Brady and Trump have taken over the news cycle.
It will all amount to nothing in the long run.
This is Chas’ prediction. And it isn’t good.
Trump has 25% of the Republican support. He has all he will ever get. The Trump fans all went to him at once and will remain faithful. But that’s it.
Some other Republican will get the nomination.
Trump will get mad, and like Ross Perot, mount his own campaign.
He will lose and Hillary will become president.
That will be the end of this country as a free nation and world leader.
Without American leadership, the world will sink into Chaos.
Like Reagan said, “If not America, Who?”
Rush riled everyone up in 2008 when he said of Obama, “I hope he loses.”
Obama hasn‘t lost, but America has. We have one more chance to recover.
Hillary ain’t it.
I don’t know if someone else can bring us back, but I know Hillary can’t.
Obama and Hillary amount to the same thing, for different reasons.
Obama is an evil man and intended to bring this country down.
Hillary isn’t evil in that sense. But she will sell out this country to the highest bidder.
I’ve been reading things that say people are supporting Trump not because they like him and what he stands for but because he at least is talking about things that make them angry.
It’s not a winning combination by any means, and I, personally, find the man distasteful and reprehensible, so I pay no attention to him.
Maybe he’d pull a Perot, he’s that vindictive, but I can’t believe he’d have that many followers.
Then again, I’m surprised at a poll conducted by Life News, asking people if after hearing what Planned Parenthood did, they still thought the US government should financially support them.
64% said yes.
Everyone does what is right in his own eyes . . . and we know how that one ends. 😦
A lot of people, like me, like what Trump says. But don’t like the man.
I like what Fiorina says, and the way she says it. I’m afraid she won’t make it.
I hope she’s VP. ,
“On Tuesday pro-lifers in more than 50 cities – and counting – will be rallying against Planned Parenthood under the banner of #WomenBetrayed in response to the gruesome undercover investigative videos released by the Center for Medical Progress over the past two weeks.
Two Planned Parenthood senior medical officials were exposed as they explained how the taxpayer funded organization performs abortions in such a way as to harvest aborted babies’ body parts to sell them to biomedical companies.
National pro-life group Students for Life of America (SFLA) and its partner organization Pro-Life Future have launched the #WomenBetrayed initiative which urges citizens across the nation to rally to demand their states investigate, prosecute and defund Planned Parenthood.
According to a press release, SFLA chose the title of the initiative, #WomenBetrayed, because “Planned Parenthood has betrayed the very patients – women and their children – who they claim to care about and have compassion for.”
————————————-
Couldn’t happen to a more deserving bunch. Now let’s see what they can expose as well……
“Planned Parenthood confirmed that its online databases have been hacked, potentially exposing employees’ personal information.
The women’s health and abortion provider said Monday it has reported the crime to the Department of Justice and the FBI.
“Extremists who oppose Planned Parenthood’s mission and services have launched an attack on our information systems, and have called on the world’s most sophisticated hackers to assist them in breaching our systems and threatening the privacy and safety of our staff members,” said Planned Parenthood Executive Vice President Dawn Laguens Monday afternoon.”
“A group of hackers who oppose the group for its abortion services is taking credit for the hack, first sharing it with the Daily Dot. One of the hackers, identified only as “E,” said it will be “interesting to see what surfaces when [Planned Parenthood] is stripped naked and exposed to the public.”
“Trying to mold an atrocious monstrosity into socially acceptable behaviors is repulsive,” the hacker told the Daily Dot. “Obviously what [Planned Parenthood] does is a very ominous practice.”
“Planned Parenthood once boasted a list of sponsors that read like a who’s who of the Fortune 100, but now some of the biggest companies say they never gave money to the embattled organization.
Coca-Cola, Ford and Xerox are all among the companies listed in a roster of corporate sponsors claimed by Planned Parenthood, but representatives for the companies said they either never donated to the organization or had not in years. Planned Parenthood, which is now reeling from the release of two undercover videos in which top officials alluded to selling fetus parts, had published the company names on the website of its Washington, DC, chapter. The list was part of an appeal to employees who the site said could double their donations with the help of their employers.
