What’s interesting in the news today?
Open Thread.
Here’s a few to start off.
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But…but…. the Sequester….. They had to cancel those tours it was so bad.
Or was it all just a fraud?
From NationalReview
“We are now firmly ensconced in the brutal Age of the Sequester, and things in America are grave. The federal government, we learned on Wednesday, is so strapped for cash that the president has been forced to cut off the People’s access to the home he’s borrowing from them. He didn’t want to have to do this, naturally — “particularly during the popular spring touring season.” But then Congress just had to go and acquiesce in measures that the president himself had suggested and signed into law. How beastly! We axed 2.6 percent from a $44.8 trillion budget, and now the president can’t even afford the $18,000 per week necessary to retain the seven staff members who facilitate citizens’ enjoying self-guided tours around the White House.
The executive mansion is not in that much trouble, of course. It’s certainly not in sufficiently dire straits for Air Force One ($181,757 per hour) to be grounded, or to see the executive chef ($100,000 per year) furloughed, or to cut back on the hours of the three full-time White House calligraphers ($277,050 per year for the trio), or to limit the invaluable work of the chief of staff to the president’s dog ($102,000 per year), or to trim his ridiculous motorcade ($2.2 million). If Ellen DeGeneres wants another dancercize session or Spain holds another clothing sale, the first family will be there before you can say “citizen executive.” Fear ye not, serfs: Austerity may be the word of the week, but the president is by no means in any danger of being forced to live like the president of a republic instead of like a king.”
“The current annual cost of the White House — just in household expenses, not the policy operations for which it exists — is $1.4 billion: Annually, presidential vacations cost $20 million (the low estimate for one presidential vacation to Hawaii is $4 million, but the true cost is probably five times that); the first family’s yearly health-care costs are $7 million; more than $6 million is spent on the White House grounds each year. Transporting the president cost $346 million last year. But as Michelle Obama might say, America is basically a downright mean sort of place, so the tours will just have to go. One hopes at least that the calligraphers were recruited to sign the docents’ pink slips.”
Yeah, pretty much.
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Catholic Bishops are claiming that the new Violence Against Women Act undermines religious liberty.
From CNSNews
“The new act expands its coverage beyond women to homosexuals, bisexuals and transgenders, and includes language refering to “sexual orientation” and “gender identity.”
“These two classifications are unnecessary to establish the just protections due to all persons,” the bishops said in their statement. “They undermine the meaning and importance of sexual difference. They are unjustly exploited for purposes of marriage redefinition, and marriage is the only institution that unites a man and a woman with each other and with any children born from their union.”
The bishops also objected to the fact that the new act does not include conscience protections for organizations providing care to victims of human trafficking. Because of this, they say, the law undermines religious liberty.”
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The Ninth Circuit get’s one right, but only partially.
From CNetNews
“U.S. customs officials must have a reasonable justification before snatching your laptop at the border and scanning through all your files for incriminating data, a federal appeals court ruled today.
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Homeland Security’s border agents must have “reasonable suspicion” before they can legally conduct a forensics examination of laptops, mobile phones, camera memory cards, and so on.
Today’s opinion (PDF) is a limited — but hardly complete — rejection of the Obama administration’s claim that any American entering the country may have his or her electronic files minutely examined for evidence of criminal activity. Homeland Security has said the electronic border searches could detect terrorists, drug smugglers, and people violating “copyright or trademark laws.””
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This one is just wrong. She’s an old woman for cryin’ out loud.
From News7WSVN
“A South Florida woman claims a security guard forced her to exit the Metrorail last month for refusing to stop singing religious hymns.
The incident involving 82-year-old Emma Anderson and the guard occurred Feb. 20 at the Brickell Metrorail station, was caught on cell phone video. The footage shows the guard approaching Anderson, who was singing loudly on a corner seat and tapping her thigh with a rolled-up piece of paper to keep time with the music.
The guard asked Anderson several times to stop singing before grabbing her cart and escorting her off the train. “You’re getting off here, let’s go,” the guard is heard telling Anderson, who was heading to the Brownsville station.”
