Let's Consider the Alternative: Mitt Romney.

If BLACK Voters Stay home in November or Cast their Ballots for Mitt Romney, the BLACK Race in America WILL most likely be in Worse Shape than ever because Romney has made it No Secret that he plans to send us BACK to SLAVERY
via Extremely Low Wage Jobs,
NO Unions,
NO Fair Hiring Practices & via Right-to-Work laws,
NO Benefits,
NO Health Care,
NO help for Minority-Owned Small Businesses,
NO Regulation for Wall Street & Large Corporations,
NO Affirmative Action,
NO Equal Justice,
NO Voting Rights,
A Stronger Klu Klux Klan Presence,
Fewer BLACK Homeowners,
NO Public School Education,
NO Federal Postal Service,
NO TSA,
More BLACK Soldiers Ordered To The Front Lines in Combat Zones,
More BLACK Men In Prisons,
More BLACK Men in Privatized Prisons,
More Segregation,
NO Civil Rights.

If Mitt Romney is Elected the Heated Racial Divide in America will most likely Widen.

In essence the American BLACK Community will cease to Exist if Mitt Romney is Elected.

How do I know this to be true?

Because Mitt Romney has NOT reached out to BLACK Voters at all and I don't think he intends to do so. EVER!!

We Can't Go Back!

WE ARE NOT GOING BACK!

"Ain't Going To Let Nobody Turn Me Around"

FORWARD!!

HELP RE-ELECT BARACK OBAMA IN 2012!

GET YOUR STATE-APPROVED ID CARDS NOW AND GO TO THE POLLS THIS NOVEMBER EVEN IF YOU HAVE TO CRAWL THERE!

REAL TALK!!!




Battleground 2012: Will black voters put Obama over the top again in North Carolina?

“Swing state” is something North Carolinians have been hearing a lot lately. There’s no avoiding the importance the campaigns of both President Obama and his presumptive challenger Mitt Romney place on the state and its 15 electoral votes. As tightening polls and numerous candidate visits suggest, predicting the November result is not easy.

But for the president to repeat his surprising 2008 win here – by a slim, just over 14,000-vote margin – he will have to target, expand on and get out his strongest base. That would be minority, particularly African American, voters.

What will it take for the president to make North Carolina swing his way in November? Will the Democrats’ decision to hold their national convention in Charlotte, the state’s largest city, affect enthusiasm and turnout? How much does the president’s 2012 success depend on the rise of North Carolina’s minority population? And will the economy trump everything?

“A lot of politics is demographics these days, more than ever,” said David Bositis, senior research associate at the Washington-based Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies.

Bositis, who studies minority political engagement, pointed to a change that is happening in North Carolina and across the country. He told me that the white working class, a group Obama has had trouble appealing to, “is really shrinking in the country,” while the number of non-white voters is growing.

According to census figures, between 2000 and 2010 the Hispanic population in North Carolina more than doubled (to slightly more than 800,000) and the black population rose almost 20 percent (to two million) out of a total of more than nine and a half million residents. Some are African Americans moving or returning to the South, for economic and cultural reasons, in what has been called a “reverse migration.”

In a record 2008 turnout, African-Americans made up 23 percent of voters here, with 95 percent favoring Obama. In exit polls, an astounding 100 percent of black women in North Carolina reported voting for the president. Obama won just 35 percent of the white vote, but he also did well overall among young and college-educated voters of all races here.

Of the voters who helped the president become the first Democrat to win the state since Jimmy Carter in 1976, “The only way those numbers will improve will be based upon population change,” said Bositis. “It’s going to depend upon the degree to which the Obama campaign decides to put resources into North Carolina,” he said.

He added, “If he does do that, if he does have a very good ground game … they will go out of their way to register as many young people, black people and Hispanic people as they can.”

“The question is ‘how energized is each candidate’s base?’” said LaTonya M. Williams, assistant professor at Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte.

Will race matter? While Bositis said, “In Southern states, you would be foolhardy to assume that race doesn’t play any role,” he added that it matters less in a business-oriented, diverse state such as North Carolina. “Obama’s not going to bring up race; his campaign has to focus on the economy. It would be a distraction, and not a welcome distraction.”

The appeal to African-Americans may be subtle, but it’s there. The Obama campaign has opened 16 offices throughout the state, with more expected, and has organized phone banks and voter registration efforts – with a parade of celebrities offering encouragement. At a Charlotte event this year, volunteers were pumped up by Keshia Knight Pulliam, all grown up from The Cosby Show, and former Obama personal aide Reggie Love, who with his Duke basketball background brings his own state ties. Actress Angela Bassett spoke at a North Carolina Women for Obama event in Fayetteville earlier this month.

Going to the source of political and other kinds of conversation was the thinking behind the state campaign’s B&B (that’s barber shop and beauty parlor) program, where patrons can pick up voter registration forms along with a haircut.

“It’s a cornerstone of every community,” said Don Johnson, who hosted an event at his Nu-U Barbershop and Hair Salon in Charlotte on a recent Saturday. “People go there; if they’re not getting services, they take their kids there.” He told me that “when you’re in barber college, they tell you there are three things you don’t talk about – religion, personal stuff and politics. But politics is a major part of the conversation.”

He added, “We’ve been supporting Obama for a while. He’s done a good job for veterans, in health care and looking out for the small businessman, which is good for me. There’s more urgency for the second campaign than the first one.”

The president and first lady have made several stops in North Carolina, with Michelle Obama bringing a “Let’s Move!” event to Charlotte in March, during the 100th anniversary of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA). In May, she gave the commencement address for North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro.

In September, the Obamas will return for the Democratic convention in Charlotte, where the city’s second African American mayor, Anthony Foxx, will host, with advisory assistance from Harvey B. Gantt, architect, community leader and, in the 1980s, the city’s first African American mayor.

“The convention will give them a boost in terms of publicity, assuming everything goes well,” said Bositis. In 2008, Obama built up big early-voting leads in Charlotte’s Mecklenburg County that countered North Carolina election-day results, which he actually lost.

