Obamacare

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News/Politics 7-2-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

Open thread, so feel free to contribute. I’ve had a rough go of it the last day and a half, so I’m a little behind. I’ve been unable to sit for long so it’s been a bit hard to keep up, but I do have a few that caught my eye…..

First up, the propaganda machine kicks into high gear.

From NationalReview

“The American Library Association announced on Sunday that public libraries across the country will be partnering with the Department of Health and Human Services to help millions of uninsured Americans sign up for Obamacare.

With the emphasis on web-based enrollment under the Affordable Care Act, Americans without computers are at a disadvantage to register for the “reasonable health insurance” that will soon be available to them. And “that is where public libraries come in,” explained American Libraries magazine. In addition to providing computer and Internet access to patrons, librarians will receive training to help people navigate through the various healthcare plans and choose the plan that suits their needs. It has also been suggested that libraries host healthcare-awareness events and hand out information to foster “health care literacy” in the coming months.

The Washington Times reports that up to 17,000 U.S. libraries will be a part of the effort, and that “libraries will be particularly important in conservative states that are not making much effort to promote the health law’s opportunities.” (That’s quite an understatement.)”

Gee, maybe when they’re done with this job, they can help with this one, since the Obama admin also seems incapable of handling this on their own too.

Also from NationalReview

“The backlog of disability claims at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has catapulted the agency into an unwanted spotlight. Unlike other scandals besetting the Obama administration, there is nothing to indicate that the VA is targeting conservative vets with systematic delays or passing their telephone records along to the Justice Department. Simply put, the VA backlog has grown because of the technical burdens veterans face in navigating a complex process in a vast bureaucracy.

VA Secretary Eric Shinseki promises to do his best to reduce the backlog. So far, his most visible step is a dictate that VA employees who review claims work mandatory overtime to tackle the problem, which is staggering. As of June 22, VA reported that 833,130 vets had pending compensation and pension (C&P) claims. That’s more people than reside in San Francisco. If these claimants represented a single city, it would be the 14th largest in America. Backlogged claims, defined as those pending more than 125 days, represent nearly two-thirds of that total.”

Most of the discussion of the claims backlog misses the mark. Secretary Shinseki and others at VA repeatedly tell us that the key to reducing the backlog is computerization. VA’s goal is to move from paper records to digital ones. It’s a good talking point, but it won’t get the job done any time soon.”

“navigating a complex process in a vast bureaucracy” Just like ObamaCare will be. That’s guaranteed, since the govt does nothing well, except grow ever larger and more controlling.

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Ruh-roh…..  Quick, somebody get John “Did you know he was in Vietnam?” Kerry on the phone. It’s time for some of that Obama/leftist “smart diplomacy”.

From WeaselZippers

“Breaking: Military In Egypt Announces Will Stage Coup D’Etat In 48 Hours If People’s Demands Not Met…

Update: Statement From Military”

““The Armed Forces repeat its call for the people’s demands to be met and give everyone 48 hours as a last chance to shoulder the burden of a historic moment for a nation that will not forgive or tolerate any party that is lax in shouldering its responsibility,” it said.”

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This next one demonstrates nicely what happens when affirmative action is carried to it’s logical conclusion in a college environment. Is this the exception, or the rule? I fear it’s the latter.

From CampusReform

“School administrators at Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) are systematically raising the final grades of African-American students, three ex-faculty members told Campus Reform last month.

Former Director of Academic Technology Shira Hedgepeth, along with two former professors who spoke to Campus Reform on the condition of anonymity, alleged administrators at the historically black college routinely increase the final grades of African-American students in order to raise the school’s standing.

“Some students had their final grades changed based on their race,” Hedgepeth told Campus Reform on June 6. “That was a common complaint of many of the faculty that I worked with.””

“According to Hedgepeth, and the two former professors who were granted anonymity because they feared speaking out may jeopardize their retirement, instructors would submit final grades to the school only to have them later revised upwards by administrators as a way to “take care of their African American students.””

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Next up, a not surprising, but still pathetic, new tactic for women to get men to support abortion. Sexual blackmail. With a CONTENT WARNING!!! for adult subject matter.

From HuffPo

“We’ve all been there, attracted to that man who does not mean well for us.  We sure would not want our daughters dating or married to these kinds of guys who think they should decide what is best for women.  How perfectly patriarchal, these Texas men trying to not hear what women want have shown themselves to be, but how incredibly out of touch with today’s reality.  Women of Texas, it’s going to be a long hot summer — make sure the men who do not deeply respect and support women feel it.

As a native Texan, and someone who has survived 100-plus-degree temperatures for many summers, I can tell you, this summer in Texas is surely going to be hotter than usual.  Sultry, sweaty summers can be made much nicer when good old-fashioned sex is part of the picture.  But women, take heed: Don’t give in if your man, boyfriend, husband, toyboy is not voting for your best interests, your reproductive health — do not sleep with that man!  I don’t care how cute or charming he is!  I don’t care if he is your husband of many years.  Resist! Go swimming!  Meditate!

Do not make him dinner, do not go fetch him a cold beer from the fridge, do not iron that shirt, hell, do not change that diaper… do not make his life a little nicer this summer if he does not “get it” and learn to respect women!  Instead, volunteer some time for senators like Wendy Davis, go with a group of women to Austin and make your voices heard.  Get on the computer and the social networks and organize.”

Sad.

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And so is this one. I know they think this is a great new ad campaign to push their product, but is ticking off half of your potential customers the way to increase sales? I’d think not. But I do know one thing, this pandering has cost them at least one customer already….. Me.

Also from HuffPo

“From all of the marriage equality celebrations to Facebook’s new Pride emoticon, everyone’s seeing the colors of the rainbow these past few days and now, to continue celebrating lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Pride, you don’t have to look any further than your cereal bowl.

General Mills has come out in support of the gay community for Pride, and what better way to show their love than with the Lucky Charms marshmallow rainbow?

The “magically delicious” cereal is serving as the face of the new #LuckyToBe campaign which encourages people with Pride to tweet and post online their reasons for why they’re prideful using the hashtag #LuckyToBe.

“We’re celebrating Pride month with whimsical delight, magical charms, and two new rainbow marshmallows… If you’re lucky enough to be different, we’re celebrating you,” the #LuckyToBe campaign stated in a press release sent to GLAAD.

