News/Politics

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News/Politics 9-18-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

Open thread, as always.

Reports on the DC Navy Yard shooter show that once again, signs were missed, and mental problems were ignored. Rather than deal with these failures, they’ll just blame the weapons used.

From TheAP  ” U.S. law enforcement officials are telling The Associated Press that the Navy contractor identified as the gunman in the mass shootings at the Washington Navy Yard had been suffering a host of serious mental issues, including paranoia and a sleep disorder. He also had been hearing voices in his head, the officials said.

Aaron Alexis, 34, had been treated since August by the Veterans Administration for his mental problems, the officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the criminal investigation in the case was continuing. The Navy had not declared him mentally unfit, which would have rescinded a security clearance that Alexis had from his earlier time in the Navy Reserves.”

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Like I said above, they won’t address the failures that lead to this, or the ones that made it worse than it would have been.

From CNSNews  “My son was at Marine Barracks — at the Navy Yard yesterday – and they had weapons with them, but they didn’t have ammunition.   And they said, ‘We were trained, and if we had the ammunition, we could’ve cleared that building.’ Only three people had been shot at that time, and they could’ve stopped the rest of it.”

The Navy Yard shooting brings up the legitimate issue of carrying – and using – firearms on military installations.

Back in 1993, the Clinton administration virtually declared military establishments “gun-free zones.” As a result, the policy banned “military personnel from carrying their own personal firearms and mandates that ‘a credible and specific threat against [Department of the Army] personnel [exist] in that region” before military personnel ‘may be authorized to carry firearms for personal protection.” Indeed, most military bases have relatively few military police as they are in heavy demand to serve in Iraq and Afghanistan,” according to economist John Lott.

Additionally, Lott discovered that “every public shooting since at least 1950 in the U.S. in which more than three people have been killed has taken place where citizens are not allowed to carry guns.”

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Despite reports to the contrary, an AR-15 was not used in the shootings. The NY Daily News ran an inflammatory piece on their front page with photos of an AR-15. They jumped the gun. Can’t wait to see where the retraction gets buried. CNN kept referring to the weapon as an AR-15 shotgun, which is a non-existent piece of hardware. MSNBC did an animated version of events that had an AR instead of a shotgun as well. If you’re gonna report on this stuff, shouldn’t you have at least a basic grasp of what you’re talking about? And what about the editors? 🙄

From Mediaite  “Speaking before the press this afternoon, the Federal Bureau of Investigations confirmed that, despite early reports, current information indicates that there was no semi-automatic AR-15 rifle used in the Washington Navy Yard shootings that left 12 people dead. According to the agency’s investigation, deceased shooter Aaron Alexis entered the building armed with a shotgun and somehow obtained a handgun while inside the facility.

Regarding previous reports on the weapons used in the attacks, FBI Washington field assistant director Valerie Parlave said: “There’s been a lot of information circulating in the media over the past day. We caution against obtaining information from unofficial sources, and we ask that all inquiries be directed to the FBI.”

Yeah right. They’re too busy pushing their anti-gun agenda to let facts get in the way. Obama responds as you would expect. Shamelessly. Never let a crisis go to waste right Barry?

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We’re all well aware of the Democrats love of abortion, and the money the industry pours into their coffers. They’re even willing to go so far as to promise to reopen clinics closed for violations, not meeting standards, and unsanitary conditions in order to ensure the money keeps flowing to them, and that they get the pro-abortion votes. I’ve always considered this guy to be one of the slimiest people on the planet. Watching the video at the link just confirms it.

From Breitbart  “Virginia Democrat gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe has been caught on tape saying that, if elected, he will issue a directive to unilaterally allow abortion clinics that do not meet state health standards to remain open.”

“In the video, McAuliffe, who is running against pro-life candidate Ken Cuccinelli, reviewed the status of abortion clinics in Virginia:

I can do what I talked about, issue a guidance opinion by March to keep the remaining health centers open. I can do that myself as Governor. That’s why I said I’ll do that by March to keep the remaining, uh, Norfolk is closed. Fairfax is closed, or closing, so there will be 18 left. Only one of those 18 actually meet the, the requirements so they’ll all close if I don’t do that. But I will issue what’s called a guidance opinion by mid-March which will say that these regulations, I have, the General Assembly wasn’t definitive with the Board of Health as to the rules, I can give a guidance opinion to the Board of Health to grandfather in those remaining clinics to keep them open. That’s why this election is so important, and I will do that.”

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ACORN is back. I hate to say it, but NY deserves this type of leadership for allowing these people to continue their fraud. And for electing leaders who are using that fraud to their benefit. Sometimes you get what you deserve.

From TheNYPost  “Bertha Lewis played critical behind-the-scenes roles in the victorious Democratic primary campaigns of both Bill de Blasio for mayor and Kenneth Thompson for Brooklyn district attorney, The Post has learned.

“We’re baacccck. The right wing will have to deal with it,” Lewis chuckled.

Lewis, a co-founder of the Working Families Party, was an early backer and adviser to de Blasio.

ACORN’s successor group, New York Communities for Change, endorsed de Blasio for mayor in early spring, and a Lewis protege, NYCC field director Harold Miller, helped run de Blasio’s field operation.”

I think fraud operation is probably more accurate.

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News/Politics 9-17-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

First up, some good news. 🙂

From ChristianityToday  “For Abby Johnson, the closing of a single Planned Parenthood center demonstrated her dramatic reversal from abortion clinic director to leading pro-life advocate.

But for pro-lifers throughout the United States, it marked another exhibit in a hopeful trend—abortion centers are shutting down at an unprecedented rate. The total so far this year is 44, according to a pro-life organization that tracks clinic operations.

None was more telling for Johnson than the mid-July closing of the Planned Parenthood center in Bryan, Texas. It came less than four years after Johnson, burdened by her involvement with abortion, walked out of that clinic as its director and into the offices of the Coalition for Life.”

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Needless to say, some aren’t as happy about it.

From HuffPo  “At least 54 abortion providers across 27 states have shut down or ended their abortion services in the past three years, and several more clinics are only still open because judges have temporarily blocked legislation that would make it difficult for them to continue to operate. Nebraska and Massachusetts have each added one clinic since 2010, and the other 21 states and the District of Columbia, most of which have not passed new anti-abortion laws since 2010, were unable to accurately count their clinics because their health departments do not license abortion providers separately from other kinds of medical providers. The Huffington Post’s tally did not include hospitals that provide abortions.

“This kind of change is incredibly dramatic,” said Elizabeth Nash, state issues manager at the Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive health research organization. “What we’ve been seeing since 1982 was a slow decline, but this kind of change … [is] so different from what’s happened in the past.””

“This has turned into a nightmare,” said Kat Sabine, executive director of NARAL’s Arizona affiliate. “The kind of efforts the women have to take to get family planning or abortion services are just incredible, and you can only get care if you can get out of the community to do it. If you’re on a reservation or rural part of the state, unless you have reliable transportation, you’re not going to get care.”

And then doom and gloom scenarios end exactly where you would expect them to.

Yep. Cries of a “War on Women” by Republicans. Yeah, we didn’t see that comin’……

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Next, the DC Navy Yard shooting.

From TheWaPo  “At least 13 people are dead and 14 others were injured after a gunman opened fire at the Washington Navy Yard on Monday, Navy officials said, spreading fear and chaos across the region as authorities sought to contain the panic.”

