What’s interesting in the news today?
1. In testimony before Congress the National Archives head says the IRS did not follow the law.
More here from FoxNews “Archivist of the U.S. David Ferriero, speaking before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, made clear that federal agencies are supposed to report whenever their records are destroyed or even accidentally deleted. But he said that after emails from embattled IRS official Lois Lerner vanished after a computer failure in 2011, nobody told the National Archives. “They did not follow the law,” Ferriero said.
The testimony comes as lawmakers dig for answers as to how Lerner’s emails disappeared and why they only found out about it earlier this month. Lerner herself twice has refused to answer questions before Congress, leaving lawmakers seeking answers from other officials who interacted with her or were involved in reviewing her documents.
Also on the witness panel was White House attorney Jennifer O’Connor, whom Chairman Darrell Issa compelled to testify via subpoena.
Republican lawmakers, though, struggled to get answers from O’Connor, who previously worked at the IRS, about the emails. She said she only found out the “week before last” that emails were gone. “
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2. The IRS has admitted their guilt in releasing private taxpayer information to the a gay rights group fighting Prop 8.
From TheFreeBeacon “The IRS has agreed to pay $50,000 in damages to the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) for unlawfully releasing its private information to a gay rights group that is a political rival, the Daily Signal has learned.
NOM expressed relief at the settlement agreement.
“Congress made the disclosure of confidential tax return information a serious matter for a reason,” NOM chairman John D. Eastman told The Daily Signal. “We’re delighted that the IRS has now been held accountable for the illegal disclosure of our list of major donors from our tax return.”
In 2012, the Human Rights Campaign posted on its website private information from the National Organization for Marriage that revealed private information including the identities and contact information for its donors. Then information was then published by multiple media outlets, according to the Daily Signal.”
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3. This was obvious from his snarky testimony. He clearly acted like a partisan Democrat. Just another flunky who bought his position.
From PJMedia “IRS Commissioner John Koskinen looks like he got the job atop the taxman agency the old fashioned way: He bought it.
According to the Washington Free Beacon, Koskinen has donated about $100,000 to Democrat candidates and committees since his first donation in 1979. His donor recipients include Gary Hart, the Democratic National Committee, the Democratic nominee in each presidential campaign since 1980 (which would even include Walter Mondale, who stood no chance of beating President Ronald Reagan in 1984), the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and Hillary Clinton’s and Barack Obama’s campaigns. He most recently donated $2,500 to Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) in 2013.”
“He has given no money to Republicans. The taxman is a partisan Democrat.”
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4. The number of veterans that we know died awaiting care has grown greatly.
From TheWashingtonTimes “The problems at Veterans Affairs extend well beyond long wait lists, with a report Tuesday showing the department is plagued with poor care that has cost up to 1,000 veterans their lives and left taxpayers on the hook for nearly $1 billion in malpractice settlements since the beginning of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Some of the problems detailed in the report by Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma are downright ghoulish. They include the case of a former security chief at a New York Veterans Affairs medical center whom the FBI arrested on charges of plotting to kidnap, rape and murder women and children.
The VA has come under fire in recent months over reports that dozens of veterans died while stuck on secret waiting lists at a VA facility in Phoenix. Since then, an inspector general’s investigation has found widespread misuse of secret wait lists in a number of facilities. The department’s secretary has resigned.
But Mr. Coburn’s report, titled “Friendly Fire: Death, Delay and Dismay at the VA,” argues that problems go back well before the Phoenix scandal and run deeper than bogus wait lists and scheduling practices designed to help managers show that they are meeting performance goals.”
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5. The White House and ICE continue to release illegal immigrants into the US. Not surprisingly, they refuse to say how many.
From YahooNews “The Obama administration has released into the U.S. an untold number of immigrant families caught traveling illegally from Central America in recent months — and although the government knows how many it’s released, it won’t say publicly.
Senior U.S. officials directly familiar with the issue, including at the Homeland Security Department and White House, have so far dodged the answer on at least seven occasions over two weeks, alternately saying that they did not know the figure or didn’t have it immediately at hand. “We will get back to you,” the Homeland Security deputy secretary said Friday.