“Double the size of your gift. Does your employer match charitable contributions? If so, please contact your Human Resources Department for more information about how your gift may be matched,” read a line from the web page. “A partial list of companies with Corporate Matching Gift Programs includes: AT&T, Alcoa, American Express, Avon Products, Black & Decker, Circuit City, Citibank, Clorox, Coca-Cola, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Fidelity Investments, Ford Motor Company, Gannett, James River Corporation, Merck & Company, Microsoft Corporation, Motorola, Phillip Morris, T. Rowe Price, Prudential Insurance, Safeco Corporation, Sun Microsystems, Sunoco, Vanguard Group, Verizon, Washington Post Company, White & Case.”
“Several companies said they should never have been included among Planned Parenthood donors.
“We have never been a donor to Planned Parenthood,” a spokeswoman for Ford Motor Company told FoxNews.com. “And we haven’t matched employee contributions since 2005.”
Officials for Coca-Cola and Xerox did not immediately return requests for comment, but both issued statements saying they were not donors.”
“Texas Senator and Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX)96%
said that Senate Majority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY)52%
blocked amendments to defund Planned Parenthood, end the Congressional exemption to Obamacare and for Kate’s Law on Friday’s “Mark Levin Show.”
Cruz, after re-iterating his charges that McConnell lied about whether there was a deal regarding Trade Promotion Authority and the Export-Import Bank, stated, “Now, let me tell you all the amendments Mitch McConnell blocked because he wants to reauthorize this corporate welfare and cronyism. He blocked my amendment to defund Planned Parenthood. In the wake of these gruesome videos, where they appear to admit to multiple felonies, we should be defunding them, and we should defund them this week. He blocked my amendment to repeal the Congressional exception from Obamacare. He doesn’t want a vote on that. It’s another of example of cronyism, [Sen.] Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV)2%
and the Obama administration exempted Congress from the plain language from Obamacare. He blocked amendments to end sanctuary cities, to cut off funding. He blocked my amendment for Kate’s Law, mandatory minimum five years for an illegal alien convicted of illegal re-entry. And he blocked also my amendment saying that no Iranian sanctions can be lifted unless and until Iran recognizes Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state, and releases the four American hostages they’re holding.””
————————————————
Which is why I’m hoping this effort is successful.
“Conservative Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) on Tuesday introduced a resolution to oust Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) from his leadership post, GOP aides said.”
“The IRS used a “wholly separate” instant messaging system that automatically deleted office communications, according to documentation released by the House Oversight Committee on Monday. The system appears to have been purposefully used by agency officials responsible for the targeting of conservative non-profits, in order to evade public scrutiny.
The system, known as “Office Communication Server” or OCS was used by IRS officials, including many in the Exempt Organizations (EO) Unit, which was headed by Lois Lerner.
As the Oversight Committee report states, the instant messaging system did not archive any communications, so it is not possible to know what employees of the EO unit discussed on it.
However, in an email uncovered by the Committee Lerner warns her colleagues about evading Congressional oversight:
“I was cautioning folks about email and how we have had several occasions where Congress has asked for emails and there has been an electronic search for responsive emails – so we need to be cautious about what we say in emails.”
Lerner then asks whether OCS is automatically archived. When informed it was not, Lerner responded “Perfect.””
—————————————–
“There is a two-month gap in Hillary Clinton’s emails that coincides with violence in Libya and the employment status of a top Clinton aide, Huma Abedin.
Among the approximately 2,000 emails that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has released from her private account, there is a conspicuous two-month gap. There are no emails between Clinton and her State Department staff during May and June 2012, a period of escalating violence in Libya leading up to the September 11 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi that left four Americans dead.
A State Department spokesman told The Daily Beast that for the year 2012, only those emails related to the security of the consulate or to the U.S. diplomatic presence in Libya were made public and turned over to a House committee investigating the fatal Benghazi assault. But if that’s true, then neither Clinton nor her staff communicated via email about the escalating dangers in Libya. There were three attacks during that two-month period, including one that targeted the consulate.
That two-month period also coincides with a senior Clinton aide obtaining a special exemption that allowed her to work both as a staff member to the secretary and in a private capacity for Clinton and her husband’s foundation. The Associated Press has sued to obtain emails from Clinton’s account about the aide, Huma Abedin.