“D.C. Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier and Mayor Vincent C. Gray announced the mounting number of casualties in a series of news conferences. The suspected shooter, identified by the FBI as Aaron Alexis, 34, living in Fort Worth, is among the 13 dead. Alexis was a military contractor, one official said.”

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Why does this not surprise me?

From NYPost  “‘Are you sexually active? If so, with one partner, multiple partners or same-sex partners?”

Be ready to answer those questions and more the next time you go to the doctor, whether it’s the dermatologist or the cardiologist and no matter if the questions are unrelated to why you’re seeking medical help. And you can thank the Obama health law.

“This is nasty business,” says New York cardiologist Dr. Adam Budzikowski. He called the sex questions “insensitive, stupid and very intrusive.” He couldn’t think of an occasion when a cardiologist would need such information — but he knows he’ll be pushed to ask for it.

The president’s “reforms” aim to turn doctors into government agents, pressuring them financially to ask questions they consider inappropriate and unnecessary, and to violate their Hippocratic Oath to keep patients’ records confidential.”

But we’ve always been told it’s Republicans who stick their noses in what happens in private bedrooms and other people’s sex lives. Who knew? :roll:.

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Like I said last night, it’s good to be part of the exempt ruling class huh?

From NationalReview  “Prostitution. Bribery. Blackmail. Thuggery. Hypocrisy.

Those were just some of the incendiary words thrown around the U.S. Senate last week, and that doesn’t count what people said in private.

The Senate may still have a reputation as a genteel club, but lawmakers seemed to abandon rules of decorum completely last week in arguments about whether Congress should be treated like the rest of the country when it comes to Obamacare. 

Senator David Vitter, a Louisiana Republican, has demanded a floor vote on his bill to end an exemption that members of Congress and their staffs are slated to get that will make them the only participants in the new Obamacare exchanges to receive generous subsidies from their employer to pay for their health insurance. Angry Senate Democrats have drafted legislation that dredges up a 2007 prostitution scandal involving Vitter. The confrontation is a perfect illustration of just how wide the gulf in attitudes is between the Beltway and the rest of the country — and how viciously Capitol Hill denizens will fight for their privileges.”

It’s their “Precious.”

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We’ll finish today with a story related to yesterday’s on “Common Core Curriculum.” Or, if you prefer, you can call it what I do. Just another reason to home school.

From TheDC-Clothesline  “I am a high school English teacher. I became a teacher because I believe that literacy, which goes beyond just reading the words on the page, is an absolute necessity for maintaining our Republic. Proof of that is found in the many laws against reading certain texts, or against reading altogether, that have been passed down by every tyrant since literacy became available to the general population. A few examples of such tyrannical laws are the Taliban banning reading for any female or laws against teaching slaves to read or the Soviet Union’s banning of such books as A Wrinkle in Time, Where’s Waldo, and To Kill a Mockingbird. The communist Khmer Rogue in Cambodia so hated literacy that just wearing glasses was cause for execution. Literacy leads to freedom and tyrants know it.

 I have been teaching for over twenty years. Generally, I have been given either no curriculum or curriculum that was focused on skills, not specific texts. I would have to get those skills taught in whatever way I wanted to get there. Sometimes I was given more direction and that direction was generally pretty good including texts, key terms, supplemental stories, and suggested writing assignments. These directions were created at a school level by the teachers in the school. I helped write some myself. Mostly, I have had a lot of freedom in how I could achieve the learning goals. Not anymore.

Today I was in a professional development session for my school district. Our school system has swallowed the Common Core curriculum whole. Why wouldn’t they? The federal system has said that it is “voluntary”, but “voluntary” means that the district gets cut off from major federal funding if it does not adopt the standards, so “voluntary” is subjective. Here is what the Washington Post reported Sen. Charles Grassley has to say about Common Core:

Current federal law makes clear that the U.S. Department of Education may not be involved in setting specific content standards or determining the content of state assessments. Nevertheless, the selection criteria designed by the U.S. Department of Education for the Race to the Top Program provided that for a state to have any chance to compete for funding, it must commit to adopting a “common set of K-12 standards” matching the description of the Common Core.”

She then goes on to expose the ugly heart of Common Core. It’s a liberal educator/indoctrinators dream come true.

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News/Politics 9-16-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

First up, well what did they think would happen? Of course it would benefit Assad and Russia. Funny though, the Obama admin considers this a victory. ‘Course they have to say that, otherwise they might have to admit they totally failed here.

From TheNYPost  “Syrian President Bashar al-Assad gets to stay in power — and keep his chemical weapons for a year — under a Russian-sponsored deal that critics slammed as undermining American leverage in the Mideast.

Under the pact reached Saturday by Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Assad must submit an inventory of his chemical arsenal this week but has until mid-2014 to dispose of it.

Kerry said the first inspection of Syrian weapons will be in November and destruction will begin sometime next year.”

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More on Syria.

From TheTelegraph/UK  “Syria: nearly half rebel fighters are jihadists or hardline Islamists, says IHS Jane’s report

Nearly half the rebel fighters in Syria are now aligned to jihadist or hardline Islamist groups according to a new analysis of factions in the country’s civil war.

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The Obama admin sure does love the MB huh?

From BizPacReview  “A controversial Homeland Security advisor who was recently promoted to senior fellow is a self-declared Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood and Mohamed Morsi supporter.

Mohamed Elibiary, who was appointed to the Department of Homeland Security Advisory Council by then-Secretary Janet Napolitano in 2010, tweeted Thursday that his appointment was renewed and his position elevated:”

“Elibiary’s tenure on the advisory council created controversy almost from the start. About a year after his appointment, PJ Media reported that he used his new federal security clearance to download information on the Texas Department of Public Safety and sell it to left-leaning media outlets as proof of Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s “Islamophobia.””

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Common Core sounds great, unless the left gets to be the ones deciding on that “Core” curriculum. Think 50 Shades of Common Core. Yeah, like that. 😦

CONTENT WARNING!!!

From TheDailyCaller  “The Common Core State Standards Initiative is a project that attempts to  standardize various K-12 curricula around the country. By design, American  students subject to the Common Core will experience a reading  regime that focuses heavily on nonfiction.”

“There will be a slice of fiction here and there, though. One such slice for  sophomores at Buena High School in Sierra  Vista, Ariz. is an utterly minor 1992 novel called “Dreaming in Cuban” by  Cristina Garcia, reports Eagnews.org.

An unidentified parent claimed in  an email to Eagnews that “Dreaming in Cuban” was assigned to everyone in one of  her son’s 10th-grade classes. In addition, students read the book out loud  during class.”

It then gives a few excerpts from the book. It’s Porn in class.

More here from EAGNews.

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I doubt this will do much good, but it’s worth a shot I suppose.

From Breitbart  “On Sept. 12, religious-liberty leaders met with Pentagon officials to discuss the rapidly-escalating incidents of religious-liberty violations in the military under the Obama administration.  

On Apr. 28, Breitbart News broke the story of Pentagon brass meeting with anti-Christian activist Mikey Weinstein to discuss religious-liberty policies. Quoting Weinstein in his own printed words, this activist has a record of calling observant Christians “fundamentalist monsters” who seek impose “theocratic terror” on America, and that evangelizing (sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ) in the military is an act of “sedition and treason” against this country, making those who do it “enemies of the Constitution.” He says those who do so should be court-martialed (criminally prosecuted).”

