News/Politics

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News/Politics 8-13-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

First up today, a Benghazi update. Looks like gun running is the reason for the attacks after all, and what they’ve been trying to hide all along. Breitbart and DC’s WMAL provide the details.

Via WeaselZippers  “Atty For Benghazi Whistleblower: 400 U.S. Surface-To-Air Missiles Were Stolen In Benghazi”

“Is this part of the threat that closed the embassies, the fear that our own weapons would be used against us? Joe Di Genova, who was a federal prosecutor, also notes that the President mentioned the sealed indictment to make it appear as though he was doing something, but violated a court order to reveal the sealed indictment.”

“On August 12, Joe DiGenova, attorney for one of the Benghazi whistleblowers, told Washington D.C.’s WMAL that one of the reasons people have remained tight-lipped about Benghazi is because 400 U.S. missiles were “diverted to Libya” and ended up being stolen and falling into “the hands of some very ugly people.”

The interview with the attorney is interesting to say the least.

Now what role do you suppose these weapons played in the recent warnings?

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The N.C. Gov. has signed an extensive new Voter ID law.

From TheWaPo  “North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory (R) on Monday signed into law one of the nation’s most wide-ranging Voter ID laws.

The move is likely to touch off a major court battle over voting rights, and the Justice Department is weighing a challenge to the new law, which is the first to pass since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down part of the Voting Rights Act. “

“The measure requires voters to present government-issued photo identification at the polls and shortens the early voting period from 17 to 10 days. It will also end pre-registration for 16- and 17-year-old voters who will be 18 on Election Day and eliminates same-day voter registration.

Democrats and minority groups have been fighting against the changes, arguing that they represent an effort to suppress the minority vote and the youth vote, along with reducing Democrats’ advantage in early voting. They point out that there is little documented evidence of voter fraud.”

Wow. The Race Card. Didn’t see that comin’……  🙄

As Politico points out, a war is coming now that the old act has finally fallen.

From Politico  “State lawmakers from around the country crowded into a packed room Monday at  the meeting of the National Conference of State Legislatures to learn more about  the impact of the Supreme Court’s recent decision striking down the Voting  Rights Act as activists gear up for a new battle over the ballot box.

The panelists that led at the NCSCL gathering in Atlanta said there’s so much  interest in possible voting changes that more chairs had to be brought in for  the larger-than-expected crowd that topped 100.”

“The high court’s ruling in June means that parts or all of 15 states can now  pass laws and make changes to elections without needing pre-approval from the  Justice Department – and a handful of them began to act immediately. The Justice  Department has moved to stop Texas from going forward and put it back under  preclearance, and a similar lawsuit has been filed by a separate group against a  small town in southern Alabama.

In the meantime, changes to voting procedures could be small and localized –  which may make them even more dangerous, according to activists.”

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This next one is great if you’re an illegal immigrant. But you still can’t visit the White House. As you can see, they have other funding priorities.

From FoxNews  “A sudden influx of illegal immigrants from Mexico requesting asylum is  overwhelming immigration agents in San Diego, forcing agencies to rent hotel  rooms for some undocumented families and release others to cities around the  U.S.

Documents obtained exclusively by Fox News show Immigration and Customs  Enforcement has been paying for hotel rooms for dozens of recently arrived  families to relieve overcrowding inside the San Ysidro and Otay Mesa, Calif.,  processing centers. Some ICE employees are working overtime and others have been  asked to volunteer to work weekend shifts. “Duties include intake, placements,  transports and release of family groups and unaccompanied minors,” according to  a memo obtained by Fox News. 

The surge has raised suspicions about what is driving the influx, amid  claims that illegal immigrants have learned they can attempt to get asylum by  using a few key words — namely, by claiming they have a “credible fear” of drug  cartels. 

“This clearly has to have been orchestrated by somebody,” said former U.S.  Attorney for Southern California Peter Nunez. “It’s beyond belief that dozens or  hundreds or thousands of people would simultaneously decide that they should go  to the U.S. and make this claim.””

Cough (Liberals) Cough (Dems and RINO’s) Cough (Obama) Cough……

Take your pick. Lot’s of suspects to choose from. Pretty much anyone in our govt is a potential suspect. 🙄

But all sarcasm aside, this will cause legitimate requests to be questioned as well. That’s not right. Unintended consequences are never considered.

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Here’s some more of your tax dollars at work.

From Reason  “Labor activists using tactics adopted from the Occupy Wall Street movement are crashing restaurants across the nation in an effort to raise wages for workers – and they’re getting taxpayer money to fund the effort.

Using a combination of federal grants and grants from left-leaning organizations, the Restaurant Opportunity Center, or ROC, is technically a charitable nonprofit and not a union. But their pro-worker messages, anti-employer protests and self-proclaimed goal of organizing service sector employees for the purposes of negotiating higher wages make ROC look and sound much like a labor union.

Some see their tactics as a deliberate attempt to skirt the nation’s labor laws. Only unions elected by a majority of a workplace can negotiate with employers on workers’ behalf, though ROC seems to be doing so in the absence of any election.”

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Here’s an update on the Paula Dean lawsuit.

From MSN  “A federal judge Monday threw out race discrimination  claims by a former Savannah restaurant manager whose lawsuit against Paula Deen has already cost the celebrity cook a  valuable chunk of her culinary empire.

Lisa Jackson sued Deen and her brother, Bubba Hiers, last year saying she  suffered from sexual harassment and racially offensive talk and employment  practices that were unfair to black workers during her five years as a manager  of Uncle Bubba’s Seafood and Oyster House. Deen is co-owner of the restaurant,  which is primarily run by her brother.”

“But claims of race discrimination by Jackson, who is white, were gutted in  the 20-page opinion by U.S. District Court Judge William T. Moore Jr. The judge  agreed with lawyers for Deen and Hiers that Jackson has no standing to sue her  former employers for what she claims was poor treatment of black workers,  regardless of her claims that she was offended and placed under additional  stress.

Jackson, at best, “is an accidental victim of the alleged racial  discrimination,” Moore said in his ruling. “There are no allegations that  defendant Hiers’s racially offensive comments were either directed toward  plaintiff or made with the intent to harass her.”

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And the rodeo clown with the Obama mask has been banned from the MO. State Fair.

From Yahoo  “The Missouri State Fair on Monday imposed a lifetime ban on a rodeo clown whose depiction of President Barack Obama getting charged by a bull was widely criticized by Democratic and Republican officials alike.

The rodeo clown won’t be allowed to participate or perform at the fair again. Fair officials say they’re also reviewing whether to take any action against the Missouri Rodeo Cowboy Association, the contractor responsible for Saturday’s event.”

“The fair said in a written statement announcing the clown’s ban that he had engaged in an “unconscionable stunt” that was “inappropriate and not in keeping with the Fair’s standards.” The fair’s press release did not identify the clown.”

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News/Politics 8-12-12

What’s interesting in the news today?

First up, a weird story. I see the judge’s point, but I don’t see how this survives appeal.

From TheTennessean  “A Newport mother is appealing a court’s decision after a judge ordered her son’s name be changed from “Messiah.”

