News/Politics 4-30-14

What’s interesting in the news today?

I know. I went a little crazy today. We have political correctness running amok in our govt., and elsewhere. I just wanted to point it out.

1. First up, more PC nonsense from the Pentagon.

From PJMedia  “The nation’s top military brass gathered in the Pentagon auditorium Monday to pull out their pens and sign a ceremonial document vowing to “create an inclusive environment that values diversity and fosters mutual respect and cooperation among all persons.”

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey led the signing of the 2014 Human Goals Charter: “the cornerstone document governing the Defense Department’s fair treatment of people, as well as its diversity and equity programs.”

“Honestly, ladies and gentlemen, having these goals is really very good, but being able to say that this department is the frontrunner in these goals is exactly what we can be proud of today. This has been an unprecedented era of change, truly, since the desegregation of the armed forces in 1948 to the accomplishments of the present,” Wright added. That includes, she said, “fundamental changes in our views of sexual orientation.”

“We have extended the benefits to same-sex spouses of uniformed servicemembers and the department’s civilian employees. We have and we will continue to open military positions to servicemembers who were able to perform those duties, regardless of their gender, and those are just a few of the accomplishments,” Wright continued. “…Diversity is more than race or gender or religion. It’s a variety or mixture of thought. It’s the variety and mixture of ability, background, language, culture and skill. Fairness and dignity and respect and cooperation are among all members of our department, and that is an integral part of our mission accomplishment.”

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2. The EPA as well.

From EAGNews As reported at the Brenner Brief, Rev. Lennox Yearwood, president and CEO of the Hip Hop Caucus, “argues often that climate change is the ‘lunch counter moment’ for the younger generation.”

The EPA chief  encouraged black students, who are “most vulnerable to climate change,” to become “champion climate justice advocates” by supporting some of the FDA rules currently being pushed by environmental activists. McCarthy mentioned “greenhouse gas emission standards for new power plants that the agency released last fall, and the rules for existing plants” that are set to be released on June 1.

It is a matter of “equity,” the EPA chief said, as minorities have been “overburdened by pollution and environmental health hazards for far too long…”

“You can’t ensure environmental justice, and we can’t deliver on this president’s promise of opportunity for all,” she continued, “without giving people clean air and clean water and clean land to live on…”

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3. Let’s not forget the NBA. As bad as what he said was, this is way over the top. PC run amok.

From CBSNews  “NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced Tuesday Clippers owner Donald Sterling will be suspended for life and fined $2.5 million following racist remarks he made in a recorded audio clip.

Silver spoke to the press at an 11 a.m. news conference from New York, stating he will “do everything in my power” to force the sale of the Clippers.

“The hateful opinions voiced by that man are those of Mr. Sterling. The views expressed by Mr. Sterling are deeply offensive and harmful. That they came from an NBA owner only heightens the damage and my personal outrage,” Silver said. “I am banning Mr. Sterling for life from any association with the Clippers association or the NBA. Mr. Sterling may not attend any NBA games or practices, he may not be present at any Clippers facility, and he may not participate in any business or decisions involving the team.”

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4. Not to be out PCed, the CBC wants the NBA to have the power to strip ownership from anyone making insensitive racial remarks.

From TheHill  “Congressional Democrats said Tuesday that the NBA’s swift response to racially charged comments by Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling was a strong first step, but league limitations might not discourage similar behavior in the future.

The lawmakers, including several members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), suggested the league should wield more authority over individual owners — including more power to strip ownership — while maintaining the capacity to levy larger fines for racially insensitive behavior.”

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5. The feminists are getting in on the act. They want a monument on the National Mall. Does anyone doubt they’ll get it?

Just picture it, maybe a statue of the racist, abortion loving Sanger, or something equally tacky….

From Heritage Background: The National Women’s History Museum (NWHM) currently exists online “to raise awareness and honor women’s diverse experience and achievements.” For a number of years the museum and its vocal activists have been advocating for a physical location on the National Mall. H.R. 863 would establish a committee to study the creation of that location. The committee would make recommendations on the structure and governance of the site and explore fund-raising options. NWHM alleges that no taxpayer funds would be used to commission or construct the museum. While the idea of honoring the great female leaders of American History is noble and shared by all, many conservatives are concerned about the leftist ideological implications of this legislation.

