News/Politics 3-10-14

What’s interesting in the news today?

1. CPAC finished up it’s annual conference over the weekend. The results from the conservative side of the Republican party are in, and their early favorite has emerged from a crowded pack.

From TheWashingtonTimes Sen. Rand Paul demolished his competition in the 2014 Washington Times/CPAC presidential preference straw poll on Saturday, winning 31 percent of the vote — nearly three times the total of second-place Sen. Ted Cruz.”

“In the presidential poll, Mr. Cruz’s 11 percent was a big improvement for the freshman senator, who won just 4 percent in last year’s straw poll. Neurosurgeon Ben Carson was third with 9 percent and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was fourth with 8 percent in results that signal growing discontent with the GOP establishment in Washington.

Indeed, CPAC voters now have an unfavorable view of Republicans in Congress, with 51 percent saying they disapprove of the job the GOP is doing on Capitol Hill. Just last year the GOP had a 54 percent approval rating, and in 2012 they held a 70 percent approval rating.”

More here from the WT, with more of Paul’s speech.

Ted Cruz lays out his sweeping vision here, also via the WT.

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2. Putin is threatening economic sanctions of his own, while tightening his grip.

From TheTelegraph  “Vladimir Putin has mocked diplomatic efforts to end the Ukraine   crisis as Russia threatened to disrupt European gas supplies by cutting off   sales to Kiev over its unpaid debts. 

The Russian president said through his official spokesman that, despite deep   disagreements with the West, he did not want a confrontation over Ukraine to   spiral into a “new cold war”. 

Nevertheless Dmitry Peskov ridiculed Western demands for direct talks between   the Kremlin and the new Kiev government, claiming that the loss of   credibility involved “puts a smile on our face”.”

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3. Will the IRS investigate?

Good question. But no, they won’t.

From TheDailyCaller  “The IRS still has not responded to allegations from a former Center for American Progress (CAP) employee that the left-wing think tank coordinates on editorial content with the White House — revelations that could threaten the organization’s nonprofit status.

Former ThinkProgress reporter Zaid Jilani wrote a piece this week detailing his experiences working for the liberal blog, which is run by CAP’s 501(c)(4) nonprofit Action Fund, the advocacy arm of White House counselor John Podesta’s think tank.”

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4. I’ll believe it when it actually happens.

From HotAir  “On Wednesday, we found out the Big Reveal on whether or not Lois Lerner would be emptying the bag for Darrell Issa. Nope. So many perfectly good conspiracy theories flushed down the tubes after I went through two pots of coffee dreaming them up. It looked like a big, fat nothingburger and another dead end. But now, seemingly out of nowhere, the IRS seems to have had a change of heart.

The powerful House Ways and Means Committee will get everything from disgraced former IRS official Lois Lerner’s email account since a few weeks before Barack Obama became president.

And Republican committee members are hoping they’ll find a smoking gun tying the Obama administration to the years-long scheme to play political favorites with nonprofit groups’ tax-exemption applications.

After eight months of back-and-forth stonewalling, the IRS has agreed to turn over the complete contents of Lerner’s email account, along with other documents that two congressional committees have been demanding.”

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5. This last one is very sad. It’s unbelievable that this is allowed to continue.

From CNSNews  “In New York City, 80% of the babies killed by  abortion in 2012 were minorities: Hispanics, Asians, Pacific Islanders,  and Blacks.

According to a “Pregnancy Outcomes” report published by the New York  City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, there were a total 73,815  “induced terminations,” or abortions, in 2012 in the five boroughs that  comprise New York City. 

Among those abortions, 58,738 were of babies of minority race or  ethnicity.  That’s 79.57% of the total, or approximately 80% of all the  abortions that year.”

The NYC Dept. of Health report is here, (See  Pregnancy Outcomes  NYC 2012.pdf)

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News/Politics 9-14-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

First up, Colorado.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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This has to be killing Emanuel.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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And last for today, this one. 🙂

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

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News/Politics 8-26-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

Things are escalating in Syria.

From TheTelegraph  “Britain is planning to join forces with America and launch military action against Syria within days in response to the gas attack believed to have been carried out by President Bashar al-Assad’s forces against his own people.”

“Royal Navy vessels are being readied to take part in a possible series of cruise missile strikes, alongside the United States, as military commanders finalise a list of potential targets.

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The IRS is at it again.

From TheDailyCaller  “The Internal Revenue Service is targeting the veterans’ organization the  American Legion, and a U.S. senator believes that Lois Lerner — a key figure in  the IRS scandal – is to blame.

“The IRS now requires American Legion posts to maintain dates of service and  character of service records for all members… The penalty for not having the  required proof of eligibility is, apparently, $1,000 per day,” the American  Legion stated.”

