Month: June 2013

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News/Politics 6-6-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

Once again the influence this guy wields is baffling. From CNSNews

“Mikey Weinstein, president of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, called the Pentagon, demanding the painting’s removal, according to a posting from the organization on Huffington Post that was headlined, “The Pentagon Most Certainly is Listening to Mikey Weinstein.”

“Mikey gave the Air Force an hour to take action,” the Huffington Post piece by Chris Rodda, senior research director for the Military Religious Freedom Foundation and author of the book “Liars for Jesus,” said Friday.”

Meanwhile, the military continues it’s assault on soldiers who have the nerve to support traditional values. From FoxNews

“An Army master sergeant was punished after he hosted a promotion party and served Chick-fil-A sandwiches in honor of the Defense of Marriage Act.”

“The unidentified soldier was investigated, reprimanded, threatened with judicial action and given a bad efficiency report, according to the Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty.

“They say he is no longer a team player and was not performing up to standards,” Chaplain Alliance Executive Director Ron Crews told Fox News. “This is just one little example of a case of a soldier just wanting to express his views and now he’s been jumped on by the military.”

The soldier’s story was included in a letter to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights documenting concerns about attacks on religious liberty within the Armed Services.”

Mikey Weinstein and his PC stupidity isn’t the only problem.

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Speaking of undeserved influence…. From WND

“The FBI has censored and modified hundreds of pages of materials to satisfy  Muslim critics, including a change that was made because an agency “expert”  insisted the Quran “is the revealed word of God.”

The details come from Judicial Watch, which obtained documentation of  the hundreds of pages of FBI memos, training documents and other paperwork that  the agency purged on the demands of Muslims.”

And the Obama admin is clearly out of synch with the public on this. They can scrub the info to make muslim groups happy, and they can pretend there’s not an issue, but American’s of both parties know better. From InvestorsBusinessDaily

“President Obama may need to give another national security speech, because a  new poll shows Americans aren’t nearly as convinced the war on Islamic terror is  over.

A solid majority also think the national security threat comes not just from  terrorism but also the Islamic faith. And it’s a fear held intensely by Obama’s  most loyal voters: African-Americans.”

They can ignore the obvious for PC reasons, but most people see thru it.

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Here’s a couple of quick IRS pieces. Remember folks, Democrats want to remind you that Bush appointed him.

Musta been having a bi-partisan moment eh’ George? From JammieWearingFools

“It’s a running gag by now how former IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulamn was appointed by George W. Bush. No Democrat can discuss the Obama IRS scandal without mentioning it. We would suggest they’re overreaching and overplaying their hand, but this could result in a backlash against the GOP. Anyway, there’s a fascinating look here on Shulman and some of the interesting company he’s kept in past years, including with perhaps the most notorious Democrat tax cheat in recent memory.

The IRS’s top man came to Harlem — and shared a stage with an accused tax cheat, Rep. Charles Rangel.“

He’s also donated to Media Matters and George Soros. Sounds like a Republican to me. 🙄

And yet another top IRS official has some questionable actions to answer for. From BuzzFeed

“The IRS has put a top official in charge of implementing Obamacare on administrative leave after it was discovered he had accepted $1,162 in free food and other items during a 2010 conference.

In a statement, the IRS confirmed that two employees have been placed on administrative leave — which is paid — and have begun the process of removing them.”

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That brings us to ObamaCare. Dem’s and Obama say they’re gonna own it. I say good, hang it around their necks like the albatross it is.  From MercuryNews

“President Barack Obama will come to San Jose on Friday to tout California as proof that his “Obamacare” health care reforms are working.

The White House on Tuesday announced the policy address, which follows the president’s appearances Thursday at a pair of fundraisers for Senate Democrats. It’s not yet clear where the president’s address will be or whether it will be open to the public.

This trip could be a chance for Obama to “take the spotlight off of the IRS, the AP issues, Benghazi — all these things that individually may or may not amount to much, but collectively cast a shadow over a guy who’s trying to get things moving in his second term and instead finds himself in neutral, at best,” said San Jose State University political expert Larry Gerston.”

Take the spotlight off? Sure, point out something that 60%+ of the public hates, that should help.  🙄

Senate and House Dems are all in as well. From Politico

“Scarred by years of Republican attacks over Obamacare, with more in store next year, Democrats have settled on an unlikely strategy for the 2014 midterms: Bring it on.

