News/Politics 5-5-14

What’s interesting in the news today?

1. First up today, the problems at the VA are spreading. And in typical Obama fashion, they’re trying to cover it up.

From TheFreeBeacon “The Department of Veterans Affairs purged more than 1.5 million medical orders without ensuring patients received medical care, the Washington Examiner reports:

Since May 2013, veterans’ medical centers nationwide have been under pressure to clear out 2 million backlogged orders for patient care or services.”

“What happened to other 1.5 million appointments is something that no one, including top officials at the veterans’ agency, can answer.”

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The cover-up.

Also from TheFreeBeacon  “Whistleblowers say officials have been destroying evidence at the Phoenix Veterans Affairs hospital where at least 40 patients died from delays, despite requests from Congress to preserve records.

Dr. Katherine Mitchell came forward to the Arizona Republic with records that show the hospital was using a secret list to hide the long wait times veterans faced. According to the Republic, Mitchell sent the documents to the paper after receiving a call from a coworker that evidence was being destroyed.

“I had no doubts they were capable of destroying evidence, or altering evidence,” she told the Republic. “So there I am, a 47-year-old doctor with two degrees, trying to figure out where to hide stuff.”

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And now we know the problems are more widespread than just one rogue office, so that excuse is out.

From USAToday  “A VA investigation of one of its outpatient clinics in Colorado reveals how ingrained delays in medical care may be for an agency struggling to rapidly treat nearly 9 million veterans a year amid allegations that dozens have died because of delays.

Clerks at the Department of Veterans Affairs clinic in Fort Collins were instructed last year how to falsify appointment records so it appeared the small staff of doctors was seeing patients within the agency’s goal of 14 days, according to the investigation.

A copy of the findings by the VA’s Office of Medical Inspector was provided to USA TODAY.

Many of the 6,300 veterans treated at the outpatient clinic waited months to be seen. If the clerical staff allowed records to reflect that veterans waited longer than 14 days, they were punished by being placed on a “bad boy list,” the report shows.”

This is system wide.

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2. And since I mentioned cover-ups……

They picked a good one to lead the select committee. That happened after this interview.

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More here, from TheWashingtonTimes  “House Republicans accused the Obama administration Thursday of “perhaps criminal” behavior for having withheld for months key email that sheds light on how the administration framed its post-Benghazi talking points, potentially violating a congressional subpoena.

House Speaker John A. Boehner, Ohio Republican, said Secretary of State John F. Kerry will have to come before Congress to explain why his department refused to release the email until forced to do so by a judge.”

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And now that Kerry has been subpoenaed,  Hillary is probably getting a little nervous, as she should.

From TheNYPost  “Because the Obama administration ignored legal requirements and a pursued a possibly criminal cover-up, they’ve just ensured Congress is going to talk about nothing but. House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) said Friday he’ll be forming a select committee to investigate Benghazi.”

“The Rhodes memo is just the beginning. It and other e-mails were obviously selected from a much larger set of internal administration communications on the Benghazi cover-up that remains hidden from the public and from Congress. The person who should worry most is former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

For example, until now we have seen zero documentation to explain how Clinton out of the blue concocted the statement she issued on the evening of the attacks, which first raised the notion that the attacks came “as a response to inflammatory material posted on the Internet.”

In all the material released by the administration to date, there are no notes, e-mails or drafts of Clinton’s Sept. 11, 2012 statement similar to the back-and forth e-mail chain released last year showing how the CIA talking points evolved during three days of inter-agency discussion.”

Now why do you suppose that is? 🙄

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I won’t get my hopes up, but maybe it’s time to mention the I word.

All of this to cover up an Iran Contra style gun running operation to Syria by the CIA, at the order of the White House.

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3. Funny, this seems to have been left out of most coverage.

From Fox5Vegas  “An emotional crowd gathered for a town hall meeting on Thursday evening in Bunkerville.”

“Residents and council members praised militia members gathered there in support of embattled rancher Cliven Bundy, but had nothing but vitriol for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Clark County Sheriff Doug Gillespie and the local and national media.

“The day the militia [came] was the day I felt safe again in Nevada,” one meeting attendee said.

The meeting was standing-room only. City council members had harsh criticism for the media’s take on the standoff between Bundy and the BLM.

“I heard things said down there. And then when it came out on the air it was a completely different animal,” Bunkerville Councilman Duane Magoon said. “Tell the whole truth. Don’t spin things to get your ratings,” another council member added.”

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News/Politics 5-2-14

What’s interesting in the news today?

Open Thread.