“The American Legion has recently learned of the so-called IRS ‘audit manual’  and is concerned that portions of it attempt to amend statutes passed by  Congress and approved by the president,” American Legion legal counsel  Philip Onderdonk, Jr. told The Daily Caller.

“Resolutions recommending action by the Legion’s legislative division on two  of the most egregious sections of the IRS document are being presented for a  vote by members at The American Legion’s annual national convention in Houston  [this] week. If the resolutions are adopted, the Legion will be empowered as a  body to urge correction of the veterans service organization-related portion(s)  of the IRS manual and suggest congressional review of the entire 38 section IRS  document,” Onderdonk said.”

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Remember Obama’s promises about keeping lobbyists out of his admin? Yeah, I guess like most of his promises, it has an expiration date.

From TheHill  “ObamaCare has become big business for an elite network of Washington lobbyists  and consultants who helped shape the law from the inside.
 
More than  30 former administration officials, lawmakers and congressional staffers who  worked on the healthcare law have set up shop on K Street since 2010.”

“Major lobbying firms such as Fierce, Isakowitz & Blalock, The Glover Park  Group, Alston & Bird, BGR Group and Akin Gump can all boast an ObamaCare  insider on their lobbying roster — putting them in a prime position to land  coveted clients.”

So he won’t let lobbyists in, but he keeps cranking them out? I guess he didn’t mean his ObamaCare lobbyists.

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Maybe he needs to send some lobbyists out to the state and local levels on behalf of ObamaCare. They don’t seem to be getting the message.

From HotAir  “It’s been quite a week for ObamaCare, and we’re not even to the end of it yet.  First we find out that the White House missed half of the statutory deadlines in the bill and still has almost half of them left unaccomplished.  Next, UPS canceled spousal coverage because of the ACA, which will save it $60 million in costs, and CNBC described how employees might start petitioning their bosses to drop health insurance in order to score taxpayer-funded subsidies.  The AFL-CIO in Nevada finally discovered what a bad deal they’re getting, and Gallup confirmed that the more people know about ObamaCare, the less they like it.

Today, we find out that it’s not just the private sector that’s looking to recover ObamaCare costs at the expense of workers:

Many cash-strapped cities and counties facing the prospect of shelling out hundreds of thousands of dollars in new health-care costs under the Affordable Care Act are opting instead to reduce the number of hours their part-time employees work.

The decisions to cut employee hours come 16 months before employers — including state and local governments — will be required to offer health care coverage to employees who work at least 30 hours a week. Some local officials said the cuts are happening now either because of labor contracts that must be negotiated in advance, or because the local governments worry that employees who work at least 30 hours in the months leading up to the January 2015 implementation date would need to be included in their health-care plans.”

And here’s even more that apparently need some of that sweet, sweet lobbying.

From FoxNews Delta Air Lines has issued an urgent warning about the impact of ObamaCare,  claiming the law’s implementation will contribute to a roughly $100 million  increase in health care costs next year alone. 

A representative with Delta confirmed the authenticity of the letter to  FoxNews.com. 

“Like many large companies, Delta faces significantly increased healthcare  costs in 2014 and beyond,” the company said in a statement on Friday. “Delta  will absorb the vast majority of those increased costs so that we can continue  providing a high value, high quality health plan. Consistent with our culture,  Delta will always keep the best interests of our people in mind in connection  with the healthcare and other benefits we provide.””

Looks like airfare will be rising, thanks to ObamaCare.

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INS agents are now being told not to arrest or deport illegal immigrants with children.

From TheWashingtonTimes The Obama administration issued a new   policy Friday  that says immigration agents should try not to arrest and  deport  illegal immigrant parents of minor children. The move  adds to the  categories  of people the administration is trying not  to  deport.

In a nine-page memo, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said agents  should use “prosecutorial discretion” to try   to avoid detaining parents and,  if parents are detained, agents should   make sure they have the ability to  visit with their children or   participate in family court proceedings.

The  move won praise from immigrant-rights groups who said it’s a  step   toward a less harsh detention policy. But a top Republican blasted  the  memo as  another effort by the Obama administration to circumvent  the  law.

“President  Obama has once again abused his authority and  unilaterally  refused to  enforce our current immigration laws by  directing U.S. Immigration  and  Customs Enforcement agents to stop  removing broad categories of unlawful  immigrants,” said House Judiciary   Committee Chairman Robert W.   Goodlatte, Virginia Republican.”

And no one will do a thing about it.

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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…..

News/Politics 6-18-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

Here’s a bunch I thought were noteworthy.