Jaleesa Martin and the father of Messiah could not agree on a last name, which is how they ended up at a child support hearing in Cocke County Chancery Court on Thursday.”

“”The word Messiah is a title and it’s a title that has only been earned by one person and that one person is Jesus Christ,” Judge Ballew said.

Martin responded saying, “I was shocked. I never intended on naming my son Messiah because it means God and I didn’t think a judge could make me change my baby’s name because of her religious beliefs.””

I don’t see how she can either.

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And speaking of things that might not be legal….. 

The Constitutional Scholar strikes again. Shouldn’t he know better?

From ABCNews  “President Obama surprised aides when he revealed today the existence of a sealed indictment in the Benghazi, Libya, attack, leaving some wondering if he crossed a legal line.”

“That marked the only official confirmation so far of a sealed indictment in the Benghazi case. For days, officials across the law enforcement and intelligence communities have refused to publicly confirm reports of a sealed indictment.

After all, according to federal law, “no person may disclose [a sealed] indictment’s existence,” and a “knowing violation … may be punished as a contempt of court.” Contempt of court carries a maximum sentence of six months in jail.”

I guess he’s willing to break the law to toot his own horn. How classy. 🙄

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Another Dem using govt authority to intimidate political opponents and groups supporting Stand Your Ground laws.

From TheDailyCaller  “Illinois Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin is facing a firestorm of criticism after  sending letters to hundreds of organizations trying to find out the depth of  their relationship with the American Legislative Exchange Council.

The senator’s interest in ALEC is based on the stand your ground legislation  that has become a focal point for liberal activists and lawmakers after the  George Zimmerman trial in Florida. But his hometown newspaper, The Chicago  Tribune, editorialized that the inquiries looked like  “Durbin’s enemies list.”

“Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz released a statement today blasting Durbin’s  inquiry:

“Senator Durbin’s request for ALEC supporters to announce an official  position on gun laws in advance of a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee hearing is  inappropriate, and I encourage recipients not to respond,” Cruz said. “While  Senator Durbin is free to make any inquiry he likes, in my view this effort  represents an inappropriate governmental intrusion into the personal and  political views of American citizens and businesses.””

Just like the IRS and FEC.

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Next up, with this kind of administration, it’s no wonder they’re bankrupt.

From Bloomberg  “In late February, cash-strapped Detroit received a $1 million check from the local school system that wasn’t deposited. The routine payment wound up in a city hall desk drawer, where it was found a month later.”

“This is the way Detroit did business as it slid toward bankruptcy, which it entered July 18. The move exposed $18 billion of long-term obligations in a city plagued by unreliable buses, broken street lights and long waits for police and ambulances. Underlying poor service is a government that lacks modern technology and can’t perform such basic functions as bill collecting, according to Kevyn Orr, Detroit’s emergency manager.”

Read the link, Detroit’s woes are legion. Gross mismanagement at all levels, and every office it seems.

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Once again, the Obama admin embarrasses the military with more of it’s social experimentation. I think they do this not only to further their push to make all things gay seem normal, but also just to humiliate the military. It’s pathetic.

From FoxNews  “The U.S. Air Force said that a well-known drag queen group was invited to perform on base during a “Diversity Day” celebration because drag is a “symbol of gay pride and unity. But the performance sparked outrage among some airmen who called the drag show “totally offensive and inappropriate.””

“The Air Force said in a statement to Fox News that “Diversity Day” featured eight cultural groups and was meant to “foster equality and diversity in the workplace.”

““Drag acts to this day represent the struggle for freedom and equality of the LGBT community, while at the same time providing a deep-rooted historical form of entertainment for the LGBT culture,” said Peggy Hodge, a spokesperson for the Office of Public Affairs.”

But it has what to do with the military or furthering it’s mission? It’s disgusting, as are the so-called military leaders who play along with this idiocy.

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by

News/Politics 8-10-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

It appears House Republicans are prepared to put forth an ObamaCare alternative. Repeal and replace.

From TheHill  “The conservative Republican Study Committee (RSC) is preparing to unveil  legislation that would replace ObamaCare with a new set of healthcare reforms. 

A spokesman for RSC Chairman Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) confirmed Friday  that members of the group will introduce their measure after the August recess.”

“Chairman Scalise and the RSC Health Care Working Group are drafting legislation  to repeal ObamaCare and replace it with a conservative alternative that fixes  the problems in our healthcare system without the harmful taxes and mandates in  the President’s law,” Stephen Bell said in a statement to The Hill. “The  timetable for rollout is slated for this fall.””

This seems to be the idea the general public has too. They continue to come in strongly against. This poll has 57% calling it a joke. Ouch.

From FoxNews  “Majorities of Americans think the new health care law is going to increase  their medical costs and their taxes — and add to the federal deficit as  well. Those are some of the reasons why voters say — by a two-to-one  margin — that Congress should keep working on the law.

A Fox News national poll released Thursday also asks voters about how they  think Obamacare is being carried out: 31 percent say “it’s going fine,” yet a  57-percent majority feels “it’s a joke.”

Republicans are more than three times as likely to say it’s a joke (87  percent vs. 25 percent). Still, a quarter of Democrats agree.

Nine times as many Democrats as Republicans say implementation of Obamacare is going fine (63 percent vs. 7 percent).”

It’s fine, everything’s fine. 🙄 Sure.

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But it appears they may be about to cave and vote for amnesty, if this is accurate.

Also from TheHill  “Forty to 50 House Republicans will support immigration reform, Rep. Luis  Gutiérrez (D-Ill.) predicted Thursday.

Gutiérrez said many of the Republicans supportive of immigration reform don’t  want to be identified, but he insisted they would support comprehensive  immigration reform.

“If they ask me today, go find those 40 to 50 Republicans, I’ll tell them I  found them. I know where they’re at,” Gutiérrez said in an interview with Ed O’Keefe at The Washington Post.”

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Good. Let’s get to it.

From FoxNews  “The non-partisan Government Accountability Office confirmed Thursday it is  launching an investigation into how the country’s largest abortion provider  spent millions of taxpayer dollars.

Planned Parenthood received more than a half billion dollars in federal  funding last year. The GAO’s investigation is in response to a request made by  more than 50 members of Congress in February who asked for a detailed report on  how money is being used by Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers  across the country.”

“The GAO’s investigation comes on the heels of a settlement involving a Texas  affiliate of the organization, which paid $4.3 million in July to settle  allegations of fraud in billing to a health program for the poor. The settlement  was $3 million more than what had been announced earlier by the Texas Attorney  General.”

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Next up, privacy is dead. Not only is the govt peeping on your cell, internet, and phone, but now a court has said perverts can even look in your window and photo you and your kids inside your home. And you can’t do anything about it. Wow.

From TheNYPost  “A Manhattan judge ruled this week that artistic freedom trumps the rights of parents who don’t want their kids secretly photographed through the windows of their homes.

Judge Eileen Rakower tossed a lawsuit brought by two parents against a Tribeca artist who snapped pictures of their children through their apartment windows as part of a controversial exhibition this year.