🙄 And someone remind me again, what comes before a fall?

Yeah, exactly.

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by

News/Politics 6-20-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

There’s a whole lot of news on the Gang of 8 Immigration/Amnesty Plan. The CBO has crunched the numbers, take them for what they’re worth. Just remember, they always leave stuff out, they only work what they are given, and the numbers always come in worse than they predicted. First up, TheWashingtonExaminer

“If the Senate immigration bill becomes law, federal health care spending would increase by $112 billion over the next decade as more people take advantage of Medicaid, Medicare and subsidies from President Obama’s health care law, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

In a highly anticipated report, the CBO found that overall, the immigration bill would reduce deficits by $197 billion in the first decade and $700 billion in the following decade, based on the assumption that a flow of new tax revenue would more than offset increased spending on federal benefits and other provisions of the law.

That said, CBO noted that the current language in the bill leaves it unclear which  categories of immigrants would be eligible for various government benefits. Under CBO’s interpretation, passage of the bill would boost spending on subsidies to purchase health insurance on Obamacare’s health insurance exchanges by $82.3 billion from 2014 through 2023; increase Medicaid spending by 29.3 billion; and raise Medicare spending by $0.8 billion. In the second decade following passage, the law would increase federal spending on low-income health programs by $400 billion, according to the CBO.”

The ObamaCare estimates from the CBO have already doubled to almost 2 trillion. More on the numbers here.  From TheDailyCaller

“The Senate’s pending immigration bill will pave the way for the arrival of 46  million legal immigrants over the next 20 years, increase the federal debt in  the same time period and shrink Americans’ average wage, according Alabama  Republican Sen. Jeff Session’s critical reading of two new reports on the  pending immigration reform bill provided by the Congressional Budget Office.

But Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, the most prominent GOP advocate for  the immigration reform bill, says the CBO reports are good news for  Americans.

“The CBO has further confirmed what most conservative economists have found:  reforming our immigration system is a net benefit for our  economy, American workers and taxpayers,” Rubio said in a statement on Tuesday.  “The report offers encouraging evidence that the  [bill could] reduce the  deficit over the next 20 years.””

Yeah, and I have a bridge to sell you. 🙄  Part of the problem here is that their “reform” doesn’t even fix the problem. From CNSNews

“The advocates of S. 744, the immigration bill under consideration in the U.S. Senate that would legalize many of the illegal aliens already in the United States, have argued that the proposed legislation would also secure the border and prevent future illegal immigration.

However, the cost estimate of the legislation that was released on Tuesday by the Congressional Budget Office says that the legislation would actually allow the flow of new illegal aliens into the United States to continue at a rate equal to 75 percent of the current rate of illegal immigration. This will be the case, in part, argues CBO, because of people who overstay temporary work visas that will be authorized by the bill.

This revelation that 75 percent of illegal immigration would continue if the Senate immigration reform proposal were enacted is included in a section of the report headlined, “Future Unauthorized Residents.” The section is on page 23 of the 63-page report.”

I sure hope the House has a better plan than this. This one solves nothing, and it doesn’t secure the border. How is that reform?

And will this cost Rubio? One things for sure, this would drive McCain and the Old Guard nuts. From TheHill

“Former Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.) said Wednesday that he may mount a primary  challenge to Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) in their state’s 2016 Senate primary.

West told station WMAL that he could run for Senate, “If I see people that are not taking our country  down the right path, if I see people that are not standing up for the right type  of principles and putting their own party politics before what is best for the  United States of America.”

“Rubio, a Tea Party favorite, is seen as crucial to winning conservative support  for the immigration bill. But the Florida senator has suggested he may oppose  the measure he helped write unless tougher border security requirements are  adopted.”

And I don’t get where they think conservatives are lined up with Rubio on this. The conservative position is secure the border, then we can discuss it. This doesn’t, and never will. I just don’t see it.

I guess we have our answer to the question above….. From TheHill

“Sen. Marco  Rubio (R-Fla.) is feeling the heat as potential GOP allies are now turning  against his immigration reform bill.

Republican colleagues who were previously viewed as possible “yes” votes are  keeping their distance from the 1,075-page measure.

On Wednesday, conservative activists ripped Rubio and Sen. John McCain  (R-Ariz.) — both sponsors of the bipartisan immigration measure — at a Capitol  Hill rally.”

“The crowd, which was protesting the bill’s effort to put millions of illegal  immigrants on a path to citizenship, booed at the mention of Rubio’s name during  the six-hour event.”

And he had such potential. Oh well.

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And since I mentioned ObamaCare…. From TheChristianScienceMonitor

“The central feature of Obamacare – getting the uninsured to sign up for health insurance – is due to start on Oct. 1, less than four months away. But both the federal and state governments are behind in their preparations.

That’s the conclusion of two reports issued Wednesday by the congressional Government Accountability Office (GAO) looking at the status of government efforts to set up online “exchanges,” or marketplaces, for both individuals and small businesses.

“Much progress has been made, but much remains to be accomplished within a relatively short amount of time,” said the GAO report on the establishment of “federally facilitated” health-insurance exchanges for individuals. Those are the exchanges being set up for the 34 states that opted not to set them up themselves.”

And local govts are following the lead of many major restaurants and retailers. From InvertorsBusinessDaily

“When Regal Entertainment Group (RGC) in April blamed ObamaCare for the fact that it  was cutting some of its workers’ hours, backers of the law mounted a furious  backlash against the theater chain, among other things filling its Facebook page  with boycott threats.

“Greed and selfishness make me sick,” one of them said.

Darden Restaurants (DRI) felt this intense heat last year after  suggesting it might shift to more part-time work to minimize the cost of the  law’s mandate that companies offer coverage to all their full-time workers. CEO  Clarence Otis even blamed its lowered outlook for 2013 in part on “recent  negative media coverage” over “how we might accommodate health care reform.”

Yet while private companies are getting all this unwelcome and hostile  attention, local governments across the country have been quietly doing exactly  the same thing — cutting part-time hours specifically so they can skirt  ObamaCare’s costly employer mandate, while complaining about the law in some of  the harshest terms anyone has uttered in public.”