First up, something to consider before donating to charities. And as a side note, these people got away with this while the IRS wasted their time on Tea Party and like-minded groups. From HotAir

“Three charities supposedly focused on breast cancer and cancer in children raised $26 million in a single year.  Good news, right?  The bad news is that less than $15,000 of those funds got used to help victims of cancer.  CNN, the Tampa Bay Times, and the Center for Investigative Reporting found that the three charities have a lot in common — their leaders are all related to each other:”

“– The 50 worst charities in America devote less than 4% of donations raised to direct cash aid. Some charities gave even less. Over a decade, one diabetes charity raised nearly $14 million and gave about $10,000 to patients. Six spent no cash at all on their cause.

– Even as they plead for financial support, operators at many of the 50 worst charities have lied to donors about where their money goes, taken multiple salaries, secretly paid themselves consulting fees or arranged fund-raising contracts with friends. One cancer charity paid a company owned by the president’s son nearly $18 million over eight years to solicit funds. A medical charity paid its biggest research grant to its president’s own for-profit company.

– Some nonprofits are little more than fronts for fund-raising companies, which bankroll their startup costs, lock them into exclusive contracts at exorbitant rates and even drive the charities into debt. Florida-based Project Cure has raised more than $65 million since 1998, but every year has wound up owing its fundraiser more than what was raised. According to its latest financial filing, the nonprofit is $3 million in debt.”

Just wrong on so many levels….

And in other IRS news…… From InvestorsBusinessDaily

“While the IRS was hassling any nonprofit group with the word “patriot” in its  name, it was rubber stamping exemptions for “Islamic” groups, even organizations  that violate disclosure laws.

Worse, it was even finding favor with nonprofits tied to terrorism — namely,  the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations, which not  coincidentally is yoked to the Democratic Party.

Despite being blackballed by the FBI, which still suspects it’s fronting for Hamas, and despite failing to file annual tax reports as required by federal  law, CAIR apparently has found friends in high places at the nation’s powerful  taxing authority.”

And in the White House and State Dept.

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Next up, a story that should tick you off regardless of your left/right leanings. From TheDailyCaller

“Unionized local employees repeatedly harassed and intimidated non-union  workers of a private disaster cleanup firm that won a government contract to  restore Long Island, New York, in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.

The vice president of the union even made threats against the wife and kids  of one of the workers. That worker felt it necessary to call the police and  pursue other security measures to protect his family, a source told The Daily  Caller News Foundation.”

“Soon thereafter, representatives of Local 138, a union representing heavy  equipment operators, began visiting construction sites, demanding that the  company hire unionized employees to help with the job.

But LGS was paying its workers — some of whom came from out of state —  market-based wages, rather than union wages, in compliance with federal law  regarding disaster recovery jobs.”

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Next up, a couple of pieces from Pew. Looks like 70% of the country is smarter than our govt. From PewResearchCenter

“Broad majorities continue to oppose the U.S. and its allies sending arms and military supplies to anti-government groups in Syria. Last Thursday’s announcement that the U.S. would aid the rebels has not increased public support for action, and majorities of all partisan groups are opposed.”

“Overall, 70% oppose the U.S. and its allies sending arms and military supplies to anti-government groups in Syria; just 20% favor this. Opinion is little changed from December of last year (24% favor) and support is down slightly from March, 2012 (29% favor).

The latest national survey by the Pew Research Center, conducted June 12-16 among 1,512 adults, finds a major factor in overall attitudes about Syria is the impression that the U.S. military is already stretched thin. About two-thirds (68%) say the U.S. is too overcommitted to get involved in another conflict, and just 27% disagree. The public also has questions about the opposition groups in Syria: 60% say that they may be no better than the current government.”

And also a study from Pew that seems to state what we already knew. Mostly it’s activism and agenda, not news. From Politico

“News outlets’ coverage of gay marriage tended to be significantly more  favorable than unfavorable, according to a new survey Monday.

Stories focusing on support for same-sex marriage were five times more  frequent than those focused on opposition, the analysis conducted by the Pew Research Center found.

Of the stories Pew focused on, 47 percent concentrated on supportive viewpoints,  while 9 percent concentrated on opposition. Forty-four percent of stories were  neutral or presented a balance of opinions.”

“While the stronger showing of support was seen across the 58 news outlets Pew  analyzed, the range varied outlet to outlet. On cable news, Pew found 64 percent  of MSNBC stories were supportive, to 30 percent mixed and 6 percent opposing.  Fox News’s coverage was 29 percent supportive, 63 percent mixed and 8 percent  against. CNN aired 39 percent favorable stories, with 57 percent neutral and 4  percent opposed.”

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Last up, Hollywood just loves to honor the sexual predators and perverts among their stars. From Breitbart

“Disgraced former “Sesame Street” puppeteer and producer Kevin Clash won three Daytime Awards in Los Angeles this weekend.

Clash lent his voice to the fuzzy, red monster Elmo for nearly three decades, but resigned last year after several men came forward and said they had sex with him when they were minors. Although no criminal charges have been brought against Clash, several men are suing him for his alleged abusive behavior.