Party strategists believe that embracing the polarizing law — especially its more popular elements — is smarter politics than fleeing from it in the House elections. The new tack is a marked shift from 2010, when Republicans pointed to Obamacare as Exhibit A of Big Government run amok on their way to seizing the House from Democrats.”

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Pointing out how ObamaCare is gonna cost us is a good plan, especially when you point out the rest of the economic news too. Also not a winning topic for Dems and Obama. “Summer of Recovery?” Anyone? Biden? No? From TheAP

“The expected U.S. “Great Recovery” hasn’t materialized and the economy has fallen short of even normal growth, according to a forecast released Wednesday.”

“The figure was 15.4 percent below a “normal” growth trend, forecast director Edward Leamer wrote.”

More on the dismal picture here, from TheLATimes

“It’s not a recovery,” he wrote. “It’s not even normal growth. It’s bad.”

That has long-term implications in the face of technological advancements that continue displacing workers, Leamer said. And the country’s education system isn’t adequately developing the workforce of the future, he said.

“Regrettably we reward teachers if their students can regurgitate the information on standardized tests,” he wrote. Future workers will need creative and analytical thinking skills for 21st century jobs, he said.”

The good news is the experts expect the unemployment rate to drop. But that will only be because benefits are running out, and the unemployed will instead join the millions of uncounted jobless folks. And as always, they’ll manipulate them if they have too in order to do just that. Again. Still.

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And Lindsey Graham once again earns his RINO title. From NationalJournal

“Whether bloggers count as journalists has mostly been a matter of esoterics for reporter types. But as Congress weighs a media shield law in response to the Associated Press/Justice Department subpoena scandal, the question is gaining an urgency that lawmakers are finding hard to ignore as they turn to writing the bill.

Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., took on the issue—and stumbled.

“Who is a journalist is a question we need to ask ourselves,” he said. “Is any blogger out there saying anything—do they deserve First Amendment protection? These are the issues of our times.”

Last I checked there Senator, media or not, all citizens have First Amendment Rights. Well, unless you’re a Republican trying to get tax exempt status from the IRS. But what makes him think they should decide what’s media and what’s not? If someone runs afoul of what’s legal, or says something that may be slanderous, we already have laws for that.

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And last today, more bad news for Baseball. Another drug scandal. And of course ARod’s name is all over it. Figures. And yet they still can’t void his contract? Seriously? From ESPN

“Major League Baseball will seek to suspend about 20 players connected to the Miami-area clinic at the heart of an ongoing performance-enhancing drug scandal, including Alex Rodriguez and Ryan Braun, possibly within the next few weeks, “Outside the Lines” has learned. If the suspensions are upheld, the performance-enhancing drug scandal would be the largest in American sports history.”

Anyone want to buy a never worn ARod jersey?

Yeah. I wouldn’t either. 😦

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Our Daily Thread 6-5-13

Good Morning!

On this day in 1752 Benjamin Franklin flew a kite for the first time to demonstrate that lightning was a form of electricity.

In 1794 Congress prohibited citizens from serving in any foreign armed forces.

In 1851 Harriet Beecher Stow published the first installment of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” in “The National Era.”

In 1884 U.S. Civil War General William T. Sherman refused the Republican presidential nomination. He was quoted as saying, “I will not accept if nominated and will not serve if elected.”

In 1933 President Roosevelt signed the bill that took the U.S. off of the gold standard.

In 1967 The Six Day War between Israel and Egypt, Syria and Jordan began.

And in 1981 the Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported that five men in Los Angeles were suffering from the first recognized cases of what came to be known as AIDS. 

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Quote of the Day

“Who is rich? He that rejoices in his portion.”

Benjamin Franklin

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On this day in 1865 this song was presented for the first time. I couldn’t find the original, but I came pretty close. It’s really old, and pretty cool. 🙂

This one is old. Check out clean-cut Willie. 🙂

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Anyone have a QoD?

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Prayer Requests 6-5-13

Who can we pray for today?

And it’s Wednesday, so don’t forget the people of Gambia and those ministering to them. 🙂

Psalm 90:12-17

12 So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.

13 Return, O Lord, how long? and let it repent thee concerning thy servants.

14 O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.

15 Make us glad according to the days wherein thou hast afflicted us, and the years wherein we have seen evil.

16 Let thy work appear unto thy servants, and thy glory unto their children.

17 And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.

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News/Politics 6-5-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

We have a bunch today, so I’ll try to be brief. Some are videos, so you can hear and see it for yourself.