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This one, well let’s just say it worked as intended. From BuzzFeed

“What I learned from our journalists should alarm everyone in this room and I think should alarm everyone in this country. The actions of the DOJ against AP are already having an impact beyond the specifics of this particular case,” AP CEO Gary Pruitt told an audience at the National Press Club. “Some of our longtime trusted sources have become nervous and anxious about talking to us, even about stories that aren’t about national security. In some cases, government employees that we once checked in with regularly will no longer speak to us by phone, and some are reluctant to meet in person.”

After it was made public that the Justice Department took AP Washington bureau phone records as part of the Obama administration’s aggressive anti-leak operation, Pruitt said the fear among potential sources has spread to reporters from other outlets.

“I can tell you that this chilling effect is not just at AP, it’s happening at other news organizations as well,” he said. “Journalists from other news organizations have personally told me it has intimidated sources from speaking to them.””

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And lastly today, a video with some brutal honesty from a La. State Senator who has switched from D to R, and his reasons why.

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by

News/Politics 6-15-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

First up, the fires continue in Colorado, but crews may be making progress. From NBCNews

‘The fight against a massive, deadly wildfire in Colorado faced a new challenge Friday when isolated thunderstorms packing gusting winds and lightning churned into the region — but got a little help from rain that blew in too.

Authorities inched closer to curbing the Black Forest Fire on Friday afternoon, bringing containment to 30 percent. Mandatory evacuation orders for thousands of Colorado Springs residents were lifted, according to NBC station KOAA of Pueblo, Colo.“

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Next up, who would have the motive and capability to hack a reporters computer? A reporter who just happens to be doggedly reporting on the Fast and Furious scandal. The Obama DoJ is the obvious choice. From CBSNews

“CBS News spokeswoman Sonya McNair said that a cybersecurity firm hired by CBS News “has determined through forensic analysis” that “Attkisson’s computer was accessed by an unauthorized, external, unknown party on multiple occasions in late 2012.”

“Evidence suggests this party performed all access remotely using Attkisson’s accounts. While no malicious code was found, forensic analysis revealed an intruder had executed commands that appeared to involve search and exfiltration of data. This party also used sophisticated methods to remove all possible indications of unauthorized activity, and alter system times to cause further confusion. CBS News is taking steps to identify the responsible party and their method of access.””

More here, from TheWashingtonPost

“Attkisson said she noticed unusual activity in her CBS-issued laptop and her home computer, such as dormant computers spontaneously “waking up” at odd hours. The unusual activity, which also included disruptions on her home phone line, predate the December 2012 breach that CBS confirmed.

She said in an interview Friday that she was “outraged” by the breach, which did not appear to be aimed at extracting personal financial information.”

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Meanwhile a judge has decided the President has exerted unlawful command influence that may have adverse effects on the sentencing of military members convicted of sexual assault. Nice job there Barry. From Politico

“President Obama’s comments condemning military sexual assault and suggesting that those convicted be punished with, among other things, a dishonorable discharge may be backfiring on his efforts to root out the growing problem.

In pretrial hearings in two cases, a Navy judge in Hawaii ruled this week that Obama had exerted “unlawful command influence” as commander-in-chief in outlining the specific “consequences” he saw fit for members of the military convicted of sexual assault.

As a result of Navy Judge Cmdr. Marcus Fulton’s rulings, the defendants in United States v. Johnson and United States v. Fuentes can’t be punitively discharged, even if they’re convicted of sexual assault. Stars and Stripes first reported on the rulings.”

And speaking of  unlawful influence…… From NationalReview

“Details of that testimony are interesting. Representative Tom Graves (R., Ga.) asked, “Have you asked the individuals who ordered them to use this extra scrutiny to punish, or penalize, or postpone, or deny?” George turns around to confer with his assistant. Just the fact that the inspector general had to confer to know the answer to this crucial question is amazing. George’s assistant says something to him that is not recorded, but one can see the assistant shaking his head back and forth. Then George responds publicly to the question, saying, “During our audit, Congressman, we did pose that question and no one would acknowledge who, if anyone, provided that direction.””

“Anyone who knows anything about the rights and responsibilities of an inspector general has to be shaking his head in disbelief at George’s explanation. First, every employee of the government has the responsibility to cooperate with and provide information to an IG concerning his work.”

The same thing they did with the so-called “independent” commission who investigated Benghazi as well. Meanwhile the so-called “investigation” by the FBI of IRS abuses has yet to interview even one conservative group who was targeted. How can you get to the bottom of a crime if you don’t talk to the victims? It’ll be yet another whitewash.

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In other news Democrats who forced ObamaCare on the rest of us now want a pass for themselves. What a dirt bag move. From Forbes

“When the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”) was being debated, proponents were accused of saddling Americans with inferior and expensive health care while keeping generous coverage for themselves at taxpayer expense. To rebut that allegation and build confidence in the bill, a provision was added mandating that members of Congress – and their staff members – get their coverage through the new exchange system the bill set up. Now that the time to sign up for exchange coverage is nearing, a Democratic member, Rep. John Larson (D., Conn.), is saying that “this is simply not fair” – as key staff members head for the exits to avoid Obamacare.”

Waaa. 😦 Somebody call the wambulance. Now you know how the rest of us feel. Thanks for nothin’.

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And lastly, more rewarding of big campaign contributors by Obama. From TheHill

“The White House said that Obama had named John Emerson as the next  ambassador to Germany. According to the president’s campaign, Emerson raised at  least half a million dollars last year for the president’s reelection effort,  topping the between $100,000 and $200,000 he netted for Obama’s 2008  presidential campaign.

Obama has also nominated Rufus Gifford, a former finance director  for the Democratic National Committee and finance director of his reelection  campaign, as the next ambassador to Denmark. Gifford also served as a major  fundraiser for John Kerry’s 2004 presidential campaign and the chairman of the  president’s inaugural committee.

Gifford joins the relatively small ranks of openly gay men to be appointed a  U.S. ambassador. The president also appointed James Costos, an openly gay  executive at HBO, as the next American representative to Spain. Costos gave  $67,000 to support the president and Democratic National Committee during last  year’s race, according to the Federal Election Commission.”

That’s a twofer there.