The status of Clinton’s emails has become an explosive political issue ever since The New York Times revealed that the then-Secretary of State was using a private email server to handle her official correspondence. Cybersecurity experts believe the homebrew system opened Clinton and her colleagues to targeting from online spies. The State Department and Intelligence Community Inspector Generals have asked the Justice Department to look into possible disclosure of classified information.
Regarding the security situation in Libya, there was plenty for Clinton and her team to discuss via email. On May 22, 2012, the International Red Cross’s Benghazi office was hit by rocket-propelled grenades.”
—————————————–
And stuff like the above is why Obama is seeking to weaken the power of Inspector Generals.
“The Justice Department is facing bipartisan criticism for clamping down on government watchdogs’ access to documents, in a decision lawmakers say defies Congress and undermines those tasked with rooting out government misconduct.
The DOJ’s Office of Legal Counsel issued a 68-page memo last week that said the department’s inspector general would be required to get permission from the agencies it oversees to obtain wire taps, grand jury testimonies, and credit information. IGs are assigned to audit and conduct internal reviews of federal agencies.
The decision, first reported in The Washington Post, faced an almost immediate backlash from Capitol Hill and the watchdogs themselves.
“I strongly disagree with the OLC opinion,” DOJ Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz said in a statement. “Congress meant what it said when it authorized Inspectors General to independently access ‘all’ documents necessary to conduct effective oversight. … Without such access, our office’s ability to conduct its work will be significantly impaired.”
Horowitz is chairman of the Council of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency, the group that oversees IGs across the government. He said that the new rules would lead to waste, fraud and abuse.”
I think michelle touched on our real problem — the failure of the people to recognize good or evil in our age. They’re either blinded and apathetic or outright too easily led by the popular sentiment of our time.
I dislike and distrust Trump as well so I also pay little attention to him. I still think it’s more of his name recognition and wackiness is what’s accounting for his “poll numbers.” He’s full of himself, though, so I completely expect him to try to mount a 3rd candidate campaign when the time comes.
I’ve been impressed by Fiorina. Didn’t she run for governor in California, the state of the lost cause?
From Aj’s 10;13
“The DOJ’s Office of Legal Counsel issued a 68-page memo last week that said the department’s inspector general would be required to get permission from the agencies it oversees to obtain wire taps, grand jury testimonies, and credit information. IGs are assigned to audit and conduct internal reviews of federal agencies. ”
There is a serious problem when the IG has to obtain permission for anything.
That’s what an IG is for, to get nosy and peer into things others won’t touch.
Terrible situation here.
” … The 13-year-old black mane lion suffered a slow and painful death, according to the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force. The hunters lured him out of the park, the conservation group said, and Palmer (the dentist) then shot the lion with a bow and arrow, a method he is known for. But the arrow wasn’t enough to kill Cecil, who survived for another 40 hours until the hunters tracked him down and shot him with a gun. The big cat was then skinned and beheaded, and the hunters tried to destroy the GPS collar that Cecil was wearing as part of research backed by Oxford University, the group said.
” ‘I had no idea that the lion I took was a known, local favorite, was collared and part of a study until the end of the hunt,’ Palmer said in a statement issued Tuesday. ‘I relied on the expertise of my local professional guides to ensure a legal hunt.’ His apparent role in Cecil’s demise has brought a huge wave of online anger crashing down on him. …”
_______________________________________________
I’m not a fan of hunting for ‘sport’ (the carcass was left behind). And this story has disturbed me as it has others.
But on another note, looking at it from a broader perspective, I realized that the killing of Cecil the lion has definitely elicited more widespread horror (much more) than the revelations of the abortion under-cover recordings.
So what’s up with that?
It goes back to what’s become an inability to grasp evil in our day, evil that is staring us right in the face, every day, year after year.
I hope God grants us a good leader for the next four years. But our real problem & challenge starts from the bottom up. It starts with us. And even more narrowly, with the church — the church needs to be the church again.
Prayer for spiritual revival in the land (and in us individually and in our own churches) may be our most important calling.
Donna, I was thinking similarly, about the lion story compared to the PP story. I wonder how many of those 210,00 people who signed the online petition demanding “justice” for Cecil are equally outraged by PP’s selling aborted babies’ body parts to biomedical companies? How many are demanding justice for the children torn apart in a way that makes their parts financially profitable to other humans?
