U.S. Supreme Court Term to Tackle Controversial Issues

The Supreme Court begins a new term Monday with a number of controversial issues.

They offer the court's conservative majority the chance to move aggressively to undo limits on campaign contributions, undermine claims of discrimination in housing and mortgage lending, and allow for more government-sanctioned prayer.

The term is short on the high-profile battles over health care and gay marriage that marked the past two years.

Several cases ask the court to overrule prior decisions - bold action in an institution that values precedent.

The justices will hear a case that goes to the heart of the partisan impasse in Washington: the president's power to use recess appointments to fill key positions without Senate confirmation.

There's no expectation that October arguments might need to be rescheduled because of the shutdown.

Treasury Chief Warns Congress to Raise Debt Ceiling

"Nothing good" will come if Congress fails to raise the debt ceiling, Treasury Secretary Jack Lew warned Sunday on "Face the Nation," calling on House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, to "give the majority a chance to vote."

As the United States heads into its second week of a partial government shutdown, Congress now heads toward an Oct. 17 deadline to avoid a first-ever default on its financial obligations. Lew argued the heart of the problem isn't "the president's willingness to negotiate," as Boehner has suggested - "the problem is we have not yet engaged with Republicans who are willing to put everything on the table."

Boehner has reiterated time and again that his chamber doesn't have the votes for the Democrat-proposed "clean" bill, without strings attached like provisions to alter or delay "Obamacare."

"Well then why doesn't he put it on the floor and give it a chance?" Lew asked Sunday. "There's a majority in Congress that I believe is prepared to do the right thing, to open the government and make sure we don't cross over that abyss."

Shutdown negotiations: What's the end game?
Who are the true conservatives: Republicans in Congress or GOP governors?

"Congress needs to do its job; it needs to open the government up and it needs to make it possible for us to pay our bills on time," Lew said. "Let's remember how we got here: Over the summer a bunch of fairly extreme members of the Republican Party said, 'We're going to use shutting down the government or defaulting our debt as a way to go back and re-argue the Affordable Care Act.' That was a bad decision."

Lew cautioned Republicans against issuing threats: "What we've seen is these demands, 'Unless I get my way, you know, that we'll bring these terrible consequences of shutdown or default.'"

But it's President Obama, Senate Minority Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas, argued later on the program, who's been "AWOL" in budget negotiations.

"The president's got to lead and he's got to do his job," he said. "We rejected the concept of a king, when our country was founded, and created three co-equal branches of government. The president said he won't negotiate on the continuing resolution and now he said he won't negotiate on the debt. But what he needs to do is roll up his sleeves and get to the table and I'm sure we can get past the impasse on both the continuing resolution, as well as the debt ceiling."

Cornyn suggested the administration remains wary from the near-government shutdown in 2011.

"The president now realizes that Republicans, who were concerned about spending levels, got the better of him on the Budget Control Act, which has actually cut $2 trillion over the next ten years," he said. "And the president realizes that he's going to have to give something in order to get what he wants, and he doesn't want to go there."

G News: S.C. Lawmakers Expecting Long Shutdown

Republicans and Democrats who represented South Carolina in Congress during the nation’s last government shutdowns, during the 1990s, say the stakes this time are different and no clear resolution is in sight.

Perhaps ominously, their Palmetto State successors now in Congress agree.

The federal government entered a partial shutdown Tuesday when Congress failed to pass a spending plan. The shutdown has resulted in 800,000 federal workers being furloughed nationwide, including more than 10,000 in South Carolina. Other federal workers are being asked to work without pay.

Meanwhile, some federal services are being delayed and national parks closed.

Furloughed civilian defense employees received some good news this weekend.

Those whose jobs contribute to the “morale, well-being, capabilities and readiness of service members” will be able to return to work Monday thanks to Congress passing a bill authorizing pay through the shutdown, U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced Saturday.