“Now leaders from Restore Military Religious Freedom—a coalition to protect service members of faith—met with Pentagon officials. Lt. Gen. Jerry Boykin (ret.) of the Family Research Council, Col. Ron Crews (ret.) of the Chaplains Alliance for Religious Liberty, Kellie Fiedorek of the Alliance Defending Freedom, and nationally-known Christian talk radio host Sandy Rios took with them two petitions calling on Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel to protect religious liberty. One was a general petition with 170,000 signatures, and the other—with 50,000 signatures—was sparked by the last incident mentioned above, where Air Force Senior Master Sergeant Phillip Monk was relieved of duty by Maj. Elisa Valenzuela, allegedly because of Monk’s Christian beliefs on marriage. Monk now faces possible court martial.”

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I know seceding from the Union is frowned upon, but what about counties from individual states? I guess it would depend on the state constitution. It seems to be an idea that’s spreading. As someone who lives in an area where Philly presents the same problem, I like the idea.

Five words. Arlen Specter, Bob Casey Jr.

See. Of course I’m all for it.

From FoxNews  “A group of Maryland residents frustrated with its state’s liberal government  is joining a recent movement across the country of regions trying to secede.

 Western Maryland is made up of five counties whose residents largely vote  Republican and feel under-represented at the state capitol, run by Democratic  Gov. Martin O’Malley and a Democrat-controlled legislature.”

“Strzelczyk said the biggest concerns are increasing taxes, and the  Democrat-controlled legislature gerrymander voting district so that the state’s  big metropolitan areas have the most representation and tighter gun laws enacted  this year, which he calls “the last straw.”  

The movement is just one of several across the country that includes the  Upper Peninsula in Michigan, Northern California and several conservative  northern Colorado counties.”

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And this last one I submit with no comment. Take it for what you will.

Also from Breitbart  “Almost everything you think you know about the Matthew Shepard narrative is false.”

“Almost immediately Shepard became a secular saint, and his killing became a kind of gay Passion Play where he suffered and died for the cause of homosexuality against the growing homophobia and hatred of gay America.

Indeed, a Mathew Shepard industry grew rapidly with plays and foundations along with state and even national hate crimes legislation named for him. Rock stars wrote songs about him, including Elton John and Melissa Etheridge. Lady Gaga performed John Lennon’s “Imagine” and changed the lyrics to include Shepard.

Thanks to a new book by an award winning gay journalist we now know that much of this narrative turns out to be false, little more than gay hagiography.”

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News/Politics 9-14-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

First up, Colorado.

From Denver/CBSLocal  “Officials in Boulder are urging people to stay away from Boulder Creek, which is still running at dangerously high levels on Friday.

The flooding has destroyed several residences in Boulder County, officials said Friday morning. They don’t have a specific number of homes that have been destroyed yet, and it’s not clear so far where the worst damage is in the county.”

““We are asking people to avoid driving in Boulder, avoid being in areas where water is rising or where creeks are crossing intersections or streets. If you should happen to fall in those waters it would be very difficult to get out and in some cases you might not be able to get out,” Boulder Police Chief Mark Beckner said. “We are asking people not to come to Boulder unless absolutely necessary because if you get here you might not be able to get out.”

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Next, sure they are, but they’ll screw it up.

From Politico  “Republicans are now leading Democrats on handling several key issues,  according to a new Wall Street Journal/NBC poll.

The poll, released Friday, shows more Americans think that the  Republicans are doing a better job on the economy, foreign policy and reducing  the federal deficit.

The GOP has an edge of 7 percentage points over the Democrats on the issue of  foreign policy. This is up from 2006, when the GOP was behind by 9 percentage  points.”

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This has to be killing Emanuel.

From TheDailyCaller  “Gun owners in Chicago no longer have to register firearms with local  authorities, the New York Times reports.

Chicago’s City Council reluctantly voted Wednesday to end the decades old  registration policy in the wake of the new law allowing Illinois residents the  right to carry concealed weapons in public. The modification follows the United  States Court of Appeals for the 7th District December ruling that stated Illinois’s ban  on public concealed carry was unconstitutional. So far, the Democratic-majority  Legislature has struggled to balance the perceived needs of the people with the  court ruling.”

“Despite this seemingly revolutionary change, Chicago is far from encouraging gun  ownership. The Council strengthened other gun regulations, even as it struck down  the registration law.”

Sure, because their methods and ideas on gun control have worked so well up until now. 🙄

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Strange that they would only do this for certain Pastors. OK, not really.

Also from TheDailyCaller  “Attorney General  Eric Holder and IRS officials advised black ministers on how to engage in  political activity during the 2012 election without violating their tax-exempt  status.

Holder, then-IRS commissioner Douglas Shulman, and Peter Lorenzetti, a senior  official in the scandal-plagued agency’s exempt organizations division,  participated in a May 2012 training session for black ministers from the  Conference of National Black  Churches at the U.S. Capitol hosted by the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC).  Holder spoke at the event.

“We’re going to, first of all, equip them with the information they need to  know about what they can say and what they cannot say in the church that would  violate their 501(c)(3) status with the IRS,” said then-CBC chairman Rep. Emanuel Cleaver,  a Democrat from Missouri. “In fact, we’re going to have the IRS administrator  there. We’re going to have Attorney General Eric Holder there…the ACLU.”

They used these churches to push Obama and his agenda. The IRS targets the Tea Party, yet enables this. Sad.

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The Senate is up to more nonsense. And the best part is they want our totally non-partisan DoJ to decide who gets journalistic protections and who doesn’t. Freedom of the Press, for officially approved Press anyway. I bet the recent change to anti-propaganda laws is related.

From Breitbart  “Who would decide who fell within these guidelines? A “judge of the United States” can “exercise discretion to avail the persons of the protections of this Act.” But in the first instance, the DOJ would have the discretion to determine whether a person is a “journalist” for purposes of the law. Instead of focusing on acts of journalism, the law would identify people by employment status.

 Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) said that it should not matter to citizen journalists if new protections extended to a special class of journalists created by the government, since the First Amendment does not grant any right to protect sources in the first place. “When we’re discussing the issue of adding a privilege, the issue of taking away someone’s First Amendment rights just isn’t engaged….All we’re doing is adding privilege to existing First Amendment rights, so there is, logically, zero First Amendment threat out of this,” said Whitehouse, ignoring the fact that a massive institutional advantage would be handed to approved government outlets, thereby perverting the entire system of a free press.

 Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) launched into the proposed bill, which he said could “have the effect of excluding certain persons from enjoying the added First Amendment protections the bill would provide.” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) agreed, stating, “Essentially as I understand this amendment, it protects what I would characterize as the ‘corporate media.’…But it leaves out citizen bloggers….I don’t think any protection should treat citizen bloggers who are meeting the underlying test of being primarily engaged in gathering news to report it I don’t think they should be excluded because they don’t happen to work for a media corporation.”

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And last for today, this one. 🙂

From TheCompetitiveEnterpriseInstitute  “Today, teachers in Kenosha, Wis., voted to decertify their union, the Kenosha Education Association, by a margin of nearly two to one. Only 37 percent of the teachers opted to retain the union in an election made possible by the labor reforms enacted under Gov. Scott Walker (R). The result goes to show that when workers have a choice on whether to join a union instead of being forced into one by law, they often choose to vote down the union.”

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News/Politics 9-13-13

What’s interesting out there today?

First up…..  Retreat?

From TheWaPo  “Sometimes a president does not have a communications problem. Sometimes a president has a reality problem.