Obama’s support of same-sex marriage, thought by some to cause a rift between the president and conservative black voters, has so far not seemed to affect support for him.

With the support of black voters, a May amendment to the North Carolina constitution defining marriage between one man and one woman as the only domestic legal union passed overwhelmingly. Yet, as Dwayne A. Walker, pastor at Charlotte’s Little Rock AME Zion Church, told me, though he believes “God intends for men to marry women and women to marry men,” he was against the amendment, which he felt had “unintended consequences,” and he is for Obama.

“I’m an avid Democrat, and will be supporting him again,” Walker said.

When it comes to Obama’s chances of 2012 success, what matters most may not be the number of new voters his campaign can sign up or the amount of enthusiasm a September speech in Bank of America stadium can generate, but the unemployment rate. Right now, in North Carolina, it stands at 9.4 percent, above the national 8.2 percent.

“It’s going to be tough,” said Bositis.


View Larger Map


Sources: AP, MSNBC, The Grio, Youtube, Google Maps

Heat Wave Hammers Mid-Atlantic, East & Southern States: Elderly & Homeless Most Vulnerable

Lives in danger as many seek refuge from extreme heat

People in a huge swath of the United States are being urged to seek out shelters as needed on Sunday as a historic heat wave continues to bring sizzling temperatures -- including to some who have lost power.

Extreme heat is the leading cause of weather-related deaths in the United States.

Twenty states were either partially or entirely under excessive heat warnings or heat advisories on Sunday, according to the National Weather Service.

Temperatures over 100 degrees Fahrenheit were expected in much of the Southeast.

New York City was among the sites in the Northeast facing heat advisories.

The National Weather Service said the advisory would be in effect from noon until 7 p.m. ET for the city, with temperatures expected in the mid-90s. When combined with humidity, it could feel like 100 degrees.

Over the past week, nearly 1600 high temperatures have been broken -- including 140 all-time highs, according to the National Climatic Data Center. Statistics for Saturday, when more records were broken, were not yet available.

Meanwhile, a derecho -- or massive storm -- that moved across the Ohio Valley to the Northeast on Friday left 12 people dead and millions without electricity.

Many remained without power on Sunday.

Some residents in the affected areas, particularly between Chicago and Washington, were likely to see high temperatures in the 90s or even 100 on Sunday, said CNN Meterologist Sarah Dillingham. "Even with areas seeing temperatures in the 80s to low 90s, no air conditioning will still pose a major threat."

"Residents who have no air conditioning are urged to find local cooling shelters or other air conditioned establishments to keep cool. It is imperative people do anything they can to try and beat the heat."

Cities throughout the affected regions opened cooling shelters and sites offering water.

"I'm very concerned with the problems created by the combination of power outages and severe heat," said Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who said it could take up to a week to get the power back up to everybody in the state.

Kasich also called out the Ohio National Guard to check on and help the state's most vulnerable, primarily the elderly and the ill.

While crews worked around the clock to restore power, hundreds of thousands of customers remained without electricity on Sunday.

FirstEnergy said four of its utility companies combined still had well over 300,000 customers without power Saturday night. AEP Ohio said it had more than 500,000 customers without power Saturday night.

BGE said Sunday morning it had more than 300,000 customers in Maryland still without power.

The deaths from Friday's storm stretched from Ohio to New Jersey. Most were the result of downed trees and power lines, according to officials.

The destruction prompted state of emergency declarations by governors of Maryland, Ohio, West Virginia and Virginia.

"This is not a one-day situation; it is a multiday challenge," said Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, who called it the largest power outage unrelated to a hurricane in the state's history.

In West Virginia, power outages forced the closure of a large number of gas stations after pumps were rendered inoperable.

Brian Duckworth waited in line for gas for nearly two hours in Vienna, along the West-Virginia-Ohio border.

"I wouldn't even be here because I have plenty of gas in my truck," Duckworth told CNN affiliate WTAP. "But I have to get gas for my generators and some backup gas."

The storm also affected Amtrak service, including shutting down service between Washington and Philadelphia on Saturday.

Those most inconvenienced were aboard a train that ended up grinding to a halt Friday night in Prince, West Virginia, after trees blocked tracks both in front of and behind it, Amtrak spokesman Steve Kulm said.

By late Saturday night, the 232 passengers -- who stayed aboard the Chicago-bound train, which had air conditioning and food -- had been taken off and put on buses so they could reach their final destinations, according to Kulm.

The storm's deaths included six in Virginia and two children in New Jersey, cousins who huddled with their families in a tent in Parvin State Park when strong winds felled a pine tree, crushing them.

Their relatives all survived relatively unscathed, said Larry Ragonese, a spokesman for New Jersey's Department of Environmental Protection.

In Washington, a couple was electrocuted after they went outside to check on downed power lines. The husband was killed while the wife -- who is in critical condition at a local hospital with burns -- is expected to survive, said police spokesman Araz Alali.

Emergency rooms in Prince George's County, Maryland, filled up over the weekend by people looking to escape the heat, said Fran Phillips, deputy secretary for the state's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

She noted that libraries and community centers across the state would stay open late to act as cooling centers.

Even in places where power was not disrupted, people with no air conditioning were advised to spend the day in a library, a cooling center or some other such place to avoid heat exhaustion.

In Atlanta, where temperatures hit a record-breaking 106 degrees on Saturday and were projected to hit 103 degrees on Sunday, cooling centers were ordered open across the city.


View Larger Map


Sources: CNN, McClatchy Newspapers, Google Maps

Phil Bryant To Bev Perdue: "Mississippi's Low Tax State Is Better For Business Than NC"

Newly elected Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant To Incumbent North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue:
"Mississippi's Low Tax State Is Better For Business Than North Carolina's".

He's right!

North Carolina's Business Climate is Horrible under Bev Perdue's High Tax Administration.

Perdue Loves to Tax but Hates Reform & she refuses to Clamp down on Corruption unless its BLACK Community Corruption.

She has NO problem stepping on the necks of BLACK North Carolina Residents.