Out of all the testimony I’ve seen, this one is my favorite. It’s about time someone calls these partisan hacks out for their behavior and enabling of clear violations of the law. And these illegal acts for partisan reasons have had a chilling effect on free speech, and have led to crimes against people’s homes and businesses for nothing more than supporting traditional marriage.

Next up, what the IRS did to an Iowa pro-life group. You will find what she has to say extremely disturbing.

More on their illegal actions toward NOM here, from TheDailyCaller

“It is likely that someone at the Internal Revenue Service illegally leaked  confidential donor information showing a contribution from Mitt  Romney’s political action committee to the National  Organization for Marriage, says the group.”

“The dispute stems from a March 30 post on the pro-gay Human Rights Campaign’s  (HRC) website, which boasted that it had obtained documents revealing that Mitt Romney “donated $10,000 to the National  Organization for Marriage [NOM] in 2008 …””

Meanwhile, other groups that are certainly questionable continued to have expedited service from the IRS and meetings with the White House to help move things along.  From WND

“At the same time the Internal Revenue Service delayed or denied requests for  tax-exempt status from hundreds of conservative non-profit groups, it was  quietly restoring the tax-exempt status of an Islamist front group accused of  collaborating with terrorists.

Last year, the politicized agency reinstated the Washington-based Council on  American-Islamic Relations’ tax-exempt status despite years of delinquent tax  filings. CAIR officials had met with officials inside the White House before the  decision was made.”

Anyone who still doubts the White House involvement needs to consider this as well. From TownHall

“Cutter insists that Shulman was simply meeting about implementation of ObamaCare — and in fairness, one of her responsibilities was managing communications strategy for the unpopular law.  But as everyone knows, Stephanie Cutter’s expertise is not primarily in the policy area; it is in the realm of politics: Political strategy and communications.  She has been described by the Daily Beast as a partisan “pit bull.”  Her job isn’t the nuts and bolts of governing.  She is a political fixer.  That’s why she was a Deputy Campaign manager for the President’s re-election.

Given that’s the case, it’s far from clear why she would have been in meetings with Doug Shulman at all.  The whole point of the IRS’ supposed “independence” is to insulate the agency from the influence and machinations of people exactly like Stephanie Cutter.

Some at the IRS are talking, and what they’re saying implicates others as well as the White House. From NationalReview

“Congressional investigators are probing the highest echelons of the Internal Revenue Service  in Washington, D.C., in connection with the agency’s targeting of conservative groups, according to documents obtained by National Review Online. Those documents, provided by an IRS employee who asked to remain anonymous, indicate that those being asked to provide computer data to investigators include the agency’s chief counsel, William J. Wilkins, and both of his deputies. The chief counsel is one of just two political appointments at the IRS made by the president.”

Paul Ryan got some cheers from the audience for his rebuttal of McDermott. Despite his insistence that the Bush admin did this to liberal groups, he and Democrats offered no examples and called no witnesses.

GOP Rep. Jim Bridenstine’s  One-Minute Critique Of The Obama Regime On House Floor…

Ouch.

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Here’s an update on the Ft. Hood shooting trial. Like I said yesterday, it’s getting really tough to sell the “work-place violence” lie. This was terrorism. The suspect has again admitted this publicly. Those involved deserve the proper designation and the benefits they have coming. Benefits the Obama admin has denied them because they don’t want to admit to the suspects motivations for PC reasons. From Newser.com

“A “defense of others” strategy requires defendants to prove they killed a person or people to protect others from immediate danger. Many of the soldiers killed on the Texas Army post were preparing to deploy.”

“Government documents show that Hasan, in speaking with some colleagues, expressed support for Osama bin Laden and said the U.S. was at war with Islam. In some emails to a radical Muslim cleric, Hasan indicated that he supported terrorists and was intrigued with the idea of U.S. soldiers killing comrades in the name of Islam.”

“Witnesses have said that after lunch on Nov. 5, 2009, a gunman wearing an Army combat uniform shouted “Allahu Akbar!” _ “God is great!” in Arabic _ and opened fire in a crowded medical building where deploying soldiers are given vaccines and undergo tests. Witnesses said the gunman fired rapidly, pausing only to reload, even shooting at some soldiers as they hid under desks and fled the building.”