The 1990s impasse, which led to two shutdowns of five and 21 days, was about the nation’s spending and debt. Ultimately, it yielded a compromise between the two parties and a balanced budget agreement, former U.S. House Budget Committee chairman John Spratt, D-York, who spent 28 years representing South Carolina’s 5th District, recalled last week. “Both sides learned something.”

This time, a contingent of Republicans want to dismantle the federal health-care law referred to as Obamacare. Meanwhile, Democrats, including President Barack Obama, refuse to yield.

Asked whether he foresees any solution to the impasse, assistant U.S. House Democratic leader Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., said, “I have no idea. It is almost impossible for me to predict anything. ... Everything about this is so unreasonable and so irrational. It’s insanity.”

Republicans, who hold both of South Carolina’s U.S. Senate seats and six of its seven House seats, see the issue differently.

“Republicans are concerned about adding another trillion-dollar entitlement on top of arguably unsustainable (spending) levels,” said U.S. Rep. Mark Sanford, R-Charleston, who recently was elected to Congress again, after serving his first term during the 1990s shutdowns.

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Karen Fizzles Out Over Gulf

The storm Karen has dissipated in the Gulf of Mexico, easing the threat for coastal regions that had been gearing up for a potentially gusty and drenching tropical storm this weekend, the National Hurricane Center said Sunday.

As of late morning, the storm was about 85 miles southwest of the mouth of the Mississippi River with maximum sustained winds of 30 miles per hour. But the storm’s center is no longer well defined, and it is no longer a tropical cyclone, the hurricane center said.

Karen’s remnants are expected to produce 1 to 3 inches of rainfall over parts of the central Gulf Coast and southeastern U.S. through Monday evening, the center said.

The storm “was the victim of a more than two-day pounding from dry air and wind shear, and it just took it apart,” hurricane center spokesman Dennis Feltgen said. “Which is good news.”

Karen peaked as a tropical storm on Thursday, with winds of 65 miles per hour, he said.

Pentagon to Order Civlian Workers Back to Work Monday

The Pentagon announced Saturday that it would order almost all of its 350,000 furloughed civilian employees back to work this week, a surprise move that could substantially reduce the impact of the government shutdown.

Pentagon officials said more than 90 percent of the employees who were told to stay home are expected to return to work, under a decision made by Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel that the workers are needed to support the readiness of the military. The action, supported by members of both parties, will leave about 450,000 of the federal government’s 2.1 million civilian employees on furlough.

House also passes bill offering full pay for time federal employees are not at work during shutdown.

In a rare Saturday session, Congress also took steps to relieve the financial concerns of workers who are facing a government shutdown with no end in sight. The Republican-led House unanimously passed a bill that would offer them full pay for the time they are not at their jobs during the shutdown.

While belittling the vote as a distraction that would offer employees “paid vacation,” Democrats who control the Senate said they would pass the bill early next week, and President Obama has said he would sign it.

As a practical matter, the actions taken by the Obama administration and Congress on Saturday ease the burden of the shutdown on the federal workforce.

Under a law passed passed by Congress just before the government shuttered last week, active-duty military personnel and civilian Pentagon workers on the job will receive paychecks on time.

Other federal workers — whether on furlough or on the job — will see their paychecks delayed until the government shutdown ends, squeezing workers without a financial cushion.

Colleen M. Kelley, president of the National Treasury Employees Union, said the House bill “will not address the serious consequences of the funding lapse, nor will a piecemeal approach to appropriations bills.”

As a political matter, the actions Saturday did not offer clarity on whether Congress would vote to open the government soon, or if the White House would accept a piecemeal GOP approach to funding the government.

The debate over the shutdown will likely blend this week with discussions about how to raise the $16.7 trillion debt ceiling. Republicans are looking to craft a series of demands, perhaps including entitlement reforms and changes to the tax code, to make in exchange for lifting the debt limit, the legal cap on federal borrowing.