Not many, I’m guessing. 😦
Regarding AJ’s 10:13 that Chas quoted: “…the department’s inspector general would be required to get permission from the agencies it oversees…”
I suppose I’ll have to get permission from my children now to oversee them, and only do it in a way that meets their standards. 🙄
It’s not name recognition or wackiness that is making Trump’s polls rise. The bottom line is he’s the only one that actually wants to do something about the flood of illegals, which grows by the day. He’s saying what most are thinking on the matter. Most of the candidates running are too worried about re-election or ticking off the open border money men, like the Koch bros and the Chamber of Commerce. He’s not restrained by personal re-election ambitions like they are. And it shows. It’s his message. A smart candidate would pick up on this and run with it.
Someone compared Trump to a “gunslinger” which probably is a fair assessment. 🙂
More on Cecil: Prager was speaking about it on his show this morning, saying that the hatred being thrown at the dentist is just further evidence of our moral chaos — in which feelings, not values or a Judeo-Christian ethic, is the guiding principle. He didn’t raise the abortion comparison, but he’s of a different view on that anyway.
Prager added that he also is opposed to hunting for sport — and that the Jewish religion actually prohibits it (and animals, of course, are remembered even in the 10 commandments as deserving of a day of rest) — but earlier in the show pointed out the confusion people now have in equating human with animal life.
I see several Christians, who shared the lion story and expressed their outrage, who have never commented, liked or shared a story about abortion. It is an easy cause to join.
Saw a good blog post that talked about the mob mentality on social media — even those of us who disapprove of hunting for sport are more turned off try the virtual lynch mob that’s been unleashed. He apparently had to close his office and take down his FB page due to all the threats.
Sheesh people
The dentist apologized, explained he was following the advice of his guides.
One of my FB friends commented (about the dentist/hunter) “I hope he gets what he deserves.”
I’m not sure what she meant by that, but would it include losing his livelihood? Being continually shamed in public? Incarcerated? Seems like people are out for blood.
It’s fine if you are opposed to what Palmer did, but that doesn’t excuse you from the duty to be sane and rational. It’s a lion, after all. An animal. If you want to be really agitated by a doctor who kills living things, you should probably be less focused on this dentist and a little more focused on abortionists like LeRoy Carhart, who murder actual people. Carhart has killed both unborn and born humans, and likes to do the former by ripping the child apart while it’s still alive. Maybe the media should be camping out in front of his house instead of Palmer’s. Maybe we should be asking why doctors are allowed to execute babies, not why dentists are allowed to hunt African game.
This dichotomy has become, perhaps, the most bewildering and confusing thing about our culture. Progressives actively celebrate the most depraved evils, and then make super villains out of folks who hunt, or fly Confederate flags, or refuse to bake gay wedding cakes. It’s like they’re standing on a street corner simultaneously applauding a thug as he murders a man for his wallet, and calling for a summary execution of a pedestrian who forgot to use the crosswalk. This isn’t just a matter of misplaced priorities; this is unadulterated lunacy…
Yes, I realize that liberal hypocrites aren’t the only ones upset about the lion. Some people are animal lovers, but they put that love for animals in perspective. They might cry for the cat, but they cry more for humans who are murdered, persecuted, or exploited. Compassionate souls love animals deeply because they possess a profound respect for all life. In the mode of St. Francis of Assisi, their mercy for animals stems from their love of God. I take no issue at all with the people in this category, obviously. I love animals myself.
But the fact remains that many in our society are descending like a pack of frenzied hyenas upon a man who shot a lion, yet feel no anger when confronted with the murder of children. And abortion isn’t the only evil accepted or celebrated by progressivism. We are living in a culture of death where cruelty and brutality reign supreme. The reaction to this “scandal” only further reveals and illuminates that cruelty. We think nothing of trying to destroy a man, ruin his life, and wish for his painful demise, without knowing anything else about him. We are so numb, so indifferent, that we will rip a stranger to pieces, cannibalize him publicly, tear him down until there is nothing left, and then sleep like babies at night.
I did hear a bit more about the lion case — namely that the law was broken (by both the guides, who were arrested and are out on bond) and the dentist (who also will be likely charged). The dentist also violated these laws in the past, which casts a bit of a darker shadow on him, admittedly.