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by

News/Politics 6-8-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

The hits just keep coming.  The DoJ is fighting the release of a court opinion that found the surveillance programs activities unconstitutional. From MotherJones

“In the midst of revelations that the government has conducted extensive top-secret surveillance operations to collect domestic phone records and internet communications, the Justice Department was due to file a court motion Friday in its effort to keep secret an 86-page court opinion that determined that the government had violated the spirit of federal surveillance laws and engaged in unconstitutional spying.”

“For those who follow the secret and often complex world of high-tech government spying, this was an aha moment. The FISA court Wyden referred to oversees the surveillance programs run by the government, authorizing requests for various surveillance activities related to national security, and it does this behind a thick cloak of secrecy. Wyden’s statements led to an obvious conclusion: He had seen a secret FISA court opinion that ruled that one surveillance program was unconstitutional and violated the spirit of the law. But, yet again, Wyden could not publicly identify this program.”

More cover-up.

Not millions…. billions. From Bloomberg

“Collect telephone numbers for billions of U.S. calls, load the information into super-fast computers and you can start building a map of connections revealing patterns or oddities to help spot a terrorist.”

“The U.S. government’s primary electronic surveillance arm, the National Security Agency, is doing just that — vacuuming up U.S. phone records and, at least in certain circumstances, analyzing them to develop leads that authorities can pursue to identify and stop terror plots.”

Some of those hits are friendly fire too. From TheHill

“Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) on Friday disputed a claim President Obama made at a  press conference only moments earlier, when the president said that every member  of Congress had been briefed on the National Security Agency’s (NSA) domestic  phone surveillance program.”

““I knew about the program because I specifically sought it out,” Merkley said on  MSNBC. “It’s not something that’s briefed outside the Intelligence Committee. I  had to get special permission to find out about the program. It raised concerns  for me. … When I saw what was being done, I felt it was so out of sync with the  plain language of the law and that it merited full public examination, and  that’s why I called for the declassification.”

There went the blame Bush meme too.

Even NBCNews?

“The National Security Agency has at times mistakenly intercepted the private email messages and phone calls of Americans who had no link to terrorism, requiring Justice Department officials to report the errors to a secret national security court and destroy the data, according to two former U.S. intelligence officials. “

“Another former senior official, who asked not to be identified, confirmed Blair’s recollection and said the incident created serious problems for the Justice Department, which represents the NSA before the federal judges on the secret court.

The judges “were really upset about this,” said the former official. As a result, Attorney General Eric Holder pledged to the judges that the intelligence agencies would take steps to correct the problem as a condition of renewing the NSA’s surveillance program. “

Next up, does the US want to destroy privacy around the world? From BusinessInsider

“”It’s well past time that we have a debate about whether that’s  the kind of country and world in which we want to live,” Greenwald said on CNN.  “We haven’t had that debate because it’s all done in secrecy and the Obama  administration has been very aggressive about bullying and threatening anybody  who thinks about exposing it or writing about it or even doing journalism about  it. It’s well past time that that come to an end.”

The Obama administration and some members of Congress have defended the use of the  programs. Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) said  the NSA’s collection of phone data has been going on for seven years. Feinstein  said it’s about “protecting America.”

“People like Dianne Feinstein and Saxby Chambliss can have press  conferences threatening people for bringing light to what it is they’re doing,  but the only people who are going to be investigated are them,” Greenwald said  in response.”

And it’s starting to look like this isn’t just on foreigners as first claimed. From WeaselZippers

“Anyone can appreciate the need to go after foreign terrorists, even that some information might cross over to some Americans who might be in league with foreign terrorists. Yet the order that allowed this massive NSA grab didn’t even give that as a justification, the order says the following:

IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that, the Custodian of Records shall produce to the National Security Agency (NSA) upon service of this Order, and continue production on an ongoing daily basis thereafter for the duration of this Order, unless otherwise ordered by the Court, an electronic copy of the following tangible things: all call detail records or “telephony metadata” created by Verizon for communications (i) between the United States and abroad; or (ii) wholly within the United States, including local telephone calls. This Order does not require Verizon to produce telephony metadata.”

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And look what James Rosen found in the Friday Night News Dump. Susan Rice Benghazi documents. From TheGretaWire/FoxInsider

“State Dept does a ‘document dump’ late on a Friday – 97 pages of documents relating to Ambassador Susan Rice’s television appearances”

Hmmmmm……

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ObamaCare Navigators, coming to a red state near you. Or as I like to call it, ACORN Reborn. From WatchDog.org

“In those states where there is a significant level of hostility toward ObamaCare, trained “navigators” will be on the ground to ensure the program is successfully implemented,  senior administration officials said Thursday during a conference call.”

“Another administration official on the call said funding is available through the Department of Health and Human Services for ObamaCare navigators who she described as “trained in-person consumer assistants.” The official also told reporters $150 million is available in supplemental grants for community health centers, which she said are “quite prevalent in Florida and Texas.””

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I’m not a Ravens fan at all. But I like this guy. 🙂  From TheWashingtonExaminer

“Retired Baltimore Ravens center Matt Birk, who won a Super Bowl with the team last year, skipped the team’s visit to the White House due to President Obama’s support for Planned Parenthood.

“I have great respect for the office of the presidency but about five or six weeks ago, our president made a comment in a speech and he said, ‘God bless Planned Parenthood,’” Birk, a former Minnesota Viking, told a local Minnesota sports blog. “I’m very confused by [Obama’s] statement,” he explained. “”For God to bless a place where they’re ending 330,000 lives a year? I just chose not to attend.”

Birk said he’s a pro-life Roman Catholic. “Planned Parenthood performs about 330,000 abortions a year,” he said. “I couldn’t endorse that in any way.”

Nice to see him sticking to his beliefs and principles.

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by

News/Politics 6-7-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

Open thread, so don’t be shy.

If you thought the Obama admin and some kangaroo court giving the OK to snoop in 100 million people’s phone records was bad, you’ll love this one. This one involves internet snooping rather than phones. They say it’s only used on foreigners, but I’d hardly trust them since they seem to have constantly changing stories. We’ll see.

But the scandals just keep coming. Next up, the Prism scandal. From TheGuardian

“Two different versions of the PRISM scandal were emerging on Thursday with Silicon Valley executives denying all knowledge of the top secret program that gives the National Security Agency direct access to the internet giants’ servers.