The Obama administration warns that it may not be able to make all payments past Oct. 17 unless Congress raises the debt ceiling. Obama says he will not negotiate on either opening the government or raising the debt ceiling, saying those must happen with no strings attached.

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Anderson Touchdown Club Announces Week 6 Winners

Coach:  Kenya Fouch, T.L. Hanna 

Lineman:  Kyle McAlister, Belton-Honea Path 

Co-Defensive: Timber Hood, Wren 

Co-Offensive:   Jackson Williamson, T.L. Hanna 

Co-Offensive:   Josh House, Crescent

Co-Defensive:   Joseph Burke, Pendleton 

Karen Expected to Reach Hurricane Strength

Tropical Storm Karen developed in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico, prompting hurricane and storm watches for the U.S. coastline from Louisiana to Florida.

The system’s top sustained winds strengthened to 65 miles (105 kilometers) per hour, up from 60 mph earlier. It was about 430 miles south of the mouth of the Mississippi River and moving north-northwest at 12 mph, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said at 2 p.m. East Coast time.

White House spokesman Jay Carney speaks at the daily White House briefing about preparations for Tropical Storm Karen, the U.S. government shutdown and the insurance exchanges under provisions of the Affordable Care Act. (Source: Bloomberg)

“It’s obviously the most exciting storm we’ve had this year in terms of U.S. impacts,” said Michael Schlacter, founder of Weather 2000 Inc. in New York. “It’s almost on the cusp of being a hurricane. The fact is, we can have a true hurricane right in the heart of the Gulf of Mexico.”

A storm becomes a hurricane when its top winds reach 74 mph, and if one gets into the Gulf it can affect U.S. and Mexican oil and natural gas operations. The region is home to 23 percent of U.S. crude production, 5.6 percent of gas output and more than 45 percent of petroleum refining capacity, according to the Energy Department.

A hurricane watch, meaning storm conditions may arrive in two days, was posted from Grand Isle, Louisiana, to Indian Pass, Florida. New Orleans, as well as the coast from Grand Isle to Morgan City, Louisiana, is under a tropical storm watch.

Hurricane Potential

The center predicts Karen will reach hurricane strength tomorrow. While that might not happen, the watch was issued because it may be close, said Dennis Feltgen, a spokesman for the center.

The center’s tracking map forecasts Karen will make landfall as a strong tropical storm near the Florida-Alabama line early Oct. 6. It may drive tides 2 to 4 feet (60 to 120 centimeters) above normal from the Mississippi to Mobile Bay.

Karen is also expected to drop heavy rain on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula and on western Cuba through at least tomorrow, according to the center. Winds of at least 39 mph stretch 105 miles from Karen’s core.

Schlacter said Karen is most powerful on its eastern side, so area affected by that part of the storm will be hardest hit.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency recalled workers furloughed by the government shutdown to help prepare for Karen, said Jay Carney, White House press secretary.

15 Odd Things Effected by Federal Government Shutdown

The government shutdown was ironic from the moment it began — It all happened over the health care law, which started registration the moment the government shut down at midnight on Oct. 1.

 

Over the two-plus days since, the United States has witnessed a variety of strange consequences. Here's a look at the weirdest effects of the shutdown, from a panda cam going dark to bored Congressional workers.

 

1. Poison-ivy eating goats sent home

Last Friday, Sept. 27, in anticipation of a nearing government shutdown, a herd of ivy-eating goats from the Gateway National Recreation Area in Sandy Hook, N.J., was sent back home, to a farm in Rhinebeck, N.Y. The goats were there to help eradicate masses of poison ivy that threatened the historic Fort Hancock situated in the park, their owner told news media.