Mississippi leaders, residents fire back after Perdue's insult

Gov. Bev Perdue made it clear Friday how she feels about voters approving a Constitutional amendment defining marriage in North Carolina as between one man and one woman. In doing so, she likely offended residents of two states.

Reporters asked Perdue about the amendment, which passed by about 500,000 votes Tuesday, during her visit to a school in Greenville. The Democrat, who had said before the election she was against the law, made it clear she thought it was the wrong move for the Tar Heel State.

"People around the country are watching us and they're really confused to have been such a progressive forward thinking economically driven state that invested in education and that stood up for the civil rights people including the civil rights marches back in the '50s and '60s and '70s," Perdue said. "People are saying, 'What in the world is going on with North Carolina?' We look like Mississippi."

It didn't take long for Perdue's comments to move west to the Magnolia State, where elected leaders and residents resented her shot at the state's history.

"I am certainly disappointed by Gov. Perdue's statement regarding North Carolina's 'looking like Mississippi.' Apparently, North Carolina's voters are much more in line with Mississippi's traditional values on marriage than those of Gov. Perdue," Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant, a Republican, said in a statement.

Mississippi's Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves, also a Republican, reacted as well, calling out Perdue's record as governor.

"Gov. Perdue should know that her administration has a lot of work to do to make her state's business climate 'look like Mississippi," Reeves said in a statement. "We are creating an environment which encourages the private sector to invest capital in Mississippi, and I would invite any North Carolina-based company wanting to move to a lower-taxed, less-regulated state to look at our business-friendly opportunities."

Reeve's went on to cite rankings that put Mississippi ahead of North Carolina as a place for business, as well as a lower unemployment rate in Mississippi than North Carolina.

It wasn't just Mississippi's top politicians who fired back at Gov. Perdue. We asked our sister station WCBI in Columbus, MS, to see what Mississippians had to say.

"I don't think we're the bottom of the barrel, but I think we have some conservative values and core values that distinguish us from other states," Diane Malone said.

"What they're saying about Mississippi, I wouldn't even be studying it, because if they say it's against the law for two women to be together, then it's against the law," Arlissa Gardner said.

"I think that's ridiculous, and it shows the amount of ignorance politicians have about Mississippi," Andre Osby said. "Tell you what: Come down and give Mississippi a try."

Friday afternoon, WWAY e-mailed Perdue's press secretary to ask if the governor still stood behind her comments. So far, we have not received a response.


Phil Bryant, Mississippi Governor, Responds To North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue's Jab

Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant said Friday it was "petty" for North Carolina Gov. Beverly Perdue to insult Mississippi while bemoaning that voters in her state approved a ballot measure banning same-sex marriage.

Bryant, a Republican who became governor in January, said he intends to write to Perdue about her comments. She is a Democrat who isn't seeking a second term.

Perdue was in Greenville, N.C., on Friday when she responded to questions from WITN-TV in Washington. She said she was disappointed voters in her state on Tuesday approved a constitutional amendment defining marriage as only between a man and a woman.

"People around the country are watching us and they're really confused, to have been such a progressive, forward-thinking, economically driven state that invested in education and that stood up for the civil rights of people, including the civil rights marches back in the `50's and `60's and `70's," Perdue said. "Folks are saying what in the world is going on in North Carolina. We look like Mississippi."

In Jackson, Miss., Bryant said Perdue's comments were "very disappointing."

"To be able to use Mississippi in a disparaging way on a popular vote in her own state is, I think, something that's certainly petty and something I think she will reflect on and hopefully apologize for those types of remarks," Bryant told reporters after an unrelated news conference in Jackson.

Messages left with spokespeople for Perdue were not immediately returned Friday.

In the November 2004 general election, 86 percent of Mississippi voters approved an amendment banning same-sex marriage.

Bryant said he has met Perdue at National Governors Association meetings.

"She's a very nice lady," Bryant said. "It's just disappointing to be able to use Mississippi as she is in some way to disparage a popular vote in her own state. It's just very, very disappointing. And I think she'll regret that after she's had some time to reflect on it."

Bryant said in a written statement: "Apparently, North Carolina's voters are much more in line with Mississippi's traditional values on marriage than those of Gov. Perdue."

Mississippi's Republican lieutenant governor, Tate Reeves, and the head of the Mississippi Republican Party, Joe Nosef, both issued statements criticizing Perdue's comments.

"Thirty-two states have voted on the issue of defining marriage. Thirty-two states have voted in favor of traditional marriage," Nosef said. "Gov. Perdue is obviously out of touch with the voters of her own state and is trying to change the subject by attacking Mississippi. We are proud to stand with North Carolina and the majority of other states in our country who have supported traditional marriage."

Reeves did not mention same-sex marriage but said Mississippi has a better business climate than North Carolina.

"I would invite any North Carolina-based company wanting to move to a lower-taxed, less-regulated state to look at our business-friendly opportunities," Reeves said.


View Larger Map


Sources: AOL, AP, Huffington Post, WRAL, WWAY-TV3, Youtube, Google Maps

Bev "Anti-Black Agenda" Perdue Compares North Carolina With Mississippi; She's Delusional!

Gov. Bev "Anti-BLACK Agenda" Perdue claims North Carolina looks like Mississippi after the passage of Amendment One.
She's Delusional!


Perdue: 'We look like Mississippi' after amendment vote'


Passage of a constitutional amendment defining marriage as solely between a man and a woman makes North Carolina "look like Mississippi," Gov. Beverly Perdue said Friday.

Perdue was in Greenville as part of her tour to tout her proposed state budget for 2012-2013. The governor was responding to a question on the amendment from a reporter from WITN-TV in Washington.

"I think it's wrong for North Carolina, clearly and simply," she said. "People around the country are watching us and they're really confused, to have been such a progressive, forward-thinking, economically driven state that invested in education and that stood up for the civil rights of people, including the civil rights marches back in the '50s and '60s and '70s.

"Folks are saying, 'What in the world is going on in North Carolina?' We look like Mississippi."

Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant took offense at Perdue's comment.

"I am certainly disappointed by Gov. Perdue's statement regarding North Carolina's 'looking like Mississippi,'" Bryant said in a statement. "Apparently, North Carolina's voters are much more in line with Mississippi's traditional values on marriage than those of Gov. Perdue."