“But controversy erupted after Svenson’s models learned that they were being photographed without their knowledge — and that the images were being exhibited and sold for up to $10,000 each.”

“But Rakower ruled Monday that Svenson’s artistic freedom superseded their privacy concerns, and dismissed the case outright.”

Art trumps your privacy. Nice.

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by

News/Politics 8-9-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

First up, I can see a judge issuing a gag order to witnesses. What I can’t see is why you threaten the families with loss of benefits if they don’t play along too. A military judge in a court-martial has no such authority over civilians. So where did the order to families not to talk to the press come from? DoD, or the White House?

From RedState  “Autumn Manning, wife of Army Staff Sgt. Shawn Manning who was wounded in the Ft. Hood terror attack, is speaking out on Twitter. Manning claims that the Department of Defense has “slapped victims of violence with gag orders” and is preventing them to discuss denial of benefits and other developments in the wake of the attack.”

“Why would the DOD gag families, especially those who aren’t serving thus not obligated to comply?”

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The military won’t be the only govt agency used for social experiments by the Obama admin. Introducing the new and improved HUD.

From FoxNews  “In a move some claim is tantamount to social engineering, the Department of  Housing and Urban Development is imposing a new rule that would allow the feds  to track diversity in America’s neighborhoods and then push policies to change  those it deems discriminatory. 

The policy is called, “Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing.” It will  require HUD to gather data on segregation and discrimination in every single  neighborhood and try to remedy it.

HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan unveiled the federal rule at the NAACP  convention in July.”

“Data from this discrimination database would be used with zoning laws, housing  finance policy, infrastructure planning and transportation to alleviate alleged  discrimination and segregation.”

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If you like that one, you’ll love this one.

From CNSNews  “Secretary of State John Kerry announced Wednesday the formation of the Office of Faith-Based Community Initiatives, which will be headed by Shaun Casey, a former religion advisor to President Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign and a liberal professor who last year touted the end of ‘civil religion’ in the United States.

“I, frankly, am glad American civil religion is dying,” Casey said at a discussion last year at the Center for American Progress focused on “God and Politics” in the last presidential election.”

“Kerry cited the Bible’s New Testament in describing the new office’s mission, which he said would seek “common ground” between “all religions.”

“One of my favorite passages from the Scripture sums up what Shaun and I think this effort is really all about,” Kerry said. “It’s a familiar Gospel of Mark in which Jesus says to his disciples, ‘For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for the many.’”

And there you have it. I’m not sure exactly what IT is, but there it is.

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Additional indictments from the Boston bombing case.

From Reuters  “A U.S. grand jury on Thursday indicted two students from Kazakhstan on obstruction of justice charges, alleging they helped hide evidence related to the April Boston marathon bombing that killed three and injured 264.

Dias Kadyrbayev and Azamat Tazhayakov, both 19, were college friends of surviving bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.”

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Next up, “Phony scandals?” Depends who you ask.

From FoxNews  “Benghazi. Snooping on reporters. The IRS and NSA. The White  House dismisses them as phony and fake scandals. Americans do not.

A  Fox News national poll released Thursday finds that 78 percent of voters  think the questions over the administration’s handling of the terrorist attack  on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi should be taken seriously. Just 17  percent call it a phony scandal.”

“Meanwhile, 69  percent of voters say the National Security Agency’s electronic surveillance  of everyday Americans is serious, while 26 percent call that a fake scandal.”

And there’s more. Looks like a message fail for Obama and Dems all the way around.

Oh, and since we’re talking about them scandals…..

From TheWashingtonExaminer  “In a remarkable admission that is likely to rock the Internal Revenue Service again, testimony released Thursday by House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp reveals that an agent involved in reviewing tax exempt applications from conservative groups told a committee investigator that the agency is still targeting Tea Party groups, three months after the IRS scandal erupted..

In closed door testimony before the House Ways & Means Committee, the unidentified IRS agent said requests for special tax status from Tea Party groups is being forced into a special “secondary screening” because the agency has yet to come up with new guidance on how to judge the tax status of the groups.”

“In a transcript from the committee provided to Secrets, a Ways & Means investigator asked: “If you saw — I am asking this currently, if today if a Tea Party case, a group — a case from a Tea Party group came in to your desk, you reviewed the file and there was no evidence of political activity, would you potentially approve that case? Is that something you would do?”

“The agent said, “At this point I would send it to secondary screening, political advocacy.” The committee staffer then said, “So you would treat a Tea Party group as a political advocacy case even if there was no evidence of political activity on the application. Is that right?” The agent admitted, “Based on my current manager’s direction, uh-huh.”

Phony. Sure. 🙄

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Waste. Fraud. Abuse.

From TheWashingtonExaminer  “A Maryland woman pleaded guilty Tuesday to charges related to setting up at least 15 false businesses in six states that received government contracts despite often being registered to people who did not exist.”

“The conspirators typically operated under a particular business name for a period of six to 12 months until the business was either disqualified from the FedBid marketplace or was otherwise burdened with lawsuits or liens,” the plea bargain said.

“The conspirators initially used their true names and addresses to register their businesses, but later attempted to conceal their true identities by using aliases to register the businesses and by renting commercial mail box store fronts.””

“The case illustrates how little federal officials know about where goods and services they purchase come from, with one Whitehead firm selling ammunition to the Army, according to government contracting records, thus raising questions about whether bullets of dubious quality wound up in soldiers’ hands.”

And it just gets worse from there.

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Lastly today, 2 abortion stories. First Wendy Davis, and the ignorance from Dems like her in the abortion debate. And of course you can’t talk about that without mentioning the media who enables it.

From HotAir   “This spring and summer has seen the media bias in full bloom on abortion.  The national media couldn’t be bothered to cover the trial of Kermit Gosnell, which they initially dismissed as a “local” news story despite its potential impact on the national debate over abortion, while they thundered down to Florida as a herd to cover the George Zimmerman trial … and to Arizona for the Jodi Arias trial, whose national implications were apparently “pretty girl kills boyfriend and denies it.””

“When Texas followed up on the Gosnell grand jury report to better regulate abortion mills to ensure that they operated as ambulatory surgical clinics and limited abortions to 20 weeks, the media only took an interest in the woman who tried to block the bill that had support from 62% of Texans and 61% of Texas women.  The same national media who couldn’t be bothered to report on the Gosnell horror without being shamed into it — and then mostly focused on whether or not it was a real news story at all — hailed Wendy Davis as a heroine for her opposition. In fact, they gave Davis three times as much coverage in three weeks as they gave the Gosnell trial in eight weeks.

Oddly, though, they never actually pressed Davis to explain why she opposed regulating abortion clinics, given the horrors of the unregulated Gosnell clinic.  When John McCormack of the Weekly Standard asked her about the majority support of women for late-term abortion bans in light of Gosnell, Davis replied that she was mainly ignorant of the Gosnell case, but claimed women overall were ignorant of the lack of risk involved.”