 

2. Panda cam went dark

The National Zoo in Washington D.C. was forced to turn off its Panda Cam. While thousands of online fans expressed their sadness over not being able to see the mother and baby panda, born to Mei Xian on Aug. 23, the zoo tweeted Monday, Oct. 1, that "The cams (incl. the panda cams) require federal resources, especially staff, to run. They have not been deemed essential during a #shutdown." [See Photos of Mei Xiang's Adorable Panda Cub]

 

3. KKK hindered by shutdown

The Ku Klux Klan had to cancel a rally planned for Saturday, Oct. 5, at Gettysburg National Military Park in Adams County, Penn., because the park is closed along with all other National Parks because of government shutdown.

 

Park officials had previously defended the decision to allow the Maryland-based white supremacist group use of the park, saying the group was entitled to its First Amendment rights, which protects free speech.

 

4. Lonely birthdays

The government shutdown coincided with Yosemite National Park’s 123rd and NASA's 55th birthday. There was no one around to celebrate.

 

5. Hiker still missing in closed park

Employees at Craters of the Moon National Monument in Idaho are exempted from furlough so that they can continue the search for a 63-year-old woman who has been missing for two weeks.

 

6. D.C. shows solidarity with furloughed employees

Dozens of businesses in Washington, D.C., offered furloughed employees and discounts, ranging from food and drinks to museum admissions and even pole-dancing classes, according to news reports.

Members of Congress however, are not eligible for these deals at some of these cafes and restaurants. In fact, they are asked to pay double.

 

7. Bored government workers?

Federal employees on furlough are barred from checking their work emails during the shutdown. In case the agencies need to contact employees on furlough, they can send emails to "home email accounts."

 

Workers whose smartphones are provided and paid for by their agency, had to turn in their devices. With no phones and no emails, it appears some bored government workers have taken to Craigslist to trawl for casual sex partners.

 

8. Scientific frustration

Perhaps for scientists and researchers, the shutdown is a situation as grave as if Google had gone down. On numerous scientific websites such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the database PubMed, a message is posted saying that "due to the lapse in government funding, the information on this web site may not be up to date, transactions submitted via the website may not be processed, and the agency may not be able to respond to inquiries…" [No Duh! The 10 Most Obvious Science Findings]

 

In addition, ongoing clinical trials are not accepting new patients, and grant applications are not being processed. It is possible that even if the government shutdown is short, the consequences for science projects could last for months, some researchers say.

 

One scientist recalled his experience as a graduate student during the 1995 shutdown and wrote on user-generated news site reddit: "Even though the shutdown ended in January, we did not finally get our funds till THE FOLLOWING JULY. This was disastrous since we had April-May fieldwork in the Arctic."  

 

9. Consequences extend to overseas

American facilities overseas, such as military cemeteries and memorials have been closed due to the government shutdown.

 

10. Football games are on

The Department of Defense (DOD) had canceled intercollegiate sports for the Army, Navy and Air Force. As such, the football game between the Air Force and Army, scheduled to take place at a sold-out Annapolis stadium, was thought to be a no-go. But Thursday morning, the Navy Athletics tweeted: "#NavyFootball game on Saturday against Air Force is a GO. Kickoff 11:30 AM on CBS. No word on the rest of the sports this weekend."

 

The DOD also gave the green light to the football game between the Army and Boston College, scheduled for Saturday as well, according to news reports.

 

11. Trying to contact Congress?

Some people have reported sending emails to their Congressperson, sometimes to voice complaints about the shutdown, only to receive this response, for instance:

 

"Representative Steve Womack <AR03SWIMA@mail.house.gov>

I appreciate you taking the time to contact me. Unfortunately, due to the government shutdown, there will be a delay in providing you with a response. Please know that I value your opinion. Should you need immediate assistance, please contact my Rogers office at 479-464-0446 or my D.C. office at 202.225.4301."

 

Congressman Steve Womack of Arkansas was among the Republicans involved in the stalemate that caused the government to shut down, so that, in his own words, Americans would be spared "from the pain Obamacare will undoubtedly cause."

 

12. No break from tax or the NSA

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is still collecting payments through their EFTPS.gov website.

 

"Due to the current lapse in appropriations, IRS operations are limited. However, the underlying tax law remains in effect, and all taxpayers should continue to meet their tax obligations as normal," the IRS states on its website.