Clash earned a trio of prizes at the Daytime Entertainment Creative Arts Emmy Awards ceremony Friday at Westin Bonaventure. In addition to his win for outstanding performer in a children’s series, he shared trophies for outstanding pre-school children’s series and directing in a children’s series for his collaboration with the show’s creative team.”

Again, just wrong on so many levels.

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News/Politics 6-11-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

Well it’s Tuesday, a new day. And a new scandal. Can you say insider trading? Yeah, I knew ya’ could. From TheWashingtonPost

“Hundreds of federal employees were given advance word of a Medicare decision worth billions of dollars to private insurers in the weeks before the official announcement, a period when trading in the shares of those firms spiked.

The surge of trading in Humana’s and other private health insurers’ stock before the April 1 announcement already has prompted the Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission to investigate whether Wall Street investors had advance access to inside information about the then-confidential Medicare funding plan.

Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) told The Washington Post late last week that his office reviewed the e-mail records of employees at the Department of Health and Human Services and found that 436 of them had early access to the Medicare decision as much as two weeks before it was made public.”

More here from HotAir

“Is this scandal number five or number six? There’s Benghazi, the IRS, the DOJ snooping on reporters, Sebelius shaking down health executives for ObamaCare contributions, and now the NSA/PRISM/Snowden story. This new WaPo story makes six. No, wait — seven. Ed just posted on the State Department covering up misconduct. We’re going to need a bigger boat.

Actually, there are two potential scandals here. One is HHS tossing around what was supposed to be sensitive information to a huge swath of employees in-house. The other scandal is who actually leaked it, assuming anyone did. It might not have come from HHS at all but rather from some old-fashioned Beltway congressional/lobbyist incest. As with most of the other Obama scandals, this story is less about O himself than about the foreseeable abuses that result as the federal whale grows. You can have bigger government or you can have more accountable government. The guy who signed ObamaCare into law has made his choice.”

Yeah. Welcome to Washington. You didn’t think Congress critters were the only ones doing it did you? 🙄

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The govt would like us to believe that we shouldn’t worry about FISA snooping. After all, it’s all overseen by a court. A rubber stamp court, but still, a court. 🙄  Also from TheWashingtonPost

“Under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978, the government is required to obtain a judicial warrant — similar to those issued in criminal investigations — before federal intelligence agencies can conduct electronic surveillance and gather intelligence within the United States in the interest of national security. The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court was established by Congress to approve or deny warrant applications related to national security investigations. Read related article.”

34,000 warrant applications. Only 11 have ever been denied. That’s a rubber stamp court if I ever saw one.

And in case you were wondering, this is what hypocrisy looks like.

Meanwhile, the IRS wants in on the whole spying thing too. From CNSNews

“The IRS, currently in the midst of scandals involving  the targeting of conservative groups and lavish taxpayer-funded  conferences, is ordering surveillance equipment that includes hidden  cameras in coffee trays, plants and clock radios.

The IRS wants to secure the surveillance equipment quickly – it  posted a solicitation on June 6 and is looking to close the deal by  Monday, June 10.  The agency already has a company lined up for the  order but is not commenting on the details.

“The Internal Revenue Service intends to award a Purchase Order to an undisclosed Corporation,” reads the solicitation.

“The following descriptions are vague due to the use and nature of the items,” it says.”

I’m sure there’s a perfectly reasonable explanation for this. I can’t think of any, but I’m sure there’s some. 🙄

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As the Senate prepares to vote on immigration/amnesty, keep this in mind. It’s all broken promises and they haven’t even passed it yet. They don’t even try to hide the lies anymore. From Senator Sessions, via TheLATimes

“The so-called Gang of Eight immigration plan now being considered by the Senate fails to live up to every major promise made by its sponsors. Far from improving the immigration system, their 1,000-page proposal would exacerbate many of its flaws. It would dangerously undermine future enforcement while imposing substantial burdens on taxpayers and taking jobs and pay from U.S. workers.

Indeed, the two unions representing our nation’s immigration and customs officers and those who process immigration applications have strongly urged opposition.

The sponsors’ promise of enforcement first was broken when lead sponsor Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) declared: “First, people will be legalized…. Then we’ll make sure the border is secure.” About 11 million immigrants who are here illegally — which includes 4 million who have overstayed their visas — would receive work permits, Social Security numbers and access to state and local benefits within six months of passage. The Department of Homeland Security merely has to submit a border plan, not accomplish that plan. Those legalized will then be free to compete for jobs at a time of low wages and high unemployment. It’s amnesty first, not enforcement first.”

“The sponsors promised that people here illegally would not be eligible for public benefits. But, after the immediate grant of legal status, the legislation confers permanent residency within 10 years after passage (in many cases sooner), guaranteeing eligibility for federal benefits at a staggering long-term cost. In the short term, many would become eligible for state public assistance programs upon receiving the initial amnesty.”