Walsh makes good points, I identified with his second to last graph (I honestly can’t fathom killing an animal like that unless it is out of true necessity).
Charge the man under the law, make sure justice is served, but call off the vigilante lynch mob.
Wandering Views 
Brady and Trump have taken over the news cycle.
It will all amount to nothing in the long run.
This is Chas’ prediction. And it isn’t good.
Trump has 25% of the Republican support. He has all he will ever get. The Trump fans all went to him at once and will remain faithful. But that’s it.
Some other Republican will get the nomination.
Trump will get mad, and like Ross Perot, mount his own campaign.
He will lose and Hillary will become president.
That will be the end of this country as a free nation and world leader.
Without American leadership, the world will sink into Chaos.
Like Reagan said, “If not America, Who?”
Rush riled everyone up in 2008 when he said of Obama, “I hope he loses.”
Obama hasn‘t lost, but America has. We have one more chance to recover.
Hillary ain’t it.
I don’t know if someone else can bring us back, but I know Hillary can’t.
Obama and Hillary amount to the same thing, for different reasons.
Obama is an evil man and intended to bring this country down.
Hillary isn’t evil in that sense. But she will sell out this country to the highest bidder.
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I’ve been reading things that say people are supporting Trump not because they like him and what he stands for but because he at least is talking about things that make them angry.
It’s not a winning combination by any means, and I, personally, find the man distasteful and reprehensible, so I pay no attention to him.
Maybe he’d pull a Perot, he’s that vindictive, but I can’t believe he’d have that many followers.
Then again, I’m surprised at a poll conducted by Life News, asking people if after hearing what Planned Parenthood did, they still thought the US government should financially support them.
64% said yes.
Everyone does what is right in his own eyes . . . and we know how that one ends. 😦
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A lot of people, like me, like what Trump says. But don’t like the man.
I like what Fiorina says, and the way she says it. I’m afraid she won’t make it.
I hope she’s VP. ,
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More on PP.
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/07/26/womenbetrayed-over-50-cities-to-hold-rallies-against-planned-parenthood-tuesday/
“On Tuesday pro-lifers in more than 50 cities – and counting – will be rallying against Planned Parenthood under the banner of #WomenBetrayed in response to the gruesome undercover investigative videos released by the Center for Medical Progress over the past two weeks.
Two Planned Parenthood senior medical officials were exposed as they explained how the taxpayer funded organization performs abortions in such a way as to harvest aborted babies’ body parts to sell them to biomedical companies.
National pro-life group Students for Life of America (SFLA) and its partner organization Pro-Life Future have launched the #WomenBetrayed initiative which urges citizens across the nation to rally to demand their states investigate, prosecute and defund Planned Parenthood.
According to a press release, SFLA chose the title of the initiative, #WomenBetrayed, because “Planned Parenthood has betrayed the very patients – women and their children – who they claim to care about and have compassion for.”
————————————-
Couldn’t happen to a more deserving bunch. Now let’s see what they can expose as well……
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/planned-parenthood-hacked/article/2569069
“Planned Parenthood confirmed that its online databases have been hacked, potentially exposing employees’ personal information.
The women’s health and abortion provider said Monday it has reported the crime to the Department of Justice and the FBI.
“Extremists who oppose Planned Parenthood’s mission and services have launched an attack on our information systems, and have called on the world’s most sophisticated hackers to assist them in breaching our systems and threatening the privacy and safety of our staff members,” said Planned Parenthood Executive Vice President Dawn Laguens Monday afternoon.”
“A group of hackers who oppose the group for its abortion services is taking credit for the hack, first sharing it with the Daily Dot. One of the hackers, identified only as “E,” said it will be “interesting to see what surfaces when [Planned Parenthood] is stripped naked and exposed to the public.”
“Trying to mold an atrocious monstrosity into socially acceptable behaviors is repulsive,” the hacker told the Daily Dot. “Obviously what [Planned Parenthood] does is a very ominous practice.”
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And one more. More proof of how PP lies to the public and the govt that funds them in order for them to appear “mainstream.”.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/07/28/planned-parenthood-sponsors-deny-funding-organization-amid-hidden-camera/?intcmp=hpbt1
“Planned Parenthood once boasted a list of sponsors that read like a who’s who of the Fortune 100, but now some of the biggest companies say they never gave money to the embattled organization.