President Obama’s speech to the nation on Syria was premised on the denial of reality. He claimed that the Russian/Syrian initiative resulted from the “credible threat of U.S. military action.” In fact, it filled a vacuum of presidential credibility. Obama had been isolated within the G-20 and abandoned by our closest ally, Britain. Americans overwhelmingly disapproved of a military strike for which the president clearly had no stomach. Obama was on the verge of the most devastating congressional foreign policy repudiation since the Senate voted 49-35 against entering the League of Nations in 1920.

Vladimir Putin offered Obama an escape, which he gratefully took. But there are implicit costs. A U.S. military strike — something Putin thought inevitable just a few weeks ago — is off. Russia’s Syrian client, Bashar al-Assad, stays in power. The Syrian opposition is effectively hung out to dry. Russia gains a position of influence in the Middle East it has not held since Anwar Sadat threw the Soviets out of Egypt. This allows Moscow to supply proxies such as Syria and Iran with weapons while positioning itself as the defender of international law and peace. Iran sees that the United States is a reluctant power, with a timid and polarized legislature, that can easily be deflected from action by transparent maneuvers.

Other than this, ’twas a famous victory.”

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Assad has gotten a little bolder now.

From YahooNews  “”When we see the United States really wants stability in our region and stops threatening, striving to attack, and also ceases arms deliveries to terrorists, then we will believe that the necessary processes can be finalized,” he was quoted as saying in an interview with Russian state television.”

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I think he means these guys.

From TheDailyCaller  “Jonathan Spyer says the moderate rebels in Syria the Obama administration has  been touting are really Muslim Brotherhood-types who adhere to an Islamist  ideology.

Spyer should know. An academic who lives  in Israel and studies the Middle East, he has traveled to and through Syrian  rebel-controlled territory, reporting on what he saw for various publications.  Asked by The Daily Caller to respond to a much-cited Wall Street Journal article  by Elizabeth O’Bagy, which claimed “[m]oderate opposition forces … continue to  lead the fight against the Syrian regime,” Spyer said, “I can only speak  regarding my own experiences and my own knowledge.”

“Undoubtedly outside of Syria, and in the Syrian opposition structures, there  are civilian political activists and leaders who are opposed to al-Qaida and opposed to Islamism,” Spyer explained to TheDC in an  email interview. “There are also civilian activists and structures within the  country which are opposed to al-Qaida and Islamism. But when one looks at the  armed rebel groups, one finds an obvious vast majority there who are adherents  of Islamism of one kind or another — stretching from Muslim Brotherhood-type  formations all the way across to groups openly aligned with al-Qaida central and  with al-Zawahiri.””

And we are arming them.

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The Jersey shore is still trying to recover from the devastation of Sandy. A section of Seaside Heights’ boardwalk was just rebuilt after Sandy, but now it has been destroyed by fire. 😦

From ABCNews  “Firefighters dug a trench under a Jersey Shore boardwalk in an effort to prevent a furious, wind-whipped blaze from spreading to a section just rebuilt after being destroyed by Superstorm Sandy.

This evening, the blaze reached 10 alarms, according to ABC News New York station WABC. It had already destroyed a long stretch of boardwalk, according to officials, containing perhaps 30 businesses in Seaside Park, N.J., near the same stretch of sand where a rollercoaster landed upright in the ocean after Sandy hit the coastline in October 2012.”

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Storms are responsible for severe flooding and a few deaths in Colorado. 😦

From YahooNews  “Flash flooding in northern Colorado has left two people dead, and the widespread high waters are keeping search and rescue teams from reaching stranded residents and motorists in Boulder and nearby mountain communities as heavy rains hammered the area Thursday.

The National Weather Service warned of an “extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation” throughout the region as the flooding forced people from their homes, canceled classes and led to mudslides and rockslides in some areas.

“Move to higher ground now. Act quickly to protect your life,” the Weather Service warned in numerous bulletins that went out throughout the morning.”

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Newly released e-mails show that Lois Lerner did in fact specifically target Tea Party and conservative groups. But we already knew that. 🙄

From TheWashingtonTimes  “Newly released emails show that Lois G.  Lerner, the woman at the   center of the IRS scandal over special scrutiny of conservative groups’   applications for  tax-exempt status, specifically targeted tea party   applications and directed  they be held up in 2011 in order to come up   with an agency policy.

The email, released by a House  committee  investigating the IRS,  seems to counter Democrats’  arguments that tea  party groups weren’t  specifically targeted.”

““Tea Party Matter  very dangerous,” Ms.  Lerner said in the 2011  email, saying that those  applications could end up  being the “vehicle  to go to court” to get more  clarity on a 2010 Supreme  Court ruling on  campaign finance rules.”

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One of the Colorado Democrats recalled this week is crying voter suppression. But reality says otherwise. But to admit that would mean to admit defeat of her/Dems anti-gun agenda. No way she does that.

From HotAir  “Via the Corner. Tuesday night, expecting a close race, I couldn’t believe that she lost by 12 points. Now, after watching her for the first time, I can’t believe she lost by only 12 points.

She’s got one argument here — “voter suppression,” ripped straight from the DNC’s talking points memo, which is completely destroyed by her own now-famous admission a few weeks ago that if Bloomberg and his anti-gun group couldn’t buy her a victory in this race, “they might as well fold it up.” They did their best for her; as Erika noted earlier, gun-grabbers outspent gun-rights supporters overwhelmingly. If that kind of money can’t get gun-control fans to drive to the polls, in a state where there was a horrendous mass shooting barely more than a year ago, maybe the votes simply aren’t there.

Sean Trende considers, then largely dismisses, the idea that the lack of mail-in ballots doomed the Democrats.”

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Chuck Todd says the recalls will make Dems “gun-shy.” 😯

What? Oh c’mon, it was too easy. I had too. 🙂

Also from HotAir  “Plenty of Democrats apparently still feel inclined to believe that this week’s successful Colorado recall election was the result of a teeny, tiny but vociferously vocal minority that only managed to pull out a victory because of 1) the egregious gobs of cash funneled their way by the NRA, the Koch Brothers, and other such seedy groups, and 2) the “tactical reasons why Democrats didn’t have a chance here,” i.e. the far-fetched and baseless claims of “voter suppression” à la Debbie Wasserman Schultz. The truth of the matter, of course, tells rather a different story: In fact, a Public Policy Poll that they, ahem, declined to release showed a large margin of support for the pro-recall side; and what’s more, liberal groups outspent the pro-Second Amendment crowd by a 7-to-1 margin. The MSNBC crowd, too, seems happy to gloss over these key pieces of information, but Chuck Todd does point out that this was not, as DWS called determinedly titled it, a “hollow victory.” In a lot of areas, gun control is simply not a winning issue for Democrats, and one of the biggest takeaways here is that Democrats are likely to actively eschew any offering of “help” from the contaminating effects of the well-monied and rabidly anti-gun Bloomberg group — and if he persists in providing it, it’s the Democrats who’ll suffer.”

And that’s a good thing. 🙂

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News/Politics 9-12-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

Open Thread, here’s a few from me.

The State Dept continues to ignore the Benghazi and 9-11 anniversaries.

From TheWeeklyStandard  “At 8:46 a.m. on September 11, 2001, American Airlines Flight 11 was crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City by terrorists.  Eleven years later on September 11, 2012, events unfolded in Benghazi, Libya, that would ultimately leave a U.S. diplomatic facility gutted and four Americans dead.  As of 8:46 AM today, the U.S. State Department had not acknowledged either anniversary.