The eavesdropping program is detailed in the form of PowerPoint slides in a leaked NSA document, seen and authenticated by the Guardian, which states that it is based on “legally-compelled collection” but operates with the “assistance of communications providers in the US.”

Each of the 41 slides in the document displays prominently the corporate logos of the tech companies claimed to be taking part in PRISM. However, senior executives from the internet companies expressed surprise and shock and insisted that no direct access to servers had been offered to any government agency.

The top-secret NSA briefing presentation set out details of the PRISM program, which it said granted access to records such as emails, chat conversations, voice calls, documents and more. The presentation the listed dates when document collection began for each company, and said PRISM enabled “direct access from the servers of these US service providers: Microsoft, Yahoo, Google, Facebook, Paltalk, AOL, Skype, YouTube, Apple”.

Executives at the companies are saying if it took place, it was without their knowledge.

More here, from the WallStJournal

And TheWashingtonPost has the leaker saying why he leaked it.

“Firsthand experience with these systems, and horror at their capabilities, is what drove a career intelligence officer to provide PowerPoint slides about PRISM and supporting materials to The Washington Post in order to expose what he believes to be a gross intrusion on privacy. “They quite literally can watch your ideas form as you type,” the officer said.”

When it comes to the phone scandal, Obama has even lost the NYTimes

“Within hours of the disclosure that federal authorities routinely collect data on phone calls Americans make, regardless of whether they have any bearing on a counterterrorism investigation, the Obama administration issued the same platitude it has offered every time President Obama has been caught overreaching in the use of his powers: Terrorists are a real menace and you should just trust us to deal with them because we have internal mechanisms (that we are not going to tell you about) to make sure we do not violate your rights.

Those reassurances have never been persuasive — whether on secret warrants to scoop up a news agency’s phone records or secret orders to kill an American suspected of terrorism — especially coming from a president who once promised transparency and accountability.

The administration has now lost all credibility on this issue. Mr. Obama is proving the truism that the executive branch will use any power it is given and very likely abuse it. That is one reason we have long argued that the Patriot Act, enacted in the heat of fear after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks by members of Congress who mostly had not even read it, was reckless in its assignment of unnecessary and overbroad surveillance powers.”

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Another factually challenged member of Team Obama is in trouble. Looks like perjury again. From NationalJournal

“But one person who doesn’t like the idea of the NSA spying on Americans is Oregon senator Ron Wyden. And at a hearing in March, he asked James Clapper, the director of National Intelligence, a straightforward question: “Does the NSA collect any type of data at all on millions or hundreds of millions of Americans?”

Clapper’s answer? “No, sir … not wittingly.”

Update, 5:13 p.m.: Clapper tells the National Journal, “What I said was, the NSA does not voyeuristically pore through U.S. citizens’ e-mails. I stand by that.” Except … that’s not what he said. ”

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We also have a new player in the IRS scandal. From TheDailyCaller

“A Washington IRS attorney named Carter Hull closely oversaw the targeting of  conservative nonprofit groups and suggested questions that IRS employees could ask  of conservative and Tea Party groups applying for tax-exempt nonprofit status,  according to interviews that two IRS employees  gave with congressional investigators.

“I was essentially a front person, because I had no autonomy or no authority  to act on [applications] without Carter Hull’s influence or input,” said  Elizabeth Hofacre, an employee of the  Cincinnati IRS office, according to a new report in the Wall Street Journal.”

“IRS attorney Hull sent Hofacre additional information request letters [pdf] that he’d already sent to two tea party  groups and instructed her to use them as a “foundation to prepare and review”  cases and prepare her own letters to new applicants.”

Washington, not Cincinnati. But we already knew that, didn’t we?

Oh, and you’ll love this. Mr. Hull seems to be in the process of retiring. How convenient.  🙄

From NationalReview

“A tax law specialist and attorney who processed tea-party cases in the Internal Revenue Service’s Exempt Organization’s Technical Office is retiring, according to an IRS source. Reached over the phone, the lawyer, Carter Hull, would not confirm or deny the report, saying only, “I cannot verify anything about this entire matter.” Hull’s retirement comes after years of service in the Exempt Organization, where he has served ”for decades,” the source tells National Review Online.”

Another coincidence I’m sure.  🙄

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ObamaCare demands insurers cover Planned Parenthood clinics. That’s called payback. Thank you for the millions you gave me, now here’s yours. From TheWashingtonExaminer

“Most of Planned Parenthood’s 750 health and abortion clinics around the nation will be covered under Obamacare, imposing a new demand on insurers who want to participate in the health care exchanges that will provide insurance coverage to millions of Americans.

While insurers currently cover doctors and health facilities in their networks, Obamacare demands that they also cover at least 20 percent of “essential community providers” in their coverage area, including Planned Parenthood, AIDS clinics, pain management centers and even alternative medicine providers.

“We’ve never covered these sorts of things,” a Wisconsin insurance provider told Secrets. Insurers said that they were just figuring out the new requirement and haven’t decided if it will raise prices. Conservative providers, however, are wary of covering Planned Parenthood.”

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And it looks like the Obama admin finally has something other than pushing abortion to export to other countries. From NewsBusters

“The Agency for International Development was created to provide “economic,  development and humanitarian assistance around the world in support of the  foreign policy goals of the United States.” Under the Obama administration, that  means spreading “gay rights” activism with our tax dollars. Now that’s really  separating church and state.
The gay Washington  Blade newspaper carried the front-page headline “U.S. Promoting LGBT Rights  Abroad.” Reporter Michael Lavers touted “The first training as part of a  USAID-backed public-private partnership designed to promote LGBT rights around  the world” would happen in Colombia May 30 to June 2.

The  program, which was coordinated by the Gay and Lesbian Victory Institute and the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice, was the first to take place as part of the USAID-backed “LGBT Global Development Partnership” that will contribute $11 million over the next four years to advocacy groups in neighboring Ecuador and other developing countries.”

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by

News/Politics 6-6-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

Once again the influence this guy wields is baffling. From CNSNews

“Mikey Weinstein, president of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, called the Pentagon, demanding the painting’s removal, according to a posting from the organization on Huffington Post that was headlined, “The Pentagon Most Certainly is Listening to Mikey Weinstein.”