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This one? Oh c’mon, really? From Philly.com

“Ask anyone coming down from the high of one too many cups of coffee, and they’ll  tell you that the headaches from caffeine withdrawal can drive you crazy. So much so, that the latest version of psychiatry’s bible, DSM-5, is naming caffeine withdrawal as an actual mental disorder.”

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Our Daily Thread 6-4-13

Good Morning!

On this day in 1784 Marie Thible became the first woman to fly in a hot-air balloon.

In 1812 the Louisiana Territory had its name changed to the Missouri Territory.

In 1919 the U.S. Senate passed the Women’s Suffrage bill.

In 1942 the Battle of Midway began.

In 1944 the U-505 became the first enemy submarine captured by the U.S. Navy.

In 1974 the Cleveland Indians had “Ten Cent Beer Night”. Due to the large number of drunken and unruly fans, the Indians forfeited the game to the Texas Rangers.

Also on this day in 1974 Sally Murphy became the first woman to qualify as an aviator with the U.S. Army.

And in 1985 the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling striking down an Alabama law that provided for a daily minute of silence in public schools.

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Quote of the Day

“One of the reasons people hate politics is that truth is rarely a politician’s objective. Election and power are.”

Cal Thomas

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It’s Mr. Fender’s birthday today.

It’s also Robert Merrill’s.

And also John McCormack’s.

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Anyone have a QoD for us?

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Prayer Requests 6-4-13

Who has a request or praise today?

Today is the funeral of our friend Cheryl’s brother-in-law. His wife, as well as Cheryl and the family, are grieving and feeling the loss. Please keep them in prayer today and in the coming days. Thanks.  

Psalm 89:13-18

13 Thou hast a mighty arm: strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand.

14 Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face.

15 Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance.

16 In thy name shall they rejoice all the day: and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted.

17 For thou art the glory of their strength: and in thy favour our horn shall be exalted.

18 For the Lord is our defence; and the Holy One of Israel is our king.

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News/Politics 6-4-13

What news story has caught your attention?

Open thread, so let us know.

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The Ft. Hood shooter is being allowed to represent himself. It should be interesting to hear what he has to say. I’m sure a lot will just be propaganda, but I have a feeling he’ll make it clear that this was not simple “work place violence” as the Obama admin insists on labeling it. He’ll make his motivations known. From CBSNews

“A military judge is allowing the Army psychiatrist charged in the 2009 Fort Hood shooting rampage to represent himself at his upcoming murder trial.

The judge also ruled Monday that Maj. Nidal Hasan’s attorneys will remain on the case, but only if he asks for their help.”

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This one is a bit hypocritical IMO. They complain about a school informing kids of a Christian program available after school and off-site, yet expect even greater benefits from the schools and the ability to pray in special rooms, and foot baths as well. Christian and Jewish students are not given prayer rooms or similar accommodations. All, or none. Which is it? From EAGNews

“CAIR-MI sent a letter to Roseville Public Schools after receiving a complaint from two parents of children who attend Huron Park Elementary School about distribution by teachers of permission slips for the Bible classes at a local Baptist church. CAIR Executive Director Dawus Walid wrote in a letter to the school district, “School staff and teachers are not to serve as advocates for one particular religion or congregation within a religion by passing out slips inviting parents to give permission for their children to attend religious instruction.”

But that’s precisely what CAIR sought in the nearby Dearborn district.

The Arab American News reported that CAIR staff “recently met with Dearborn Public Schools Superintendent Brian Whiston to discuss concerns from some parents regarding prayer accommodations in Dearborn Public Schools.

“Dearborn Public Schools has implemented a policy which fully accommodates student-led prayer in all the schools, as well as unexcused absences for students who leave early on Fridays for Jumu’ah prayers. CAIR-MI is currently in discussion with Melvindale Public Schools to get similar accommodations for students that are now in place for Dearborn Public Schools.””

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I gotta tell ya’, those “rogue employees” at the IRS could take some lessons from this guy on how to be better employees.

And this guy’s completely made up. This is your govt. at work. From WFB

““Richard Windsor” may have only been an alias for former Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lisa Jackson, but that didn’t stop him from being awarded numerous certificates for ethics and records management.

The EPA awarded certificates naming Jackson/Windsor a “scholar of ethical behavior.” Jackson, under her secret alias, was also awarded certificates for completing training modules on email records management.”

“EPA official Eric W. Wachter, director of the office of the secretariat, said Jackson was only certified under her alias because that was the account she happened to be signed in as when she took the online tests in a FOIA response letter to Horner.”

