What’s interesting in the news today?
1. This should be interesting. Now maybe Congress can see what they’ve been hiding. Pretty sad that a private group had to do their job for them though.
From TownHall “Thanks to a Freedom of Information Act Lawsuit pursued against the Department of Justice by government watchdog Judicial Watch, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia has ruled a list of documents being withheld from Congress under President Obama’s claim of executive privilege must be turned over. Obama made the claim on the same day Attorney General Eric Holder was voted in criminal and civil contempt of Congress in June 2012.
“This order forces the Obama DOJ, for the first time, to provide a detailed listing of all documents that it has withheld from Congress and the American people for years about the deadly Fast and Furious gun running scandal,” Judicial Watch released in a statement.”
“The documentation DOJ is required to now turn over is a “Vaughn index” of “all requested Fast and Furious materials from a June 2012 Judicial Watch FOIA request.”
““Once again, Judicial Watch has beat Congress to the punch in getting key information about another Obama scandal – this time, the Fast and Furious outrage,” Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said in a statement. “A federal court has ordered the Obama administration to produce information that could, for the first time, provide specific details who in the administration is responsible for Fast and Furious lies to Congress and the American people. This is a battle that put Eric Holder in contempt of Congress, saw Nixonian assertions of executive privilege by Barack Obama, and a hapless Congress in face of all this lawlessness. Finally, we may get some accountability for Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry and the countless others murdered as a result of the insanely reckless Obama administration program.””
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2. Is the IRS planning a crack down on churches and pastors? Yes, but I’m sure it will only be conservative ones.
From TheBlaze “The Internal Revenue Service has settled a lawsuit brought by a secular activist group, reportedly agreeing to adopt standards for determining and investigating whether churches and religious organizations have violated restrictions on political activity.
The precise terms of the settlement are still unclear, as is how the IRS will amend its policies to enforce tax law on churches in a way that is palatable to the Freedom From Religion Foundation, which has long decried “rogue political churches.”
The IRS and the Freedom From Religion Foundation filed a joint motion for dismissal July 17, though the court has not officially closed the case, according to Christianity Today.”
““FFRF was asking that the Johnson Amendment be enforced against churches. The IRS has been enforcing the Johnson Amendment against churches since it was passed by Congress in 1954,” Erik Stanley, an attorney at Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative legal firm, told TheBlaze. “The agency took a brief break from enforcing the law against churches in 2009 after its procedures for auditing churches was declared unlawful by a federal district court in Minnesota.””
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3. The CIA head is taking fire for snooping on the Senate. Even some Dems are calling for his resignation.
From Politico “Two Democratic senators demanded that Central Intelligence Agency Director John Brennan resign on Thursday after revelations that the CIA snooped on Senate computers.
Administration officials briefed the Senate Intelligence Committee’s membership on Thursday afternoon about an inspector general report that revealed CIA officials improperly accessed computers used by Senate staffers to research a 6,700-page report on the agency’s Bush-era interrogation and detention practices.
And while Brennan called Senate Intelligence Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) to apologize for the CIA’s actions, that mea culpa wasn’t enough for Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.), a civil libertarian locked in a difficult reelection campaign against GOP Rep. Cory Gardner, and freshman Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.).”
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4. The Army is forcing out 550 Majors. Some will again be notified while serving in combat. Nice way to thank them for their service.
From FoxNews “About 550 Army majors, including some serving in Afghanistan, will soon be told they have to leave the service by next spring as part of a budget-driven downsizing of the service.
Gen. John Campbell, the vice chief of the Army, acknowledged Friday that telling troops in a war zone that they’re out of a job is a difficult task. But he said some of the soldiers could join the National Guard or the Army Reserve.
The decision to cut Army majors comes on the heels of a move to slash nearly 1,200 captains from the ranks. Army leaders were criticized at the time for giving 48 of them the bad news while they were deployed to Afghanistan.
The Army declined to say how many majors will be notified while they are at the battlefront.”
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5. Something to keep in mind next time you hear a story on the Israeli bombing supposed hospitals and schools. Things aren’t always what the press would like you to believe.
From IsraelNationalNews “New details have emerged about the booby-trapped clinic explosion that killed three IDF Maglan unit soldiers in Gaza earlier this week – Sergeant First Class Matan Gottlieb, 21, from Rishon LeZion; Sergeant First Class Omar Chai, 21, from Savion; and Sergeant First Class Guy Algranati, 20, of Tel Aviv, hy”d.
Over eighty kilograms of explosives were built into the UN-funded hospital’s walls themselves, it was cleared for publication Thursday – revealing that the clinic itself was built to mask, and perform, potential acts of terror on the IDF.
Moreover, the clinic was built over tens of terror tunnels, according to the report.
The UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency) has yet to respond to the revelations, and has still not responded to the deaths of the Israeli soldiers Wednesday.”
Of course they didn’t. They’re already aware though, because this couldn’t happen without them knowing it.
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Wandering Views 
1. And when they learn fast and furious goes back to the bush admin days, they will understand congress s reluctance. If they expose both admins perhaps people will understand Rep or Den is like Coke or Pepsi not much of a difference.
