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News/Politics 5-24-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

I’ll put a bunch up to start, then you tell us what interests you.

First up, more IRS scandal news.

When Bopp learned years later that Lerner had been promoted to an IRS  position, he became concerned. “She was in effect being promoted for what she had done at the Federal  Election Commission and now was going to be expected … to replicate that at  the IRS and now we know that’s exactly what happened,” he said. From FoxNews

Her reputation for bias is what got her the IRS gig.

Lois Lerner Directly Involved in IRS Targeting, Letters Show, from NationalReview

She’s finally getting some consequences and repercussions for her actions. But with pay of course. 🙄

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), a senior member of the tax writing Finance Committee, said in a statement Thursday that Lerner was placed on administrative leave after she refused a request from Danny Werfel, the newly installed acting IRS commissioner, to resign. From Politico

UPDATE!

Here’s a video showing Schumer and Franken dodging questions on their involvement in requesting the behavior the IRS is in trouble for.

With a Hat Tip to DrivesGuy

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Next up, Benghazi…

Looks like the Lerner situation, rewarding bad behavior, and silence.

President Obama on Thursday nominated Victoria Nuland, a State Department official involved in the editing of the administration’s talking points on Benghazi, to be the next assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs. From Politico

Meanwhile, a subpoena for another witness.

Pickering, Issa reach agreement on testimony, from HotAir

That one should be fun. He’s the former ambassador who helped the Obama admin investigate themselves.

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And then the AP/Fox record scandal. Holder insisted repeatedly that he knew nothing and had recused himself. That appears to be false.

Eric Holder Signed Off On Search Warrant For James Rosen Emails: NBC News, from TheHuffingtonPost

But don’t worry, Obama is having Holder investigate himself and his dept. in order to get to the bottom of things. 🙄

President Obama is a little uneasy with the way journalists have been dragged into the Justice Department’s aggressive pursuit of national security leak investigations. In fact, he has ordered Attorney General Eric Holder to conduct a 45-day review of the department’s guidelines on the issue. From ABCNews

Even HuffPo thinks he should be fired. But someone should hose him down first and extinguish his pants.

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Here’s more funny business from Obama’s HHS and Sec. Sebelius.

Current and former administration officials have taken on leadership and  fundraising roles for Enroll America, a nonprofit aiming to make sure people  sign up for new coverage options. As the ties grow deeper, the organization has  come to feel like “just an arm of the administration,” said one official who  works closely with insurers. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has already come  under fire from congressional Republicans because she has raised money for the  organization. From TheHill

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Here’s an update on the Trayvon Martin/ George Zimmerman case.

Martin’s cell phone contains photos of a gun, drugs, and texts about delinquent behavior. From WFTV.com

His school records, as well as school police video, hold more potential evidence. None of it good. And the defense wants to include discussion on his marijuana use. They claim he was likely under the influence at the time of his death. Needless to say prosecutors would like all these matters suppressed. It won’t help them and they know it.

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The Boy Scouts have caved. Not good, but not surprising given the pressure brought down on them by the media. It was only a matter of time.

The Boy Scouts of America threw open its ranks Thursday to gay Scouts but not gay Scout leaders – a fiercely contested compromise that some warned could fracture the organization and lead to mass defections of members and donors. Of the roughly 1,400 voting members of the BSA’s National Council who cast ballots, 61 percent supported the proposal drafted by the governing Executive Committee. The policy change takes effect Jan. 1. From TheAP

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27 thoughts on “News/Politics 5-24-13”

  1. I’m sure the Boy Scouts are just following the rules established by The Boy Scouts of Sodom and Gomorrah four thousand years ago.

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  2. We dropped out of the Scouts a couple of yeas ago because we couldn’t keep up scouts and sports. I asked the Kid to pick and he picked sports. I guess we got out in time.

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  3. KBells, Your son was wise. I feel bad for the kids who have spent years in the Scouts only to see the organization perverted.

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  4. The BSA is probably done. A young man I know is deperate to finish his Eagle because his troop is going to shut down over this issue.

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  5. “On my honor I will do my best
    To do my duty to God and my country
    and to obey the Scout Law;
    To help other people at all times;
    To keep myself physically strong,
    mentally awake, and morally straight.”

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  6. This homosexual thing in the Scouts isn’t going to work. Can you imagine a bunch of teenage boys on a camping trip with an openly homosxual kid? They are hard enough of guys who are different. This is a political thing. As a practical thing, it doesn’t matter. Each bunch of boys will handle it themselves. It will be vicious. Not good, that is.

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  8. The Scouts have acquiesced to the new conformity in part. But there will now be more pressure brought to bear regarding the group’s leadership “exception.”