 

Similarly, the National Security Agency (NSA) too is still working in full force.

 

13. How is Wall Street doing?

Wall Street seemed to stand firm during the start of the government shutdown, but things went downhill from there. On Oct. 1, U.S. stocks rose as investors assumed the shutdown impact would be limited. The Standard & Poor's 500-stock index added 0.4 percent in early trading, and the Dow Jones industrial average rose 0.2 percent.

 

On Oct. 2, however, U.S. stocks fell as investors started to assess the effects of budget impasse, Bloomberg News reported.

 

14. A space rock threatens Earth when NASA out?

The Asteroid Watch program based at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. has ceased activity along with other federally funded agencies. Fortunately, however, the Minor Planet Center in Cambridge, Mass., and the European Space Agency are still on the watch in case a space rock nears planet Earth.

 

15. Most searched terms by Americans over the last seven days

While there was an explosive increase in Google searches for government shutdown and healthcare.gov over the last seven days, it appears football coach Lane Kiffin and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) sparked even more interest among Americans, at least in terms of Google searches.

Chuck Smith, Jesus Movement's Grandfather, Dies

Calvary Chapel founder Pastor Chuck Smith, considered one of the major catalysts of the Jesus Movement of the '60s and '70s, died after a battle with lung cancer at the age of 86 on Thursday.

"My beautiful, beloved, darling Daddy is in Heaven," his daughter Janette Smith Manderson posted on Facebook early Thursday morning. "He has heard the words, 'Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.' Matthew 25:21."

Smith had been undergoing treatments for cancer off and on for almost two years, but had maintained a full schedule of preaching both from the pulpit at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa and on a radio talk show heard nationwide.

On a Facebook page with more than 11,000 followers dedicated to praying for Smith while he was ill, Manderson added, "Thank you for your faithful prayers all these months."

Smith, who at one time appeared to be winning his battle with lung cancer, suffered a setback in June, his daughter had announced. Doctors upgraded the severity of his condition after finding cancer cells in fluid in his lungs and he was scheduled to enter the hospital for fluid removal for a second time.

"Prayer warriors, it is time to put on your armor and fight in the spiritual arena," wrote Manderson at that time.

On New Year's Day 2012 during Sunday services, Smith stunned his congregation when he announced that he was diagnosed with lung cancer. However, since his announcement he continued to maintain his schedule of giving Sunday sermons, mid-week Bible studies, and co-hosting the radio show, Pastor's Perspective.

Pastor Greg Laurie of Harvest Fellowship Church in Riverside, who was one of many Christian leaders influenced by Smith's teaching, stated, "Rarely does a man come along that impacts a generation, but Chuck Smith was that man."

He added, "I can't help but think of the Apostle Paul's words to Timothy, 'I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.' (2 Tim 4:7-8)"

Laurie, who was encouraged by Smith to launch Harvest Crusades more than 20 years ago, wrote on his Facebook page that there is much more he will say in the days ahead, "but for now let's remember to pray for Chuck's family and his congregation, Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa."

"Chuck is now in Heaven, and he will certainly hear the Lord say, "Well done, good and faithful servant ... Now enter the joy of the Lord!" (Matt.25:23)

S.C. Senators to Return Pay During Shutdown

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-SC, is one of several politicians who said they will not keep their congressional salary in the wake of the federal government shutdown.

Graham said he would give his shutdown salary to the Wounded Warrior Project.

The following statement was posted on Graham's Facebook page and tweeted Tuesday:

"I shouldn't get a congressional salary while other federal employees are denied the ability to go to work. I'm going to take my salary during the government shutdown and donate it to the Wounded Warrior Project."

Sen. Tim Scott, R-SC, also announced on Facebook Wednesday he would donate his shutdown pay to charity.