And the poor woman fell while being tossed. Yes, there’s video.
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This last one? HYPOCRISY ALERT!!!
Especially considering how he and his wife have spoken out against these sort of weapons. I guess he just means WE shouldn’t have them, but it’s fine for our ruling class elites, like them.
From Breitbart
“Mark E. Kelly, gun-control proponent and husband to former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, recently purchased an AR-15 (an “assault weapon,” he called it)—which he now says he intended as an illustration of the need for more stringent gun laws.
Kelly reportedly bought the AR-15 and a 1911-style semi-automatic pistol at a gun store in Tucson, Arizona.”
“Kelly and Giffords founded their own advocacy group to restrict gun rights, Americans for Responsible Solutions, in January. On its website, ARS wrote: “High capacity magazines are a deadly factor in gun violence.” A 30-round magazine is considered a high-capacity magazine.”
And then, like most weasels, he makes up a story days later to cover it up. Says he only bought it to turn over to the Tucson PD. Sure, ‘cuz people do that all the time. 🙄
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Wandering Views 
From Drudge:
Scouring for his next meal in a dumpster downtown, a homeless man is ticketed by Houston Police. Now, opponents point to the citation as validation of arguments against the city’s homeless feeding ordinance.
NEWS 92 FM’s Norm Uhl has more:
Cited for “disturbing the contents of a garbage can in downtown central business district,” the 44-year-old Caucasian man is known only as K.J., in a redacted ticket issued by police the morning of March 7.
But now, he is quickly becoming a symbol of how the city’s 2012 feeding ordinance victimizes the poor, says Joe Ablaza, an opponent of the policy.
K.J. is a homeless veteran forced to dumpster dive for food where he once relied on the kindness of strangers. And now, ever that source of food is in jeopardy, he says.
(my comment) How much are they going to fine a homeless man who id dumster diving. They could put him in a warm jail cell and feed him for a few days. That would teach him.
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Reminds me of a short story where one of the characters, a homeless man, throws a rock in a storefront window in order to secure his winter lodgings at the county jail.
I sympathize with the elderly woman but lets face it singing loudly on public transit is rude. There is a time and place for everything.
Speaking of older women, they are really cracking down on voter fraud in Minnesota.
http://mankatofreepress.com/local/x564671417/86-year-old-St-Peter-woman-charged-with-voter-fraud
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hwesseli, That story shows the real problem with giving anyone and everyone an absentee ballot as well the problems that all this early voting is going to cause.
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hwesseli,
Do Canadian police remove people from public transportation for being rude? In the USA that would be covered by the Freedom of Speech. Is there such a right embodied in the Canadian constitution?
She wasn’t yelling “Fire!” in a crowded theater was she?
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In all liklihood, there wouldn’t be a security officer on a commuter train to have that authority. The guy who checks the tickets may tell her to stop but commuter trains run on the honor system so you rarely see him/her. Most people would move away and ignore her. Commuter trains in Ontario are so quiet you’d think you were at church. Cdns don’t like any interruption of their personal space.
Granted, she’s not yelling fire but did she impinge on any one’s right to travel without undue interference or disturbance. If the security cop removed young people singing (or even worse rapping) on the train, I don’t even think it would be an issue. I think the security guard was too rough but rent-a-cops tend to be worse than real cops. An inferiority complex I think.
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kbells — there have been only two confirmed case of voter fraud leading to charges. A Republican in Arizona who was caught trying to prove how easy it was to vote twice and this old lady. Any other cases are hearsay or are issues not related to individual voting. Early voting is the means to ensure everyone can vote. We could make election day a paid holiday but until then we need early voting. Florida limited early voting and the result was massive line ups in which people waiting hours to vote. Either ensure there’s enough polls or machines for everyone or allow early voting. To do neither is to suppress the vote.
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“We could make election day a paid holiday but until then we need early voting. What’s this “we” hwesseli? Aren’t you canadian?
Sometimes I think it’s presumptuous for a Canadian to tell Americans what we need and what we don’t need and what’s best for our country.