Up until yesterday, as noted by THE WEEKLY STANDARD, neither the White House or the State Department had mentioned the upcoming anniversary of the Benghazi attack.  Then Tuesday night around 8 p.m., the White House issued a statement by the press secretary noting a preparedness meeting the president held on Tuesday in anticipation of the 12th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.  The notice referenced the Benghazi attack as well:”

“The silence from the State Department, however, continues.  There is nothing on Wednesday’s public schedule of the State Department regarding any observance, memorial, or remembrance of either 9/11 or Benghazi.  There are no mentions of 9/11, Benghazi, or Ambassador Christopher Stevens any time recently on the State Department website, the Facebook page, or the Twitter account.”

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This one is interesting. But I have no idea on the credibility of what these former hostages say. The part about overhearing an English language Skype conversation doesn’t sound right. Why would Syrian rebels be communicating in English? Anyway, it wouldn’t surprise me either way.

From TheBlaze  “Belgian teacher Pierre Piccinin and Italian journalist Domenico Quiric both say they were able to eavesdrop on an English-language Skype session between their abductors in which they allegedly revealed that it was the Syrian rebels who perpetrated the attack so that the West would intervene.”

“In this conversation, they said that the gas attack on two neighborhoods of Damascus was launched by the rebels as a provocation to lead the West to intervene militarily,” Quirico told the Italian daily newspaper La Stampa. “We were unaware of everything that was going on during our detention in Syria, and therefore also with the gas attack in Damascus.”

“Quirico, a journalist, correctly acknowledged that there is no proof that the conversation he overheard was based on irrefutable facts. He was sure to point out that he “cannot say for sure that it is true because I have no means of confirming the truth of what was said.” However, he also revealed that one of the three people he overheard in the alleged conversation identified himself as a Free Syrian Army general, according to the La Stampa report.

Italy’s Quotidiano Nazionale reports Quirico as saying: “I am extremely surprised that the United States could think about intervening, knowing very well how the Syrian revolution has become international jihadism – in other words Al-Qaeda.”

Surprised? You’re not the only one. It makes no sense.

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We discussed this lady and her influence with Kerry, the Obama admin, and McCain a few days ago. Looks like they’ve been taking advice from a fraud.

From BuzzFeed  “A young researcher whose opinions on Syria were cited by both Senator McCain and Secretary of State John Kerry in congressional testimony last week has been fired from the Institute for the Study of War for allegedly faking her academic credentials.

The institute issued a statement on its website concerning the researcher, Elizabeth O’Bagy:

The Institute for the Study of War has learned and confirmed that, contrary to her representations, Ms. Elizabeth O’Bagy does not in fact have a Ph.D. degree from Georgetown University. ISW has accordingly terminated Ms. O’Bagy’s employment, effective immediately.

O’Bagy and her op-ed drew scrutiny last week when the Wall Street Journal failed to disclose O’Bagy’s ties to an advocacy group backing the Syrian opposition and lobbying the U.S. government to intervene in Syria. The Journal was forced to post a clarification that “in addition to her role at the Institute for the Study of War, Ms. O’Bagy is affiliated with the Syrian Emergency Task Force, a nonprofit operating as a 501(c)(3) pending IRS approval that subcontracts with the U.S. and British governments to provide aid to the Syrian opposition.”

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Maybe listening to Syrian rebel advocates like her are why they’re under the mistaken impression that the rebels are mostly moderate. But they’re not.

From NBCNews  “Syrian opposition activists tell NBC News that Bashar Assad is getting away with having used chemical weapons to massacre hundreds of civilians, and that giving the regime a pass will only benefit al-Qaeda extremists.

“If there is no action, everyone will be desperate. We are already desperate. We are dying. Many will join al-Qaeda. Even the educated will join them, because no one else is helping,” a Syrian rebel said.

There is a battle underway within the Syrian revolt — a war within the war — between the generally moderate, US-backed Free Syrian Army and Islamic extremist groups.  

The Free Syrian Army put its faith in Washington, which promised action, but so far hasn’t delivered. The moderates say they have lost hope and face. Islamists, on the other hand, always doubted Washington would act, and instead of attending meetings, they are putting bullets in their guns; and they are sending men.”

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The dueling rallies in Washington happened yesterday. One side clearly had more supporters. 🙂

From TheWashingtonTimes  “Thousands of bikers from around the country roared into the D.C. area on  Wednesday in a show of support for Sept. 11 victims and in solidarity against a  controversial Muslim rally on the Mall.

The 2 Million Bikers to DC ride might have fallen short of 2 million strong,  but the numbers were impressive. A line of shining chrome and steel bikes  stretched about a third of a mile from the starting point at the Harley  Davidson of Washington store just  outside the District in Prince George’s County.”

A couple dozen attended the Million Muslim March.

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Two Colorado officials have been recalled for their role in the states new, more restrictive, gun laws.

From WeaselZippers  “AWESOME: Colorado Voters Recall Dem State Senator Who Led Gun Control Push – Update: Second Democrat Loses Recall Election For Backing Anti-Gun Legislation…

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PPP, or Public Policy Polling has always been a left leaning group. Now they’re being accused of not releasing poll data that didn’t jive with their liberal assumptions about the Colorado recall elections. It showed Democrats losing, and that couldn’t be right. 🙄

From TheWashingtonExaminer  “A spokesman for Public Policy Polling admitted Wednesday to withholding a poll showing Colorado voters were going to recall State Sen. Angela Giron by a 12-point margin.

The reason, according to PPP pollster Tom Jensen, was that “in a district that Barack Obama won by almost 20 points, I figured there was no way that could be right and made a rare decision not to release the poll.”

When the votes were counted in race, the poll turned out to be on target, as Giron lost by 12 points. “We should have had more faith in our numbers,” Jensen said.”

Why? No one else does. 😯

sheldon

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Next up, I say good, serves you right for being a horse’s posterior. But at the same time I’m troubled by the possible violating of his right to free expression, offensive as that expression is.

From TheLATimes  “Florida officials have arrested radical anti-Islam preacher Terry Jones as he was on his way to a Sept. 11 event where he planned to burn 2,998 Korans, according to local news reports Wednesday.

Jones is best known for stoking Muslim anger by publicly desecrating the religion’s holy book, sometimes with international consequences.

This time law enforcement officials intervened before Jones could carry out his plans for a ceremonial Sept. 11 burning.”

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And lastly, this little gem. It’s stuff like this that gives capitalists a bad name.

From TheWashingtonExaminer  “On Tuesday, the chief human resources officers of more than 100 large corporations sent a letter to House Speaker John Boehner and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi urging quick passage of a comprehensive immigration reform bill.

The officials represent companies with a vast array of business interests: General Electric, The Walt Disney Company, Marriott International, Hilton Worldwide, Hyatt Hotels Corporation, McDonald’s Corporation, The Wendy’s Company, Coca-Cola, The Cheesecake Factory, Johnson & Johnson, Verizon Communications, Hewlett-Packard, General Mills, and many more. All want to see increases in immigration levels for low-skill as well as high-skill workers, in addition to a path to citizenship for the millions of immigrants currently in the U.S. illegally.”