“Despite frequently mocking anti-abortion activists as anti-science know-nothings, abortion rights absolutists are the ones who play fast and loose with the facts of abortion. Because they are so rarely asked to defend their positions, Davis and her ilk apparently don’t feel the need to be informed.  Follow-up questions to their strange and often empirically false statements are almost nonexistent, while offensive or misinformed comments from GOP back benchers are greeted with full-scale media hysteria.”

And the second is here. I’d be surprised if you’ve seen anything about this on the so-called news.

From LifeNews  “Leading pro-life advocates marched in downtown Washington, D.C. to the doorstep of ABC News’ Washington bureau to accuse the network and other mainstream media outlets of bias and censorship on abortion.

Fifty six days after the grisly trial of abortionist Kermit Gosnell began, ABC broke its self-imposed blackout and finally offered coverage.

Lila Rose, the head of Live Action, which coordinated the event, said “Enough is enough. It’s time to report the news. It’s time to stop censoring the news.”

“She was joined by pro-life leaders like Jill Stanek, Ryan Bomberger and Charmaine Yoest of Americans United for Life.”

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by

News/Politics 8-8-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

Open thread, as always.

First up today, looks like someone wants to be martyred. Which is odd, because I’ve heard religion had nothing to do with this. 🙄 

It’s also why when he’s found guilty, the sentence should be life in prison. Don’t give him the easy way out, or the fame and notoriety amongst jihadists that he craves.

From HotAir  “The standby attorney for the Army psychiatrist accused in the 2009 Fort Hood shooting has told a military judge that Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan appears intent on receiving a death sentence.”

“Lt. Col. Kris Poppe (PAHP’-ee) said Wednesday at Hasan’s trial that he is willing to step in and be Hasan’s attorney. But if Hasan continues to work toward being executed, Poppe asked that his responsibilities be minimized.”

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Oh look. Why am I not shocked?

From Reuters  “Congress has won some partial relief for lawmakers and their staffs from the “Obamacare” health reforms that it passed and subjected itself to three years ago.

In a ruling issued on Wednesday, U.S. lawmakers and their staffs will continue to receive a federal contribution toward the health insurance that they must purchase through soon-to-open exchanges created by President Barack Obama’s signature healthcare law.

The decision by the Office of Personnel Management, with Obama’s blessing, will prevent the largely unintended loss of healthcare benefits for 535 members of the Senate and House of Representatives and thousands of Capitol Hill staff.”

How nice for them.

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Meanwhile, a plan to not fund ObamaCare for next year, but not one that requires a govt. shutdown.

From TheHill  “A group of conservatives led by anti-tax activist Grover Norquist is pushing for  a one-year delay of ObamaCare in the government funding bills that must be  passed this fall.

In a letter to Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell  (R-Ky.), Norquist and 18 other conservatives urged support for a one-year delay  as part of any spending package.

“It is wrong to force people to  participate in a system that is simply not ready,” the activists wrote.”

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This one? Also not surprising. Birds of a feather and all.

From WatchDog.org  “Virginia gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe and three top GreenTech advisers met with the key White House aide responsible for helping bankrupt solar-panel maker Solyndra win federal loans and high-profile presidential support, a Watchdog investigation has revealed.

What they discussed in the Oct. 12, 2010, meeting with Obama “green energy” aide Greg Nelson is a mystery – the White House visitors log offers no details. But the confab came seven months after a stock transfer made McAuliffe a GreenTech minority owner and company chairman.”

“Months before the GreenTech meeting at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., White House officials already knew Solyndra was on the ropes – failing an independent audit and headed toward a predicted default on its federal $535 million loan. Despite warnings from allies and staff, the president visited Solyndra in May 2010, pointing to the company as a model of his new economy.”

And yes, this is the same GreenTech who’s sister company Gulf Coast Funds, is involved in a visa selling scandal, which also seems to involve McAuliffe. He’s also in on the electric car scam too. So what will it be? “Purely coincidental?” Or “Phony scandals?”

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The Recovery continues to gain steam. Or not. Depends on your definition of what’s successful. The Obama admin likes it, and loves to take credit. So give it to ’em.

From HotAir  “Being on vacation last week meant that I missed the jobs report for July, which turned out to be as unremarkable as most of those in the four-plus years of the so-called economic recovery.  The media reports I did catch while on the cruise focused mainly on the fact that the jobs added in July missed the expectations of analysts, and not on the fact that adding only 162,000 jobs meant another extension of stagnation, as the US economy needs ~150,000 jobs added each month just to tread water, thanks to population growth.  That’s not even a decent maintenance number, let alone the kind of job growth needed to put the chronically unemployed back to work.

The media reports also missed another trend in job reports, one caught by a former chief of the Bureau of Labor Statistics and reported by McClatchy’s Kevin Hall this morning.  Almost all of the job growth this year came in part-time work — and when we say “almost all,” we mean 97% of it:”

““Over the last six months, of the net job creation, 97 percent of that is part-time work,” said Keith Hall, a senior researcher at George Mason University’s Mercatus Center. “That is really remarkable.””

“Hall is no ordinary academic. He ran the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the agency that puts out the monthly jobs report, from 2008 to 2012. Over the past six months, he said, the Household Survey shows 963,000 more people reporting that they were employed, and 936,000 of them reported they’re in part-time jobs.”

Gee, it’s almost like there’s some reason out there for the uneasiness, and it’s scaring the job creators and leading them to only hire part-time….

But this admin can’t figure out what it is.  Must be another coincidence. 🙄

Welcome to the new normal.

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by

News/Politics 8-7-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

First up today, the Ft. Hood trial. It’s disgusting that his victims have to be subjected to this.

From FoxNews  “The trial of the Fort Hood gunman, who is acting as his own attorney, took a  surreal turn as the former Army psychiatrist accused of killing 13 in the  November 2009 attack grilled witnesses — including his former boss in the  military and a fellow Muslim who spoke to him the day of the shooting.

After a short opening statement in which ex-Army Maj. Nidal Hasan called  himself a “mujahedeen,” admitted to the rampage and said “the dead bodies will show that war is an ugly thing,” Hasan cross-examined prosecution witnesses,  including retired Lt. Col Ben Kirk Phillips, his former boss. When pressed by  the defendant, Phillips acknowledged that his officer evaluation report had  graded Hasan as “outstanding.”

But he declined to cross-examine one of his shooting victims, Sgt. Alonzo  Lunsford, who provided the day’s most damning testimony.”

Sure sounds like workplace violence to me. 🙄

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Next, the Obama admin has finally grown tired of the media getting to Benghazi suspects before them, so indictments have finally come.

From TheWallStJournal  “The Justice Department has filed sealed criminal charges against a number of suspects in the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi that killed the U.S. ambassador to Libya and three other Americans, according to people familiar with the matter.

One of those charged, according to these people, is Ahmed Abu Khattalah, founder of Libya’s Islamist militia Ansar al-Sharia. Mr. Abu Khattalah was seen at the compound when it was overrun, according to intelligence officials. In interviews with reporters, Mr. Abu Khattalah has admitted being at the scene but denied involvement in the attack.

The exact nature of the charges wasn’t clear, nor was the number of suspects named in the investigation. Investigators and prosecutors are continuing to pursue the case, and they plan to charge additional suspects, according to the people familiar with the case.”