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I posted a story on this guy a week ago. Now that we know more, it looks even worse. I understand and support the restrictions placed on soldiers when it comes to the CiC. But this goes well beyond that. What is going on in our military resembles what went on at the IRS. A witch hunt against conservatives and religious folks. This is a man with a spotless 25 year record. From FoxNews

“A member of the U.S. Army Band who said he was reprimanded for having anti-Obama bumper stickers on his personal car, serving Chick-fil-A sandwiches at a party and reading books written by conservative authors like Sean Hannity is now facing Article 15 charges – which cropped up shortly after he went public with his complaints.”

“The Military District of Washington disputed allegations that Sommers had been reprimanded or disciplined. “The Soldier is not, and never has been, ‘facing retribution and punishment from the military for having anti-Obama bumper stickers on his car, reading books written by conservative authors like Mark Levin and David Limbaugh, and serving Chick-fil-A sandwiches at his promotion party,’” Public Affairs Director Michelle Roberts told Fox News in a written statement.”

“The MDW spokesman was either uninformed or was being disingenuous,” he said. “The counseling form clearly stated that he was being reminded of his limited ability to disagree with the President’s policies and implied that displaying the bumper stickers could lead to prosecution under the Hatch Act.””

“Sommers also came under fire for reading the works of Mark Levin, Sean Hannity and David Limbaugh. Last summer he was reading Limbaugh’s “The Great Destroyer” backstage at a concert when a superior officer told him that he was causing “unit disruption” and was offending other soldiers. “It wasn’t read aloud,” Sommers told Fox News. “I was just reading privately to myself.”

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News/Politics 5-15-13

What’s interesting out there in the news today?

Open Thread, feel free to share. 🙂

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The more we know, the worse it gets. Their stories have more holes than swiss cheese. The claim that it was just the Cincinnati IRS office has already been proven false.

Internal Revenue Service officials in Washington and at least two other offices were involved with investigating conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status, making clear that the effort reached well beyond the branch in Cincinnati that was initially blamed, according to documents obtained by TheWashingtonPost.

Carney: W.H. ‘People Were Aware’ of IRS Targeting Conservatives, But Didn’t Do Anything About It. From TheWeeklyStandard

President Obama will do what he always does. Throw somebody else under the bus. From TheGretaWire

“I’ve directed Secretary Lew to hold those responsible for these failures accountable, and to make sure that each of the Inspector General’s recommendations are implemented quickly, so that such conduct never happens again.  But regardless of how this conduct was allowed to take place, the bottom line is, it was wrong.  Public service is a solemn privilege.  I expect everyone who serves in the federal government to hold themselves to the highest ethical and moral standards.  So do the American people.  And as President, I intend to make sure our public servants live up to those standards every day.”

It’s gonna be fun when these low-level scapegoats are under oath. I’d like to hear where they say the orders came from.

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Franklin Graham says they were targeted by the IRS too. From Politico

“While these audits not only wasted taxpayer money, they wasted money  contributed by donors for ministry purposes as we had to spend precious  resources servicing the IRS agents in our offices,” Graham wrote in the letter, which was shared with POLITICO. “I believe that someone in the administration was  targeting and attempting to intimidate us. This is morally wrong and unethical – indeed some would call it ‘un-American.”

Graham said that “in light” of the IRS admission that it targeted tea party  groups for added scrutiny, “I do not believe that the IRS audit of our two  organizations last year is a coincidence – or justifiable.”

Looks like there may have been other victims as well. Someone seems to be using the IRS to harrass perceived “enemies” of the President.

Reporter Claims IRS Harassment After Tough Obama Interview *UPDATE: Conners Muzzled from TheDanaShow

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At least one group had a sense of humor about it, though I doubt the IRS found it funny. 🙂

IRS Asks for Reading List, Tea Party Group Sends Constitution. From ABCNews

“The Ohio woman also did not expect that providing information about the books her group read would be part of the application process.

“I was trying to be very cordial, but they wanted copies of unbelievable things,” Bower told ABC News today. “They wanted to know what materials we had discussed at any of our book studies.”

Now can someone tell me what the books they read have to do with granting tax exempt status?

Here’s some more of the questions asked of conservative groups. They even wanted info on family members of conservative organization members. From PJMedia

Much of that information would allow the IRS to identify individual members of the targeted groups. Not just staff and donors, but members.”

And then the IRS makes it all public, thereby fulfilling the liberal dream of finding, publicly naming, and attempting to publicly shame conservative donors. Like the Koch Brothers.

And yes, it turns out the IRS did leak info on conservative groups for just that purpose. From ProPublica

“The same IRS office that deliberately targeted conservative groups applying for tax-exempt status in the run-up to the 2012 election released nine pending confidential applications of conservative groups to ProPublica late last year .”