Lack of Safeguards. While NWHM claims a nonpartisan agenda, there is no mechanism in place to ensure that the museum is not used as a platform to promote liberal propaganda (even if that museum is still in its infancy). The women typically celebrated by federally monitored or federally commissioned institutions are of the “progressive era” or the “sexual liberation movement” (consider particularly the characters and events promulgated by Smithsonian institutions or nationalized educational programs). These figures glorify the elements of women’s history that have furthered disrespect for human life, destruction of the family unit and general harm to the wellbeing of women.  As the CEO of the Concerned Women for America said in an open letter to Congress:

To indoctrinate American children, who visit the Nation’s capital, with leftist views is so distasteful that within this climate we respectfully decline our own museum.  We would prefer that students visit the other 19 Smithsonian museums and galleries to hear about women’s history than to have one that propagates a false narrative.”

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6. The UN and Obama admin are always quick to jump on climate change deniers as un-PC and anti-science. Lying, fudging the numbers, and rewriting the science is apparently the PC thing to do nowadays.

From TheDailyMail  “A top US academic has dramatically revealed how government officials forced him to change a hugely influential scientific report on climate change to suit their own interests. 

Harvard professor Robert Stavins electrified the worldwide debate on climate change on Friday by sensationally publishing a letter online in which he spelled out the astonishing interference.

He said the officials, representing ‘all the main countries and regions of the world’ insisted on the changes in a late-night meeting at a Berlin conference centre two weeks ago. Three quarters of the original version of the document ended up being deleted.

Prof Stavins claimed the intervention amounted to a serious ‘conflict of interest’ between scientists and governments. His revelation is significant because it is rare for climate change experts to publicly question the process behind the compilation of reports on the subject.”

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7. Meanwhile the EPA is withholding more job crushing regulations until after the mid-terms to aid Democrats. Can’t have them voting against America’s economy right before the election, now can we? Bad optics and all…

From TheFreeBeacon  “The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) delayed issuing a final regulation limiting greenhouse gas emissions for new power plants until after the midterm elections.

The agency pushed back publishing the rule for two months, allowing vulnerable Senate Democrats to avoid a vote on the measure six weeks before voters go to the polls.

President Obama directed the EPA to issue a proposal requiring new power plants to reduce their carbon pollution by “no later than” Sep. 20, 2013. The EPA posted the proposal on its website that day, but did not submit the rule to the Federal Register until Nov. 25, 2013. The rule was then published in the Federal Register on Jan. 8.

Once a rule is published in the Federal Register, agencies are required to finalize it within one year. As a result, the EPA does not have to finish the regulation until Jan. 8, 2015, instead of this September, just weeks before the midterms.

Just like with Benghazi, the IRS, the ObamaCare Individual Mandate, the ObamaCare Employer Mandate, etc., etc….. It’s a pattern with these frauds. 🙄

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8. Why does it matter? Because they’re already regulating the economy to death. This will just make it worse. It’s Cap and Trade, without that messy legislative process.

From Investors.com After years of rapid growth during the Obama administration, the cost of federal regulations is now bigger than the entire economies of all but nine countries in the world.

That’s according to the latest annual report on the regulatory state issued by the free-market Competitive Enterprise Institute, titled “Ten Thousand Commandments.”

Compiling reports of compliance costs from various government agencies and outside sources, author Clyde Wayne Crews found that the “regulation tax” imposed on the economy now tops $1.86 trillion. By comparison, Canada’s entire GDP is $1.82 trillion. India’s is $1.84 trillion.

The problem, Crews notes, is that the combined cost of this “tax” never shows up anywhere in the federal budget — or any other official report — even though it is now bigger than individual and corporate income taxes combined.”

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9. And speaking of Benghazi…… another update.

From Mediaite  “On Tuesday, an email obtained by the government watchdog Judicial Watch revealed that a senior American advisor informed then National Security Advisor Susan Rice to emphasize that the deadly 2012 attack on a U.S. consulate in Libya was the result of a spontaneous protest arising from an inflammatory YouTube video. Transcripts later revealed that senior defense officials had informed the administration on the night of the assault that the event was a “terrorist attack.”

Fox’s intel correspondent Catherine Herridge reported that a September 14 emails links White House Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes advised Rice to focus on the YouTube video during her appearances on a variety of Sunday morning news programs:

Among the goals Rhodes outlined for Rice was for her “to underscore that these protests are rooted in an internet video, and not a broader failure of policy.”