So she uses a fraudulent account and a made up employee gets certified? But she can claim credit for completing the course by fraud anyway. Nice.

Oh, and she’s not the only one either. This seems to be a preferred tactic in the Obama admin for hiding info from the public. From APNews

“Some of President Barack Obama’s political appointees, including the Cabinet secretary for the Health and Human Services Department, are using secret government email accounts they say are necessary to prevent their inboxes from being overwhelmed with unwanted messages, according to a review by The Associated Press.

The scope of using the secret accounts across government remains a mystery: Most U.S. agencies have failed to turn over lists of political appointees’ email addresses, which the AP sought under the Freedom of Information Act more than three months ago. The Labor Department initially asked the AP to pay more than $1 million for its email addresses.

The AP asked for the addresses following last year’s disclosures that the former administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency had used separate email accounts at work. The practice is separate from officials who use personal, non-government email accounts for work, which generally is discouraged – but often happens anyway – due to laws requiring that most federal records be preserved.

The secret email accounts complicate an agency’s legal responsibilities to find and turn over emails in response to congressional or internal investigations, civil lawsuits or public records requests because employees assigned to compile such responses would necessarily need to know about the accounts to search them. Secret accounts also drive perceptions that government officials are trying to hide actions or decisions.”

Gee, I wonder why they’d think that?  🙄

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And speaking of IRS employees…. From APNews

“Conservative groups who were targeted by the Internal Revenue Service are getting their say on Capitol Hill just as the details of another IRS controversy are being made public.

The leaders of six conservative groups were scheduled to tell lawmakers Tuesday about their mistreatment at the hands of IRS agents. Several of the groups say their applications for tax-exempt status were delayed while agents asked intrusive questions that the IRS has since acknowledged were inappropriate. One group, the National Organization for Marriage, says the IRS publicly disclosed confidential information about donors.”

Looks like the Koch brothers aren’t the only ones.

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The Republicans are rejecting the DoJ’s explanation of Holder’s testimony discrepancies in the AP scandal. From FoxNews

“Republican leaders of the House Judiciary Committee on Monday accused  Attorney General Eric Holder of having “something to hide,” after the Justice  Department issued a formal defense of his questionable testimony on reporter  surveillance — a defense Republicans rejected as inadequate.

“This response is insulting and further proof that Attorney General Holder  refuses to hold himself accountable,” Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, R-Wis.,  said.”

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Now back to the IRS….   I love this idea. This should jog some memories and loosen lips. From TheHill

“GOP  appropriators on Monday said they would use the IRS’s purse strings to get  answers about how and why it targeted conservative groups.

House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) said his panel may  impose conditions on IRS funding, calling the targeting tantamount to a  political enemies list that harkens back to “a dark page in our past.””

“Other Republicans on the panel wondered how Congress, in the words of Rep. Ander  Crenshaw (R-Fla.), “should spend one more dime” on the agency without having  more answers on how the tax agency is currently operating.”

““And I don’t need to remind you or anybody else that the power of the purse  rests with the Congress, and we’re prepared to use that purse to get to the  truth.””

Works for me.

And a Drudge editor is saying this is about to get real interesting. Seems the “low-level” employees are about to hit back. They say they were worried about this from the start and kept a paper trail for protection. A paper trail that leads to high level people.

😯  Ru-roh.

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This one sounds like a great idea, at least to me. It’s way overdue. From Politico

“Republican political strategist Stuart Stevens is seeking to publicly shame the executives at NBC Universal for employing and promoting the Rev. Al Sharpton — a man who has an “outrageous history of hate,” according to Stevens.

Stevens, the chief strategist on Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign, writes in a new column for The Daily Beast that Sharpton “has gone from manipulating the news with vile accusations to delivering the news for NBC.”

“”If you are an NBC exec and have kids, sit down with them and watch the Times documentary on Tawana Brawley,” he writes. “And when your kids ask why your colleague Al Sharpton is working for NBC, you can explain to them why everything you’ve tried to teach them about honesty, fair play and decency is wrong and Al Sharpton is right.””

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This last one I offer with no comment. From TheWallStJournal

“New York City is launching a campaign to recruit gay and lesbian foster parents, part of a major push to expand the kinds of families who consider fostering and to find more welcoming homes for children who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer.

The public ad campaign, set to roll out this week, features images of an interracial gay couple spending time with a young child. “Be the reason she has hope,” one of the ads reads. In another, a black woman is pictured alone with a white teenage boy. “Be the reason it gets better,” the message says.

