August 22, 2013 by the real Aj

News/Politics 8-22-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

These first two shoot more holes in the meme from the Obama admin and Dems that there is no evidence to suggest that ObamaCare is causing employers to cut hours. It goes with the increased cost for insurance, and some who are losing what they currently have.

It’s also why about 75% of new jobs were part-time. This is not helping the economy to recover. Quite the opposite.

From HuffPo/Reuters “U.S. businesses are hiring at a robust rate. The only problem is that three out of four of the nearly 1 million hires this year are part-time and many of the jobs are low-paid.

Faltering economic growth at home and abroad and concern that President Barack Obama’s signature health care law will drive up business costs are behind the wariness about taking on full-time staff, executives at staffing and payroll firms say.

Employers say part-timers offer them flexibility. If the economy picks up, they can quickly offer full-time work. If orders dry up, they know costs are under control. It also helps them to curb costs they might face under the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.

And there’s also a new study out on the issue of ObamaCare’s effects on coverage.

From CNBC “Mid- and large-sized companies overwhelmingly expect health-care costs to increase under Obamacare—and most are eyeing possible changes to their health insurance offerings because of a looming excise tax for pricier plans under the health-care reform law, a new survey of employers finds.

In fact, 40 percent of 420 companies surveyed by Towers Watson said they will be changing their insurance plans’ designs in 2014 in light of the coming excise tax as well as to control employee-related health costs.

And nearly 60 percent of the companies view private health insurance exchanges as a possible way to control their health-care and administrative costs by shifting the work of insuring their workers off to those exchanges in the future.

But most of those companies—which collectively employ 8.7 million people—don’t have firm near-term plans to do so.”

Yet.

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We’re all aware of the numerous pitfalls, delays, and missed deadlines that have plagued ObamaCare. Looks like Dodd-Frank has the same problem with missed deadlines. The Obama admin isn’t real punctual with anything.

From NationalReview “A Congressional Research Service report this week revealed that the Obama administration has missed precisely 50 percent of its deadlines in implementing Obamacare — and with the Dodd-Frank financial-reform law, they’re doing even worse. More than half of the law’s 279 deadlines so far — 61.6 percent — have been missed by July 15, according to a new report.

The law firm DavisPolk has been publishing reports on Dodd-Frank’s progress for a while now, and they explain “the pace of rulemaking has been remarkably consistent over the past three years” — but it’s been consistently far behind the pace actually set by the law. Since the deadlines are dispersed, some months have been particularly rough — April 2011 saw regulators hit a serious cold streak, missing 26 deadlines that month. Dodd-Frank requires a variety of federal agencies — the SEC, the Fed, the Commodities Futures Trading Commission, etc. — to actually write the new financial-market rules that Congress merely outlined in the 2010 law.

Three years after the law was passed, not even half of the law’s rules have been finalized.”

🙄

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Next up, an interesting read, which is surprising considering it’s from Rolling Stone. I don’t agree with some of their ideas for solutions, but it’s a good read.

With a CONTENT WARNING!!! for some language.

From RollingStone “Obama had already set himself up as a great champion of student rights by taking on banks and greedy lenders like Sallie Mae. Three years earlier, he’d scored what at the time looked like a major victory over the Republicans with a transformative plan to revamp the student-loan industry. The 2010 bill mostly eliminated private banks and lenders from the federal student-loan business. Henceforth, the government would lend college money directly to students, with no middlemen taking a cut. The president insisted the plan would eliminate waste and promised to pass the savings along to students in the form of more college and university loans, including $36 billion in new Pell grants over 10 years for low-income students. Republican senator and former Secretary of Education Lamar Alexander bashed the move as “another Washington takeover.”

The thing is, none of it – not last month’s deal, not Obama’s 2010 reforms – mattered that much. No doubt, seeing rates double permanently would genuinely have sucked for many students, so it was nice to avoid that. And yes, it was theoretically beneficial when Obama took banks and middlemen out of the federal student-loan game. But the dirty secret of American higher education is that student-loan interest rates are almost irrelevant. It’s not the cost of the loan that’s the problem, it’s the principal – the appallingly high tuition costs that have been soaring at two to three times the rate of inflation, an irrational upward trajectory eerily reminiscent of skyrocketing housing prices in the years before 2008.”