Which is exactly what it was. A complete failure of policy. Can’t have folks believing the truth right before an election now can we? 🙄

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News/Politics 7-18-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

First up, the Race Card, how original. 🙄

From CNSNews  “Addressing the annual NAACP convention in Orlando, Fla., Health and  Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said that opponents of  Obamacare are the same kind of people who opposed civil rights  legislation in the 1960s.”

“”The  same arguments against change, the same fear and misinformation that  opponents used then are the same ones opponents are spreading now. ‘This  won’t work,’ ‘Slow down,’ ‘Let’s wait,’ they say.”

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Holder wasn’t gonna be outdone.

Also from CNSNews  “The  nation’s top cop indicated that police treatment of black men and boys  is part of America’s (alleged) racial problem. “And we must confront the  underlying attitudes, mistaken beliefs, and unfortunate stereotypes that  serve too often as the basis for police action and private judgments,”  Holder said.

Just as his own father warned him about the police, so Holder says he has felt it necessary to warn his son:”

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And here’s a story on the NAACP conference Holder and Sebelius attended blackballing conservative black leaders.

From TownHall  “According to author and Fox News contributor Deneen Borelli and her husband, Tom Borelli, black conservatives have been blacklisted from the NAACP’s national conferences for years. When the Borellis, who are employees of the conservative group FreedomWorks, attempted to pay for booth space at this year’s 104th National NAACP conference in Florida, they were told there was no room for them despite plenty of exhibit space remaining open.”

Meanwhile Obama tells Telemundo that the reason Republicans are against his amnesty plan is because they fear minorities in the majority. Race baiters, from the top down.

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Jay Carney was shocked to hear about threats made to the Zimmerman family. Again, the first he’d heard there was a problem.

From TheWaPo  “A high school intern with the conservative Daily Caller Web site got into a testy exchange with White House Press Secretary Jay Carney Wednesday after asking if the White House would intervene to protect George Zimmerman from death threats in the wake of his acquittal on murder and manslaughter charges.

“Because of the death threats being received by George Zimmerman and his parents, is the president going to take any action for their security or are they on their own?” Gabe Finger asked.

Carney responded that he wasn’t aware of the threats and that Florida authorities would be responsible for handling them, but that Obama opposes “any violence of any kind” in response to the verdict in the Trayvon Martin case.”

Sure Jay.

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Liberals of all colors play along, so yeah, more white guilt. Always with the Race thing.

From Time  “If there is one hopeful note amidst all the anguish and recrimination from the  acquittal of George Zimmerman, it’s that growing numbers of white people have  come to appreciate whiteness for what it is: an unearned set of privileges. And  as a result of that dawning awareness, it’s become possible to imagine a day  when that structure of privilege is dismantled – by white people.”

Yeah. 🙄

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And a little more background on the Zimmerman prosecutors. Can you say “malicious prosecution”? Yeah, I knew you could.

From NationalReview  “And that was moderate. When Corey was appointed to handle the Zimmerman case, Talbot “Sandy” D’Alemberte, a former president of both the American Bar Association and Florida State University, criticized the decision: “I cannot imagine a worse choice for a prosecutor to serve in the Sanford case. There is nothing in Angela Corey’s background that suits her for the task, and she cannot command the respect of people who care about justice.” Corey responded by making a public-records request of the university for all e-mails, text messages, and phone messages in which D’Alemberte had mentioned Fernandez. Like Littlepage, D’Alemberte had earlier criticized Corey’s handling of the Fernandez case.

Not many people are willing to cross Corey. A Florida attorney I spoke with declined to go on record because of “concerns about retaliation” — that attorney has pending cases that will require Corey’s cooperation. The attorney mentioned colleagues who have refused to speak to the media for the same reason. And to think: D’Alemberte crossed Corey twice. He should get a medal.”

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And the CBC is up to their usual.

From TheHill  “Members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) are readying a flurry of  bills in response to George Zimmerman’s acquittal on charges in last year’s  fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin.

The lawmakers are drafting proposals intended to rein in racial profiling;  scrap state stand-your-ground laws; and promote better training for the nation’s  neighborhood watch volunteers, among other anti-violence measures. CBC  members had remained largely silent throughout the trial, but following the  verdict, argued forcefully that, decades after the civil rights movement, the  nation’s criminal justice system still discriminates against blacks and other  minorities.”