Coca-Cola, Ford and Xerox are all among the companies listed in a roster of corporate sponsors claimed by Planned Parenthood, but representatives for the companies said they either never donated to the organization or had not in years. Planned Parenthood, which is now reeling from the release of two undercover videos in which top officials alluded to selling fetus parts, had published the company names on the website of its Washington, DC, chapter. The list was part of an appeal to employees who the site said could double their donations with the help of their employers.
“Double the size of your gift. Does your employer match charitable contributions? If so, please contact your Human Resources Department for more information about how your gift may be matched,” read a line from the web page. “A partial list of companies with Corporate Matching Gift Programs includes: AT&T, Alcoa, American Express, Avon Products, Black & Decker, Circuit City, Citibank, Clorox, Coca-Cola, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Fidelity Investments, Ford Motor Company, Gannett, James River Corporation, Merck & Company, Microsoft Corporation, Motorola, Phillip Morris, T. Rowe Price, Prudential Insurance, Safeco Corporation, Sun Microsystems, Sunoco, Vanguard Group, Verizon, Washington Post Company, White & Case.”
“Several companies said they should never have been included among Planned Parenthood donors.
“We have never been a donor to Planned Parenthood,” a spokeswoman for Ford Motor Company told FoxNews.com. “And we haven’t matched employee contributions since 2005.”
Officials for Coca-Cola and Xerox did not immediately return requests for comment, but both issued statements saying they were not donors.”
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And for those delusional enough to think leadership in the Senate will do anything about it….
http://www.breitbart.com/video/2015/07/25/cruz-mcconnell-blocked-amds-for-kates-law-defund-planned-parenthood/
“Texas Senator and Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX)96%
said that Senate Majority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY)52%
blocked amendments to defund Planned Parenthood, end the Congressional exemption to Obamacare and for Kate’s Law on Friday’s “Mark Levin Show.”
Cruz, after re-iterating his charges that McConnell lied about whether there was a deal regarding Trade Promotion Authority and the Export-Import Bank, stated, “Now, let me tell you all the amendments Mitch McConnell blocked because he wants to reauthorize this corporate welfare and cronyism. He blocked my amendment to defund Planned Parenthood. In the wake of these gruesome videos, where they appear to admit to multiple felonies, we should be defunding them, and we should defund them this week. He blocked my amendment to repeal the Congressional exception from Obamacare. He doesn’t want a vote on that. It’s another of example of cronyism, [Sen.] Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV)2%
and the Obama administration exempted Congress from the plain language from Obamacare. He blocked amendments to end sanctuary cities, to cut off funding. He blocked my amendment for Kate’s Law, mandatory minimum five years for an illegal alien convicted of illegal re-entry. And he blocked also my amendment saying that no Iranian sanctions can be lifted unless and until Iran recognizes Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state, and releases the four American hostages they’re holding.””
————————————————
Which is why I’m hoping this effort is successful.
http://thehill.com/homenews/house/249557-read-the-gop-resolution-seeking-to-oust-boehner
“Conservative Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) on Tuesday introduced a resolution to oust Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) from his leadership post, GOP aides said.”
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In other news….
Same thing they were doing at the FDA.
Say it with me now…. :Most transparent administration evah!”
http://www.atr.org/irs-used-instant-messaging-system-hide-internal-communications
“The IRS used a “wholly separate” instant messaging system that automatically deleted office communications, according to documentation released by the House Oversight Committee on Monday. The system appears to have been purposefully used by agency officials responsible for the targeting of conservative non-profits, in order to evade public scrutiny.
The system, known as “Office Communication Server” or OCS was used by IRS officials, including many in the Exempt Organizations (EO) Unit, which was headed by Lois Lerner.
As the Oversight Committee report states, the instant messaging system did not archive any communications, so it is not possible to know what employees of the EO unit discussed on it.
However, in an email uncovered by the Committee Lerner warns her colleagues about evading Congressional oversight:
“I was cautioning folks about email and how we have had several occasions where Congress has asked for emails and there has been an electronic search for responsive emails – so we need to be cautious about what we say in emails.”
Lerner then asks whether OCS is automatically archived. When informed it was not, Lerner responded “Perfect.””