“Next up is the government itself. While it’s not commonly discussed on the Hill, the government actually stands to make an enormous profit on the president’s new federal student-loan system, an estimated $184 billion over 10 years, a boondoggle paid for by hyperinflated tuition costs and fueled by a government-sponsored predatory-lending program that makes even the most ruthless private credit-card company seem like a “Save the Panda” charity. Why is this happening? The answer lies in a sociopathic marriage of private-sector greed and government force that will make you shake your head in wonder at the way modern America sucks blood out of its young.”

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Last night Ichiro Suzuki singled to left for his 4,000th career hit. Although some came professionally in Japan, it’s an impressive accomplishment from a guy who’s been fun to watch for his entire career.

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August 21, 2013 by the real Aj

News/Politics 8-21-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

Open thread, as always. 🙂

First up, more on the targeting of Christians in Egypt, and how the Obama admin should deal with it.

From NationalReview “Even the military rule is better than Muslim Brotherhood rule because the Muslim Brotherhood is against humanity itself,” says Thabet. That the most secular, liberal-minded Egyptians prefer a military dictatorship to the Muslim Brotherhood is telling, though it must be added that they hope it is temporary.

The military has been slow to respond to civilians’ desperate pleas for help. Even before this week’s violence, the Egyptian government was unable — or, perhaps more accurate, unwilling — to take basic steps to protect Egypt’s Christians or their churches, which are a particular target of the Muslim Brotherhood’s attacks. Still, Copts have no question which is the lesser of two evils.

They also have a strong sense of betrayal by the West and America. Having struck a blow for freedom at considerable personal cost and in the face of significant odds, the millions of Egyptians who took part in the June 30 Revolution are confounded by the Western reaction. “I don’t know why the American media did this. It is terrible,” said Thabet. One liberal American missionary who has lived in Egypt for several decades was irate in an e-mail message. “Christians here are getting hit hard. . . . I am thoroughly [upset] at the hypocrisy of the EU and the U.S. What whores we have running the world. I can only say worse things about western news coverage in general.”

And more from NR here as well.

From NationalReview “Not One More Plane, Not One More Tank, Not One More Dollar, Until Egypt’s Christians are Protected”

“As churches burn, as nuns are paraded through the streets by the Muslim Brotherhood, and as Christians across Egypt fear for their lives in the face of the jihadist onslaught, American policy can and should get very simple, very fast: Not one scintilla of aid until the Egyptian military demonstrates — by deeds, not just words — that it is committed to stopping this wave of persecution in its tracks, protecting the most basic human rights of its Christian citizens, and utterly defeating the Muslim Brotherhood. The crisis could escalate quickly to Balkan- or Syrian-level brutality and religious cleansing, but the Egyptian military — well-stocked with equipment we purchased, made, and keep in good repair — is capable of ending the onslaught against Christians.”

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Further proof that the Obama admin is using former ACORN employees to help with ObamaCare.

From TheDailyMail “A liberal organization tapped Monday to manage a new federal government-sponsored video contest aimed at encouraging young Americans to embrace Obamacare is run by ACORN’s former top lobbyist, MailOnline can reveal.”

“Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar, who was among the most vocal Republicans during the 2010 battle over ACORN’s federal funding, told MailOnline that the White House is risking a public backlash with its choice of partnerships.

‘The fact that the Obama administration is putting a senior staffer of the now defunct and notoriously corrupt ACORN in charge of giving away cash to bribe young Americans into accepting Obamacare is cause for grave concern,’ Gosar said.”

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Let me guess… “Unexpectedly” 🙄

From HotAir “How did Barack Obama’s Magical Economy Tour do in convincing Americans to stay the course on Obamanomics? Not only did it fail to impress voters, it didn’t do much for employers, either. According to new data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, joblessness rose in 28 states while only falling in eight — the worst showing since January:

Unemployment rates rose in more than half of U.S. states in July and fewer states added jobs, echoing national data that show the job market may have lost some momentum.

The Labor Department says unemployment rates increased in 28 states. They were unchanged in 14 and fell in eight states — the fewest to show a decline since January.

Hiring increased in 32 states in July compared with June, the fewest in three months. Seventeen states reported job losses. California, Georgia and Florida reported the largest job gains, while New Jersey and Nevada lost the most.”