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It’s odd that they’d want to scrap “Stand Your Ground”. Especially when you consider the facts.

From TheDailyCaller African Americans benefit from Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” self-defense law  at a rate far out of proportion to their presence in the state’s population,  despite an assertion by Attorney General Eric Holder that repealing “Stand Your  Ground” would help African Americans.

Black Floridians have made about a third of the state’s total “Stand Your  Ground” claims in homicide cases, a rate nearly double the black percentage of  Florida’s population. The majority of those claims have been successful, a  success rate that exceeds that for Florida whites.”

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And in non-race news, again, from the top down.

From TheWaPo  “The chief counsel’s office for the Internal Revenue Service, headed by a political appointee of President Obama, helped develop the agency’s problematic guidelines for reviewing “tea party” cases, according to a top IRS attorney.”

Like everyone didn’t already know this went back to the White House. 🙄

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And did anyone really believe it ended with phone tapping and e-mail snooping?

From TheACLU  “Automatic license plate readers are the most widespread location tracking technology you’ve probably never heard of. Mounted on patrol cars or stationary objects like bridges, they snap photos of every passing car, recording their plate numbers, times, and locations. At first the captured plate data was used just to check against lists of cars law enforcement hoped to locate for various reasons (to act on arrest warrants, find stolen cars, etc.). But increasingly, all of this data is being fed into massive databases that contain the location information of many millions of innocent Americans stretching back for months or even years.”

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More here from FoxNews  “Law enforcement officials also point out that the  technology is legal in most cases, automating a practice that’s been done for  years. The ACLU found that only five states have laws governing license plate  readers. New Hampshire, for example, bans the technology except in narrow  circumstances, while Maine and Arkansas limit how long plate information can be  stored.

“There’s no expectation of privacy” for a vehicle  driving on a public road or parked in a public place, said Lt. Bill Hedgpeth, a  spokesman for the Mesquite Police Department in Texas, which has records  stretching back to 2008, although the city plans next month to begin deleting  files older than two years. “It’s just a vehicle. It’s just a license  plate.””

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News/Politics 3-6-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

We’ve got lot’s to choose from today.

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UPDATE

Kentucky Senator Rand Paul is pulling a good ol’ fashioned fillibuster. He’s holding up the cloture vote for CIA nominee Brennan until he gets answers on the Obama drone program. He plans to keep it up until he can’t speak any more. Other Republicans are joining in. You can watch live at CSPAN 2 at the link below.

http://www.c-span.org/Live-Video/C-SPAN2/

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Since I pointed out the allegations against Senator Menendez, it’s only fair to point out this one too. This one alleges the prostitute has recanted her story.

From TheWashingtonPost

“An escort who appeared on a video claiming that Sen. Robert Menendez  (D-N.J.) paid her for sex has told Dominican authorities that she was instead paid to make up the claims and has never met or seen the senator, according to court documents and two people briefed on her claim.

The woman said a local lawyer had approached her and a fellow escort and asked them to help frame Menendez and a top donor, Salomon Melgen, according to affidavits obtained by The Washington Post.”

“Daily Caller Editor Tucker Carlson did not reply to phone calls and e-mails requesting comment.”

Now I included that last line for a reason. The Daily Caller says the Post story is inaccurate. The Post has the wrong prostitute. They also point out a discrepancy with the last line there from the Post.

From TheDailyCaller

“The Washington Post mistook one prostitute for another Monday in a report that  initially seemed to debunk a November 2012 Daily Caller exposé of New  Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez.”

“While the Post said it had an affidavit from a woman in the Dominican Republic  admitting she fabricated claims Menendez paid her for sex, that woman was not  one of the two prostitutes TheDC interviewed for a Nov. 1 report.”

Politico  get’s in on the act, as referee.

“ORIGINAL STORY: The Washington Post and the Daily Caller remain at odds over whether or not WaPo reporter Carol Leonnig reached out to TheDC for comment prior to reporting about the outlet’s involvement in a story pertaining to Dominican prostitutes and Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez.