—————————————–
And speaking of missing communications…
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/07/28/the-missing-hillary-emails-no-one-can-explain.html
“There is a two-month gap in Hillary Clinton’s emails that coincides with violence in Libya and the employment status of a top Clinton aide, Huma Abedin.
Among the approximately 2,000 emails that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has released from her private account, there is a conspicuous two-month gap. There are no emails between Clinton and her State Department staff during May and June 2012, a period of escalating violence in Libya leading up to the September 11 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi that left four Americans dead.
A State Department spokesman told The Daily Beast that for the year 2012, only those emails related to the security of the consulate or to the U.S. diplomatic presence in Libya were made public and turned over to a House committee investigating the fatal Benghazi assault. But if that’s true, then neither Clinton nor her staff communicated via email about the escalating dangers in Libya. There were three attacks during that two-month period, including one that targeted the consulate.
That two-month period also coincides with a senior Clinton aide obtaining a special exemption that allowed her to work both as a staff member to the secretary and in a private capacity for Clinton and her husband’s foundation. The Associated Press has sued to obtain emails from Clinton’s account about the aide, Huma Abedin.
The status of Clinton’s emails has become an explosive political issue ever since The New York Times revealed that the then-Secretary of State was using a private email server to handle her official correspondence. Cybersecurity experts believe the homebrew system opened Clinton and her colleagues to targeting from online spies. The State Department and Intelligence Community Inspector Generals have asked the Justice Department to look into possible disclosure of classified information.
Regarding the security situation in Libya, there was plenty for Clinton and her team to discuss via email. On May 22, 2012, the International Red Cross’s Benghazi office was hit by rocket-propelled grenades.”
—————————————–
And stuff like the above is why Obama is seeking to weaken the power of Inspector Generals.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/07/27/lawmakers-inspector-general-rip-doj-move-to-deny-government-watchdogs-access-to/?intcmp=hpbt1
“The Justice Department is facing bipartisan criticism for clamping down on government watchdogs’ access to documents, in a decision lawmakers say defies Congress and undermines those tasked with rooting out government misconduct.
The DOJ’s Office of Legal Counsel issued a 68-page memo last week that said the department’s inspector general would be required to get permission from the agencies it oversees to obtain wire taps, grand jury testimonies, and credit information. IGs are assigned to audit and conduct internal reviews of federal agencies.
The decision, first reported in The Washington Post, faced an almost immediate backlash from Capitol Hill and the watchdogs themselves.
“I strongly disagree with the OLC opinion,” DOJ Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz said in a statement. “Congress meant what it said when it authorized Inspectors General to independently access ‘all’ documents necessary to conduct effective oversight. … Without such access, our office’s ability to conduct its work will be significantly impaired.”
Horowitz is chairman of the Council of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency, the group that oversees IGs across the government. He said that the new rules would lead to waste, fraud and abuse.”
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I think michelle touched on our real problem — the failure of the people to recognize good or evil in our age. They’re either blinded and apathetic or outright too easily led by the popular sentiment of our time.
I dislike and distrust Trump as well so I also pay little attention to him. I still think it’s more of his name recognition and wackiness is what’s accounting for his “poll numbers.” He’s full of himself, though, so I completely expect him to try to mount a 3rd candidate campaign when the time comes.
I’ve been impressed by Fiorina. Didn’t she run for governor in California, the state of the lost cause?
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From Aj’s 10;13
“The DOJ’s Office of Legal Counsel issued a 68-page memo last week that said the department’s inspector general would be required to get permission from the agencies it oversees to obtain wire taps, grand jury testimonies, and credit information. IGs are assigned to audit and conduct internal reviews of federal agencies. ”
There is a serious problem when the IG has to obtain permission for anything.
That’s what an IG is for, to get nosy and peer into things others won’t touch.
Terrible situation here.
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I also meant to say that I’m glad they’re fighting back. But the fact that it came up is disturbing.
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This dentist from Minnesota is in a heap of trouble — he’s landed in the crosshairs of just about everyone on FB from the looks of it.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/29/africa/zimbabwe-cecil-the-lion-killed/index.html
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” … The 13-year-old black mane lion suffered a slow and painful death, according to the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force. The hunters lured him out of the park, the conservation group said, and Palmer (the dentist) then shot the lion with a bow and arrow, a method he is known for. But the arrow wasn’t enough to kill Cecil, who survived for another 40 hours until the hunters tracked him down and shot him with a gun. The big cat was then skinned and beheaded, and the hunters tried to destroy the GPS collar that Cecil was wearing as part of research backed by Oxford University, the group said.