“In response to a request for the applications for 67 different nonprofits last November, the Cincinnati office of the IRS sent ProPublica applications or documentation for 31 groups. Nine of those applications had not yet been approved—meaning they were not supposed to be made public. (We made six  of those public, after redacting their financial information, deeming that they were newsworthy.)”

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Meanwhile, certain shady groups got expedited service. You just have to know the right people. Or be the President’s brother.

IRS official Lerner speedily approved exemption for Obama brother’s ‘charity’. From TheDailyCaller

“Lois Lerner, the senior IRS official at the center of the decision to target  tea party groups for burdensome tax scrutiny, signed paperwork granting  tax-exempt status to the Barack H. Obama Foundation, a shady charity headed by the president’s half-brother that operated illegally for years.

According to the organization’s filings, Lerner approved the foundation’s tax  status within a month of filing, an unprecedented timeline that stands in stark  contrast to conservative organizations that have been waiting for more than  three years, in some cases, for approval.

Lerner also appears to have broken with the norms of tax-exemption approval  by granting retroactive tax-exempt status to Malik Obama’s organization.

Wait let me guess, low-level employees again?

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And is the EPA unfairly assigning fees based on political ideology?

EPA waives fee requests for friendly groups, denies conservative groups. From TheWashingtonExaminer

“Conservative groups seeking information from the Environmental Protection Agency have been routinely hindered by fees normally waived for media and watchdog groups, while fees for more than 90 percent of requests from green groups were waived, according to requests reviewed by the Competitive Enterprise Institute.

CEI reviewed Freedom of Information Act requests sent between January 2012 and this spring from several environmental groups friendly to the EPA’s mission, and several conservative groups, to see how equally the agency applies its fee waiver policy for media and watchdog groups. Government agencies are supposed to waive fees for groups disseminating information for public benefit.

“This is as clear an example of disparate treatment as the IRS’ hurdles selectively imposed upon groups with names ominously reflecting an interest in, say, a less intrusive or biased federal government,” said CEI fellow Chris Horner.”

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Here’s more on the AP story.

Even Liberals Call DOJ’s AP Spying “Unacceptable Abuse of Power” From JudicialWatch

Holder is defending the phone record seizure. From TheWashingtonExaminer

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In other news……

Looks like ICE leadership finally found an immigrant they don’t want amnesty for. Or even asylum. They even overturned a judge’s order to protect America from these dangerous individuals. 🙄 From TheBlaze

“The Romeike family has for years been battling for the right to educate their children as they see fit.  Today, the United States government has denied their request.

Originally from Germany, Evangelical Christians Uwe and Hannelore Romeike wanted to homeschool their six children, but it is against the law in Germany.  They faced threats of legal action from the government and crippling fines before choosing to immigrate to the United States in 2010, seeking political asylum.

U.S. Immigration Judge Lawrence Burman granted the Romeike’s request, but it was overturned in 2012 by the Board of Immigration Appeals, after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement challenged the decision.”

Yet ICE leadership is releasing criminal illegals to wander the country, and hundreds of violent offenders directly from prisons. What’s wrong with this picture?

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Next, new info in the Gosnell case.

Gosnell Gives Up Appeal, Prosecutors Agree to Life in Prison, No Death Penalty

This next one has upset some people.

Steve Stockman: ‘Democrats Worship Abortion,’ Don’t Care About Women’s Safety. From TheHuffingtonPost

“Rep. Steve Stockman (R-Texas) on Monday attempted to tie Democrats to Philadelphia abortion doctor and recently convicted murderer Kermit Gosnell.

In a statement released shortly after Gosnell was found guilty of three counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of three infants born alive at his medical clinic, Stockman said the crimes had “exposed the horrors and inhumanity of legalized abortion.”

“Despite the blood-soaked horror of Gosnell’s clinic, Democrats refuse to loosen their embrace of unrestricted, unregulated, taxpayer-funded abortion on demand,” he continued. “Democrats do not want abortion to be safe or rare. Democrats oppose even the most basic of health and safety standards for abortion mills. Democrats don’t care how many women are maimed, infected with diseases or die on the routinely filthy abortion mills. Democrats worship abortion with same fervor the Canaanites worshipped Molech.””

As you can imagine, HuffPo readers are not happy with Steve.

And sadly it appears we have another story breaking that’s similar to the Gosnell story. 3 employees have come forward to allege infanticide of born alive babies.

With A VERY STRONG CONTENT WARNING!!!

It’s graphic, and the details are horrible.

More here from LifeSiteNews

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News/Politics 5-13-13

UPDATE!

Kermit Gosnell has been found guilty on at least 3 of the 4 1st Degree Murder charges. These were for babies born alive.

From HOTAIR

More on the other charges as it becomes available.