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August 20, 2013 by the real Aj

News/Politics 8-20-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

Further evidence against the Muslim Brotherhood supporters in Egypt.

From CNSNews “In the four days since security forces cleared two sit-in camps by supporters of Egypt’s ousted president, Islamists have attacked dozens of Coptic churches along with homes and businesses owned by the Christian minority. The campaign of intimidation appears to be a warning to Christians outside Cairo to stand down from political activism.

Christians have long suffered from discrimination and violence in Muslim majority Egypt, where they make up 10 percent of the population of 90 million. Attacks increased after the Islamists rose to power in the wake of the 2011 Arab Spring uprising that drove Hosni Mubarak from power, emboldening extremists. But Christians have come further under fire since President Mohammed Morsi was ousted on July 3, sparking a wave of Islamist anger led by Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood.

Nearly 40 churches have been looted and torched, while 23 others have been attacked and heavily damaged since Wednesday, when chaos erupted after Egypt’s military-backed interim administration moved in to clear two camps packed with protesters calling for Morsi’s reinstatement, killing scores of protesters and sparking deadly clashes nationwide.”

Meanwhile the Obama State Dept. is speaking out about the poor treatment and deaths….. of Muslim Brotherhood prisoners.

The treatment of the Christian minorities? Yep, those are crickets you hear.

From TheStar/Reuters “The U.S. State Department voiced deep concern on Monday about the deaths of Muslim Brotherhood prisoners while in custody in Egypt, terming them “suspicious,” and made clear that it does not believe the Islamist group should be banned.

“We are … deeply troubled by the suspicious deaths of Muslim Brotherhood prisoners in a purported prison escape attempt near Cairo,” State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters, referring to 37 supporters of ousted President Mohamed Mursi who died in disputed circumstances on Sunday.”

Leave it to the Obama admin to speak up for the terrorists, but not their victims.

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And John Kerry has cleared the only ones ever punished for the Benghazi debacle. I know, “What difference does it make?” right?

From TheDailyBeast “Secretary of State John Kerry has determined that the four State Department officials placed on administrative leave by Hillary Clinton after the terrorist attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi do not deserve any formal disciplinary action and has asked them to come back to work at the State Department starting Tuesday.”

“Last December, Clinton’s staff told four mid-level officials to clean out their desks and hand in their badges after the release of the report of its own internal investigation into the Benghazi attack, compiled by the Administrative Review Board led by former State Department official Tom Pickering and former Joint Chiefs Chairman Ret. Adm. Mike Mullen. Those four officials have been in legal and professional limbo, not fired but unable to return to their jobs, for eight months… until today.

Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Raymond Maxwell, the only official from the State Department’s Near Eastern Affairs bureau to lose his job over the Benghazi attack, told The Daily Beast Monday he received a memo from the State Department’s human resources department informing him his administrative leave status has been lifted and he should report for duty Tuesday morning.

“No explanation, no briefing, just come back to work. So I will go in tomorrow,” Maxwell said.”

Since the employees filed grievances, the Obama admin took this route rather than have those employees speaking out on the matter. That might make things uncomfortable when it comes time for Hillary to run for President. So this ensures they won’t have unflattering details leaking out later.

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Laws? Pffftt… That’s for you little people.

From TheChicagoTribune “The mandate that employers provide insurance next year or pay a penalty, as the law requires? Delayed for at least a year.

The law’s dictate that people applying for federal subsidies to buy insurance provide proof that they’re eligible for the government aid? Scaled back.

Sharp limits on Americans’ out-of-pocket costs for health care? Suspended for a year.

Providing members of Congress and more than 10,000 staff members with federal health care subsidies that the law does not allow? Done, via a deal brokered by President Barack Obama.”

He must do all this by Presidential decree, because he can’t risk admitting it’s faults and letting the legislature fix it. They might change other things too.

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This one? No comment. After all, it really does speak for itself.

From TheWashingtonExaminer “Federal welfare benefits pay more than minimum wage jobs in 35 states, according to a new report from the Cato Institute.

Hawaii provides the most benefits, or $49,175 a year. The District of Columbia provides the second highest welfare benefits in the country, providing $43,099 a year.

Cato’s calculations were based upon how much a mother with two children would receive from the seven most widely used welfare programs, including Temporary Assistance for Needy Families; Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program; Medicaid; Women, Infants and Children Program; Emergency Food Assistance Program; housing assistance and utilities assistance.