“Mikey gave the Air Force an hour to take action,” the Huffington Post piece by Chris Rodda, senior research director for the Military Religious Freedom Foundation and author of the book “Liars for Jesus,” said Friday.”

Meanwhile, the military continues it’s assault on soldiers who have the nerve to support traditional values. From FoxNews

“An Army master sergeant was punished after he hosted a promotion party and served Chick-fil-A sandwiches in honor of the Defense of Marriage Act.”

“The unidentified soldier was investigated, reprimanded, threatened with judicial action and given a bad efficiency report, according to the Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty.

“They say he is no longer a team player and was not performing up to standards,” Chaplain Alliance Executive Director Ron Crews told Fox News. “This is just one little example of a case of a soldier just wanting to express his views and now he’s been jumped on by the military.”

The soldier’s story was included in a letter to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights documenting concerns about attacks on religious liberty within the Armed Services.”

Mikey Weinstein and his PC stupidity isn’t the only problem.

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Speaking of undeserved influence…. From WND

“The FBI has censored and modified hundreds of pages of materials to satisfy  Muslim critics, including a change that was made because an agency “expert”  insisted the Quran “is the revealed word of God.”

The details come from Judicial Watch, which obtained documentation of  the hundreds of pages of FBI memos, training documents and other paperwork that  the agency purged on the demands of Muslims.”

And the Obama admin is clearly out of synch with the public on this. They can scrub the info to make muslim groups happy, and they can pretend there’s not an issue, but American’s of both parties know better. From InvestorsBusinessDaily

“President Obama may need to give another national security speech, because a  new poll shows Americans aren’t nearly as convinced the war on Islamic terror is  over.

A solid majority also think the national security threat comes not just from  terrorism but also the Islamic faith. And it’s a fear held intensely by Obama’s  most loyal voters: African-Americans.”

They can ignore the obvious for PC reasons, but most people see thru it.

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Here’s a couple of quick IRS pieces. Remember folks, Democrats want to remind you that Bush appointed him.

Musta been having a bi-partisan moment eh’ George? From JammieWearingFools

“It’s a running gag by now how former IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulamn was appointed by George W. Bush. No Democrat can discuss the Obama IRS scandal without mentioning it. We would suggest they’re overreaching and overplaying their hand, but this could result in a backlash against the GOP. Anyway, there’s a fascinating look here on Shulman and some of the interesting company he’s kept in past years, including with perhaps the most notorious Democrat tax cheat in recent memory.

The IRS’s top man came to Harlem — and shared a stage with an accused tax cheat, Rep. Charles Rangel.“

He’s also donated to Media Matters and George Soros. Sounds like a Republican to me. 🙄

And yet another top IRS official has some questionable actions to answer for. From BuzzFeed

“The IRS has put a top official in charge of implementing Obamacare on administrative leave after it was discovered he had accepted $1,162 in free food and other items during a 2010 conference.

In a statement, the IRS confirmed that two employees have been placed on administrative leave — which is paid — and have begun the process of removing them.”

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That brings us to ObamaCare. Dem’s and Obama say they’re gonna own it. I say good, hang it around their necks like the albatross it is.  From MercuryNews

“President Barack Obama will come to San Jose on Friday to tout California as proof that his “Obamacare” health care reforms are working.

The White House on Tuesday announced the policy address, which follows the president’s appearances Thursday at a pair of fundraisers for Senate Democrats. It’s not yet clear where the president’s address will be or whether it will be open to the public.

This trip could be a chance for Obama to “take the spotlight off of the IRS, the AP issues, Benghazi — all these things that individually may or may not amount to much, but collectively cast a shadow over a guy who’s trying to get things moving in his second term and instead finds himself in neutral, at best,” said San Jose State University political expert Larry Gerston.”

Take the spotlight off? Sure, point out something that 60%+ of the public hates, that should help.  🙄

Senate and House Dems are all in as well. From Politico

“Scarred by years of Republican attacks over Obamacare, with more in store next year, Democrats have settled on an unlikely strategy for the 2014 midterms: Bring it on.

Party strategists believe that embracing the polarizing law — especially its more popular elements — is smarter politics than fleeing from it in the House elections. The new tack is a marked shift from 2010, when Republicans pointed to Obamacare as Exhibit A of Big Government run amok on their way to seizing the House from Democrats.”

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Pointing out how ObamaCare is gonna cost us is a good plan, especially when you point out the rest of the economic news too. Also not a winning topic for Dems and Obama. “Summer of Recovery?” Anyone? Biden? No? From TheAP

“The expected U.S. “Great Recovery” hasn’t materialized and the economy has fallen short of even normal growth, according to a forecast released Wednesday.”

“The figure was 15.4 percent below a “normal” growth trend, forecast director Edward Leamer wrote.”

More on the dismal picture here, from TheLATimes

“It’s not a recovery,” he wrote. “It’s not even normal growth. It’s bad.”

That has long-term implications in the face of technological advancements that continue displacing workers, Leamer said. And the country’s education system isn’t adequately developing the workforce of the future, he said.

“Regrettably we reward teachers if their students can regurgitate the information on standardized tests,” he wrote. Future workers will need creative and analytical thinking skills for 21st century jobs, he said.”

The good news is the experts expect the unemployment rate to drop. But that will only be because benefits are running out, and the unemployed will instead join the millions of uncounted jobless folks. And as always, they’ll manipulate them if they have too in order to do just that. Again. Still.

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And Lindsey Graham once again earns his RINO title. From NationalJournal

“Whether bloggers count as journalists has mostly been a matter of esoterics for reporter types. But as Congress weighs a media shield law in response to the Associated Press/Justice Department subpoena scandal, the question is gaining an urgency that lawmakers are finding hard to ignore as they turn to writing the bill.

Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., took on the issue—and stumbled.

“Who is a journalist is a question we need to ask ourselves,” he said. “Is any blogger out there saying anything—do they deserve First Amendment protection? These are the issues of our times.”

Last I checked there Senator, media or not, all citizens have First Amendment Rights. Well, unless you’re a Republican trying to get tax exempt status from the IRS. But what makes him think they should decide what’s media and what’s not? If someone runs afoul of what’s legal, or says something that may be slanderous, we already have laws for that.