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Next, the other Benghazi scandal….

From Mediaite  “On July 31, CNN’s The Situation Room broadcast a portion of an interview conducted by reporter Arwa Damon with a suspect in the Benghazi attacks. The suspect revealed to Damon that no investigator has attempted to contact him regarding his involvement in that deadly assault. The following day, CNN’s Drew Griffin broke the news that more than 30 CIA agents were on the ground in Libya on the day of the attack and they are being pressured by the spy agency to not reveal to reporters or congressional investigators what they know of the events of that night. Some CNN reporters are reportedly fearful now that their access to the White House will be hampered following their probing into a story that members of the Obama administration would prefer remain uninvestigated.

“Access is a very serious consideration when it comes to stories that could adversely impact a show, correspondent, or network’s relationship with the administration, a campaign, or any political leader,” one source with insider information told Mediaite.

“I would suggest it’s not an accident that those who have been given a lot of access to the president have generally been AWOL when it comes to stories that might reflect poorly on him,” the source, who did not wish to be identified, continued. “It’s the name of the game. And it’s bad for everyone trying to do this job the right way.” Those reporters have reason to fear for their access to America’s executive branch. Some suspect that reporters who soft-pedal or underreport stories uncomfortable to the administration receive preferential access to White House officials.”

Not shocked at all.

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Next up, it’s about time.

From LifeNews  “The Government Accountability Office’s (GAO), a Congressional agency, has indicated it will conduct an investigation of the Planned Parenthood abortion, business, which was recently busted for millions of dollars of Medicaid fraud in Texas.

The abortion giant has engaged in at least $12.5 million in fraud over multiple states — that has become public knowledge so far.

Representatives Diane Black (R-TN), Pete Olson (R-TX), Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Senator David Vitter (R-LA) issued states late Monday saying they are grateful the agency will look into the abortion corporation and its financial dealings.

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Next up, the other shoe.

From CNBC  “Detroit, you’re not alone.

Across the nation, cities and states are watching Detroit’s largest-ever municipal bankruptcy filing with great trepidation. Years of underfunded retirement promises to public sector workers, which helped lay Detroit low, could plunge them into a similar and terrifying financial hole.

A CNBC.com analysis of more than 120 of the nation’s largest state and local pension plans finds they face a wide range of burdens as their aging workforces near retirement.

Thanks to a patchwork of accounting practices and rosy investment assumptions, it’s not even clear just how big a financial hole many states and cities have dug for themselves. That may soon change, thanks to a new set of government accounting standards that could serve as a nasty wake-up call to states and cities relying on rosy scenarios and head-in-the-sand accounting.”

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More to worry about with ObamaCare. And yet another part running behind schedule and over budget.

From Reuters  “The federal government is months behind in testing data security for the main pillar of Obamacare: allowing Americans to buy health insurance on state exchanges due to open by October 1

The missed deadlines have pushed the government’s decision on whether information technology security is up to snuff to exactly one day before that crucial date, the Department of Health and Human Services’ inspector general said in a report.

As a result, experts say, the exchanges might open with security flaws or, possibly but less likely, be delayed.”

Doh! 😯

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This is the last for today. It’s bad enough that so much money already goes to public schools thru taxes. This is just insulting to taxpayers. And just one more reason to question just where priorities lie.

From NBCNews  “Buying tissue and copy paper for your kid’s classroom – or subjecting co-workers and family members to endless fundraisers – have become standard. But some public school districts have upped the ante, charging students mandatory fees and holding out the threat of collections or barring students from participating in activities if their parents don’t pay up.

The ACLU says it’s illegal. Schools counter that they’re facing huge budget shortfalls and that charging fees is better than firing teachers. Education experts warn that fees create a dynamic of inequality. Meanwhile, families are caught in the middle as they dig deeper into their pocketbooks and bank accounts.”

““(Our district) spends more than $4 million annually to provide sports programs and other activities. These fees help recover a small percentage of that cost,” David Beery, communications director at the Maine 207 school district in the suburbs of Chicago, said via email. Beery’s district gained notoriety after an irate parent posted a photo of the mandatory fees — including a required $300 Chromebook — she was required to pay for her daughter’s sophomore year.”

And it’s way past time that the role of sports in depleting budgets is addressed as well.

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News/Politics 8-6-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

First a story that shows how misguided this admins policies are, and how too often, he and the govt sides with the extremists. They get special treatment, his victims get denied benefits. It’s sickening.

From NBC/Dallas/Ft.Worth  “NBC 5 Investigates has learned the accused Fort Hood shooter Maj. Nidal Hasan receives extraordinary treatment in jail while victims of the attack argue they have been forgotten and mistreated by the U.S. Army.”

“Victims of the Fort Hood massacre told NBC 5 Investigates the Army’s efforts to provide for Hasan’s needs do not match the treatment they have received since the shooting.  They feel the Army has gone the extra mile for Hasan but not for them. “

“Howard Berry said his son was constantly bothered by what he saw as a lack of consideration such as the Army denying victims of the massacre Purple Heart medals and other combat-related benefits while insisting the shooting was not an act of terrorism – a classification Fort Hood shooting victim Logan Burnett strongly disputes.”

Watch the video at the link.

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Meanwhile the White House meets with an imprisoned Muslim Brotherhood leader in Egypt.

From YahooNews  “The second-most senior U.S. diplomat has met with the imprisoned deputy leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, according to a senior official, a sign that the United States is ramping up its attempts to mediate Egypt’s political crisis.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Bill Burns traveled late Sunday night to the notorious Tora Prison, a jail in the middle of Cairo that has housed some of Egypt’s most famous prisoners, to meet with Khairat el-Shater, the official said.”

“The United States is furiously mediating between the military and Brotherhood, trying to help Egypt stabilize after the military takeover a month ago. Egypt has long been the United States’ most important Arab ally, and U.S. officials are eager to see the military avoid any steps that could lead to civil war.”

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Again, we back the wrong horse. These arms came from us. We armed the extremists.

From FoxNews  “Jihadists in Egypt’s lawless Sinai Peninsula are using U.S. weapons to carry  out attacks against the temporary government in the wake of the military’s  ouster of President Mohammed Morsi, according to the embattled nation’s Interior  Ministry.

The government office posted an official statement on its Facebook page along with images of an exploded missile that hit the third floor of a building  in the city of el-Arish last week. The post said terrorist forces targeted the  North Sinai Security Directorate office with a ballistic missile that struck the  third floor facade of the building, leaving three soldiers injured. While  attacks in the Sinai, which borders Gaza and is a haven for terrorist activity,  have become commonplace, the prospect that militants have U.S. weapons typically  fired from helicopters at their disposal is especially alarming.”

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Meanwhile, others suffering the extremist’s wrath get a cold shoulder, and no help from this admin, even as they were/are murdered in large numbers.

From TheTelegraph  “Tens of thousands Syriac Christians – members of the oldest Christian community in the world – have fled their ancestral provinces of Deir al-Zour and Hasakah in northeastern Syria, residents have said.”