UPDATE! 2

Also guilty of involuntary manslaughter for the death of Karnamaya Mongar, the woman who died in a late-term abortion.

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What’s interesting in the news today?

There’s lots to choose from, so short and to the point.

First, Benghazi. I told you before of rumors that Benghazi was a CIA weapons operation. That idea is being floated again.

Geraldo: My sources tell me they were in Benghazi to round up missiles to send to Syrian rebels via Turkey, from TheRightScoop

CBS reporter  Sharyl Attkisson is being censored by her own network. She has dogged the administration on Benghazi, and now the network appears to be cracking down on her for it. It appears she may be fired for it. Now questions have been asked about ties between the Obama admin and CBS.

Top Obama official’s brother is president of CBS News, may drop reporter over  Benghazi coverage from TheDailyCaller

Benghazi Whistleblower’s Attorney Claims NBC Spiked Him Being a Democrat Who  Voted for Obama, from NewsBusters

Of course they did. Otherwise the “partisan hack” label they tried to use on Hicks would be exposed. Doesn’t fit the meme.

Issa wants the Presidents hand-picked review committee before Congress, and under oath, from TheAP 

CNN: Decision was made to drop reference to terror group from talking points at meeting in White House from TheRightScoop

That whole Patreus thing deserves a second look too. He appears to have strongly disagreed with the edits to the talking points.

 Watch out for Petraeus in Benghazi scandal, from TheWashingtonTimes

Hmmmmmm……

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Next up, Syria.

If You Think America Should Go to War in Syria, You Haven’t Been Paying Attention from PJMedia

Under the black flag of al-Qaeda, the Syrian city ruled by gangs of extremists, from TheTelegraphUK

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Then we have the IRS scandal. Let the investigations begin.

Ways and Means to IRS: ‘Provide All Communications Containing Words ‘Tea Party,’ ‘Patriot,’ or ‘Conservative’—By Wednesday from CNSNews

Giddy up! 🙂

Senior Internal Revenue Service officials knew employees were singling out  conservative groups for extra scrutiny as early as 2011 from Politico

So much for it being just a low level operation.

IRS targeted groups that criticized the government, IG report says, from TheWashingtonPost

10 crazy things the IRS asked Tea Party groups from HotAir

Six times the IRS has been accused of punishing President Obama’s political opponents from TheWashingtonFreeBeacon

And now it appears the IRS targeted other groups as well.

‘The IRS: First they Came for the Tea Partiers, Then They Came for the Jews’ from PJMedia

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And in Other News….

Prosecutor to seek aggravated murder charges against Ariel Castro, citing what he said were terminated pregnancies among captive women, from Cleveland.com

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Here’s more on the story from last week about the SEAL families demanding accountability.

SEAL Families Looking for Answers, Claim government officials, military brass have brushed aside concerns from TheWashingtonFreeBeacon

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Let’s hope there’s a lot more ObamaCare fallout to come for Democrats. 🙂

Grassley: Baucus Retiring Because He’s ‘Fed Up’ With Obamacare, from NationalReview

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And the last one. I told you Saturday about Prince Harry’s visit to the US to honor the wounded and those that gave all. Here’s an update, with tons of photos from Saturday’s Warrior Games with wounded vets. The guy’s a real Prince, in more ways than one. 🙂

Prince Harry opened  the 2013 Warrior games in Colorado Springs today, played sit down volleyball with wounded  service members, from TheDailyMail

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News/Politics 5-11-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

I guess we start this morning with another example of The Chicago Way. From TheAP

” The Internal Revenue Service apologized Friday for what it acknowledged was “inappropriate” targeting of conservative political groups during the 2012 election to see if they were violating their tax-exempt status.

IRS agents singled out dozens of organizations for additional reviews because they included the words “tea party” or “patriot” in their exemption applications, said Lois Lerner, who heads the IRS division that oversees tax-exempt groups. In some cases, groups were asked for lists of donors, which violates IRS policy in most cases, she said.”

They allege it was low-level employees who did this. No order from the top. For some reason I doubt that. I’m sure it had nothing to do with those groups working against Obama’s re-election. 🙄

Mitch McConnell is calling for an investigation. More from WFPLNews

“White House spokesman Jay Carney says an inspector general is looking into the matter.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., is calling on the Obama administration to conduct a government-wide probe in the wake of an admission by the Internal Revenue Service that it targeted conservative groups.”

They’re looking into it. Well I feel better already, especially after the fine job they did investigating themselves on Benghazi. 🙄

Issa and Jordan call it “unconscionable”. From  TheHouseOverSightCommittee

A Tea Party leader is calling for an apology. From Buzzfeed

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Next up, a breaking story….. for the MSM at least. 🙄 From TheWashingtonExaminer

“One of the lead House investigators into the Benghazi terrorist attack called for former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to testify before Congress about information provide by State Department whistleblowers, adding that he would support issuing a subpoena if she refuses.