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And last today, more bad news for Baseball. Another drug scandal. And of course ARod’s name is all over it. Figures. And yet they still can’t void his contract? Seriously? From ESPN

“Major League Baseball will seek to suspend about 20 players connected to the Miami-area clinic at the heart of an ongoing performance-enhancing drug scandal, including Alex Rodriguez and Ryan Braun, possibly within the next few weeks, “Outside the Lines” has learned. If the suspensions are upheld, the performance-enhancing drug scandal would be the largest in American sports history.”

Anyone want to buy a never worn ARod jersey?

Yeah. I wouldn’t either. 😦

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by

News/Politics 6-1-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

Open Thread, so feel free to share.

The DOJ has decided they’re going to crack down on speech offensive to religious folks, and comments considered to be anti-religion. It’s a violation of their civil rights. Well, certain ones anyway… 

From Politico

“A U.S. attorney in Tennessee is reportedly vowing to use federal civil rights statutes to clamp down on offensive and inflammatory speech about Islam.

Bill Killian, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Tennessee, was quoted by the Tullahoma News this week suggesting that some inflammatory material on Islam might run afoul of federal civil rights laws.”

“”This is an educational effort with civil rights laws as they play into freedom of religion and exercising freedom of religion,” Killian said about the meeting. “This is also to inform the public what federal laws are in effect and what the consequences are.””

More here from JudicialWatch

And TheTullahomaNews

Some religions are more equal than others in the mind of our govt. I guess. The DOJ doesn’t appear to be planning on giving Christians, Catholics, and Mormons the same protections. That’s a shame, because they could start the crack down right now, and a whole lot of libs would be in trouble.

From TheBlaze with a CONTENT WARNING! because they get pretty bad.

“In February, Aaron and Melissa Klein, owners of Sweet Cakes by Melissa, an Oregon-based bakery, found themselves at the center of a media firestorm after refusing to make a wedding cake for a lesbian couple’s ceremony. Nearly four months later, the small business continues to receive threatening and harassing phone calls and e-mails, as they grapple with the ongoing fall-out from their controversial decision. This week, they spoke with TheBlaze about the ongoing drama.

It was Jan. 17 when a mother and her daughter showed up at the shop and chatted with Aaron about purchasing a cake; their meeting was short-lived, though. Upon learning that the wedding was for two women, the baker purportedly politely declined service to the women, citing his Christian faith. Aaron apologized, but stayed true to his values.”

“From claims that Aaron should be shot to one apparent threat that he be raped, the hate and angst being thrown the Klein family’s way is certainly serious in nature. Some have even wished for the couple’s five children to be stricken with illness. Aaron and Melissa shared a number of the e-mails with TheBlaze.”

This seems to be exactly the kind of behavior that they’re talking about. Why the double standard?

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Uh-oh. Looks like the healthcare rationing has already begun. Well, at least there are no death panels yet. Well except for that one…

From CNSNews

“A pre-existing condition health insurance program  established by Obamacare is already straining its own budget and, to  control costs, the administration’s Health and Human Services Department  (HHS) has stopped enrolling any new people in the program, according to  an audit by the General Accountability Office (GAO).

In addition, to further control spending, HHS has directed the program  to shift more of the costs onto the current enrollees, thus raising the  out-of-pocket health care expenses for the people with pre-existing  conditions.”

Not a 😯

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Remember way back like a week ago when the IRS scandal was just a few rogue employees? Those were the good ol’ days.

From CNNPoliticalTicker

“The Internal Revenue Service has told House GOP investigators they have identified 88 IRS employees who may have documents relevant to the congressional investigation into targeting of conservative groups, according to a congressional source familiar with the investigation.

The IRS asked these employees to preserve all the “responsive documents” on their computers, and it has been in the process of collecting it all to comply with congressional requests for information.  The IRS missed its May 21st deadline to turn over documents to the House Ways and Means Committee.

The same source said the IRS argues it missed its deadline because of the scope of documents it is collecting.”

Looks like they’ll need a new story. Again.

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How do you reward the man who helped us get Osama bin Laden? If you’re the Obama admin, you blow his cover and leave him to the wolves.

From FoxNews

“It was the Obama administration that sealed the fate of the Pakistani doctor  jailed for helping nail Usama Bin Laden, by divulging key details after the fact and dooming any chance Shakil Afridi’s cover story could win his freedom,  according to a confidential Pakistani report.”

“Indeed, Panetta and others in the Obama administration were sharply criticized  domestically for discussing the raid and efforts involving Afridi to obtain DNA  from the compound’s occupants by posing as a medical team offering vaccinations.  Nearly five months before Afridi’s sentencing, while the doctor was being held  and interrogated by Pakistan’s shadowy intelligence agency , Panetta spoke on  record in an interview to CBS “60 Minutes” confirming Afridi’s role in late  January 2012. The statements came after Afridi had testified to the commission,  and sharply contradicted his story.”

“The U.S. intelligence community was alarmed at the Obama administration’s  loose-lipped attitude toward the raid, according to New York Times reporter  David Sanger’s book “Confront and Conceal,” which claimed leaks prompted  then-Secretary of Defense Robert Gates to angrily confront Obama’s National  Security Advisor Thomas Donilon.”

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by

News/Politics 5-30-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

First up, another lawsuit against the IRS. And another lie exposed. Stopped a long time ago? No.

“Jay Sekulow, chief counsel of the American  Center for Law and Justice, told Fox News host Sean Hannity on Tuesday night  that he would soon be ‘taking a lot of depositions in a very big lawsuit’  against the IRS on behalf of 25 right-wing groups.

He revealed on the Hannity show that despite  assurances from the Treasury Department and the White House that the IRS had  stopped subjecting tea party groups to special scrutiny in 2012, his office  received a letter addressed to one of his clients ‘on May 6 of this year from  the IRS, asking for responses to intrusive questions.'”  From TheDailyMail

Meanwhile similar groups from the left like OfA continue to do the same unhindered. I’m sure it’s just a coincidence that Obama is helping them fundraise. There doesn’t seem to be any problem with them using their tax exempt status for political purposes.

Obama Sends Fundraising Email On Behalf Of “Non-Partisan” OFA…

Fun fact: OFA operates as a 504(c)(4) non-profit, the same status the IRS targeted conservatives over.