“Conflict in the area, desperate economic conditions, lawlessness, and persecution by rebel groups born from the perception that Christians support the regime, remain the main reasons for why Christian families are fleeing the area.

The growing presence of radical jihadist groups, including al-Qaeda, has also seen Christians targeted.”

As in Egypt, we arm and assist the radicals, but not their victims.

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OK, Boko Haram has been accused of heinous crimes by the International Criminal Court. Good. Now what do you plan to do about it?

From ABCNews  “The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court says that after a preliminary investigation she believes that acts attributed to the Nigerian Islamist group Boko Haram are likely crimes against humanity.

“Information available provides a reasonable basis to believe that since July 2009 Boko Haram has launched a widespread and systematic attack that has resulted in the killing of more than 1,200 Christian and Muslim civilians in different locations throughout Nigeria,” Fatou Bensouda wrote in a report issued Monday.

She said the potential crimes against humanity include murder and persecution. But she said she will only move to a full-fledged investigation after further study and depending on whether Nigerian authorities themselves are willing and able to prosecute “those who appear to bear the greatest responsibility.”

So basically nothing, because the Nigerian authorities can’t stop them or bring them to justice. They can’t do it alone.

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And baseball has finally cracked down.

From FoxSports  “Defiant till the end, Alex Rodriguez is intent on evading baseball’s most sweeping punishment since the Black Sox scandal.”

“Rodriguez was suspended through 2014 and All-Stars Nelson Cruz, Jhonny Peralta and Everth Cabrera were banned 50 games apiece Monday when Major League Baseball disciplined 13 players for their relationship to Biogenesis of America, a Florida anti-aging clinic accused of distributing banned performance-enhancing drugs.”

“Others agreeing to 50-game bans included Yankees catcher Francisco Cervelli and outfielder Fernando Martinez; Philadelphia pitcher Antonio Bastardo; Seattle catcher Jesus Montero; New York Mets infielder Jordany Valdespin and outfielder Cesar Puello; Houston pitcher Sergio Escalona; and free agent pitchers Fautino De Los Santos and Jordan Norberto.”

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by

News/Politics 8-5-13

What’s interesting out there today?

Open thread, as always.

First up, over the weekend the FBI conducted raids in more than 70 cities. They rescued more than 100 teens, mostly runaways and kids from broken homes, from sex-trafficking operations. Well done FBI.

From NBCNews  “The sting resulted in the arrest of 159 “pimps” from San Francisco to Miami who were involved in the commercial exploitation of both adults and children, said Ronald Hosko, assistant director of the FBI’s criminal investigative division.

It was the FBI’s largest action to date focusing on the recovery of sexually exploited children, and took law enforcement agencies to streets, motels, casinos and social media platforms, Hosko said. He said he hoped it would focus attention on sex trafficking, “this threat that robs us of our children.”

“The sweep was the seventh iteration of Operation Cross Country, part of a partnership begun a decade ago by federal authorities and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to address child prostitution.

The sting, over three days beginning Friday, demonstrate “how many of America’s children are being sold for sex every day, many on the Internet,” said John Ryan, the center’s president and CEO.”

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More on the threat that closed, and continues to keep closed, numerous overseas facilities. Security in the states has ramped up as well.

From ABCNews  “On the day that almost two dozen U.S. embassies and consulates across North Africa and the Middle East are closed following the identification of a significant threat from an al-Qaeda affiliate, a senior U.S. official is providing new details about the communications intercepted from the terrorists, telling ABC News that al-Qaeda operatives could be heard talking about an upcoming attack. The official described the terrorists as saying the planned attack is “going to be big” and “strategically significant.”

“The part that is alarming is the confidence they showed while communicating and the air of certainty,” the official said, adding that the group — Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula — appeared to have a media plan for after the attack.

Authorities do not know the exact target of the planned attack, according to the official.”

Bill Kristol points out a painful truth. Despite the President’s rhetoric, reality shows al-Qaeda is alive and well.

From TheDailyCaller  “Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol remarked on Sunday that President  Barack Obama’s re-election campaign rhetoric on foreign policy stood in stark  contrast to the turmoil in the Middle East stirred by threats from al-Qaida,  pointing out that the U.S. closed 22 embassies throughout the Muslim world.

“Four years ago President Obama gave a much heralded speech as outreach to  the Muslim world,” Kristol said. “And now, four years later we are closing  embassies throughout the Muslim world. A year ago, the president said al-Qaida  is on the run. And now we seem to be on the run.”

“I’m not criticizing the decision to close the embassies. That’s probably the  right thing to do for the sake of trying to save American lives and others, but  it’s a terrible thing,” he added. “That you know, just a year ago boasting  al-Qaida is on the run and Osama bin Laden is dead.”

Or is it all yet another distraction tactic? Yes, cynical, I know.

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Some leakers are more equal than others. The White House will be all over this I’m sure. 🙄

From TheJerusalemPost  “Unnamed US officials leaked information Thursday on alleged Israeli air strikes in Syria, and told The New York Times they expect an additional attack by Israel in the near future.

The sources, described by the Times as “American intelligence analysts,” discussed what they said were classified assessments, according to which a July 5 IAF strike on a Syrian facility housing Russian surface-to-sea missiles in Latakia failed to destroy them all.”

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It’ll be fun to see how the White House responds to this…

From FoxNews  “A new petition on the White House website asks the administration to declare  the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization.

The request was posted on petitions.whitehouse.gov on July 7  and quickly garnered more than the 100,000 signature requirement for the Obama  administration to officially consider the request.”

“The “We the People” petition program, which was set up by the White House late  last year, stipulates that all requests must receive some sort of response from  the administration when150 signatures are added within the first 30 days and the  petition gains 100,000 signatures by the second 30 days.”

The 100,000 in 30 has been met.

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Planned Parenthood is forced to pay the state of Texas 4.3 million dollars for Medicaid fraud. But as expected the media response is to act like the 3 monkeys. Hear nothin’, see nothin’, speak nothin’. You know the drill.

From NewsBusters  “In the first week of February 2012, the Big Three networks lunged to the defense of Planned Parenthood when the Susan G.  Komen Foundation (very temporarily) withdrew its donation to abortion giant  (about $680,000 the previous year). Network reporters whacked Komen, promoting “outrage and  disappointment engulfing the Internet.”

But Mollie  Hemingway of Get Religion pointed out that Planned Parenthood in Texas was  recently forced to pay the state of Texas $4.3 million for Medicaid fraud. Where  was the “outrage and disappointment” engulfing the media? The networks didn’t  notice. Even the local newspaper coverage was terrible.”

“Planned Parenthood trotted out the usual corporate line that settlement  wasn’t an admission of guilt — which might be the shriveled fig leaf the  “mainstream media” would use to say it’s not newsworthy. But wait — Texas isn’t  the only state where this fraud might be occurring, as the Heritage  Foundation reported:

Alliance Defending Freedom’s recent  analysis of state and federal audits of family planning programs suggests  that in 12 states, Planned Parenthood affiliates overbilled Medicaid for more  than $8 million. One federal audit of New York’s Medicaid family planning  program reported that certain providers, “especially Planned Parenthoods,” had  engaged in improper practices resulting in overpayment.”