The chairman of the Mississippi Republican Party also issued a statement, saying his state is proud to stand with those who voted for the amendment in North Carolina and people in other states who support traditional marriage.

"Gov. Perdue is obviously out of touch with the voters of her own state and is trying to change the subject by attacking Mississippi," Mississippi GOP chairman Joe Nosef said.

On Tuesday, North Carolina became the 30th state to pass a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. The amendment passed with nearly 61 percent of voters supporting it.

Outside of Mississippi, however, many people are blasting North Carolina for approving the amendment, and some critics are letting their dollars do the talking.

Tourism officials from the Outer Banks to Asheville confirmed Friday that visitors are contacting them to say they won't vacation in North Carolina because of the amendment. The Facebook page for the state tourism office has been deluged by thousands of comments about the amendment, the majority of which are negative.

House Majority Leader Paul Stam, who sponsored the legislation that led to the amendment, said that doesn't prove anything.

"That's anecdotal evidence. South Carolina has (a similar amendment). Virginia has virtually the same thing. That's just trivial," said Stam, R-Wake.

Before North Carolina's vote, it had been three years since a state had voted on a constitutional ban on same-sex marriages, and attitudes toward gay marriage are quickly evolving. Two new polls show more than half of Americans now support same-sex marriage.

"We warned from the beginning that this was bad for business, bad for the economy, bad for tourism," said Stuart Campbell, executive director of Equality North Carolina. "We've seen it in other states where, when they passed anti-gay legislation, they suffered economically."

Tourism officials say it's too soon to tell how much impact the national furor could have on North Carolina.

Commerce Department spokesman Tim Crowley said he suspects it will pass eventually.

"Obviously, it's still fresh in people's minds. We're going to concentrate on what we've always done – making visitors welcome in North Carolina," Crowley said.


View Larger Map


Sources: McClatchy Newspapers, WRAL, Google Maps

Pres. Obama Unveils Southern Portion Of Keystone Pipeline Permit To Oklahoma Audience

Obama defends his policy on oil pipeline


President Barack Obama took on critics of his energy policies Thursday, saying in carefully coordinated speeches that they weren't paying attention to increased oil production at home and were misleading the public about the cause of rising gas prices.

"Anyone who says that we're somehow suppressing domestic oil production isn't paying attention," Obama said in Cushing, Oklahoma, on the second day of a four-state tour to tout his policies.

"And anyone who says that just drilling more will bring gas prices down just isn't playing it straight," the president continued. " We are drilling more.

We are producing more. But the fact is, producing more oil at home isn't enough to bring gas prices down overnight."

In Cushing and a later speech at The Ohio State University, Obama repeated his call for a diversified policy that increases production of traditional energy sources such as oil and natural gas while increasing investment in alternative sources such as solar, wind and hydrogen power to compete in growing global clean energy markets.

In particular, he rejected Republican claims that U.S. oil reserves alone offer a solution to higher gas prices and long-term supplies.

"Even if we drilled every little bit of this great country of ours, we'd still have to buy enough from the rest of the world to meet our needs," Obama said in Cushing.
He added that "the price of oil is set by the global market, and that means every time tensions rise in the Middle East, so will gas prices at home."

In particular, Obama said, rising tension involving Iran was causing the current spike in global oil prices.

At Ohio State, Obama emphasized to a cheering student crowd that since he took office in 2009, "America's dependence on foreign oil has gone down every single year."

"Even as the economy was growing, we've made progress in reducing the amount of oil we have to import because we're being smarter, we're doing things better," the president said.

Romney turns up heat on Obama energy policies

The whirlwind trip over two days followed weeks of criticism of his approach to gas price increases by Republicans on Capitol Hill and the presidential campaign trail.

"He has an energy policy that is very simple," Rick Santorum said of the president during a campaign stop Monday in Illinois. "You can sum it up in two letters, N-O.

He is against everything that will create economic incentives to drill."

Newt Gingrich has made reducing prices at the pump a central promise of his campaign, telling voters at a recent event in Birmingham, Alabama, that "an American president who believed in energy and an American president who believed in science and technology would drive the price of gasoline below $2."

Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl sounded a similar refrain after a Republican caucus meeting in early March, agreeing with the president's all-of-the-above approach, but adding, "We need it in action, not just words."

A focus of Republican attacks has been the delay in administration approval of the Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada's tar sands production in northern Alberta to the Gulf Coast.

Keystone pipeline: Separating rhetoric from reality

Last year, the administration put off a decision until 2013 after protests by environmentalists concerned about high carbon emissions from tar sands oil production and objections by Nebraska officials to a route near a vital aquifer.

Republicans in Congress, accusing Obama of avoiding the issue until after the November election, tried to speed the process by tacking a measure requiring an immediate decision to the temporary payroll tax cut bill last December.

The Obama administration then rejected the pipeline permit in January, saying an alternate route from Nebraska had yet to be decided. Since then, Republicans have persisted in attacking Obama for rejecting the permit.

The president announced Thursday in Cushing that he was using his executive authority to order federal agencies to expedite the approval process for large-scale infrastructure projects like oil pipelines.

More specifically, he ordered the portion of the Keystone XL pipeline running from Cushing to the Gulf to be placed at the top of the list.

"We're making this new pipeline from Cushing to the Gulf a priority," Obama said to cheers, later adding that "as long as I'm president, we're going to keep encouraging oil development and infrastructure and we're going to do it in a way that protects the health and safety of the American people.

We don't have to choose between one or the other. We can do both."

Many private companies -- including TransCanada, the Canadian company behind the Keystone XL project -- are working to build pipelines that relieve the bottleneck of oil in Cushing, a major hub for crude oil storage and trade.

While federal agencies like the Army Corps of Engineers and the Department of the Interior have some involvement in the approval process for the domestic portion of the pipeline, the federal government has relatively little control when compared to the absolute say it holds over the portion that crosses the international border with Canada.

