What’s news today?

Well the Feinstein circus yesterday’s a good place to start, I guess. Democrat Senator Chris Murphy says if there was an assault weapons ban in place, the kids in the Sandy Hook shooting would be alive today.

Really Senator? Then how do you explain this?

From the Chattanoogan

“Connecticut already has an assault weapons ban.

Sec. 53-202c. Possession of assault weapon prohibited. Class D felony. (a) Except as provided in section 53-202e, any person who, within this state, possesses any assault weapon, except as provided in sections 29-37j, 53-202a to 53-202k, inclusive, and 53-202o and subsection (h) of section 53a-46a, shall be guilty of a class D felony and shall be sentenced to a term of imprisonment of which one year may not be suspended or reduced; except that a first-time violation of this subsection shall be a class A misdemeanor if (1) the person presents proof that he lawfully possessed the assault weapon prior to October 1, 1993, and (2) the person has otherwise possessed the firearm in compliance with subsection (d) of section 53-202d.

See here and here for the Connecticut law, and what is considered an assault weapon.

Also Senator, there was no assault weapon used in the shooting, so a ban would have been useless. 4 handguns were used according to the Coroner. There was one in the shooters trunk, but it never left the shooters car.

How can we have an honest debate with dishonest people? Pandering doesn’t help either Senator.

____________________________________________________

I guess we’ll stick with not quite accurate statements for the next one too.

 Kerry seems to contradict Hillary’s testimony about the alleged protests.

____________________________________________________

I’d like to believe them. I really would. But I don’t. They’ll just pull another Lucy and Charlie Brown us.

From HotAir

“At the end of last year, Barack Obama had the advantage of time for his effort to get tax hikes.  If House Republicans refused to bend on tax increases on high-end earners, taxes would go up anyway on everyone.  That leverage allowed Obama to score a big legislative victory on New Years Day, although not as big as he’d hoped.

Now, however, time is on the side of Republicans.  Thanks to the 2011 Budget Control Act’s “sequesters,” spending cuts will hit whether Obama agrees to a budget plan to reduce overall spending or not.  And Republicans, led by Paul Ryan, have taken a page from Obama’s book and will cheerfully allow them to hit, whether they like the impact or not:

Republicans will insist that automatic spending cuts take effect March 1 unless other cuts are adopted, Ryan said. They may force a shutdown of the government on March 27 unless Democrats agree to additional cuts. And they will demand that any future increase in the debt limit – likely to be necessary this summer if the measure to suspend the current debt limit is adopted — be paired dollar-for-dollar with spending cuts or other reforms.

“We have a sequester kicking in on March 1, a continuing resolution [on the budget] expiring on March the 27. We have budgets that, if the Senate decides to do its job this year, will come out in April,” Ryan said Wednesday at a breakfast with reporters. “These are the kind of points we think force the kind of conversation we think we have to have.”

Here’s the WaPo story on it.

“As House Republicans prepared to vote Wednesday on a plan to suspend the debt limit, Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan made clear that the party is in no way abandoning its uncompromising approach to the budget battle with President Obama.

Republicans will insist that automatic spending cuts take effect March 1 unless other cuts are adopted, Ryan said. They may force a shutdown of the government on March 27 unless Democrats agree to additional cuts. And they will demand that any future increase in the debt limit – likely to be necessary this summer if the measure to suspend the current debt limit is adopted — be paired dollar-for-dollar with spending cuts or other reforms.”

____________________________________________________

And here’s 3 interesting pieces from ZeroHedge

First,

“With eight months left until million of Americans are supposed to begin shopping at online markets created by the Obamacare ‘tax’ law, the insurance industry is concerned at the government’s lack of readiness. Bloomberg reports that Jim Donelon, the head of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, suggested that President Obama may need to delay the implementation of the health-care overhaul or “risk chaos” when the subsidized plans go on sale later this year. While it is clear that the administration has shown no sign of seeking a delay, Donelon notes that “…to rush into implementation before it’s ready would not be in the President’s best interest.””

Second,

“While it is unclear how many states’ data the BLS had to estimate today, the weekly initial claims print was impressive, sliding even lower than last week, when it came at 335K, and refuting expectations of a rise to 355K, instead reversing and printing the lowest weekly number since January 2008: 330K. What is impressive is that the NSA number dropped by a whopping 120K in the past week, making one wonder how much of the ongoing moves are simply a seasonal adjustments mismatch (a question even Goldman asked last night). Perhaps just as curious is that a whopping 365,641 people dropped off Extended Claims in the first week of January, unclear if this had anything to do with the Fiscal Cliff can kicking: certainly a third of a million Americans suddenly stopped receiving weekly jobless claims benefits from Uncle Sam.”