“Of course, the U.S. unemployment rate is at 7.3 percent, with millions of American workers at all skill levels out of work, and millions more so discouraged that they have left the work force altogether. In addition, at the same time the corporate officers seek higher numbers of immigrants, both low-skill and high-skill, many of their companies are laying off thousands of workers.

For example, Hewlett-Packard, whose Executive Vice President for Human Resources Tracy Keogh signed the letter, laid off 29,000 employees in 2012. In August of this year, Cisco Systems, whose Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer Kathleen Weslock signed the letter, announced plans to lay off 4,000 — in addition to 8,000 cut in the last two years. United Technologies, whose Senior Vice President of Human Resources and Organization Elizabeth B. Amato signed the letter, announced layoffs of 3,000 this year. American Express, whose Chief Human Resources Officer L. Kevin Cox signed the letter, cut 5,400 jobs this year. Procter & Gamble, whose Chief Human Resources Officer Mark F. Biegger signed the letter, announced plans to cut 5,700 jobs in 2012.”

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OK, yeah, that was more than a few. 🙂

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News/Politics 9-11-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

Open Thread, as always.

First up, the Syria debacle. The President made his pitch to the country last night. I doubt many will be swayed by his speech. The official storyline changes daily. A little consistency might help his cause.

From WeaselZippers  “Yesterday: Obama Says Assad Not A “Credible” Threat To America – Today: Assad Is A Threat To Our National Security…“

“Assad has capability “relative to children,” the president told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, but “he doesn’t have a credible means to threaten the United States.”

“The question now is what the United States of America and the international community is prepared to do about it, because what happened to those people — to those children — is not only a violation of international law, it’s also a danger to our security. Let me explain why.”

“Our ideals and principles, as well as our national security, are at stake in Syria, along with our leadership of a world where we seek to ensure that the worst weapons will never be used.”

Zip asks the appropriate question “Which is it?”

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The spin machine is working overtime.

From BuzzFeed  “The Obama administration’s explanation of how a Russian proposal to get rid of Syrian chemical weapons came to be has morphed rapidly in the past 24 hours from being portrayed as an unexpected slip-up to — in its new incarnation — a plan that U.S. officials were involved in as early as last week.

“I had some conversations about this with my counterpart from Russia last week,” Secretary of State John Kerry said during a House Armed Services Committee hearing on Tuesday, referring to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. “President Putin raised the issue with President Obama at St. Petersburg. President Obama directed us to try to continue to talk and see if it is possible. So it is not something that — you know, suddenly emerged, though it did publicly. But it cannot be allowed to be a delay.”

Later, under questioning by Rep. Hank Johnson, Kerry said he had not made a mistake when he suggested the proposal in a press conference in London on Monday.”

“The administration has quickly changed its line on an idea that it scrambled to play down yesterday in the White House and State Department briefings even as the Russians immediately followed up by making the proposal to the Syrians, who “welcomed” it.”

Again, which is it?

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Rebels are demanding strikes.

From YahooNews  “The chaos in Syria will only get worse and destabilize the entire region if the global community fails to act, key figures of the war-torn country’s opposition said Tuesday.

Only Washington can deter Bashar al-Assad’s use of chemical weapons and so the US Congress should give the White House the go-ahead to target the strongman, they added.

Ahmad al-Jarba, president of the National Coalition of Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces, and Salim Idriss, chief of the rebel Free Syrian Army, wrote an opinion piece in the Washington Post.”

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In other news……..

The cover-up continues.

From WeaselZippers  “Report: Kerry Refuses To Allow Congress To Question Benghazi Survivors, Republicans Threaten To Issue Subpoenas…“

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This has to sting the “Smart Diplomacy” crowd’s egos.

From Reason.com  “Poll: 64 Percent of Americans Say President Obama’s Handling of Foreign Policy Is Worse or the Same as President George W. Bush’s

74 percent of Americans say strikes on Syria would be “unwise” and half of Americans believe the D.C.  establishment wants war more than the public

As the country debates launching airstrikes on Syria, President Barack Obama’s standing on foreign policy has taken such a hit that the latest Reason-Rupe poll finds 64 percent of Americans, including 68 percent of independents and 41 percent of Democrats, believe President Obama’s handling of foreign policy is worse than, or the same as, former President George W. Bush’s handling of foreign policy.”

Ouch.

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Looks like an October House vote on the Immigration/Amnesty bill.

From MSNBC  “Republican Congressman Bob Goodlatte, chair of the House Judiciary Committee overseeing immigration, said he expected Congress to pursue reform legislation despite a tight schedule featuring debates over Syria, health care, and the debt limit.

Those and other issues “should not deter us from getting to [immigration] as soon as possible,” Goodlatte said in an appearance on WAMU’s Kojo Nnamdi Show on Tuesday.

Goodlatte said he expected votes soon, perhaps in October, on a series of smaller House bills on border security, internal enforcement,  guest workers, and high-tech visas.”

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Unions that supported ObamaCare are asking for a “fix” for them, which would cost taxpayers 187 billion over a decade. Funny how all the supporters of this bad law want to be excluded from its effects. Congress, govt workers, and now Unions.

From TheWashingtonExaminer  “Big Labor officials are negotiating with Obama administration officials on a “fix” to spare multi-employer pension plans, which are provided by many unions to their members, from the higher costs they would face under the president’s health care law.

A forthcoming report estimates the cost to taxpayers for that fix at $187 billion over 10 years.

Multi-employer plans — also known as “Taft-Hartley” plans — are ineligible for federal subsidies under Obamacare. This has many unions worried, since it will raise the cost of the plans, pushing employers to either limit coverage or pull out altogether. Some are already moving in that direction.”

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Some union members are finally figuring out that national union leadership is not working in their best interest. They’re more interested in helping Democrats push progressive causes. Including some that work against union members. ObamaCare is a perfect example. Immigration/Amnesty is another.

From TheWashingtonTimes  “The AFL-CIO needs to stick with representing workers and stop trying  to take on social  causes for the far left, said the union head for the  International  Association of Fire Fighters.

Harold Schaitberger, who presides  over the IAFF,  said there is “great  value” in aligning with political groups — but only as a  secondary  mission, he told The Hill. And the AFL-CIO’s  recent push to bring in environmental groups and  progressive-minded organizations to the union cause is leading the IAFF to express  concerns about politics becoming the priority, over the  representation  of members.

“To say that we are going to grow this labor movement by some kind of  formal  partnership, membership, status,  place in this federation, I am  against. This is the American  Federation of Labor. We are supposed to be  representing workers and  workers’ interests,” Mr. Schaitberger said in  The Hill. “We are not going to be the American  Federation of  Progressive and Liberal Organizations.”

He’s not alone in that view. Union members from the construction  sector have been especially vocal against bringing environmental  groups  into the AFL-CIO family, viewing them as the enemy in the Keystone XL  pipeline fight.”

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Meanwhile ObamaCare continues to be a job and hours killer.

From TheWeeklyStandard  “A Grand Rapids, Michigan report on a company that had to lay off over 1,000 people due to the Obamacare medical device tax:

“There are also new taxes affecting West Michigan industry, in particular, that took effect this year,” says a local reporter. “There’s a new 2.3 percent excise tax on medical device manufacturers. According to some reports, Kalamazoo based Stryker has laid off more than a thousand people because of it–and owes the federal government upwards of $100 million dollars this year alone. Late last week a Stryker spokesperson told me that Obamacare will cost the company fully 20 percent of its total research and development investments.”