Just my opinion.
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hwesseli, really?
http://www.rnla.org/votefraud.asp
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Our ‘Çhristian’ President’s response to Pastor Saeed’s imprisonment:
http://radio.foxnews.com/toddstarnes/top-stories/obama-silent-on-american-christian-pastor-held-in-iran.html
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HRW,
You’re funny. Wrong, but amusing.
http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/340174/voter-fraud-never-happens-keeps-coming-back-john-fund
http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20130311/NEWS0107/303110080/
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HRW,
http://www.truethevote.org/news/did-you-know-there-are-voter-fraud-convictions-and-prosecutions-in-46-states
“Did You Know There are Voter Fraud Convictions and Prosecutions in 46 States?
Check out cases of voter fraud in your state since 2000:
1. 2012 – Alabama
2.2012 – Alaska
3. 2012 – Arizona
4. 2012 – Arkansas
5. 2012 – California
6. 2005 – Colorado
7. 2012 – Connecticut
8. 2012 – Florida
9. 2012 – Georgia
10. 2012 – Idaho”
That’s just the first 10
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Also see-
http://www.truethevote.org/news/how-widespread-is-voter-fraud-2012-facts-figures
“How Widespread is Voter Fraud? | 2012 Facts & Figures”
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I knew when I said two there would be a flurry of links disputing my claim which admittedly wasn’t based on extensive research. I should have narrowed it individual voter fraud charges in the presidential election. There are numerous allegations and investigations but only a few with charges, admittedly more than two. I counted three in your republican lawyer link who had been charged and were related to the presidential elections. Its interesting in the other links one mentions 19 cases being investigated which the other article said resulted in three charges or pleas. Two of which were people mailing in a ballot filled out by a person who later died but before the election. You could say they were honouring the wishes of the dead.
As for the others;
felons voting: the rules differ from state to state so its possible they were confused to whether they could vote or not.
Undue influence: thats difficult to prove. I once took a few blind people to vote. They wanted to vote Liberal and needed me to mark the ballot properly. The conservative poll watcher wasn’t impressed. However, I didn’t influence them at all — personally I vote NDP (social democratic).
registration: canvasing cemeteries is rather old school and easy to catch, many of the other irregularities are bipartisan and not related to individual fraud. This speaks to the need for a non-partisan elections commission to oversee all aspects of elections including registration and creating districts. Gerrymandering is a far more egregious offense openly admitted by the Republicans this term. It allowed them to command a majority of the House with a minority of the popular vote.
voting machine: they appear to malfunction for both sides. Anonymous claims they stop a Republican plot to fix the Ohio election results via machines. I doubt it but it would explain why Karl Rove was so confidant and then upset on FOX. Perhaps its time to reconsider the paper ballot or at least a paper trail.
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klasko,
by we I meant both countries, we both have a problem with voter participation. Australia has mandatory voting with a holiday — its a good idea.
It is a bit presumptuous for one country to tell an other country how to behave. But lets face it America has been doing that for at least a century. However, for one individual to make comments about an other country on a blog isn’t presumptuous.
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Thoughts on drones (I’m finally clearing my email after a wild week). http://www.nationalreview.com/blogs/print/342564
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mark steyn is usually not my preference but he’s right in this article. btw, klasko Steyn is Canadian perhaps he shouldn’t write for the national review. David Frum, speech writer for Bush, is an other Canadian. To be more accurate, he became an American in 2007 and is now a dual citizen.
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It just seems to me that many Canadians have an awful lot to say about the state of our affairs south of their border, and it’s not all detached objectivity. I find it annoying that people who don’t have to eat this crap sandwich we’ve been served up by the current regime tell us how wonderful it is and how wrong we are to object.
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Good Steyn link, Michelle.
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“But lets face it America has been doing that for at least a century. ”
For example?
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Canada reminds me of the homely unpopular girl who is thrilled to find out at the reunion that the head cheerleader put on a little weight.
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??
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Canada seems to be very happy that the US is having problems, despite that the US has never don’t them any harm other than being better at everything..
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