And the how many states question has been answered for the Third,

“And The Reason For Today’s Five Years Initial Claims Low Is…

… is not the economy, which as we pointed out earlier just crossed into “worst recovery ever” territory, or even actual layoff events. The reason is, as always when there is a massive “beat” in any US economic data, the same tried and true estimation magic out of the BLS appearing so conveniently at appropriate times, which estimated the claims numbers of 3 states, among which those of the most populous: California. ”

____________________________________________________

What’s news today?

First, a helpful public service message for cat owners.

Now you know what to do to prevent this problem at your house. You’re welcome. 🙂

___________________________________________________

Reasonable and sensible gun legislation? Sounds better than what Lautenberg and Feinstein are proposing today, which is neither reasonable or sensible.

From Bloomberg

“His nephew, 6-year-old Noah Pozner, was among the murdered at Sandy Hook Elementary School. He had been shot 11 times at close range. My old friend had come from Seattle to Washington to talk to lawmakers about reforms that might prevent future massacres.”

“He had sent a memorandum to the White House task force on gun violence on behalf of Noah’s mother, brother, sister and seven other family members. It included a number of novel proposals. One is a new reporting requirement: If you have“knowledge of a grave and imminent threat of serious physical harm” that someone else has made, and “reasonable cause to believe” that person has access to a gun or bomb, you would have a legal requirement to inform a law-enforcement agency.”

“A second proposed statute would establish a standard for securing firearms. Someone who has “reasonable cause to believe”that he has made a gun accessible to a person who is mentally ill and considered dangerous, or otherwise poses a grave and imminent danger to others, would be guilty of a misdemeanor, and maybe even a felony, if that dangerous person gets the gun.”

You can read the proposal here, courtesy of NBCBayArea

___________________________________________________

This one? Well, I’m just gonna say it. Leon, you’re a fool. Enough with using the military for this administrations social experiments.

From FoxNews

“Women in all branches of the military soon will have unprecedented  opportunities to serve on the front lines of the nation’s wars.

Leon Panetta, in one of his last acts as President Obama’s defense secretary,  is preparing to announce the policy change, which would open hundreds of  thousands of front-line positions and potentially elite commando jobs after more  than a decade at war, the Pentagon confirmed Wednesday.

The groundbreaking move recommended by the Joint Chiefs of Staff overturns a  1994 rule banning women from being assigned to smaller ground combat units.  Panetta’s decision gives the military services until January 2016 to seek  special exceptions if they believe any positions must remain closed to  women.”

Recommended, after much pressure from the White House.

___________________________________________________

Uh-oh. It’s never pretty when liberal groups are at odds with each other. But it can be amusing. 🙂

Now Bloomberg knows how real Republicans feel when he and his ilk constantly play the race card on them.

From TheAP

“The city defended its groundbreaking size limit on sugary drinks Wednesday as an imperfect but meaningful rein on obesity, while critics said it would hurt small and minority-owned businesses while doing little to help health.

The first courtroom arguments in the closely watched case ended without an immediate ruling. Opponents said they planned to ask a judge to delay enforcement during the suit, which has broached questions of racial fairness alongside arguments about government authority and burdens to business.

The NAACP’s New York state branch and a network of Hispanic groups have joined a legal effort to block the first-of-its-kind restriction, igniting questions Wednesday about the groups’ ties to the beverage industry.”

___________________________________________________

So what did you folks think of Hillary Clinton’s testimony?

I think she was wrong, it does matter. Even some of the mainstream press thinks so.

From the HotAir/GreenRoom

“The Washington Post’s Erik Wemple explains why:

No matter your view of the media’s role in Benghazi; no matter your take on whether U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice leveled with the country on the Sept. 16 talk shows; no matter your view of Fox News’s Benghazi campaign, it surely does make a difference whether it was “because of a protest or was it because of guys out for a walk one night who decided they’d go kill some Americans.” It makes a difference to the media, the public, the government, everyone.

The trustworthiness of the administration’s version of events — even the early one — makes a difference. Whether it was hard-core terrorism or a spontaneous attack or something else — that makes a difference too, with strong implications for intelligence accountability. Goodness gracious, in her very own statement, Clinton herself even seems to acknowledge that it makes a difference, when she says, “It is our job to figure out what happened …”

At one point in the proceedings, Clinton stated, “Maybe we didn’t do a good enough job of explaining that we didn’t have a good picture.” Yes, that would have helped.”

And CBS reporter Sharyl Attkisson tweeted that it does as well. Let’s hope it inspires them to dig a little deeper into this for a change.

___________________________________________________

Say it with me now….