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And it appears that the first reports on the altercation between George Zimmerman, his estranged wife, and his father-in-law may have been seriously exaggerated. Police are calling into question many of his estranged wife’s statements.

From ABC/ActionNews  “Lake Mary Police are now questioning the validity of several statements Shellie  Zimmerman made when she told 911 dispatchers her estranged husband, George  Zimmerman, threatened her and her father at gunpoint Monday afternoon.

“We did not find a gun, did not locate a weapon,” said Zach Hudson, public  information officer with the Lake Mary Police Department.  “Nobody ever saw  a gun. A gun is not part of this story.”

“”He continually has his hand on his gun and he keeps saying, ‘Step  closer.’  He is just threatening all of us,”  Shellie can be heard  telling dispatchers.”

“Hudson told ABC Action News Shellie provided a written statement Monday night  saying she never saw a gun and only assumed her estranged husband was carrying a  weapon because he touched his stomach.”

As I’m sure you’re all aware, this isn’t the first time she’s been accused of being untruthful with authorities. In fact she was already convicted for it. What a mess.

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News/Politics 9-10-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

Harry Reid is delaying what would have been a 9-11 vote on Syria. They’ve lost the battle, and are starting to realize it.

From TheHill  “Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Monday delayed a vote on using  military force against Syria.

Faced with stiffening opposition from Republicans and skepticism from many  Democrats, Reid said he would not rush the vote to begin considering the  controversial use-of-force resolution.

He insisted he was not delaying action because of a lack of votes.”

Sure Harry. And Obama never said anything about a red line right? 🙄

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Next, Assad’s forces have launched an attempt to liberate the Christian villages being attacked and terrorized by Islamic rebels.

From JPost/Reuters  “Syrian government forces launched an offensive to wrest back control of an historic Christian town north of Damascus on Monday, activists said.

In the past six days, the town of Maaloula has already changed hands three times between President Bashar Assad’s forces and rebel groups, some of which are linked to al-Qaida.”

More here from WaPo 

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More bad news for ObamaCare.

From RedAlertPolitics  “While much of the public relations campaign for President Obama’s Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has centered around convincing Millennials to buy into the law’s healthcare exchanges, just 11 percent of them now plan to do so according to a new poll by The Morning Consult.

The August National Healthcare Tracking Poll, which was released Wednesday, found that only 11 percent of  registered voters were “almost certain to purchase” insurance through the healthcare exchanges, while just 24 percent were “likely certain” to do so. Half of those who responded said they were “about 50-50″ when it came to buying into the healthcare exchanges, while 27 percent were unlikely to do so.

Overall, only 8 percent of registered voters were almost certain to buy into the exchanges and 14 percent were likely certain to do so.”

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More dirty dealings in Chicago and Illinois. And once again, it involves associates of the President.

From TheChicagoSunTimes  “The U.S. attorney’s office in Springfield has been busy the past few years investigating a variety of fraud schemes involving state grants. Thirteen people have been charged so far, six who have pleaded guilty.

Two of them have ties to President Barack Obama. One is the daughter of his controversial former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Another was chief of staff to Obama’s longtime friend Eric E. Whitaker when Whitaker was Illinois’ public health chief.

In all, prosecutors are alleging a total of $16 million in fraud involving state health or commerce department grants and contracts.”

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It would probably be a good idea to avoid DC on this day. A million muslim march, and a biker counter protest. What could possibly go wrong? 😯

Needless to say the city tried to discourage the bikers by denying their permit. They’re havin’ none of it.

From BizPacReview  “The countdown to Sept. 11 commemoration demonstrations by patriotic bikers versus a fringe Muslim “truther” group is taking shape, and despite some confusion about the technicalities, the court of popular opinion isn’t even close:

Let the good guys roll.

Denied a permit by the nation’s capital for a special “non-stop” ride through town with a waiver for red lights, stop signs and other traffic controls, organizers of the “2 Million Bikers to DC” ride to remember 9/11 are undeterred.

Just riding on a public street doesn’t take any special permission after all, even if you have a million people doing it. They just sought the permit to make life easier on the city’s residents and businesses.”

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And George Zimmerman has new legal problems.

From TheDailyMail  “George Zimmerman was today questioned by police  after allegedly threatening his estranged wife with a handgun in an altercation  sparked by claims he has been having an affair, MailOnline can reveal.”

“Police were called to the Lake Mary, Florida  residence owned by Shellie Zimmerman’s parents, David and Machelle Dean, after  she made a panicked 911 call at around 2.15pm Monday.”

“‘He’s in his car and he continually  has his  hand on his gun. He keeps staying “Step closer”. He’s just  threatening all of  us with his firearm. He’s going to shoot us.”

UPDATE!

Police are now saying there was no gun involved.

From NBCNews  “Police now say they didn’t confiscate Zimmerman’s gun

Lake Mary PIO Zach Hudson backtracks during a press conference on initial police reports that George Zimmerman had a gun during altercation with wife.”

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News/Politics 9-9-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

Open thread, here’s 4 from me.

First, Syria.

From TheGuardian  “President Bashar al-Assad did not personally order last month’s chemical weapons attack near Damascus that has triggered calls for US military intervention, and blocked numerous requests from his military commanders to use chemical weapons against regime opponents in recent months, a German newspaper has reported , citing unidentified, high-level national security sources.

The intelligence findings were based on phone calls intercepted by a German surveillance ship operated by the BND, the German intelligence service, and deployed off the Syrian coast, Bild am Sonntag said. The intercepted communications suggested Assad, who is accused of war crimes by the west, including foreign secretary William Hague, was not himself involved in last month’s attack or in other instances when government forces have allegedly used chemical weapons.”

“But the intercepts tended to add weight to the claims of the Obama administration and Britain and France that elements of the Assad regime, and not renegade rebel groups, were responsible for the attack in the suburb of Ghouta, Bild said.”

President Obama plans to do what he does best today. Campaign. He has 6 network interviews planned for today, and a speech to the public tomorrow. At least he’s not giving free stuff away on the taxpayer dime to gain votes this time. That doesn’t work with Congress. They already have all the free/taxpayer-funded stuff they need.

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Next, Benghazi.

From NationalReview  “Gregory Hicks, the former deputy chief of mission in Libya who testified before Congress about the 9/11 attacks on an American diplomatic facility earlier this year, believes he has been “punished” for speaking out about the Obama administration’s response the night of the attack. He said he believes at least two of the Americans lost that night could have been saved if the United States had responded in time.”

“While Hicks still remains on staff at the State Department, he has not been reassigned to a post since being called back from Libya. In a statement to This Week, the State Department said Hicks was not removed from Libya as a result of the statements he has made about the Benghazi attacks and it is working on reassigning him.”

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Back to the US, and the anti-war left.

From TheHollywoodReporter  “Ed Asner Explains Hollywood Silence on Obama, Syria: They ‘Don’t Want to Feel Anti-Black'”

“In 2003, ahead of a U.S. attack on Iraq, a robust anti-war movement in Hollywood included a TV commercial starring Martin Sheen and Sean Penn visiting Baghdad. There were online petitions signed by Ed Asner; letters to President George W. Bush pleading for peace were signed by Matt Damon, Tim Robbins, Barbra Streisand and Alec Baldwin; former M*A*S*H star Mike Farrell fronted multiple press conferences where celebrities denounced war. In interviews, Janeane Garofalo stopped identifying herself as an actor — she preferred to be called a member of the U.S. anti-war movement.”