How many of the nearly 13,000 children in New York City’s foster-care system identify as LGBTQ is unclear because the city does not keep such data. But, citing anecdotal evidence, researchers, child advocates and city officials insist that the children are disproportionately represented in the foster care system and say the need to find them supportive homes is great.”

“Mr. Richter, citing a study the city commissioned last year, said the data show that adults who identify as LGBTQ are more likely to want to foster a child who may also identify that way.”

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Our Daily Thread 6-3-13

Good Morning!

On this day in 1784 the U.S. Congress formally created the United States Army to replace the disbanded Continental Army. June 14, 1775 is still considered to be the “birth date” of the United States Army. That’s when the Continental Army was created.

In 1800 John Adams moved to Washington, DC.  He was the first President to live in what would later become the capital of the U.S.

In 1851 the New York Knickerbockers became the first baseball team to wear uniforms.

In 1932 Lou Gehrig set a major league baseball record when he hit 4 consecutive home runs.

In 1959 the first class graduated from the Air Force Academy.

And in 1989 Chinese army troops positioned themselves to begin a sweep of Beijing to crush student-led pro-democracy demonstrations in Tiananmen Square.

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Quote of the Day

“Manners are like the shadows of virtues, they are the momentary display of those qualities which our fellow creatures love and respect.”

Sydney Smith

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First up, the Melody Boys.

Next up today, one for the Skynyrd fans among us, since it’s Billy Powell’s birthday.

And  today in 1964 this band made their first US appearance at The Hollywood Palace.

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QoD

If you could change one physical feature, attitude, or habit of yours, what would it be?

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Prayer Requests 6-3-13

Who has a request or praise to share today?

Psalm 89:1-9

1  I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.

2 For I have said, Mercy shall be built up for ever: thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens.

3 I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant,

4 Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations. Selah.

5 And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O Lord: thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints.

6 For who in the heaven can be compared unto the Lord? who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the Lord?

7 God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him.

8 O Lord God of hosts, who is a strong Lord like unto thee? or to thy faithfulness round about thee?

9 Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them.

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News/Politics 6-3-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

UPDATE

New Jersey Senator Frank Lautenberg has died.

From NorthJersey.com

“Frank R. Lautenberg, who rose from a poor Paterson boyhood to become a multimillionaire businessman and New Jersey’s longest-serving U.S. senator, died  Monday at 89 of viral pneumonia, his office said.

The oldest member of the Senate and its last World War II veteran, Lautenberg had struggled with health problems since late last year, when he missed several weeks of votes because of what he said was flu and bronchitis.

The death of Lautenberg, a Democrat, creates a vacancy that Republican Gov. Christie will fill. The appointee would serve until a new senator is elected to a full six-year term in 2014.”

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Eric Holder’s problems continue to multiply. I think it’s only a matter of time now. It’s not if he resigns or is removed, but when. From FoxNews

“The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee said Sunday his panel is  investigating remarks Attorney General Eric Holder made under oath regarding the  Justice Department accessing a Fox News reporter’s phone logs and emails.

“It’s fair to say we’re investigating the conflict in his remarks, those  remarks were made under oath,” Chairman Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., told “Fox  News Sunday.””

“Goodlatte said the committee has sent Holder a letter asking him to explain why  his remarks before Congress in May seem to conflict with the language of an  affidavit he signed in 2010 asking a judge to give investigators access to Fox  reporter James Rosen’s communications and movement within State Department  headquarters.”

InvestorsBusinessDaily points out the ongoing and repeated lies from the AG.

“Before he lied to Congress while under oath about what he knew about targeting  reporters, he lied about Fast and Furious. As early as the New Black Panthers  case, Eric Holder had a problem with the truth.”

“That the House Judiciary Committee is investigating whether Attorney General  Eric Holder lied under oath during his May 15 testimony on Department of Justice  (DOJ) surveillance of reporters comes as no surprise. People have forgotten  about the New Black Panther case, perhaps the most clear-cut case of voter  suppression and intimidation ever. On Election Day 2008, New Black Panther Party  members in military garb were videotaped intimidating voters outside a  Philadelphia polling place.”

“Holder lied: A July 2010 memo shows Michael Walther, head of the National Drug  Intelligence Center, told Holder that straw buyers in Fast and Furious “are  responsible for the purchase of 1,500 firearms that were then supplied to the  Mexican drug trafficking cartels.””