The figure is widely believed to exceed 40,000 since October. It’s believed to be slightly below the roughly 52,000 children caught traveling illegally from Central America over the same period, an extraordinary increase since last year that is driving a humanitarian crisis at the border.
Despite promises to the contrary, this is how it looks when the image-conscious Obama administration doesn’t want to reveal politically sensitive information that could influence an important policy debate. The mystery figure is significant because the number of families caught crossing from Central America represents a large share of new immigration cases that will further strain the overwhelmed U.S. immigration courts system. It also affects federal enforcement strategy, such as where to deploy the border patrol, and political calculations about whether Congress or the White House will relax American immigration laws or regulations before upcoming congressional elections in November.”
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6. And now we know that the Obama admin ignored warnings about the ISIS offensive in Iraq.
From TheDailyBeast “For months before the fall of Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city, Washington and London were getting detailed warnings about jihadist plans to exploit Sunni resentment toward Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and launch an ambitious takeover of northern and western Iraq.
Kurdish military sources say the strategy of the ultra-radical Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) was telegraphed long in advance. The Kurds, who have their own autonomous region in northern Iraq and their own armed forces, monitored developing ties between the jihadists and tribal leaders as well as growing contacts with former Iraqi military officers.
The prime minister of the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, Nechirvan Barzani, says he warned Baghdad and the United States months ago about the threat ISIS posed to Iraq and the group’s plan to launch an insurgency across Iraq. The Kurds even offered to participate in a joint military operation with Baghdad against the jihadists.
Washington didn’t respond—a claim that will fuel Republican charges that the Obama administration has been dangerously disengaged from the Middle East. Iraqi Prime Minister al-Maliki dismissed the warnings, saying everything was under control.”
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Wandering Views 
What difference does it make?
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Yeah, I’m sure it’s just another “phony scandal” right?
And the president had no idea, until he saw it on the news. He must watch Fox, because all the rest of the MSM has continued to ignore it. But that’s how it is with the water-carrying leftist media.
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Hurrah for India!
http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-London/2014/06/24/India-s-government-is-standing-up-to-the-green-bullies-Why-can-t-ours
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The Overton Window at work. From today’s Times-News
“RALEIGH – A North Carolina lawmaker debated a proposal to prevent charter schools from discriminating against applicants based on sexual orientation, one representative suggested Tuesday that adult sexual attraction to children is a sexual orientation like homosexuality.”
(Punctuation is as it appears in the paper.)
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The cavalier treatment of immigrant children by the border control is of grave concern. Those children will be trafficked and abused, and there is no one to advocate for them – because they are ‘illegal’. The Bible makes it quite clear that God will judge those who mistreat such vulnerable children and there will be no pleading the excuse that they were illegally in the country to Him. “The Lord preserves the strangers; he relieves the fatherless and widow: but the way of the wicked he turns upside down.” Psalm 146:9
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Chas, that lede … Hmm. They meant to write “suggesting” perhaps?
What happens when writers are in a hurry and editors have checked out (or, as is likely in today’s world of journalism, have been laid off leaving all the work to one remaining over-worked person trying to read all the copy late at night). 😦
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A friend of mine is arguing that the government is paying to have people brought to the US and so it is our obligation as Christians to help them. Since the US churches no longer send missionaries out (most missionaries are self-supporting through their own fund raising efforts as we all know), God is bringing the people to us.
It makes for an interesting discussion, if nothing else. I can’t get past the fact they’re breaking the law, this friend argues since it’s out of our control, why not take advantage of it?
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If there was a way for Christian couples (husband and wife) to adopt or provide homes for children who have no family in the US, that would be a good thing. To entrust the children to the US government that “cares” so well for its veterans and is controlled by all manner of deviants is a horrible solution. I would like to see Governor Perry work something out with the countries of origin.
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Our church still sends missionaries. A primary focus of our missionaries has been building orphanages in Mexico and other Latin American countries. It looks like we need to build more.