The ultimate decision-making authority for the pipeline's domestic route lies mainly with the states it crosses, prompting Republicans to question whether the president can actually claim any credit for speeding the project along.

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, told reporters Thursday that Obama was claiming credit he didn't deserve on the southern leg of the Keystone pipeline while continuing to prevent construction on the northern leg from Canada.

"It's already gotten its approvals and this idea that the president is going to expedite this will have no impact on the construction of this pipeline," Boehner said of the Cushing-Gulf Coast portion. "The president has continued to block development of oil and gas reserves, big reserves, on federal lands.

And he can go out and make all the noise that he wants, but the facts are there."

Poll: Majority say build Keystone pipeline

On Wednesday, Obama kicked off his energy tour with stops in Boulder City, Nevada, and Maljamar, New Mexico, to focus on work on alternative energy sources.

The visit to Boulder City was designed to tout the success of solar technology at the largest photovoltaic solar facility in the nation. Photovoltaic solar panels create energy directly from sunlight without the need for any water or moving parts.

Obama acknowledged the high prices at the pump, but used the problem as a reason to abandon federal "subsidies" to oil and gas companies.

"We want to encourage production of oil and gas, and make sure that wherever we've got American resources, we are tapping into them," the president said. "But they don't need an additional incentive when gas is $3.75 a gallon, when oil is $120 a barrel, $125 a barrel. They don't need additional incentives. They're doing fine."

What the president calls subsidies, the petroleum industry calls the same tax breaks afforded those in many other industries.

The push to end what Obama deems to be preferential treatment to a petroleum industry that's never been more profitable was central to his two-day tour, but the president also used the trip to push back against those who call federal aid to the renewable energy industry a waste of money.

"Some of these folks want to dismiss the promise of solar power and wind power and fuel-efficient cars," Obama said in Boulder City. "In fact, they make jokes about it.

One member of Congress who shall remain unnamed called these jobs 'phony' -- called them phony jobs. I mean, think about that mindset, that attitude that says because something is new, it must not be real. If these guys were around when Columbus set sail, they'd be charter members of the Flat Earth Society."

With nearly a million solar panels spread across 450 acres, Copper Mountain 1 in Boulder City provides power for roughly 17,000 homes, but employs just 10 full-time employees.

The solar plant's owner, Sempra U.S. Gas & Power, is in the process of building a second facility nearby that's set to more than triple the output of Copper Mountain 1.

Construction of the second facility -- Copper Mountain 2 -- has created 175 temporary jobs but, according to Sempra's own projections, the final solar plant will result in just five full-time positions.


View Larger Map


Sources: CNN, Google Maps

Deryl Dedmon Sentenced To Life In Prison For Murdering James Craig Anderson (White vs Black: Hate Crimes)

In 2011 James Anderson 49 (BLACK), was Murdered in Cold-Blood by Deryl Dedmon via a Hate Crime. Today Dedmon was Sentenced to Life in Prison.
Amen!




Life sentence in Mississippi hate-crime case


A white Mississippi man has been sentenced to life in prison for the 2011 murder of an African-American man, with the judge calling it an inexcusable, "despicable" crime.

Deryl Dedmon pleaded guilty to murder and a hate-crime charge before a judge in Jackson on Wednesday afternoon, admitting to the June killing of James Craig Anderson. Hinds County Circuit Judge Jeff Weill sentenced him to two concurrent life terms, saying, "This craven act isn't who we are."

"Whatever excuse you offer, forget that. There is no excuse," Weill said. He added, "The state of Mississippi condemns this despicable crime."

Dedmon, 19, told the judge that he was a "changed man" who had found religion since his arrest.

"I wish I could take it all back," he said, adding, "I was young and dumb, ignorant and full of hatred. I chose to go down the wrong path."

Dedmon is also expected to plead guilty to still-undisclosed federal charges Thursday, three sources with knowledge of the case told CNN -- the first indication that a federal case was pending in Anderson's death.

Officials would disclose no details, but Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith said he expected other charges -- and other arrests.

"This is just the beginning," Smith said.

Anderson's killing prompted several large marches and prayer vigils in Jackson, a city of about 537,000 people. His sister, Barbara Anderson Young, said during Wednesday's hearing that her family was praying for "racial conciliation."

"These last months have been very difficult," Young said. "We cried. We wept.

We reminisced about our beloved brother, Craig, a loss I cannot even explain. Craig was a big-hearted person who loved his fellow man."

Anderson died after he was beaten and run over by a truck driven by Dedmon, according to police.

Dedmon was part of a group of seven white youths from largely white Rankin County who decided to "go f**k with some niggers," after a night of partying and drinking, law enforcement officials have said, quoting some of the suspects in the case.

Smith has said the evidence indicated the suspects, who ranged in age from 17 to 19, "went out with the intention to harm and, in this case, kill a black man." According to investigators, they drove 16 miles in two vehicles from Rankin County to Jackson, where after exiting the highway, they found Anderson alone in a parking lot about 4 a.m. on June 26.

The white men allegedly beat Anderson repeatedly, yelling racial epithets.

After the beating, Dedmon drove his Ford F-250 truck over him, leaving him to die, according to what some of the teens cooperating with police have told authorities.

Anderson's death drew national attention after CNN first reported it and aired exclusive surveillance video of the killing, captured by a parking lot security camera in a Jackson suburb.

A second man, John Aaron Rice, was initially charged with murder, but a judge reduced the charges to simple assault because Rice was not believed to be driving the vehicle used to kill Anderson.

For months, lawyers had been working behind the scenes in Jackson, where Dedmon is being held, fighting over a change of venue in a possible trial. Smith had hoped to have a trial in Jackson, where the crime occurred and which is largely black.

But defense attorneys wanted to move the trial to an area with a larger white population, the law enforcement officials said.

Authorities believe Dedmon led and instigated the attack.

On a sweltering Mississippi night in June, a gang of youths climbed into Dedmon's green truck and a white SUV and drove to the western edge of Jackson. They would have seen Anderson immediately as they exited the highway, officials said. He was standing in a hotel parking lot just beyond the exit ramp.