In 12 states and D.C., the amount she would receive from those programs exceeds what she could earn working full-time at a $15-an-hour job, according to Cato.”

For those interested, or for a look at how your state did, the Cato Institute study is here.

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And here’s the last one from me today.

This would be funny, if they weren’t totally serious about this. Since they are serious, it’s sad. And clueless.

Sure it’ll stop legally carrying gun owners from coming in and spending their money, but who here thinks it’ll work for criminals? Yeah, me neither. 🙄

From CNSNews “Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn, a Democrat, is inviting local merchants to voluntarily post “Gun Free Zone” signs in their businesses, letting customers who have guns know they should shop elsewhere.

“We are here to support businesses that do not wish to have guns on their premises” McGinn said in a press release issued by Washington CeaseFire, which is partnering with the mayor for the campaign. “The police department regularly enforces trespass laws when a visitor to a business violates that business’s rules.”

“We will continue to do so, and I thank these businesses for standing up for the safety of their customers,” McGinn said.”

Why not just paint a “Please Rob Me, I’m Unarmed” sign out front?

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August 19, 2013 by the real Aj

News/Politics 8-19-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

First up, Egypt’s Coptic Church has thrown their support to the military. Not surprising considering the Muslim Brotherhood is burning their churches and homes, and killing them.

From AlArabiya “Egypt’s Orthodox Coptic Church announced on Friday its support for the military and security forces in their fight against what it called “groups of armed violence.”

“The Egyptian Coptic Church is following the unfortunate developments on the ground of our country Egypt and emphasizes its strong stance with the Egyptian police, armed forces and other organizations of the Egyptian people in the face of groups of armed violence and black terrorism,” the church said in a statement.

“While we appreciate the sincere and friendly position that understands the nature of the developments, we strongly deplore the media fallacies that are prevalent in Western countries,” the statement added.

The Coptic Church called on the West to “read objectively the facts of events, and not give international and political cover to these terrorist and bloody groups.”

Don’t hold your breath. They can’t do that. They have an amateur President and his “Smart Diplomacy” to defend.

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This one here, file under “Message Fail.” For Obama, Dems, and the media.

From WeaselZippers “This study was completed in June, yet was virtually ignored by the media. Perhaps because it didn’t fit the talking points?

In short: 1. most gun deaths are suicides, not criminal violence. 2. there were anywhere between 500,000 to 3 million defensive uses of guns, per year. 3. both accidental deaths and mass shootings have declined, both accounting for very small fraction of gun related deaths. 4. Most criminals gain their guns from family, friends or illegal means, and so outside the “controls” envisioned by the gun control gang. 5. High gun related homicides in Illinois, California, New Jersey, Washington D.C. skew the figures; these are areas where there are some of most restrictive gun laws.

Thus, the study tends to show that most of the gun control talk, is just that, talk, without much reality in actually addressing gun crime, and tends to support most of the things that gun rights advocates have repeatedly said.”

Doh! 😯

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Next up, the Obama admin is withholding documents on ObamaCare. Shocking, I know. 🙄

From FoxNews “The House Oversight Committee slammed the Treasury Department on Thursday for withholding documents related to the committee’s investigation of the administration’s expansion of subsidies in the ObamaCare exchanges.

Committee chairman Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., and Health Care Subcommittee chairman James Lankford, R-Penn., threatened in their letter to use legal force against the department if it does not turn over the documents by Aug. 29.

The committee has been investigating for over a year the administration’s decision to expand subsidies to the federally run health insurance exchanges mandated by ObamaCare. The 2010 law creates subsidies for insurance purchased on state-created exchanges, but it is unclear if the law permits the federal government to extend these subsidies to the federally run exchanges.”

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This one? Bush’s fault I’m sure. 🙂

From CNSNews ” The Congressional Budget Office last week released updated historical budget data for the federal government, reporting a deficit of $1.087 trillion in fiscal 2012.

2012 marked the fourth straight year—and the only four years in the history of the nation–when the federal government’s deficit topped $1 trillion.