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FBC Hendersonville sends missionaries, and the SBC sends missionaries. We have a home and foreign mission board.
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Michelle, breaking the law? Leaving aside the technicalities about non-citizens, civil law and children’s legal culpability, if there was a war in Mexico, and refugees from the violence flooded across the border to Texas and Arizona, would they be breaking the law because they didn’t get the proper papers before entering the country? Should Jordan and Lebanon deport the Syrian refugees back into Syria? There may not be an official war in Mexico and Central America, but there is enough violence to be a war. Tens of thousands have been murdered, many tortured and dismembered, in Ciudad Juarez and Chihuahua province alone, never mind the rest of Mexico. By no means are all of them gang members. In the fertile farmlands of southern Mexico and Guatemala, farmers are forced to giver their land to grow drugs, or face death for themselves and their families – the gangs often kidnap local women and rape them to death. Not our problem you say – but where are these drugs going to? Who is paying for them? The wealthy North Americans. Not just addicts seek these drugs, many rich and powerful would not consider their parties complete without a nice tray of crack to snort.
Many of these children have no parents, no family to go to. The street children of Latin America number in the millions, some orphans, some abandoned, some forced out of their homes. They have no protection and are horribly treated – in some cities, ‘concerned’ adults go out in gangs and kill any street children they find [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Street_children_in_Latin_America]. When I was in Chihuahua city, I visited an orphanage run by Mexican Christians – I remember one boy I saw had deep scars in his arms that looked like someone had slashed at him repeatedly with a machete. There are some who claim that there are two different Hebrew words for stranger, one for legal and one for illegal strangers, but, having studied the question, I beg to differ. The difference between strangers in the Bible was not in legality, but in whether they came in need or came to destroy. Rahab and Ruth were both completely illegal strangers according to the law of Moses, which called for the death of all Canaanites and forbid Moabites to join the congregation unto the tenth generation, but they came in need and those who met those needs received enormous rewards. The children have come in need – there is no excuse for the way they have been treated.
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Do you churches cover the costs? That’s my question. We have a missionary with us now who has only raised 45% of her support as determined by Christian Associates. Tomorrow she visits the Italian consulate in an attempt to get her visa, but is concerned CA won’t authorize her to go because she doesn’t have their required level of support.
Her home church supports her some, but mostly she is asked to find prayer and financial supporters on her own, which makes furlough one long campaign contribution hunt, in my opinion.
I’d be interested in hearing from you all how it’s managed.
In the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, we send out theologically trained pastors, but not individuals.
Ricky’s point is interesting. Can I volunteer to take one of these kids in my home, sort of like a foreign exchange student? Maybe we should just make them foreign exchange students?
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Chas, Many of my young Aggies are taking a road trip to Columbia for the first NCAA game of the year. I trust they will be among like-minded people.
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But are these the kids who are coming here, roscuro? And if so, who is financing their trip, all the way through Mexico, and why? That’s like me sebn
Nodding one of my kids on a much less friendly trip to Ontario. Many questions, no answers.
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Southern Baptist pay 100% of all costs, salary and benefits and provide good training. Independent Baptists pay for all costs through the commitments of local churches.
Mexico is an interesting place. It has poor areas and violent areas, but cities like Saltillo are safe and very middle class.
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Michelle – I can’t say for sure what children are coming through – although it is likely that at least some of them are street children; but I can give an educated guess as to how they are financing their journey. Human smuggling and human trafficking are very closely connected – need I say more?
Ricky – Chihuahua was considered one of the safest cities in Latin America, but it was only three hours drive from Ciudad Juarez, which was then and still is, the deadliest city in Mexico. Sadly, I have heard that the violence has spread into the suburbs of Chihuahua. I wonder how all those bright children whom I met there are coping.
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Roscuro,
You raise some good points, but ignore several others. This has been orchestrated by leaders in this country to force immigration “reform”. By that, they mean amnesty. While many may be fleeing the things you mention, border patrol agents say the number 1 reason they give is they came because they heard they would receive amnesty. And these so-called poor are in many cases paying thousands to be smuggled thru Mexico.
http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/06/25/4199990/crime-belief-they-can-stay-drive.html
“On the last day of school, Gladys Chinoy memorized her mother’s phone number in New York City and boarded a bus to Guatemala’s northern border.