On the videotape obtained exclusively by CNN, the group pulls into the parking lot and stops where Anderson is standing, although he is just off camera and not visible.

The young men can then be seen going back and forth between their cars and Anderson.

Witnesses told authorities this is when Anderson's beating took place, as the white youths yelled racial epithets, including "white power."

Authorities allege Dedmon and many of the other teens pummeled Anderson repeatedly as he crumpled to the ground, although this is not visible on the tape. After the beating, some of the white youths left, and others got into the green Ford truck.

At this moment, Anderson becomes visible on the tape as he staggers into view and walked toward the truck.

"Defendant Dedmon drove the F-250 out of the parking lot and turned right onto Ellis Avenue," the lawsuit says. "Just as Dedmon turned right, his headlights shone directly on Anderson, who, having been severely beaten, was stumbling in a grassy area near the motel's entrance. Dedmon accelerated, drove onto and over the street curb, and struck Anderson with the front of the F-250."

Shortly afterward, Dedmon allegedly boasted and laughed about the killing, according to statements some of the teens made to detectives. "I ran that nigger over," he allegedly said in a phone conversation to the youths in the other car.

"He was not remorseful," Smith said. "He was laughing, laughing about the killing."
But during a bail hearing last year, Dedmon's attorney told the court he saw nothing to back up the "racial allegations."

The U.S. Justice Department had been looking into the death as a possible federal hate crime and assisting local prosecutors. Federal investigators also have been digging for months into other possible crimes in the area committed by Dedmon and others that might show a pattern of racial violence.

Anderson's family had asked state and federal officials not to seek the death penalty against Dedmon or any other youths who might be charged in the case, saying they oppose capital punishment in part because of their religious faith.

The family also filed a wrongful death suit against all seven of the white youths who were present at the beating of Anderson. The Southern Poverty Law Center, a nationally recognized organization in Montgomery, Alabama, that opposes racism and intolerance, joined in the lawsuit to help the case, joining forces with the family's attorney, Winston J. Thompson III.

"James Anderson lost his life for no other reason than the color of his skin," said Morris Dees, chief trial counsel for the law center . "Those responsible must be held accountable for their callous and deadly actions. We are filing this lawsuit today to ensure his family gets a measure of justice."

Anderson, a line worker at a Nissan plant, sang in his church choir, Thompson said. He is survived by his partner of 17 years.

"He was just a pillar of the community," Thompson said. "He paid his taxes on time; he went to work, came home -- he was just an average, ordinary citizen, good guy, wonderful gardener."


View Larger Map


Sources: AP, CBS News, CNN, Google Maps

Gas Prices Irk Southern Voters; High Speed Rail Badly Needed In The South!

In 2011 the GOP's Political Gimmick was "The Federal Deficit".

In 2012 its "Gas Prices".

Did you know that for decades the Federal Gov't has been paying Big Oil Companies Billions Annually in Tax Payer Money just to keep Gas Prices low?

So in essence We (Tax Payers) are paying these Blood Suckers NOT to charge us $50 & $60. a Gallon versus $2.00, $3.00 & $4.00 a Gallon.

WOW!

Which States use more Oil & Gas?

Southern States!

Which States Oppose Pres. Obama's Nationwide High Speed Rail Plans?

Southern States!

Its time to Eliminate those Federal Subsidies, Build High Speed Rail in the Southern States & Stop Depending on Foreign Oil.





Price of Gas Matters to Voters, but Doesn’t Seem to Sway Votes


Stacy Hawks is angry that the rising price of gasoline is squeezing the profits of her father’s produce company and draining the wallets of friends who drive trucks. She is angry that the government has not acted to reverse the trend.

But Ms. Hawks, 26, a North Carolina resident who describes herself as very conservative, said she does not expect the price of gas to influence her vote in November.

“What I look for in a candidate is whether or not they have experience, values, morals,” said Ms. Hawks. “Mostly, I want someone that I trust as a leader.”

There may be no number stamped more frequently on the American landscape than the price of gas. And as the average price has climbed toward $4 a gallon nationwide, it has generated abundant chatter about the threat to the economic recovery, and to incumbent politicians.

Republicans have seized on the issue to attack President Obama’s management of the economy. The president has responded with speeches defending his energy policies, including increased domestic oil production.

But there is surprisingly little evidence that gas prices deserve an outsize reputation for economic and political influence.

Studies suggest that most voters agree with Ms. Hawks: they are angry about gas prices, but other factors, like the economy and the personal qualities of candidates, ultimately determine their votes.

Gas prices influence voters indirectly, because rising prices can slow the pace of growth. But the influence is modest, because spending on oil and its derivatives makes up only a small part of the nation’s economic activity. Gas purchases account for less than 4 percent of household spending. Prices would need to increase by at least 28 percent to lift that share by a single percentage point. So far this year, they have jumped by 15 percent.

“Presidential elections are based on evaluations of presidential performance and on the performance of the economy. You can’t reduce that to one small issue,” said Alan Abramowitz, a professor of political science at Emory University. “Are gas prices part of the equation that people think about? They probably are, but only a small piece.”

Rising gas prices also make Americans less confident in the nation’s economic prospects and less approving of political leaders, according to public opinion surveys. But these, too, are small effects. One study by a political scientist estimated that the impact of changes in unemployment was 27 times greater than the impact of equivalent changes in gas prices.

In part, the difference is that Americans are divided as to whether politicians should be held responsible.

Donald J. Wheeler, a ball bearing tester from Springfield, Ohio, said people blamed the president because it was the easiest thing to do. “It’s ridiculous,” he said. “In my opinion, it’s the companies that are gouging people.”

Brian Gregory, who delivers auto parts in northern Virginia, spends about $60 most weekdays filling his station wagon. He said that he blamed Mr. Obama for failing to control prices and that the issue was a major reason he planned to vote “either for a Republican or not at all.”

“I don’t understand health care as well as I should,” he said. “Housing, I’m kind of vague on that. But this I can definitely understand.”

Gas prices exert an unrivaled hold on the public imagination. Americans spend more on gas than on almost any other single good, and the exact amount is hard to miss as the numbers spin by on the pump. It hurts to watch, but there is also little choice. People can substitute chicken for steak, but they still need to drive the same distance to work.