    They probably should have just approved changing it all — and been done with. Because based on their recent history, they’ll most likely end up doing that anyway, given a bit more hounding — or, if that doesn’t work, a few new laws passed to force the issue.

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  11. As for the Trayvon Martin, why should the family be upset, tjhey used a picture of a 12 year old boy to hide what he looked like

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  12. I think the reason Nuland is being Moved to a European post is more designed to keep her out of the witness box rather than promotion for bad behavior. If she is overseas, she can’t answer who in charge ordered her to have the intelligence community’s assessment of Benghazi

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  13. Donna,

    Exactly. This isn’t new at all. It’s the Chicago way. Look at the tactics Obama used in Chicago on his way up. They are strikingly similar. Anyone who thinks this doesn’t go right back to the WH isn’t paying attention or is being willfully ignorant.

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  14. They don’t do well with dissent, that’s for sure. 😉 One thing you have to say about Bush, he really did let criticism roll off his back for the most part, he rarely snarked back. So refreshing when you think back to that — especially after 5 years of an oh-so-prickly administration. … Sigh.

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  15. More on Holder’s testimony. And yes, he was under oath, and it seems very clear that he perjured himself.

    http://hotair.com/archives/2013/05/24/did-eric-holder-lie-in-congressional-testimony-last-week/

    “Last week, under relatively friendly questioning from Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA) about the Department of Justice seizure of Associated Press phone records, Johnson asked about the potential to prosecute reporters under the Espionage Act of 1917. ”You’ve got a long way to go to try to prosecute the press for publication of material,” Holder responded. Later, though, he returned to the topic unbidden, emphasis mine (at the 5-minute mark):

    “In regard to potential prosecution of the press for the disclosure of material. This is not something I’ve ever been involved in, heard of, or would think would be wise policy.

    As it turns out, Holder not only heard of it, he personally approved it. The warrant in the Rosen case specified that he was considered a potential suspect in the leak of classified material, the reason that the DoJ didn’t bother to follow the existing Watergate-era statute in coordinating the records request with Fox News. And note that Holder’s testimony in this case wasn’t produced by some sophisticated perjury trap sprung by a Republican, but as a freely-offered representation to no particular question during the question period of a Democrat.

    There is no other way to view this except as a lie.”

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  17. Boy Scouts outside the US accept girls …. I have yet to hear any problems concerning overnight camp-outs. I’m a bit more optimistic than Chas regarding boys behavior. Its not unusual for boys to come out as gay in high school and it rarely leads to problems within the school. I would think it depends on leadership and the tone set by leaders. Girl Guides has accepted lesbian members for quite awhile and again I have yet to hear of problems …. again much ado about nothing.

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  18. The Martin/Zimmerman article bothered me. It appears to be a smear the victim campaign by the defence ie throw enough mud and hope it sticks. In this way, its not much different than asking what clothes the young lady was wearing the night she got raped. In fact, asking for photos and texts concerning the use of violence and possession of gunsat a different time and place is similar to asking what clothes the young lady wore the previous week when the rapists didn’t even know her. Zimmerman had no idea about the previous history of Martin prior to the night so he his perception of the threat level should only be based on what he knew about Martin. As for marijuana use — if he was stoned he was definetely not a threat. Hungry maybe.

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  20. Discussing Treyvon, homosexuality and youth reminds me of something that happened when the media frenzy against Zimmerman was at its pinnacle. A young person told me that Zimmerman’s only hope was to claim he was “gay”. They learn early how America works.

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  21. In the modern US, it doesn’t matter that Treyvon hit Zimmerman in the nose and was slamming his head into concrete, but if he had issued a “gay slur”…

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  23. HRW,

    That’s a pretty offensive comparison there. But using your reasoning…

    If it went down as Zimmerman alleges, then Zimmerman was the victim.This would be more like the prosecution refering to previous convictions of a criminal. It’s relevant. And his school records of fights and thefts, cell picks, drug use and what not indicate that he is a criminal. Zimmerman on the other hand is alleging he’s the victim, and he’s yet to be convicted of anything. Your reasoning doesn’t allow the rape victim to mention the rapists previous convictions in the case against him. This kid is not as the media portrayed him. That’s relevant, and it’s only fair the defense mention it. Any prosecutor would. Let the jury hear it all and then they can decide who was the criminal and who was the victim.

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  24. The Zimmerman case will be interesting. I hope he gets a fair trial. Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton and their buddies at NBC were the closest thing to a lynch mob I have seen.

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  26. in a rape case where the only evidence is her word against his, than her past, character and clothing should all be fair game as should his.

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