Most transparent Administration Evah!

Not. From WFB via HotAir

“Transparency:

The number of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuits filed against the federal government has increased dramatically under the Obama administration, according to a December study by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC).

A comparison between the last two years of President George W. Bush’s second term and the last two years of President Barack Obama’s first term shows FOIA lawsuits jumped by 28 percent, TRAC reports.

FOIA lawsuits are filed to challenge denials of records requests or the use of exemptions of information by federal agencies.

The number of FOIA lawsuits filed against the State Department rose by 111 percent in those time periods, from 18 to 38. FOIA lawsuits rose by 60 percent at both the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Veterans Affairs. Additionally, the Department of Justice saw an increase by 50 percent.

Sure, we’ll tell you what you want to know. Right after you sue us first, ‘cuz we ain’t talkin’ unless you do. And we’ll also redact the snot out of what little we finally give you. Good luck with that. We’re glad to have been of assistance.

___________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

What’s news today?

Open thread, you decide.

Here’s a few from me.

Bibi wins, from Yahoo

“Hawkish Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emerged the bruised winner of Israel’s election on Tuesday, claiming victory despite unexpected losses to resurgent center-left challengers.

Exit polls showed the Israeli leader’s Likud party, yoked with the ultra-nationalist Yisrael Beitenu group, would still be the biggest bloc in the 120-member assembly with 31 seats, 11 fewer than the 42 they held in the previous parliament.

If the exit polls compiled by three local broadcasters prove correct – and they normally do in Israel – Netanyahu would be on course for a third term in office, perhaps leading a hardline coalition that would promote Jewish settlement on occupied land.”

I wonder if President Obama called him to offer congratulations?

___________________________________________________

Here’s some Texas Straight Talk, from Ron Paul

“The Coming Debt Limit Drama: Government Wins, We Lose”

“Last week President Obama bluntly warned Congress that he will not negotiate when it comes to raising the statutory debt limit.  If Republicans attempt to use a debt ceiling vote to win concessions on spending from the White House, Mr. Obama threatens simply to raise the limit by executive order or other unilateral action.

This is business as usual in Washington.  Democrats literally do not believe we have a deficit and debt problem, and reliably propose greater borrowing and spending.  Republicans talk a good game when it comes to government debt, but have no credibility to argue against deficits or abuses of executive power.  Brinksmanship ensues, and ugly compromises are reached at the 11th hour.  We all lose as the endless borrowing and money printing further erode our dollar and our economy.”

And Boehner offers a deal to put things off until May, and Obama says he won’t oppose it, all right on cue.

___________________________________________________

Wanted: 4 Star General to fill upcoming CENTCOM vacancy. Must be a YES! man and team player.

From WFB

““Word on the national security street is that General James Mattis is being given the bum’s rush out of his job as commander of Central Command, and is being told to vacate his office several months earlier than planned,” reports veteran national security correspondent Thomas E. Ricks.

It now appears likely that Gen. Mattis, a Marine Corps legend, will leave his post as head of America’s most important combatant command in March, several months earlier than planned. Ricks continues:

Why the hurry? Pentagon insiders say that he rubbed civilian officials the wrong way — not because he went all “mad dog,” which is his public image, and the view at the White House, but rather because he pushed the civilians so hard on considering the second- and third-order consequences of military action against Iran. Some of those questions apparently were uncomfortable. Like, what do you do with Iran once the nuclear issue is resolved and it remains a foe? What do you do if Iran then develops conventional capabilities that could make it hazardous for U.S. Navy ships to operate in the Persian Gulf? He kept saying, “And then what?

Inquiry along these lines apparently was not welcomed — at least in the CENTCOM view. The White House view, apparently, is that Mattis was too hawkish, which is not something I believe, having seen him in the field over the years. I’d call him a tough-minded realist, someone who’d rather have tea with you than shoot you, but is happy to end the conversation either way.”

___________________________________________________

And Hillary will finally have some ‘splainin’ to do to today.

JudicialWatch has some questions to ask her.

“Who at the State Department was responsible for opening up and continuing the operation of the “Special Mission Compound” in the unstable environment of Benghazi, overriding physical security standards for diplomatic facilities?

Did the Director of Diplomatic Security or his immediate subordinates have authority to countermand the Department’s desire to open “SMC Benghazi?”

Why did Ambassador Stevens travel to Benghazi, so close to the anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks?

Why were two unmanned aerial vehicles requested to record the deadly events as they unfolded in Benghazi while more lethal air support options were not on station?”

And I have one too. Was this really an embassy, or just a front to run arms illegally to the Syrian rebels as some have alleged?

___________________________________________________