With nothing but the clothes on her back, the 14-year-old took a truck-tire raft across the Naranjo River into Mexico and joined a group of five women and a dozen children waiting with one of the smugglers who are paid $6,000 to $7,000 for each migrant they take to the U.S.
The women and children waited by the train tracks in this small town in the southern state of Chiapas until the shriek of a train whistle and the glare of headlights pierced the night. Suddenly, dozens of teens and mothers with young children flooded out of darkened homes and budget hotels, rushing to grab the safest places on the roof of the northbound freight train and join a deluge of children and mothers that is overwhelming the U.S. immigration system.
The number of unaccompanied minors detained on the U.S. border has more than tripled since 2011. Children are also widely believed to be crossing with their parents in rising numbers, although the Obama administration has not released year-by-year figures. The crisis has sparked weeks of bitter political debate inside the U.S., with the administration saying crime is driving migrants north from Central America and congressional Republicans saying Obama’s policies are leading migrants to believe children and their mothers will be allowed to stay.”
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This country gives more than any nation on earth. We welcome immigrants, who do it legally. They break the law getting here, and in many cases are turned over to family members who are also here illegally. I doubt many countries would tolerate such a mass exodus overrunning their borders. If they are legitimate refugees, there’s a process to follow. We have laws for a reason. We don’t get to pick and choose which we want to follow. Only the White House can do that, and this is what that lawlessness leads to. This is a perfect example of why this cannot be allowed to continue.
And what of the folks in Texas and Arizona being overrun in their homes and property? Have they no rights because “it’s for the children?”
http://www2.nationalreview.com/article/381024/texas-ranchers-under-attack-ryan-lovelace
“Ronnie Osburn was preparing to talk to National Review Online Thursday about lawlessness in his border community when his home was broken into.
Osburn, a rancher who lives just south of a Border Patrol checkpoint in Brooks County, Texas, says he stepped away for about 45 minutes, and when he returned somebody had trashed his house. The trespassers shattered his gun case, leaving a trail of blood throughout the house, but dropped the guns near the kitchen before scattering out the back door. They had searched through the house, opened drawers, and even left a heap of uncooked bacon in a frying pan on the stove.
Ranchers in South Texas say they are seeing a greater criminal element among illegal immigrants trespassing through their property. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers responded to the situation. Although no arrests have been made, a Brooks County sheriff’s deputy tells National Review Online the break-in involved “undocumented crossers.” At one point a Border Patrol agent said he thought the trespassers had been spotted about a half-mile north of the ranch, headed in the same direction as the Border Patrol checkpoint near Falfurrias.”
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And what of the cartel/gang members being smuggled in?
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/jun/24/dhs-chief-congress-i-cant-explain-surge-illegals/
“Smuggling cartels are using the surge of illegal immigrant children as a smoke screen to distract the Border Patrol, leaving gaps in security that the gangs then use to slip more drugs or known criminals into the country, the chief of the Border Patrol’s labor union will tell Congress on Wednesday.
Brandon Judd, president of the National Border Patrol Council, said that the cartels are taking advantage of U.S. laws, which require special treatment for the children. He said nearly 40 percent of Border Patrol manpower has been shifted to manage the children, leaving the cartels with a free hand to conduct their other criminal activities.”
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There’s way more at play here than just the childrens welfare.
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I disagree with the premise “Since the US churches no longer send missionaries out…” Most missionaries I know are supported through donations from a combination of individuals and churches. Most churches I know (admittedly a small number) spend a significant part of their budget supporting individual missionaries.
Unless by “send missionaries out” you mean one church taking on responsibility for 100% of financial support. That is probably pretty rare.
This past Sunday we had the pleasure of a visit from a Wycliffe missionary couple who were in our church as college students and to whom we’ve given significant financial support for 45 years.