Shhhhh….. It’s a secret. 🙄

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Well I guess this was way overdue. She should just take him up on his offer and tell the truth.

From TheNYPost  “Twenty-five years after accusing an innocent man of rape, Tawana Brawley is finally paying for her lies.”

“She still owes Pagones $431,000 in damages. And she remains defiantly unapologetic.

“It’s a long time coming,” said Pagones, 52, who to this day is more interested in extracting a confession from Brawley than cash.

“Every week, she’ll think of me,” he told The Post. “And every week, she can think about how she has a way out — she can simply tell the truth.”

Sharpton threw her under the bus. Isn’t it time she returned the favor?

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One less RINO?

Sure! 🙂

From FoxNews  “The first woman to graduate from The Citadel has announced her plans to  challenge U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham in the Republican primary in 2014.

Nancy Mace announced her candidacy Saturday at a GOP breakfast in Goose  Creek.

Mace told the audience that she thinks government is out of touch, and that  while it has worked its way into every corner of American lives, the country  isn’t better off for it.”

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by

News/Politics 8-3-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

First up, something that will make you say “hmmmmm….”

From TheBlaze  “The Obama administration is “changing names” of the Benghazi survivors and “creating aliases” to keep them hidden from congressional investigators and the American people, Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) told Greta Van Susteren on Thursday night. He also said the administration is “dispersing them around the country” to keep them out of sight.”

“Gowdy’s stunning claims were overshadowed by CNN’s bombshell report that revealed there were “dozens” of CIA operatives on the ground in Benghazi on Sept. 11, 2012, the night of the deadly attack that killed four Americans. Meanwhile, the CIA is taking “unprecedented” to keep whatever it was doing in Benghazi a secret, according to the report.

“Stop and think what things are most calculated to get at the truth? Talk to people with first-hand knowledge. What creates the appearance and perhaps the reality of a cover-up?” Not letting us talk with people who have the most amount of information, dispersing them around the country and changing their names,” Gowdy said.

Good thing this a “phony scandal” and not a real. Otherwise this might look bad. 🙄

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Next up, of course he did. Your elite rulers and staff don’t need to worry about their healthcare costs rising. That’s just for us commoners.

From WhiteHouseDossier  “The Obama administration has granted members of Congress and their staffers an exemption from a provision of Obamacare that could have cost them thousands of dollars a year in added health insurance costs, according to Politico.”

“Congress currently allots itself generous health coverage through the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program. Nearly 75 percent of premiums are taken care of. But under Obamacare, our representatives and their worker bees will be thrown onto the health care exchanges like millions of Americans – without the FEHB subsidy. Fair is fair, right?”

No. They’re special.

More here from RollCall 

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Next up, how easy is it to get multiple ObamaPhones, which is not supposed to be allowed?  Really easy.

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Here’s one you’ll like. The prosecutor’s office in the George Zimmerman case is being sued by the man who blew the whistle on prosecutorial misconduct and evidence tampering. Sweet.

From FoxNews  “The former information technology director for Florida State Attorney Angela  Corey is reportedly suing for wrongful termination.

Jacksonville.com reports that Ben Kruidbos sued Corey’s office Thursday,  claiming he was illegally fired in June following his testimony that prosecutors  did not submit all information to George Zimmerman’s defense team in the  shooting death of Trayvon Martin on Feb. 26, 2012.”

“Kruidbos, according to the lawsuit, could not be fired for testifying in a  judicial proceeding in response to a subpoena. It also claims that the firing  was retaliation for his testimony in the Zimmerman case.”

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And lastly, some more good news. 🙂

From NationalReview  “Quinnipiac is out today with a national poll on a broad array of issues. One of the issues they polled was a 20-week limit on abortion, which has been in the spotlight between the House’s passage of the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, and Wendy Davis’ infamous filibuster and the subsequent passage of a 20-week limit in Texas.”

Women (60 percent) are 10 points more likely to back the 20-week limit than men (50 percent).

Hispanics back the 20-week limit by a 39-point margin, 59 percent to 20 percent.

Young people (18-29) back the 20-week limit by a 27-point margin, 55 percent to 28 percent.”

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by

News/Politics 8-2-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

First up today, an ObamaCare update.

From SavannahNow  “Georgia may not start its Obamacare health exchange Oct. 1 when the rest of the country does because the state issued an emergency request late Monday for a delay.

Georgia Insurance Commissioner Ralph Hudgens asked U.S. Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius for another 30 days beyond tomorrow’s deadline to approve the health plans submitted by seven insurance companies wanting to do business in the state.

He said some rates were 198 percent higher than current plans available in the state.”

Ouch.

Meanwhile, the IRS chief says no thanks to ObamaCare.

From TheWeeklyStandard  “”Mr. Werfel, last week your employees who are a member of the National Treasury Employee’s Union sent a form letter for union members to send in to ask they be exempt from the exchanges,” a congressman asked. “Why are your employees trying to exempt themselves from the very law that you’re tasked to enforce?”

“I don’t want to speak for the NTEU, but I’ll offer a perspective as a federal employee myself and a federal employee at the IRS,” said the IRS chief. “And that is, we have right now as employees of the government, of the IRS, affordable health care coverage. I think the ACA was designed to provide an option or an alternative for individuals that do not. And all else being equal, I think if you’re an individual who is satisfied with your health care coverage, you’re probably in a better position to stick with that coverage than go through the change of moving into a different environment and going through that process. So I think for a federal employee, I think more likely, and I would — can speak for myself, I would prefer to stay with the current policy that I’m pleased with rather than go through a change if I don’t need to go through that change.””

So would a lot of folks, but if they can’t, why should you be allowed too? Finding out the President lied stinks huh?

Next up, an update on the Obama admin and schools getting together in their propaganda efforts. They insist there’s no concerted efforts to do so, yet some schools seem more than happy to do their part. Let me guess….. “It’s for the kids!…..” right? 🙄

From Politico  “Supporters of the health law see back-to-school season as a natural time for  Obamacare outreach, a chance to find young families who could benefit from new  health coverage options. But weeks before the school bells start ringing in  parts of the country, there’s no concerted effort to reach parents at the  schoolhouse door. It’s yet another sign of how the undying controversy could  overshadow attempts to get people enrolled.”

“And the big sign-up campaign from Enroll America, an organization of  Obamacare allies and health law stakeholders, hasn’t focused on schools, at  least not as of now.

States or school districts can act on their own; Los Angeles, for instance,  is training some high school juniors and seniors how to be Obamacare messengers  to their families and communities. But the lack of a national strategy is just  one more sign of how hard it is for the administration and its allies to focus  on health benefits, not health politics, as Obamacare enrollment nears. And the  Republicans have made it clear that they don’t want the schools to go anywhere  near the controversial health law.

“What authority does the Department of Education have to disseminate  information and assist with the implementation of the president’s health care  law?” Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), a former Education secretary, and other  GOP senators wrote Duncan in July. “How do the Department of Education’s  activities further the education of our nation’s students?””