” ‘I had no idea that the lion I took was a known, local favorite, was collared and part of a study until the end of the hunt,’ Palmer said in a statement issued Tuesday. ‘I relied on the expertise of my local professional guides to ensure a legal hunt.’ His apparent role in Cecil’s demise has brought a huge wave of online anger crashing down on him. …”
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I’m not a fan of hunting for ‘sport’ (the carcass was left behind). And this story has disturbed me as it has others.
But on another note, looking at it from a broader perspective, I realized that the killing of Cecil the lion has definitely elicited more widespread horror (much more) than the revelations of the abortion under-cover recordings.
So what’s up with that?
It goes back to what’s become an inability to grasp evil in our day, evil that is staring us right in the face, every day, year after year.
I hope God grants us a good leader for the next four years. But our real problem & challenge starts from the bottom up. It starts with us. And even more narrowly, with the church — the church needs to be the church again.
Prayer for spiritual revival in the land (and in us individually and in our own churches) may be our most important calling.
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Donna, I was thinking similarly, about the lion story compared to the PP story. I wonder how many of those 210,00 people who signed the online petition demanding “justice” for Cecil are equally outraged by PP’s selling aborted babies’ body parts to biomedical companies? How many are demanding justice for the children torn apart in a way that makes their parts financially profitable to other humans?
Not many, I’m guessing. 😦
Regarding AJ’s 10:13 that Chas quoted: “…the department’s inspector general would be required to get permission from the agencies it oversees…”
I suppose I’ll have to get permission from my children now to oversee them, and only do it in a way that meets their standards. 🙄
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Donna,
It’s not name recognition or wackiness that is making Trump’s polls rise. The bottom line is he’s the only one that actually wants to do something about the flood of illegals, which grows by the day. He’s saying what most are thinking on the matter. Most of the candidates running are too worried about re-election or ticking off the open border money men, like the Koch bros and the Chamber of Commerce. He’s not restrained by personal re-election ambitions like they are. And it shows. It’s his message. A smart candidate would pick up on this and run with it.
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Someone compared Trump to a “gunslinger” which probably is a fair assessment. 🙂
More on Cecil: Prager was speaking about it on his show this morning, saying that the hatred being thrown at the dentist is just further evidence of our moral chaos — in which feelings, not values or a Judeo-Christian ethic, is the guiding principle. He didn’t raise the abortion comparison, but he’s of a different view on that anyway.
Prager added that he also is opposed to hunting for sport — and that the Jewish religion actually prohibits it (and animals, of course, are remembered even in the 10 commandments as deserving of a day of rest) — but earlier in the show pointed out the confusion people now have in equating human with animal life.
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I see several Christians, who shared the lion story and expressed their outrage, who have never commented, liked or shared a story about abortion. It is an easy cause to join.
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Which is why I haven’t posted about the lion — virtually everyone else has already done so
Lots of outrage
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Saw a good blog post that talked about the mob mentality on social media — even those of us who disapprove of hunting for sport are more turned off try the virtual lynch mob that’s been unleashed. He apparently had to close his office and take down his FB page due to all the threats.
Sheesh people
The dentist apologized, explained he was following the advice of his guides.
Time to let it go
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One of my FB friends commented (about the dentist/hunter) “I hope he gets what he deserves.”
I’m not sure what she meant by that, but would it include losing his livelihood? Being continually shamed in public? Incarcerated? Seems like people are out for blood.
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Matt Walsh on the lion story: http://www.theblaze.com/contributions/sometimes-its-just-easier-to-care-about-dead-lions-than-dead-people/
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I did hear a bit more about the lion case — namely that the law was broken (by both the guides, who were arrested and are out on bond) and the dentist (who also will be likely charged). The dentist also violated these laws in the past, which casts a bit of a darker shadow on him, admittedly.
Walsh makes good points, I identified with his second to last graph (I honestly can’t fathom killing an animal like that unless it is out of true necessity).
Charge the man under the law, make sure justice is served, but call off the vigilante lynch mob.
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