Last year’s $1.087 trillion deficit was even greater in inflation-adjusted dollars than the peak World War II deficit of fiscal 1943—which was $54.554 billion in 1943 dollars and $723.8714 billion in 2012 dollars, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics online inflation calculator. The deficit has also remained at a higher percentage of GDP over the last four years than at any time since the conclusion of World War II (which ended during fiscal 1946, which began in June 1945).”

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And we’ll finish with this one today. Don’t support ObamaCare? You’re probably a “Phony Christian.” But don’t worry, if it’s anything like a “Phony Scandal”, it means a real one, so you’re fine. I think.

From TheBlaze “MSNBC host Ed Schultz unleashed Saturday on Christians who oppose President Obama’s landmark healthcare law, branding them as “phony Christians” and saying the repeal of the law would certainly result in the death of innocent children.

Schultz, who hosts ‘The Ed Show” on weekends, said the new healthcare law “is the most moral thing this country has ever done” and hammered those who disagree.

“This is good for America and I won’t let them lie,” Schultz said. “They’re phony Christians. Phony Christians when they say that they are Christian but then they want to take away from their next door neighbor. They don’t want to be their brother’s keeper.”

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August 16, 2013 by the real Aj

News/Politics 8-16-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

First up, the turmoil in Egypt continues.

From TheNYTimes “Gathering Thursday morning around a mosque used as a morgue for hundreds killed the day before, many Islamists waited confidently for a surge of sympathetic support from the broader public. But it failed to materialize.”

“With their leaders jailed or silent, Islamists reeled in shock at the worst mass killing in Egypt’s modern history. By Thursday night, health officials had counted 638 dead and nearly 4,000 injured, but the final toll was expected to rise further.

A tense quiet settled over Cairo as the city braced for new protests by the supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsi, after Friday Prayer. The new government authorized the police to respond with lethal force if they felt endangered.”

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Next up, told ya. And this is on top of the $375,000 already handed to PP in DC. It’s now already over a million dollars, and it’ll be nationwide, and even more money before their done rewarding their favorite donors in the abortion industry. Not to mention all the money they’ll make when health coverage is forced to pay for abortions thru ObamaCare.

From TheDailyCaller “Three Planned Parenthood affiliates will be receiving a total of more than $655, 000 grants from the federal government to serve as Obamacare “navigators” to help people enroll in the health-care exchanges.

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced $67 million in grants to 105 “Navigator grant applicants” Thursday.

Iowa’s Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, Montana’s Intermountain Planned Parenthood, Inc. DBA Planned Parenthood and New Hampshire’s Planned Parenthood of Northern New England are included in that list.”

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And remember when Obama assured us the NSA wasn’t spying on American citizens? Yeah, the good old days, like a month ago.

From TheWaPo “The National Security Agency has broken privacy rules or overstepped its legal authority thousands of times each year since Congress granted the agency broad new powers in 2008, according to an internal audit and other top-secret documents.

Most of the infractions involve unauthorized surveillance of Americans or foreign intelligence targets in the United States, both of which are restricted by statute and executive order. They range from significant violations of law to typographical errors that resulted in unintended interception of U.S. e-mails and telephone calls.

The documents, provided earlier this summer to The Washington Post by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, include a level of detail and analysis that is not routinely shared with Congress or the special court that oversees surveillance. In one of the documents, agency personnel are instructed to remove details and substitute more generic language in reports to the Justice Department and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.”

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Now that the Obama admin has forced the DoD to embrace homosexuals in the military, the consequences for believers daring to oppose it are beginning. This will continue. They want to purge all resistance to their agenda.

From FoxNews “A 19-year veteran of the Air Force said he was relieved of his duties after he disagreed with his openly gay commander when she wanted to severely punish an instructor who had expressed religious objections to homosexuality.”

““I was relieved of my position because I don’t agree with my commander’s position on gay marriage,” Senior Master Sgt. Phillip Monk told Fox News. “We’ve been told that if you publicly say that homosexuality is wrong, you are in violation of Air Force policy.”

““Are we going to have a ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy for Christians so we don’t get harassed for our beliefs?” attorney Hiram Sasser asked Fox News. “Here’s a guy who wants to have his religious liberty and serve in the military. He shouldn’t have to believe in gay marriage in order to serve.”

“In one of our first meetings, she was talking about her promotion and she mentioned something about a benediction,” Monk told Fox News. “She said she wanted a chaplain but objected to one particular chaplain that she called a bigot because he preached that homosexuality is a sin.”