“The good news for President Barack Obama as he considers a military response against Syria for using chemical weapons against rebels is that he probably won’t have to deal with a similar anti-war movement from Hollywood. But that’s not because there isn’t opposition. It’s just not organized, and, as Asner and Farrell – two of the industry’s most vocal progressive activists — told The Hollywood Reporter Friday, perhaps it never will be.”

And then they go on to try to justify their hypocrisy. Even though it might be a war crime, there’s just not time to mobilize their opposition. 🙄

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And last, an interesting read. I can’t say I disagree with much of what she says.

From McClatchy  “Two-thirds of Americans cannot name a single Supreme Court justice, former Justice Sandra Day O’Connor told the crowd that packed into a Boise State ballroom to hear her Thursday.           

About one-third can name the three branches of government. Fewer than one-fifth of high school seniors can explain how citizen participation benefits democracy.”

““The more I read and the more I listen, the more apparent it is that our society suffers from an alarming degree of public ignorance,” O’Connor said.

That ignorance starts in the earliest years of a child’s schooling, she said, but often continues all the way through college and graduate school.”

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News/Politics 9-7-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

We’ll start out today with a good news story.

From WCHSTV  “A just-released 911 call reveals the dramatic moment when two Dallas-area teens were able to help save a woman who had allegedly been kidnapped after they saw her mouth the words “help me” from the back of a moving vehicle.

ABC News reported that Charles Atkins Lewis, 37, was arrested Aug. 22 after allegedly kidnapping the woman, 25, who has not been identified, at gunpoint and forcing her into his car in downtown Dallas. The two teenagers noticed the woman from their car as Lewis allegedly drove her through Kaufman County, according to the recording.”

“Police arrested Lewis and he has been charged him with aggravated kidnapping. He remains in jail on $50,000 bond and it’s unclear whether he has a lawyer.”

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Then some bad news outta Texas too. The next 2 are related stories.

From TheBlaze  “San Antonio’s leaders on Thursday approved anti-bias protections for gay and transgender residents, over the disapproval of top Texas Republicans and religious conservatives who packed a City Council hearing and occasionally shamed supporters for comparing the issue to the civil rights movement.

The 8-3 City Council vote in favor of the ordinance was a victory for gay rights advocates and for Democratic Mayor Julian Castro, a top surrogate of President Barack Obama. Castro has called the ordinance overdue in the nation’s seventh-largest city, where there is a stronger current of traditionalism and conservatism than other major Texas cities that already have similar gay rights protections.”

““The problem I have is that you criminalize us if we speak our faith,” said Marc Longoria, 42, a pastor at My Father’s House Church. “We are Christians all the time. We don’t have an on and off switch.””

Here’s the original story again that I linked to a couple of weeks back.

From OneNewsNow 

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Some Democrat Senators are proposing an alternative plan for Syria. Or it’s just a “Peace in our Time” type moment.

From TheHill  “Two Senate Democrats are circulating an alternative resolution on military  intervention in Syria that would give President Bashar Assad’s regime a 45-day  window to avoid a strike if it signs a chemical weapons ban.”

“In addition to the ultimatum presented to Assad, the resolution would also  require the president to present a “long term strategy” on Syria to prevent the  use of chemical weapons.”

““The failure by the government of Bashar al-Assad to sign and comply with the  [Chemical Weapons] Convention clearly demonstrates a disregard of international  norms on the use of chemical weapons. If the Government of Syria does not sign  the Convention within 45 after the date of the enactment of this resolution, all  elements of national power will be considered by the United States government,”  read a draft obtained by The Washington Post.”

And it looks like maybe the President just found his out. Let’s hope he takes it.

From TheDailyCaller  “President Barack Obama hinted Friday that he might not strike Syria if Congress rejects his authorization request.

“I’m not itching for military action… and if there are good ideas that are worth pursuing, then I’m going to be open to them,” he told one reporter who asked if he was seeking alternatives to a missile strike.”

“Some in Congress have suggested giving the Syrian regime 45 days to sign the  Chemical Weapons Convention, get rid of its chemical stockpiles, do something  that would enhance the international sense of accountability for Syria, but  delay military action,” the reporter asked.

“I am listening to all these ideas, and some of them are constructive,” he said.”

Face, saved.

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Attention is being drawn to just who it is the Obama admin is taking advice on Syria from. That undue influence from radical Muslim groups thing the admin is known for. Again.

From HuffPo  “A Wall Street Journal op-ed cited this week by both Secretary of State John Kerry and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) has drawn scrutiny for not disclosing writer Elizabeth O’Bagy’s ties to a Syrian rebel advocacy group.

On Thursday, The Daily Caller examined O’Bagy’s role as political director for the Syria Emergency Task Force, a group that has lobbied the White House and Congress to support the rebels. O’Bagy told The Daily Caller that she is not a salaried employee, but serves as a paid contractor.

Journalist Laura Rozen questioned Friday why the Journal op-ed — which was published a week ago online and in Saturday’s print edition — did not identify O’Bagy’s affiliation with the group.”

It also explains why McCain is so far out there on the matter, and is adamant about aiding the rebels.

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Others in the Democrat ranks are happy for the distraction Syria is providing.

From TheWashingtonExaminer  “White House plans for a health care messaging blitz ahead of Obamacare’s rollout have been overshadowed by the president’s call to strike Syria, distracting the administration from its plan to focus attention on a litany of domestic issues.

Obamacare was supposed to get its time in the limelight over these next few weeks, ahead of October’s open enrollment launch for the healthcare law’s insurance exchanges.”

“Some Democrats, however, downplayed the lack of attention on the health law.

“Politically speaking, it’s not the worst thing,” a veteran Democratic strategist, given anonymity to speak candidly about Obamacare, said. “Recently, the focus on health care has done more harm than good. I’m highly skeptical that a new PR blitz, even from the likes of President Clinton, will do much.”

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We have a new record number of Americans no longer in the work force, so the unemployment rate is down again.

From CNSNews  “The number of Americans who are 16 years or older and who have decided not to participate in the nation’s labor force has pushed past 90,000,000 for the first time, according to data released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The BLS counts a person as participating in the labor force if they are 16 years or older and either have a job or have actively sought a job in the last four weeks. A person is not participating in the labor force if they are 16 or older and have not sought a job in the last four weeks.

In July, according to BLS, 89,957,000 Americans did not participate in the labor force. In August, that climbed to 90,473,000–a one month increase of 516,000.”

The number was 80 million when Obama took office. 10 million more now, and that’s how you drop the UC rate. But is it a recovery? No.

From MSNMoney  “Payrolls in the U.S. climbed less than projected in August after smaller gains the prior two months, indicating companies are being deliberate in their hiring as they wait for a pickup in demand. The unemployment rate unexpectedly fell as more people left the labor force.

 The gain of 169,000 workers last month followed a revised 104,000 rise in July that was smaller than initially estimated, Labor Department figures showed today in Washington. The median forecast of 96 economists surveyed by Bloomberg called for an August increase of 180,000. Unemployment dropped to 7.3 percent, the lowest since December 2008.

 The weaker data come as Federal Reserve officials, who meet Sept. 17-18, are debating whether the expansion and job market have improved enough to warrant trimming monthly bond purchases. While some companies are awaiting a pickup in sales before adding to staff, Ford Motor Co. (F) is among those putting more workers on assembly lines as the auto industry surges.”

And the actual job gains are always lowered on revision, and this will be too.

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