When prices rise, people wait to buy cars; they travel less; they buy fewer lottery tickets and spend less on child care, according to a study by Paul Edelstein and Lutz Kilian, economics professors at the University of Michigan.

Michael Wills has stopped driving weekly from his home in Fairfax, Va., to his father’s home in North Beach, Md., a distance of 50 miles. Mr. Wills, 56, said he had seen his father only a few times in recent months.

Amy Rivera, 24, of Orlando, said she shorted her electric bill last month to make sure she had enough money for gas.

And Pat Rosenbeck, 57, a restaurant owner from Franklin, Ohio, said the flow of customers had slowed as gas climbed above $3 a gallon.

The impact on happiness is even larger than the changes in spending, according to a 2010 study by researchers at the Brookings Institution, in part because people do not like uncertainty, and they do not know how high prices will climb.

Republican primary voters overwhelmingly cite gas prices as an important issue. But voters’ views of a president are influenced by a wide range of issues.

Rising gas prices sometimes track declines in presidential approval ratings. Gallup reported that President George W. Bush’s ratings fell to 48 percent at the end of October 2004, just before Election Day, from 60 percent in January. The price of a gallon of regular gas climbed 27 percent over the same period.

But gas prices often move out of sync with approval ratings, too. President Bill Clinton’s ratings rose to 54 percent just before Election Day from 42 percent in early January 1996, even as the price of gas climbed 13 percent.

Since 1976, a 30-cent increase in gas prices over a three-month period has corresponded to a reduction of two percentage points in a president’s approval rating if other economic factors are held constant, according to an analysis by John Sides, a professor of political science at George Washington University.

That kind of movement has not been sufficient to affect the outcome of a presidential election, he said. “I think of the information flow that takes place during a presidential campaign as a big, wide Mississippi River, and gas prices are a tributary that flows into that river,” Professor Sides said. “It’s hard for one number, even if it’s staring you in the face while you’re pumping gas, to burn through all the other information that’s out there about the economy and the candidate.”

A key implication, however, is that gas prices could make a difference if the movements were large enough and the race was close enough.

A 2011 study of the impact of economic conditions on regional voting patterns found that the spike in gas prices in the summer of 2008 did give a small boost to Mr. Obama. Independent voters in areas where prices climbed highest reported a significantly more negative view of the health of the economy and were less likely to vote for incumbents.

James Gimpel, a professor of government and politics at the University of Maryland who was a co-author of the study, said the increased volatility of gas prices was raising its importance in elections. “It may well be that this is an emerging factor that we’ll have to consider,” he said. “But if I can rely on that old social sciences copout, we need more evidence.”


View Larger Map


Sources: MSNBC, NY Times, WRAL, Youtube, Google Maps

Rick Santorum vs Pres. Barack Obama This Fall? Its Very Likely!

FYI:
Please Begin To Obtain Your State-Approved Voter ID Cards.
Every VOTE Counts To Help Re-elect Pres. Obama This Fall.

Is it possible Rick Santorum will be selected (by GOP Voters) as the 2012 GOP Presidential Nominee at the RNC Convention in Tampa?
YES! Its Very Likely!

GOP Establishment Leaders Don't Want Santorum, however Most GOP Voters are NOT listening to them!

Pres. Obama's Re-election team knows they have a much better chance of defeating Romney than Santorum.

Here's Why.

Less than 40% of GOP Voters Support Mitt Romney.

Included within that number are the 1% Of America's Wealthiest Citizens.
Rick Santorum does NOT have the Money Factor Romney does

but.....

More than 50% of GOP Voters Support Santorum, including Conservatives, Evangelicals, Pro-Life Women, GOP Seniors & Southern Tea Partiers.
Many Independents are also excited by Santorum's Appeal.

It won't be long before Ron Paul's Youth Voters also defect to Santorum.

Romney is Shallow & seems to lack Conviction except when it comes to making Money.

Santorum on the other hand appears to possess Great People Skills & has the ability to Connect with Middle Class and Blue Collar Voters. i.e., Much like Pres. Obama did in back in 2008.

Rick Santorum is from the East Coast but he relates to Southern GOP Voters much more so than Romney.

The East Coast & Southern States are a Gold Mine for GOP Presidential Candidates.

As it relates to Debating Skills, both Barack Obama & Rick Santorum Excel in this Area.

The ONLY asset Romney has going for him are Campaign Donations & Negative Campaign Ads.

American Voters are NOT Stupid!

Romney won't be able to capture the Nomination on just Negative Campaign Ads Alone.

Make No mistake about it people!

If Rick Santorum becomes the 2012 GOP Presidential Nominee its going to be an even Tougher race for Pres. Obama.

So Who will emerge Victoriously?

I still believe Barack Obama can Defeat both Mitt Romney & Rick Santorum.

Please Begin To Obtain Your State-Approved Voter ID Cards.
Every VOTE Counts To Help Re-elect Pres. Obama This Fall.

If Santorum is the Nominee it Won't be an Easy Win but it will still be a win for Pres. Obama.






Santorum wins hurt Gingrich as GOP race stretches on


Rick Santorum took his re-energized Republican presidential campaign to Puerto Rico on Wednesday after key primary victories in the South that raised questions about conservative rival Newt Gingrich's viability as a candidate and portended a long battle with frontrunner Mitt Romney.

Romney, rejected again by Southern conservatives in the Tuesday primaries in Mississippi and Alabama, won caucuses in Hawaii and American Samoa to claim about a third of the total delegates available and maintain his lead.

However, Santorum's twin primary triumphs -- while narrow -- reframed the GOP race as a one-on-one battle between the socially conservative former Pennsylvania senator and the more moderate Romney, with Gingrich's chances fading fast.

Texas Rep. Ron Paul, the libertarian champion, continued to trail well behind the other three candidates in the campaign to face President Barack Obama in November.

"There is no end in sight," noted Ari Fleischer, a CNN contributor who was White House press secretary under President George W. Bush. "... For Republicans who thought that maybe Mitt Romney could come South and make this race look like it was coming to an end, this race is going on and on and on."