1. Oh boy.

Dr. James Dobson made some remarks at yesterday’s National Day of Prayer Breakfast that are causing quite a stir.

“I believe in the rule of law, and it has been my practice since I was in college to respect and honor those in authority over us. It is my desire to do so now. However, this assault on the sanctity of human life takes me where I cannot go. I WILL NOT pay the surcharge for abortion services. The amount of the surcharge is irrelevant. To pay one cent for the killing of babies is egregious to me, and I will do all I can to correct a government that lies to me about its intentions and then tries to coerce my acquiescence with extortion. It would be a violation of my most deeply held convictions to disobey what I consider to be the principles in Scripture. The Creator will not hold us guiltless if we turn a deaf ear to the cries of His innocent babies. So come and get me if you must, Mr. President. I will not bow before your wicked regulation.”
Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2014/05/dobson-obama-is-abortion-president/#QeqM8WmA7qOGqkP7.99

James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family and Family Talk Radio, a harsh critic of President Obama and an opponent in court, on Thursday described him as the “abortion president” during an address at the National Day of Prayer.

Dobson, whose organization recently won a court fight against Obama over a mandate in Obamacare that would have required his ministry to pay for abortion pills, has not been shy about challenging the president on his abortion agenda.

At one point during the fight over the imposition of the abortion mandate, he said to the president: “Come and get me. I will not yield to your wicked regulations.”
Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2014/05/dobson-obama-is-abortion-president/#QeqM8WmA7qOGqkP7.99

James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family and Family Talk Radio, a harsh critic of President Obama and an opponent in court, on Thursday described him as the “abortion president” during an address at the National Day of Prayer.
Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2014/05/dobson-obama-is-abortion-president/#QeqM8WmA7qOGqkP7.99
James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family and Family Talk Radio, a harsh critic of President Obama and an opponent in court, on Thursday described him as the “abortion president” during an address at the National Day of Prayer.
Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2014/05/dobson-obama-is-abortion-president/#QeqM8WmA7qOGqkP7.99

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2. Despite the standing ovation, some people left over the remarks. (I’ve removed the HuffPost piece that was up. I found another, with more details, and it’s better written.)

🙂

From TheDailyBreeze  “Harbor Area Rep. Janice Hahn stormed out of Thursday’s National Day of Prayer gathering on Capitol Hill, saying she was outraged by what she later characterized as a “hateful political rant” by one of the speakers.

Evangelical Christian radio host James Dobson delivered strong words to President Barack Obama, who was not in attendance, over his administration’s position on abortion, calling Obama the “abortion president.”

“During his remarks, Dobson read a letter he sent to his supporters and political leaders stating that the “assault on the sanctity of human life takes me where I cannot go,” adding that as a matter of religious conviction and conscience that he would refuse to pay the fine.

Many in the audience gave Dobson a standing ovation.”

In case you’re wondering, Hahn is pro-choice. That’s probably why the truth offends her.

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3. This makes sense, which is why it’ll never happen.

From TheWashingtonTimes Rep. Chris Stewart of Utah, concerned about the armed agents that surrounded Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy’s property, is mulling a measure to cut funding for any “paramilitary units” that work for the Bureau of Land Management, the Internal Revenue Service and other federal regulatory agencies.

“There are lots of people who are really concerned when the BLM shows up with its own SWAT team,” he said, the Salt Lake Tribune reported. “They’re regulatory agencies. They’re not paramilitary units, and I think that concerns a lot of us.”

Mr. Stewart said it’s high time the government end its practice of arming its own special units for various agencies, like the BLM and the IRS.”

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4. The US is offering help in Nigeria to track down 200 schoolgirls kidnapped by the terrorist group Boko Haram.

From NBCNews  “Following outrage over the shocking abduction of over 200 schoolgirls by terrorists in east Africa, the U.S. State Department on Thursday said they were working with Nigeria to help look for them.

“We have been engaged with the Nigerian government in discussions on what we might do to help support their efforts to find and free these young women,” State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf told reporters Thursday. “We will continue to have those discussions and help in any way we can.”

On April 14, militants with the Islamic fundamentalist group “Boko Haram” – which translates to “Western education is sinful – attacked the Government Girls Secondary School in the northern Nigerian town of Chibok and kidnapped more than 200 girls. Now weeks later, reports have surfaced that the terrorists are selling the girls off as child brides for as little as $12.

Harf did not give specifics on what kind of help Washington might provide, but said: “We know Boko Haram is active in the area and we have worked very closely with the Nigerian government to build their capacity to fight this threat.”

 Let’s hope they can bring those responsible to justice for their acts as well.

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