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Meanwhile his hypocrisy on the whole gay marriage issue is being pointed out. And it’s about time someone pointed out the 800lb. Islamic gorilla in the room, and how it handles the issue. When will he get around to mentioning and condemning their horrible treatment of homosexuals?

From NationalReview “Forbidden,” he curtly pronounced. “Those involved in the act should be punished. In fact, sodomites should be killed in the worst manner possible.”

“Cynically mounting his high horse last week in the cozy confines of Jay Leno’s late-night TV comedy program — a venue popular with his ill-informed admirers, one where hypocrisy won’t be noticed, much less challenged — the president declaimed, “I have no patience for countries that try to treat gays or lesbians or transgender persons in ways that intimidate or are harmful to them.”

This was his purported human-rights rationale for canceling a summit meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin, who in June signed an anti-gay law banning “propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations.” Obama told Leno that “making sure people are treated fairly and justly” is a “precept that’s not unique to America” and “should apply everywhere.”

Does the president truly mean what he said? Or was he just pandering to dreamy millennials and the Hollywood glitterati, who are too uninformed or in the tank to mark the chasm between his righteous finger-wagging at Putin and his kowtowing to Islamic leaders? The answers depend on whether he finally condemns sharia’s oppressive and often brutal strictures against homosexuality, which are zealously enforced in most Muslim countries.”

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Here’s an update on the story from a month or so ago about Obama not knowing when to keep his mouth shut. His opining has affected the cases of 2 service members charged with sexual assault. His “undue command influence” has restricted the level of punishment they now face. Nice job Barry. 🙄

And shouldn’t a constitutional law professor have known this?

From USAToday “A military judge says two service members cannot be punitively discharged — even if found guilty — because of “unlawful command influence” reflected in comments by President Obama.

Citing court documents, Stars and Stripes reports that “Navy Judge Cmdr. Marcus Fulton ruled during pretrial hearings in two sexual assault cases — U.S. v. Johnson and U.S. v. Fuentes — that comments made by Obama as commander in chief would unduly influence any potential sentencing.”

Attorneys for the defendants cited these May 7 comments by Obama on sexual assault in the military:”

“”The judge’s pretrial ruling means that if either defendant is found guilty, whether by a jury or a military judge, they cannot receive a bad conduct discharge or a dishonorable discharge. Sailors found guilty under the Uniform Code of Military Justice’s Article 120, which covers several sexual crimes including assault and rape, generally receive punitive discharges.”

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This one? I knew it. And they said I was crazy. 🙂

From TheAtlanticWire “Newly declassified documents, obtained by George Washington University’s National Security Archive, appear to for the first time acknowledge the existence of Area 51. Hundreds of pages describe the genesis of the Nevada site that was home to the government’s spy plane program for decades. The documents do not, however, mention aliens.”

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And lastly, cat fight! 🙄

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August 15, 2013 by the real Aj

News/Politics 8-15-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

The fight for control of Egypt continues to be a bloody affair.

From TheWallStJournal “Egypt’s military regime, aided by snipers and bulldozers, swept the streets of Islamist protesters—setting off a day of violence that left more than 278 people dead, the government fractured and ties with its international partners in tatters.

Muslim Brotherhood sympathizers stormed police stations, burned down churches and battled with government supporters in several neighborhoods, after police sweeps left scores of protesters dead at two Cairo squares. The raid ended more than a month of sit-ins by thousands of Brotherhood supporters—sometimes joined by families, and daring the government to disperse them—who demanded the reinstatement of ousted President Mohammed Morsi.”

“Egypt’s interim president declared a monthlong, national state of emergency—raising Egyptians’ fears of extended conflict, further crackdowns and the prospect that the military regime they struggled to overthrow in 2011 was reasserting control.

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Once again the Obama admin finds a way to repay campaign contributions from Planned Parenthood. And this is just in DC. There’ll be plenty more for the abortion leader in other cities and states. Which will of course enable the contributions to pro-abortion politicians to continue. A vicious cycle indeed. Just like they planned it.

From TheWashingtonExaminer “Washington, D.C.’s health insurance exchange has awarded a $375,000 grant to abortion provider Planned Parenthood to help enroll participants in Obamacare, the exchange announced on Tuesday.