Some in the White House wish he’d resign too. From HotAir

“If the Obama White House wants to send up smoke signals, it almost always turns to one outlet — the New York Times.  That’s what makes their profile today of embattled Attorney General Eric Holder so compelling.  Ostensibly, the profile positions Holder as taking arms against a sea of troubles, and by opposing, hoping to end them.  However, anonymous sources with connections to the West Wing make it clear that momentum is growing at the White House to end the heartache already:

Over the course of four and a half years, no other member of President Obama’s cabinet has been at the center of so many polarizing episodes or the target of so much criticism. While the White House publicly backed Mr. Holder as he tried to smooth over the latest uproar amid new speculation about his future, some in the West Wing privately tell associates they wish he would step down, viewing him as politically maladroit. But the latest attacks may stiffen the administration’s resistance in the near term to a change for fear of emboldening critics.”

“The White House views the attacks on Mr. Holder as a “political agenda” and “would not hasten the departure of someone who’s competent and runs the department and is a friend because there’s a drumbeat,” said William M. Daley, a former White House chief of staff under Mr. Obama. “Whoever Barack Obama puts in there, these people will try to drumbeat him out of there, no matter what.”

But that does not mitigate the frustration of some presidential aides.”

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Meanwhile, more lies exposed in the IRS scandal. From TheDailyMail

“Interviews with IRS employees have  established that the Washington, D.C. headquarters of the Internal Revenue  Service was engaged in targeting tea party groups and other conservative  organizations for unfair levels of scrutiny when they applied for tax-exempt  status.

Rep. Darrel lssa, chairman of powerful House  Committee of Oversight and Government Reform, made that startling announcement  on CNN Sunday morning.

‘As late as last week,’ he said, ‘the [Obama]  administration was still trying to say the [IRS targeting scandal] was from a  few rogue agents in Cincinnati, when in fact the indication is that they were  directly being ordered from Washington.”

More here from ConservativeIntel.com

And the transcripts of the interviews are here, from OversightHouse.gov

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This was posted in the comments yesterday, and I didn’t want you to miss it. A fun little comparison video for you.

With a HAT TIP! to Donna J. 🙂

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Tony Blair is pointing out some inconvenient truths. Also From TheDailyMail

“The former Prime Minister addresses the  shocking killing of Drummer Lee Rigby in Woolwich by going further than he – or  any front-rank British politician – has gone before over the issue of Muslim  radicalism.

Writing in today’s Mail on Sunday, he departs  from the usual argument that Islam is a peaceful religion that should not be  tainted by the actions of a few extremists.”

“Instead, Mr Blair urges governments to ‘be  honest’ and admit that the problem is more widespread.”

“‘We have to put it on the table and be honest  about it. Of course there are Christian extremists and Jewish, Buddhist and  Hindu ones. But I am afraid this strain is not the province of a few extremists.  It has at its heart a view about religion and about the interaction between  religion and politics that is not compatible with pluralistic, liberal, open-minded societies.’ He adds: ‘At the extreme end of the spectrum are terrorists, but the world view goes deeper and wider than it is comfortable for  us to admit. So by and large we don’t admit it.’”

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And one last piece, from the “Vote Fraud is a Myth” file.  From HotAir

“Democrats like to claim that concern over ballot fraud is just paranoid conspiracy-theory rubbish.  It might be a little more difficult to make that case after Miami-Dade investigators busted a ring of Democrats for attempting to push hundreds of fraudulent absentee-ballot requests in the 2012 election  – a ring that reached the inner circle of at least one Democratic Congressman, and perhaps two:

Congressman Joe Garcia’s chief of staff abruptly resigned Friday after being implicated in a sophisticated scheme to manipulate last year’s primary elections by submitting hundreds of fraudulent absentee-ballot requests.

Friday afternoon, Garcia said he had asked Jeffrey Garcia, no relation, for his resignation after the chief of staff — also the congressman’s top political strategist — took responsibility for the plot. Hours earlier, law enforcement investigators raided the homes of another of Joe Garcia’s employees and a former campaign aide in connection with an ongoing criminal investigation into the matter.

Garcia didn’t just work to defeat Rivera, who had ethics issues that made his re-election dicey at best.  He also worked to defeat Allen West, who lost by less than 2,000 votes and who complained about voter fraud at the time:

Hmmmmmm…………

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