The Daily Caller has now provided POLITICO with what it says is the first email Leonnig sent to Daily Caller editor Tucker Carlson on Monday night. According to the email as it was provided by TheDC, Leonnig sent her first email to Carlson at 5:35 p.m., more than half an hour after the Post posted its original story online. Her email — again, as provided by TheDC — includes an introduction and a link to the already-live story.”

UPDATE (1:07 p.m.): The Washington Post’s Carol Leonnig did not report that she had reached out to The Daily Caller for comment in her initial report. She later updated her story after reaching out to Carlson, noting that Carlson did not return requests for comment. But updated versions of the story did not — and, so far, do not — mention that the story was updated.

UPDATE (2:38 p.m.): The Daily Caller now points out that the Post has changed its story — again, without noting that the post has been updated — so that it no longer claims definitively that the Dominican prostitute who recanted her allegation against Sen. Menendez was the same one who appeared in a video posted by The Daily Caller. The Washington Post has yet to comment on why it does not note updates to its story.

Hmmmm…….

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We also have some new developments in the Trayvon Martin case. You probably won’t hear much about this though. Doesn’t fit the meme.

From TheOrlandoSentinel

“Trayvon Martin’s girlfriend, the state’s most important witness in the George Zimmerman murder case, was caught in a lie Tuesday.

It was not the first piece of misinformation tied to her, but it was the most damaging to date and left prosecutors in a very awkward position.

They had to publicly acknowledge that their star witness had lied under oath and had to answer questions about what they intend to do about it.”

OK, now I’ll ask the obvious. Was she coached to lie by Al Sharpton, like he did with Tawana Brawley? It seems to be similar in that one case fell apart when it went to court, and this one seems to be faring just as poorly. The truth comes out.

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Looks like Democrats have some explaining to do. They won’t of course, and the media is still on his side and will continue to carry his water so he doesn’t have to. But he should. Here’s further proof of what a fraud this whole Sequester thing has been. All of it orchestrated by the man who signed it into law.

From TheWashingtonTimes

“The Obama administration denied an appeal  for flexibility in lessening the sequester’s effects, with an email this week appearing to show officials in Washington that because they already had promised  the cuts would be devastating, they now have to follow through on that.”

“In the email sent Monday by Charles Brown,  an official with the Animal  and Plant Health Inspection Service office in Raleigh, N.C., Mr. Brown asked “if there was any latitude” in how to spread the sequester cuts  across the region to lessen the impacts on fish inspections.”

“He said he was discouraged by officials in Washington, who gave him this reply: “We have gone on record with a notification to Congress and whoever else that ‘APHIS would eliminate assistance to producers in 24 states in managing wildlife damage to the aquaculture industry, unless they provide funding to cover the costs.’ So it is our opinion that however you manage that reduction, you need to make sure you are not contradicting what we said the  impact would be.””

““This email confirms what many Americans have suspected: The Obama administration is doing everything they can to make sure their worst  predictions come true and to maximize the pain of the Sequester cuts for  political gain,” said Rep. Tim Griffin, Arkansas Republican.”

And they paraded out a bunch of flunkies to lie as well.

From TheTelegraphUK

“Ms Napolitano said today that major airports were seeing lines “150 to 200 percent as long as we would normally expect” as result of the federal spending cuts that went into force on Friday.”

“However, when contacted by The Daily Telegraph, spokespeople for both O’Hare and LAX, as well as representatives from the travel industry, denied that airports had been hit by delays.”

“Arne Duncan, the secretary of education, was widely criticised last month for saying that teachers were already being laid off because of the cuts, a claim without evidence. The Washington Post‘s Fact Checker blog awarded the claim four Pinocchios – its highest rating for falsehood.”

It’s a disaster of their own making. Just like they intended.

And even with all of this out and exposed, they just double down on the lies and intentionally inflicted pain.

From TheHill

“Members of the Congressional Black Caucus said Monday night that the $85 billion in cuts to federal spending, known as the sequester, will disproportionately affect blacks and other minorities, in part because they are more likely to work  for the government.

“Sequestration will impact everyone, but it will have  a particularly harmful effect on communities of color who were hit first and  worst by the great recession, and have yet to significantly feel the effects of  the recovery,” Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) said Monday.”

“”Federal budget cuts under sequestration would quickly mean cuts to federal, state and local public-sector jobs, which disproportionately employ women and African-Americans.””

And it’s only disproportionate because of reverse discrimination and sexism, which the govt is fine with and enables thru affirmative action.

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