Along with Graham and Scott, several other senators and congressmen said they would donate their salaries to charity, including Rep. Mark Sanford who announced that he would donate his pay last week as the shutdown loomed on the horizon.

According to the Washington Post, as of noon Wednesday 66 lawmakers had said they would not keep their shutdown salaries.

According to the Wounded Warrior Project's website, veterans are affected by the shutdown. They posted online that the Veterans Affairs is accepting new claims but is not able to process them. Click here for a complete list of impacted and not impacted WWP services.

Federal Shutdown Expected to Impact S.C. Boeing Plant

The Boeing Co. this week said that deliveries of some of its 787 Dreamliners could be delayed because of the government shutdown.

The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that the Federal Aviation Administration workers that authorize the completed planes out of Boeing’s 787 factory in South Carolina have been furloughed.

The FAA allows workers at Boeing (NYSE: BA) to perform those authorizations at the company’s facilities in Washington state, where it builds most of its aircraft.

The effect for now is limited, as the South Carolina plant only builds one to two 787s a month.

Boeing said it is evaluating contingencies if the furloughs are prolonged.

Spirit AeroSystems Inc. (NYSE: SPR) in Wichita builds the forward fuselage and other components of the 787.

Another Ancient Christian City Threatened by Islamists

The ancient Christian Syrian city of Saidnaya has recently come under threat from "Islamist militas," who have been raiding and terrorizing the village.

According to Fides, "Islamist militias from Yabroud and the Lebanese mountain" have been preying upon the village. Earlier this week, one of the raids killed a Catholic man.

Saidnaya is one of several mountainous villages located north of Damascus that has long been home to Christians and whose residents still speak Aramaic - the language believed to be the same Christ spoke. Many ancient monasteries and churches from the Byzantine Empire and Middle Ages populate the area and Saidnaya is well-known as a center of Christian pilgrimage.

Yet despite the longevity of the Christian population, since the start of the civil war, the region has taken a turn for the worse. Maaloula, a nearby village with a similar history, was recently taken over by al-Qaeda linked rebels and military fighting, forcing its 2,000 Christian residents to flee.

Saidnaya Christians believe that the violence is being used to strategically terrorize and ultimately drive them out.

"This is banditry but it is also a vendetta against Christians. We would not want to give a meaning to these acts of religious persecution, but they are targeted attacks that have the effect of creating confusion and fear among civilians," one Saidnaya Christian priest told Fides.

"Today the people of Saidnaya are afraid of having the same fate as Maalula," he added.

Maaloula Syrian Christians now living in Damascus decried the lack of action being taken to protect them from the rebel groups.

"We appeal strongly to the international community. Nobody helps us, Islamic radicalism is becoming more discriminatory. We feel unprotected. No one does anything to prevent these human right abuses: we ask the U.N. Commission in Geneva to intervene," one of the representatives told Fides.

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ASPCA Gives $5,000 to P.A.W.S. for Care of Puppy Mill Dogs

County Pets Are Worth Saving (P.A.W.S.) on Wednesday announced the award of a $5,000 Emergency Assistance Grant from the ASPCA® (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®).  The funds will be used to help defray expenses incurred in the rescue and treatment of 153 dogs removed from a suspected puppy mill in Anderson County on August 10.   

“The dogs rescued had a variety of medical problems and their needs were tremendous,” said Jessica Cwynar, Director of Anderson County P.A.W.S.  “Thanks to the assistance provided by the ASPCA, P.A.W.S. was able to offer the specialized care these dogs needed while also maintaining the high standard of care we provide to all the animals in residence at our facility.  We cannot thank the ASPCA enough for their assistance in our time of need.”

“Puppy mill dogs often suffer from inhumane conditions that are unacceptable,” said Justine Dang, ASPCA Senior Director of President’s Office Operations. “The ASPCA is proud to support the life-saving work of P.A.W.S. and hopes these animals will find loving homes soon.”

For more information, please visit http://www.petango.com/andersoncountypaws or www.NoPetStorePuppies.com.