“I would hope that she would step up and help us out,” Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, replied when Charlie Rose asked him if he wants the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee to subpoena Clinton. Chaffetz emphasized that the committee is not yet ready to issue such a summons, but noted that “we do have whistleblowers stepping up, [so] I think we’re going to get serious about forcing people legally to [testify].”

Chaffetz — sounding as if he wanted to avoid saying anything that would seem to vindicate critics who dismiss the current Benghazi investigation as a witch-hunt designed to hurt Clinton’s ability to win the presidency in 2016 — said that if Clinton will not voluntarily appear, then “at some point, yeah, I’ll be supportive of [a subpoena].””

Can you say perjury? Yeah, I knew ya’ could. 😉

The Ranking Dem member is calling it a “distortion”.  I’d agree. But I don’t think the ones distorting are who he thinks they are. It’s the White House and State who have distorted info from the start. From Politico

“The top Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is  accusing Republicans of distorting the remarks of a star witness testifying  before the panel this week on Benghazi.

Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) sent letter to Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.)  on Friday asking that omitted portions of Gregory Hicks’s testimony be added to  the record.”

Meanwhile the White House continues to want the CIA to take a ride under the bus.

Here’s 7 minutes of lies and revisionist history in an attempt to cover their butts.

How bad is it? Well put it this way, even MSNBC used the “I” word. 😯 From TownHall

So what’s an administration to do? Why call the team together for an “Off the Record” press meeting, to get their talking points all on the same page, of course. 🙂  From HotAir

Time for the team to huddle.

The White House held an off-the-record briefing with reporters on Friday afternoon to discuss recent revelations about the Benghazi investigation, sources familiar with the meeting tell POLITICO.

The meeting began around 12:45 p.m. and postponed the daily, on-the-record White House press briefing to 1:45 p.m. White House press secretary Jay Carney did not respond to a request for confirmation of the meeting.

The off-the-record session was announced to reporters in the wake of an ABC News report showing that White House and State Dept. officials were involved in revising the now-discredited CIA talking points about the attack on Benghazi.”

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Next we have a bunch of “In Other News” items.

More murders tied to the Boston bombers?  From BusinessInsider

“Law enforcement officials have told ABC  News that “mounting” forensic  evidence from an unsolved triple homicide ties Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev to the crime.

Cell phone records also place the brothers in the area of the murders on the date they were committed.”

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A strange and interesting turn in the Texas fertilizer plant explosion. From FoxNews

“A Texas paramedic who helped evacuate people on the night of the deadly fertilizer plant explosion in West has been arrested and charged with possessing a destructive device.

It’s not clear whether the charges are related to the fire or the explosion at the West Fertilizer Co. last month that killed 14 people.”

“Investigators have largely treated the incident as an industrial accident. But Texas law enforcement officials also launched a criminal investigation Friday.”

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Prince Harry visited Arlington National Cemetery during a visit devoted to the injured and fallen. I appreciate his efforts, as a diplomat and soldier. I’ve actually seen some photos of the Prince with a former church member serving together in Afghanistan. These aren’t just words, but an effort to honor brother’s in arms. He is also in the US to attend the 2013 Warrior Games, where 200 US and British veterans wounded in combat will compete. From TheWashingtonPost

“Britain’s Prince Harry saluted America’s war dead in somber remembrance at Arlington National Cemetery on Friday, pausing, too, to place flowers on the tombstone of President John F. Kennedy and visit the grave of a British World War II hero buried far from home.”

“Harry, a British Army captain who has served twice in Afghanistan, capped the Washington portion of his trip with a visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, seeing the latest prosthetic technology and chatting with wounded warriors.”

“He sat on a bed and chatted with Staff Sgt. Tim Payne, 30, of Montana, injured by an IED in Afghanistan’s Kandahar Province. “We talked about how I got injured and that I like swimming,” Payne said after. “I told him I swim 4,000 meters a day and someday will swim the English Channel. Harry said, ‘That’s a crazy idea.’””

Just keep him out of Vegas please. 😦

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The owner of the Washington Redskin’s has finally responded to those wanting a name change for his team, as well as those suing to try and force them to. From USAToday

“Daniel Snyder is owner of the Washington pro football team he grew up adoring. Would he ever consider changing the team name that many American Indians and others believe is a racial slur?

“We will never change the name of the team,” Snyder told USA TODAY Sports this week. “As a lifelong Redskins fan, and I think that the Redskins fans understand the great tradition and what it’s all about and what it means, so we feel pretty fortunate to be just working on next season.””

“What if his football team loses an ongoing federal trademark lawsuit? Would he consider changing it then?

“We’ll never change the name,” he said. “It’s that simple. NEVER — you can use caps.””

Nice to see someone stand up to the PC stupidity for a change. 🙂

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