Santorum headed to Puerto Rico on Wednesday ahead of Sunday's primary there, which is a day after caucuses in Missouri and two days before a showdown with Romney in the Illinois primary.

"We did it again," Santorum told supporters Tuesday night in Lafayette, Louisiana, which will hold another Southern primary March 24.

The Alabama and Mississippi victories give Santorum 10 states so far to Romney's 18, and he poked at the frontrunner on Wednesday as he reiterated his stance that he is the viable conservative alternative to the former Massachusetts governor.

"It's pretty sad when all you have is to do math instead of trying to go out there and win it on substance and win it on what Americans want to hear about," Santorum told CNN in reference to Romney's claim of an insurmountable lead in delegates. "We're a long, long way from over."

Romney said Wednesday in an interview on Fox that his lead so far in the campaign shows he has support across the Republican spectrum, adding that "some who are very conservative may not be yet in my camp, but they will be when I become the nominee when I face Barack Obama."

He also noted Santorum called him a "real conservative" in endorsing his candidacy in 2008, "so obviously when campaigns get tough and you get towards the end of this process and you are way behind in delegates you say some things which may be contradictory to what you said only four years ago."

Earlier Wednesday, Romney received the endorsement of former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge, who was the first homeland security secretary when the department was created in the Bush administration after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

"I've met accomplished and strong leaders in my life," Ridge said in a statement released by Romney's campaign. "Mitt Romney is one of them."

Gingrich, who based his campaign on a Southern strategy after winning South Carolina and Georgia, appeared to be in major trouble after losing both Dixie primaries Tuesday.

Last week, Gingrich spokesman R.C. Hammond said the former speaker had to win Alabama and Mississippi in order to remain credible. Gingrich later said he would continue to the national convention in Tampa no matter what happens, and he repeated that assertion Tuesday night.

"The fact is that in both states, the conservative candidates got nearly 70% of the vote, and if you're the frontrunner and you keep coming in third, you're not much of a frontrunner," Gingrich said of Romney's performance in Mississippi and Alabama.

Citing what he called Romney's vulnerabilities on health care reform, Gingrich said he doesn't "believe that a Massachusetts moderate who created Romneycare as the forerunner of Obamneycare is going to be in a position to win any debates this fall," and that is part of the reason he's "insisted in staying in this race."

Calls for Gingrich to drop out and unite conservative support for Santorum have already started, but Gingrich argues that none of the candidates are likely to reach the 1,144 delegates necessary to clinch the nomination before May or June at the earliest, and probably not until the August convention.

CNN's estimated delegate count Wednesday had Romney at 498, with Santorum at 239, Gingrich at 139 and Paul at 69.

Prior to Tuesday, Romney needed to win roughly 48% of the remaining delegates to win, while Santorum needed about 66% and Gingrich needed 72%. Santorum, Romney, and Gingrich each won roughly a third of the combined delegates at stake in Mississippi and Alabama.

In Alabama, Santorum won 35% of the vote. Gingrich and Romney both had 29% -- although Gingrich was about 2,000 votes ahead with 99% of the vote counted -- and Ron Paul had 5%.

With 99% of the vote counted in Mississippi, Santorum had 33% to 31% for Gingrich, 30% for Romney and 4% for Paul.

Romney's victories in Hawaii and American Samoa demonstrated his stronger organization. Last Saturday, Romney won caucuses in Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, and he also picked up a majority of the delegates in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Santorum was coming off a big win in Kansas on Saturday, and his victories Tuesday indicated a comeback after trailing Gingrich and Romney in polls released Monday.
Romney's campaign has pointed to its large lead in delegates as a reason for Gingrich and Santorum to get out of the race.

Eric Fehrnstrom, a Romney campaign senior adviser, said the campaign met its goal of taking roughly one-third of the Mississippi and Alabama delegates.

"Once the dust clears, you'll be able to look and see that there really will be no ground that our opponents have made up against Mitt Romney," Fehrnstrom said Tuesday night. "And as you look at the upcoming contests on the calendar, there are no opportunities for them to have significant wins that allow them to accumulate large numbers of delegates so that they can close that gap with Mitt Romney."

Exit polls from Alabama and Mississippi show that Romney still has some ground to make up to win over conservatives: In Alabama, 55% of those polled said Romney's position on the issues wasn't conservative enough; in Mississippi, the number was 49%.

In another trend that has continued throughout the campaign, more voters saw Romney as the best choice for defeating Obama in the general election.

In Alabama, 46% saw Romney as being the most likely to beat Obama, while both Santorum and Gingrich were the favorites of 24%; in Mississippi, 50% of those polled saw Romney as having the best chance of beating Obama, compared to 24% for Gingrich and 23% for Santorum.

As results were coming in Tuesday night, CNN chief political analyst Gloria Borger said that hardcore conservatives' persistent preference for Santorum or Gingrich means Romney benefits from the presence of both.

"Gov. Romney needs Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich right now. ... If it weren't for them splitting the conservatives -- the very conservative, the evangelical, the tea party voters -- Mitt Romney would not be within sort of a position to win in either of Mississippi or Alabama. So the fact that they're splitting the vote ... he ought to pay them both to stay in for a little bit longer."

Results of all races

Santorum and Romney are expected to split the next few contests on the calendar. Santorum won the nonbinding primary in Missouri in February and is expected to take the state's caucuses on Saturday. Romney is expected to win Puerto Rico's primary on Sunday.

Polls in Illinois, which votes Tuesday, show a tight race and Santorum is expected to win in Louisiana a week from Saturday.

Then the race turns north and eastward -- the District of Columbia, Maryland and Wisconsin vote on April 3 and Romney is the early favorite there. But that's three weeks away and much has changed in such a span in the most volatile Republican race in generations.

Paul didn't campaign over the past week in either Alabama or Mississippi. Both states held open primaries, which meant Republicans, independent voters and Democrats could cast ballots in the GOP contests.


View Larger Map


Sources: CNN, The Hill, Youtube, Google Maps