As part of its effort to boost enrollment in the exchange created by President Obama’s health care law, the D.C. Health Benefit Exchange doled out $6.4 million to 35 DC-based groups. Those groups include local churches as well as health care and community organizations.

One of the largest awards went to Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington D.C.”

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Jesse Jackson Jr. and his wife have been sentenced. Seems light to me, and why on earth are they rewarding his criminal behavior by not making him repay the 3/4 of a million dollars he embezzled?

From WGNTV “A federal judge sentenced former congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. to 30 months, or 2-and-a-half years, in prison for misuse of campaign funds.

His wife, former Chicago alderman Sandi Jackson, was sentenced to 12 months for tax fraud. Judge Amy Berman Jackson also ordered her to pay $22,000 in restitution, which is the amount she spent from her campaign as alderman.”

“The judge also ruled that Jackson does not have to pay restitution to his former campaign because it is now defunct.”

“In February, the 48-year-old pleaded guilty to using $750,000 of his campaign money for personal expenses—in many cases, on extravagant items such as a Rolex watch and Michael Jackson memorabilia. He resigned from Congress in November after 17 years in office.”

So 2 and a half years, out in half that for good behavior, and you make 3/4 of a mil on the deal. Who says crime doesn’t pay?

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The persecution of George Zimmerman and his family continues. This is completely politically motivated, and once again, the prosecution is caught lying. If you only look at one link today, check out this one, and how the prosecution misrepresents the facts.

From PJMedia “The affidavit for the perjury charge, written and submitted by special prosecutor investigator T.C. O’Steen, is — like the affidavit submitted for the murder charge — devoid of probable cause.

In fact, it does not establish a single specific statement made by Shellie Zimmerman and explain why that specific statement was false, why it was material, how it was a matter of objective fact, or why Shellie believed it to be false as she uttered it.

Of all of the elements of the offense that must be established and proved, the state established only that Shellie was under oath and testified in a judicial proceeding.

Not only does the affidavit fail to fulfill the elements of the offense, by omission it actually lies to and misleads the court. In this case, there is no doubt that Judge Lester was biased against George, but it is most likely that the affidavit was approved because judges are generally not used to dealing with prosecutors willing to lie to them. Receiving an affidavit for a felony charge, they tend to rubber stamp it, not considering that a prosecutor, an officer of the court, would mislead them. In this case, that’s exactly what happened.”

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The pandering to homosexuals in the military by the Obama admin continues. The irony here is the claim that “they just want the same rights and treatment as everyone else” while they’re getting special rights others don’t have.

From CNSNews “The U.S. Defense Department announced on Wednesday that it will make “spousal and family benefits” available no later than Sept. 3, 2013, regardless of sexual orientation, for all service members who can provide a valid marriage certificate.

And what about same-sex military couples who live in a state where same-sex marriage is not allowed? No problem.

“We recognize that same-sex military couples who are not stationed in a jurisdiction that permits same-sex marriage would have to travel to another jurisdiction to marry. That is why the department will implement policies to allow military personnel in such a relationship non-chargeable leave for the purpose of travelling to a jurisdiction where such a marriage may occur,” the DOD news release said.”

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And remember folks, there’s no evidence that shows workers hours are being cut because of ObamaCare. The White House said so.

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August 10, 2013 by the real Aj

News/Politics 8-10-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It’s fine, everything’s fine. 🙄 Sure.

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

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

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

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

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Good. Let’s get to it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Art trumps your privacy. Nice.

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August 8, 2013 by the real Aj

News/Politics 8-8-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

Open thread, as always.

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

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

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

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

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Oh look. Why am I not shocked?

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

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

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

How nice for them.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Welcome to the new normal.

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August 7, 2013 by the real Aj

News/Politics 8-7-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

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

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

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

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

Sure sounds like workplace violence to me. 🙄

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

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

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

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

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Next, the other Benghazi scandal….

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

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

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

Not shocked at all.

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Next up, it’s about time.

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

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

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

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Next up, the other shoe.

From CNBC “Detroit, you’re not alone.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Doh! 😯

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

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

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

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

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

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August 3, 2013 by the real Aj

News/Politics 8-3-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

No. They’re special.

More here from RollCall

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

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

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

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

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

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And lastly, some more good news. 🙂

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

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