2. Prior to 2009 what was the IRS record. It will be interesting what is deemed political and what is charitable. The present conservative govt in Canada has sent Revenue Canada on a witchhunt over the activities of liberal churches and environmental groups. The church is rarely political here so their actions were surprising.
4. It appears the armed forces is take a page fromthe corporate America playbook.
5. The news and counter news from gaza takes the fog of war and.propaganda to a whole new level. In terms of UN buildings it appears they have admitted an unused school was used. Which means in reality something more. The Israelis seem to be wrapping things up. The really interesting thing to emerge from this dispute was the lack of codemnation from conservative Arab states.
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Yesterday an anti-Semetic march in Seattle. Several marchers held signs saying Jews=Nazis.
The world is turned upside down.
Anyone seen any condemnation except from my FB friends? Or, is to mention it to draw attention?
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The lack of history is appalling. My daughter just finished touring Auschwitz something more people need to do to truly understand the idiocy of playing the Nazi or Hitler card.
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HRW,
1. What Bush did wasn’t even close to the same. Though it allowed straw purchases, it intercepted all weapons and made arrests before the guns could leave the US or be used in crimes. Obama just let them walk, and the weapons he allowed to walk have resulted in the deaths of a border agent and possibly another, as well as numerous others. That “Bush did it” meme is old, busted, and discredited. But nice try.
2. I find the IRS story amusing because Democrats have been campaigning in black churches for decades with no interest from the IRS at all. They’re not interested in those churches now either, just the conservative ones who recently stood up and challenged the IRS rule. More selective enforcement initiated by liberals to target their political enemies.
4. I agree. Like many businesses in corporate America, they’re targeting middle management.
5. There are several reports out of UN facilities, including a hospital being used by terrorists for command and control centers. Missles were found at 2 facilities. The UN removed them, but now can’t account for them. Most likely because they returned them to HAMAS. The UN is as corrupt as HAMAS, and just as guilty. Their shared dislike of Israel is also well known.
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Anon,
DC too. It’s disgusting.
Pro-Israeli demonstrators were removed by police for their own protection.
http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2014/08/breaking-israel-supporters-evacuated-under-police-protection-from-front-of-white-house/
“Dan Merica, associate producer for CNN Politics has sent out a series of photos and reports on social media about Israel supporters being evacuated in police vans from in front of the White House after being surrounded by menacing Hamas supporters.”
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1. Not really interested in the Bush did it too meme. I think both parties are lik coke and pepsi. Im just speculating why congress isn’t interested and my guess is some bush era Republicans want to keep the whole thing covered.
2. I thougt you would go there. The question is where do they draw the line. Must the churches me the person or party or will simply advocating specific policies get them in trouble
Esp when the policy is specific to one party, currently in Canada the conservative party is chasing liberal churches for advocating poverty reduction policies that match the Liberal party
4. Too bad they didn’t look at the results of such targeting .
5. The UN tends to hire locals asuch as possible I think we can see the problem with that.
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Interesting piece about celibacy and gay Christians:
http://www.religionnews.com/2014/08/04/gay-christian-celibate-changing-face-homosexuality-debate/
” … Celibacy is a better trend for Christians than conversion therapy was, said Alan Chambers, who led Exodus before shuttering it last year.
“ ‘Celibacy is an age-old concept, so I think it’s a great option for a lot of people. People have been so afraid of it,’ said Chambers, who has been married to his wife for 16 years. ‘The only option before it was to stay completely silent or adopt this ex-gay mentality.’ …. “
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Donna,
I never understood why the church never went that root more aggressively. We preach it to singles, as most of them are, so why not here?
I think then we may have had an easier time addressing it. I think that may have been received better than making them feel we were singling them out. But of course with gay marriage being legalized, that wouldn’t work any more either.
But the concept seems sound. After all, abstention works to keep out of lots of sinful behaviors. How does a drunk avoid it? Stay out of bars and away from liquor. Same with hormonal teenagers, don’t put yourself in situations where you might be tempted, and avoid being in situations where it’s possible to pull off. Same applies here. We’re all sinners, the key is not to be an actively participating one. That “go and sin no more” is the hardest part sometimes.
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I was a sinner saved by grace, now I am a Child of God.
I no longer have (have no choice about sinning) to sin, I only sin when I choose to.
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AJ, agreed — although the societal push we’ve seen centers on normalization on gay relationships as the same as heterosexual ones. But within the church it’s good to see this trend (which remains faithful to biblical teaching) emerging.
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I’m not convinced there isn’t a genetic component to homosexuality (although behavior is a choice — just like someone who may have been born with a tendency toward alcoholism chooses not to drink).
Even if it isn’t genetic, however, I think that for many people this is something that takes root so early in life that it certainly feels as if they were “born that way” — and it is likely not easy to resist.
Of course, society (and, in some cases, churches) putting a stamp of approval on gay marriages or relationships almost guarantees fewer people will try to resist.
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2. If this had been going on in the 60’s the civil rights movement would have never happened.
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