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On the missionary question, as Ricky said, independent Baptist churches commit individually to support a missionary for a certain amount, usually on a monthly basis. Individuals may also contribute sums – the independent mission agencies act as middlemen to manage the donated funds as well as provide other technical support. My monthly support came from my sending church, another church that I have close ties to, and the rest from personal friends and family.
The agency I went with requires 100% support before you get on the plane. As there was only three months in between my approval by the mission and my departure, that didn’t give me much time for deputation; and I had to raise the same monthly allowance as a full time missionary. I was allowed to go only because my home church committed to providing the balance for each month that I fell short. After my arrival, I kept receiving more supporters until my sending church no longer had to provide the extra sum.
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The Real, of course criminals are trying to take advantage of the situation. They always do, but that does not negate the desperate needs of others. What of the ranchers who hunt and kill illegal immigrants as if it were a sport? It happens and it is criminal behaviour, and yet they get away with it, for there is no one to advocate for illegals.
They cannot claim refugee status because the authorities will not recognize the need for people from those countries to claim. It happens here in Canada too, just the other week I heard a report about a family who left Hungary in fear for their lives (due to the violence against Roma there), yet because the Canadian government regards Hungary as a democratic country and a trading partner, they cannot claim refugee status.
There is a definite double standard – I have read it again and again on comment boards on many websites – the average citizen of these wealthy countries regards non-citizens as less important and less worthy of help and sympathy. That is understandable for non-Christians, but I have a hard time accepting it from Christians, whose Lord uttered the words, “I was a stranger and ye took me not in.”
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The biggest issue, and the hardest to solve, is that they are minors. I wish I knew a solution, way better men than I have tried, but for political reasons, they’ll always fail. The only workable solution is to close it down, then deal with those already here. If a legitimate reason for asylum (violence, orphaned) then I think the compassionate thing to do is place them with American families and provide a path to citizenship. We do this with refugees from other countries all the time. This shouldn’t be any different. But if you don’t have a legitimate need, you need to be returned to your home country.
Part of the problem I see with this is that some folks, liberals especially, don’t really consider sneaking across the border a crime. But too often, a lot of other crimes are involved as well. I’m not talking about drugs, gangs and violence here either. Let’s face it, those kids don’t have that kinda money, but many have family in the US illegally who are paying it. Many of these folks work under the radar, pay no taxes, and send a lot of what they make back to southern countries to support families. Some have no SS#, or a stolen one. Numerous tax laws are broken. You can add fraud and conspiracy charges as well in many cases. When you conspire with others to use ill-gotten funds to fund human traffickers to smuggle children across borders, that’s the definition of conspiracy. There’s a lot more crime involved than people think.
This rewards that, has no consequences for doing it, and will expand govt to “fix” it. And they created the problem in the first place.
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😯
What!?
No one to advocate for them? C’mon. There are numerous groups, many with close to ties to the White House who do that just that. Not to mention half of Congress.
And honestly, I’ve not heard the claim of ranchers hunting illegals. Can you give me a link for that? I know some militia type groups are operating there as well, which real border enforcement would not and should not allow, but that’s the first I’d heard that I think.
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“They cannot claim refugee status because the authorities will not recognize the need for people from those countries to claim. It happens here in Canada too, just the other week I heard a report about a family who left Hungary in fear for their lives (due to the violence against Roma there), yet because the Canadian government regards Hungary as a democratic country and a trading partner, they cannot claim refugee status.”
I believe that is incorrect.
http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/asylum-or-refugee-status-who-32298.html
“Asylum and refugee status are special legal protections available to people who have left their home country for their own safety and are afraid to return.
What’s the difference between asylum and refugee status under U.S. immigration laws — that is, who should seek asylum status, and who should seek refugee status? It’s simply a matter of where you are when you apply. People outside of the United States must apply for refugee status. People who have already made it to the United States border or the interior (perhaps by using a visa or by entering illegally) can apply for asylum status.