OOOOO, OOOOO, I know! I know this one!….  They don’t. 🙄

But even if all the schools don’t help out, we still have 21 govt. agencies doing their part in the propaganda efforts. It’s becoming painfully obvious why they recently rescinded anti-propaganda law and regulations huh? Yeah……

From TheWashingtonExaminer  “Thirty-nine Republican senators want to know who the 21 federal agencies helping to implement Obamacare are and what those agencies are doing to promote the program.

A leaked April 2013 slideshow from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said 21 federal agencies, including the Departments of Agriculture and Education, are working on an educational program to implement Obamacare.

That reference prompted the senators’ curiosity.

“At a time federal agency budgets have been tightened by the sequester and the White House has warned of cuts to basic programs, I would like to know how 21 agencies, such as those overseeing agriculture and education, would have the taxpayer dollars to implement and promote the new health care law — an activity outside of their missions and an expense not authorized by Congress,” Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., said.”

Yeah…..

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Next we have a “Phony Scandal” update. I posted a story months ago about the embassy in Benghazi being a CIA arms shipment operation to arm Syrian rebels. This will feed that idea, that’s for sure.

From CNN  “Sources now tell CNN dozens of people working for the CIA were on the ground that night, and that the agency is going to great lengths to make sure whatever it was doing, remains a secret.

CNN has learned the CIA is involved in what one source calls an unprecedented attempt to keep the spy agency’s Benghazi secrets from ever leaking out.”

“Speculation on Capitol Hill has included the possibility the U.S. agencies operating in Benghazi were secretly helping to move surface-to-air missiles out of Libya, through Turkey, and into the hands of Syrian rebels.”

Hmmmmmmmmmm………………….

Oh, and US Embassies and consulates throughout the muslim world will close Sunday due to threats. Nice.

From TheAP  “The United States is shuttering its embassies and consulates throughout the Muslim world on Sunday after receiving an unspecified threat, officials said.”

“Spokeswoman Marie Harf cited information indicating a threat to U.S. facilities overseas and said some diplomatic offices may stay closed for more than a day.”

And in other terrorism  work-place violence news……

From FoxNews  “On the eve of his military trial, accused Fort Hood shooter Maj. Nidal Hasan  released seven pages of handwritten and typed documents to Fox News in which he  appears to renounce his U.S. citizenship, abandons his military oath as a  commissioned officer, and explains his relationship with radical cleric Anwar  al-Awlaki — the first American targeted for death by the CIA.

Most of the documents also include the acronym “SoA,” which is considered  shorthand for “Soldier of Allah.”  Hasan’s business card, also bearing  “SoA,” was found in his Texas apartment after the shooting.”

“”The government has tried to deny that this was an act of terrorism. I think  that, I hope that if people hear the words from Hasan’s own mouth that they will  understand that this was an act of terrorism,” Staff Sgt. Shawn Manning, who was  shot six times at Fort Hood on Nov. 5, 2009, told Fox News.”

“In the only document bearing a date — Oct. 18, 2012 — Hasan  writes: “I, Nidal Malik Hasan, am compelled to renounce any oaths of  allegiances that require me to support/defend (any – sic) man made constitution  (like the constitution of the United States) over the commandments mandated in  Islam … I therefore formally renounce my oath of office … this includes my  oath of U.S. citizenship.”

It’s time the Obama admin gives up on this charade and grants these soldiers and their families what they are rightfully due. This was terrorism. Stop lying and admit it.

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Next we have some union stories, irony, and bad behavior.

From TheFreeBeacon  “A judge ordered one of Chicago’s most politically powerful labor unions to suspend picketing against 16 funeral homes last week after receiving reports that striking Teamsters had, among other things, disturbed a child’s funeral.

SCI Illinois Services, Inc., one of the nation’s largest funeral home chains, asked a district court to intervene after striking funeral directors and drivers with Teamsters Local 727 allegedly harassed grieving families.

“We are grateful that the court agreed to issue this temporary restraining order, and we are hopeful that it will help protect grieving families who are experiencing the most difficult times of their lives,” Larry Michael, managing director for SCI Illinois Services, Inc., said in a release. “While we recognize and respect the Teamsters’ right to lawfully picket, we have been shocked and saddened by their attempts to make grieving families the target of the cruel and outrageous attacks.”

You won’t get much sympathy to your cause acting like jerks at children’s funerals. Seriously un-cool.

Next, the irony… Considering the way the ACLU uses the threat of litigation and lawsuits to stifle those they disagree with, it’s ironic that they would whine about extortion tactics when someone uses the press against them for a change.

From TheWashingtonExaminer  “Did you know that the clerical and other support staff for the American Civil Liberties Union is, well, unionized? Well, they are and that is causing ACLU executive director Anthony Romero some serious heartburn.

Romero told the Village Voice in a July 25 interview that the workers’ union, United Auto Workers Local 2110, was engaging in a “subtle form of extortion” by criticizing the ACLU to the press.

“[The union] is using the press to embarrass us and back us into a corner to make concessions that are not in keeping with the market and not in keeping with other employers,” Romero said. He was responding to a Village Voice piece the previous day titled: “The ACLU Is Going After Its Own Union Workers’ Contracts.””

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And in another waste of taxpayer money….  and govt. employees acting stupidly…… Someone illegally possessing a baby dear? Send the SWAT team in to kill Bambi. Sorry. It’s the law.

From WISN.com  “WISN 12 News investigates an operation raising questions about the use of  government resources and the state policy that meant a death sentence for a fawn.”

“Two weeks ago, Schulze was  working in the barn at the Society of St. Francis on the Kenosha-Illinois border when a swarm of squad cars arrived and officers unloaded with a search  warrant.

“(There were) nine DNR  agents and four deputy sheriffs, and they were all armed to the teeth,” Schulze  said.”

“The focus of their search was a baby fawn brought there by an Illinois family  worried she had been abandoned by her mother.”

Stand back folks! That’s weapons-grade stupid right there. Dangerous stuff. 🙄

That one got me thinking of another story I read, so I went and found it. Related? You decide.

From TheAP  “Small-town police departments across the country have been gobbling up tons of equipment discarded by a downsizing military — bicycles, bed sheets, bowling pins, French horns, dog collars, even a colonoscopy machine — regardless of whether the items are needed or will ever be used.

In the tiny farming community of Morven, Ga., the police chief has grabbed three boats, scuba gear, rescue rafts and a couple of dozen life preservers. The town’s deepest body of water: an ankle-deep creek.”

“An Associated Press investigation of the Defense Department program, originally aimed at helping local law enforcement fight terrorism and drug trafficking, found that a disproportionate share of the $4.2 billion worth of property distributed since 1990 has been obtained by police departments and sheriff’s offices in rural areas with few officers and little crime.”

“Sometimes he doesn’t get exactly what he’s requested, like the time he asked for a handheld laser range finder for a gun and instead got a $28,000 range finder from the nose of an A-10 Warthog tank-busting jet aircraft.”

Like I said, weapons-grade… 

I really need a face-palm smiley. Talk about waste, fraud, and abuse…..