Once granted, both statuses allow you to stay in the United States indefinitely. Asylees and refugees are given permission to work and are allowed to apply for a green card (within one year of either entering the United States as a refugee or being approved for asylum).”
“U.S. immigration law does not list specific examples of the kinds of persecution that would qualify someone for asylum or refugee status. However, from the law that has been developed through court cases, we know that it can include such acts as threats, violence, torture, inappropriate imprisonment, or denial of basic human rights or freedoms.”
Neither side argues that violence doesn’t occur for many of these minors. There is a system in place to help, but it’s easier to just walk across. That’s a big part of the problem.
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http://www.infowars.com/woman-says-dhs-forced-her-to-strip-naked-at-gunpoint-during-terrifying-dawn-raid/
Kari Edwards said she and her boyfriend were forced to strip naked at gunpoint during a terrifying Department of Homeland Security dawn raid on their Florida home which lasted for two hours.
………
The incident began on June 10 at 6:16am when numerous armed SWAT team members, accompanied by a helicopter overhead, arrived in an armored vehicle at the couple’s address before smashing in the door and deafening their pet cat with flash bang smoke grenades.
“They busted in like I was a terrorist or something,” Edwards told the Tea Party News Network, adding, “[An officer] demanded that I drop the towel I was covering my naked body with before snatching it off me physically and throwing me to the ground.”
The story doesn’t tell what instigated the home invasion. Only the first few seconds of the video are worth watching. It just shows armed troops entering the house.
I don’t know exactly what, but something in wrong here. As I said, I don’t know the reason for the invasion. I do know that excessive force was used. They have a case.
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my church provides close to 25% of my support and they ask me each year what my needs are and raise my support if possible. I also have many individual supporters from my church. My church does so much for me, there is even a missions house where I stay when I am home and they help me plan events, if needed. I only have one supporting church as I have gone to the same church for over 40 years.
Peter, I wonder if I know the couple who just visited. Where do they serve?
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The Real: These are the ones I can access (some require a subscription) – I first read about the hunting of illegals in the Reader’s Digest years ago as a young teen, so I know it has been an ongoing problem:
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines/050600-01.htm
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/feb/09/16-illegals-sue-arizona-rancher/?page=all
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The situation on the Texas border is rough for everyone. I have heard of Mexicans walking most of the way from the border to San Antonio or San Angelo. That is about 200 miles. Many more die from exposure than gunshots. They carry all the water and food they can, but 200 miles is a long way.
I’ve also known of deer hunters who have been hunting alone within 100 miles of the Rio Grande who have been surprised by a number of Mexicans hiking north. There were no injuries, but many nervous moments.
I favor a guest broad guest worker program, with tough sanctions for employers who hire workers who aren’t part of the program. We also need to provide that children of aliens who happen to be boers here are not citizens.
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Guest worker programs are a market distortion which drives down wages. I favor open immigration — no criminal record, no communicable diseases — you’re in. With open immigration, there are no “guest workers” or “illegals” to be exploited. Ironically given my politics, this is actually standard classical capitalism — free movement of goods AND labor.
I had a longer comment planned but then I came across this article on the shutting off of Detroit water to the poor. While commercial and industry companies continue to receive water despite massive outstanding bills ordinary residents lose water for owing $100.
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/true-north/2014/jun/25/detroits-water-war-a-tap-shut-off-that-could-impact-300000-people?CMP=twt_gu
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“Born” not white South Africans.
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that should be me HRW
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We knew it was you, HRW. Your immigration plan is what we had for decades and it worked pretty well.
Thanks for the Detroit article. I had heard that almost 50% of Detroit residents couldn’t or wouldn’t pay their water bills. I don’t think there are many businesses left in Detroit. I know there is not a single grocery store in the city. The residents have to shop in convenience stores which are mainly owned and run by heavily armed Arab-Americans. Civic leaders across the country would do well to study Detroit to learn what not to do.
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Roscuro,
I disagreed with you until I just read this.
http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2014/06/the-fruit-of-obamas-leftism-arrives-en-masse-at-our-border.php
I didn’t vote for the man but he is my President…
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