Non-partisan, just like the President. 🙄

This is a new piece to the story… Did this tweet disappear to help hide the fact that the White House leaked Koch Brothers tax info in violation of federal law?

“In August 2010, Austan Goolsbee, serving at the time as economic adviser to President Obama, told reporters during an anonymous background briefing that Koch Industries doesn’t pay corporate income taxes. That statement was made at the same time that top Democrats, including President Obama himself, were demonizing Charles and David Koch, the owners of Koch Industries, for giving money to Tea Party groups. Goolsbee’s remark led to a federal investigation, the results of which have never been released.

In a September 2010 WEEKLY STANDARD interview, Mark Holden, a lawyer for Koch Industries, disputed Goolsbee’s claim and asked how Goolsbee came up with the idea that Koch Industries doesn’t pay corporate taxes. Holden raised the question of whether someone in the Obama administration might have looked at Koch Industries’ tax returns–which would be a violation of a federal law that was enacted in 1976 in response to Watergate.” From TheWeeklyStandard

Hmmmmm…..

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 Next up, Eric Holder’s really bad day.

Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee sent a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder on Wednesday expressing “great concern” about the possibility that Holder lied under oath during his testimony earlier this month on the Justice Department’s seizing of journalists’ records, CBS News has learned. From CBSNews

More here.

Two Republican lawmakers asked U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder on Wednesday to clarify testimony he gave Congress this month about his role in the targeting of journalists in a leak probe.House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte of Virginia and colleague James Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin sent a letter to Holder saying recent media reports “appear to be at odds with your sworn testimony.” From Reuters

And he’s not the only one. The same can be said of the IRS director.

So Holder called an off the record meeting with the press. Thankfully, some declined.

“We believe the meeting should be on the record and we have said that to the Attorney General’s office. If it is on the record, AP Executive Editor Kathleen Carroll will attend. If it is not on the record, AP will not attend and instead will offer our views on how the regulations should be updated in an open letter,” AP spokesperson Erin Madigan said in a statement sent to POLITICO. “We would expect AP attorneys to be included in any planned meetings between the Attorney General’s office and media lawyers on the legal specifics.” From Politico

Even the NY Times refused.

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This one…. This is how Sharia Law came to be in Europe. We don’t need police and feds, we’ll let our Imams police us instead.

From TheDailyCaller

“Politically influential Muslim activists are pushing to reduce the FBI’s role in  countering Islamic terrorism and are seeking greater federal reliance on  hard-line orthodox Imams.”

“The CVE program has been slammed by critics for giving too large an  intermediary role to small Islamic political groups such as MPAC, which portray  themselves as representatives of American Muslims. The groups try to foster the  growth of distinct Islamic communities.”

“Elibiary’s new call for reduced policing of Islamic communities, such as  Boston’s immigrant Muslims, was echoed by other speakers at the panel, which was  hosted by the progressive New American Foundation in Washington D.C.“

“Imams and counselors need to be given some leeway” by police,  said  Suhaib Webb, Imam of the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center.”

And yes, that’s the Imam of the center affiliated with the mosque Tamerlan Tsarnaev attended, one of the Boston bombers. Seems to me they already had a shot to do what they’re asking. And they failed miserably.

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Meanwhile, while the feds bow to PC pressure and ignore where the radicals really come from, resources are instead wasted on political intimidation of perceived enemies. Gee, there seems to be a pattern of this with the Obama admin.

From LifeSiteNews

“The FBI office charged with investigating terrorism has said it intends to question the national director of a chain of crisis pregnancy centers. The development is the latest in what pro-life activists have charged is a pattern of intimidation on the part of the Obama administration against pro-life activists.Agents of the Joint Domestic Terrorism Task Force told Chris Slattery, national director of Expectant Mother Care (EMC) FrontLine Pregnancy Centers, only that they wanted to meet him “for a mutually beneficial relationship.”

“The rate of federal questions, and allegations of surveillance, of pro-life activists have led many leaders to conclude the Obama administration is gathering intelligence on the pro-life movement.”

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Another alternative to ObamaCare?

“But the decision to do away with insurance allows Ciampi to practice medicine the way he sees fit, he said. Insurance companies no longer dictate how much he charges. He can offer discounts to patients struggling with their medical bills. He can make house calls.“I’m freed up to do what I think is right for the patients,” Ciampi said. “If I’m providing them a service that they value, they can pay me, and we cut the insurance out as the middleman and cut out a lot of the expense.”” From BangorDailyNews

He even posts his prices. This is similar to what some are doing in Oklahoma.

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by

News/Politics 5-29-13

What’s interesting out there today?

As always, Open Thread.

Under intense pressure from Britain and France, the European Union’s arms embargo against the Syrian rebels has been lifted. From TheBBC

Canada however, has broken ranks because of the jihadist connections. Any country that sends in weapons will arm extremists. There’s no way around it.

“Our strong concern has been, and continues to be, the number of radical jihadists that have entered parts of the opposition and, in our view, that’s not getting better. It is, in fact, getting worse,” Baird said.” From TheSunNewsNetwork

I wish they’d sit McCain down and explain this to him. He just doesn’t get it. I’ve said numerous times that we shouldn’t arm these people. Once again we have reports, that if true, demonstrate why. This is who and what you will be arming.

Members of the Free Syrian Army reportedly attacked the Christian-dominated al-Duvair village in Reef on the outskirts of Homs on Monday, where they massacred its citizens, including women and children, before the Syrian Army interfered. From Examiner.com

Here’s the original story as well.

Armed rebels attacked a village in Syria’s Western province of Homs and slaughtered all its Christian residents on Monday.From TheFarsNewsAgency

And to make matters worse, Russia is planning to send missiles to the Assad regime. And Israel has stated they will bomb the shipments if they try. Nice.

How about we just stay out of it?

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Who’s up for an ObamaCare update? Or as I like to call it, the slow motion train wreck. Anyway,

LET THE PROPAGANDA BEGIN! Again.

“The goals, Pelosi writes in a “dear colleague” letter that begins the document, are “to educate our constituents about the new law, help to implement it, and strengthen the hands of those who have worked for this historic reform.”

The document is also optimistic about the cost of these plans: “A significant majority of people in the new Marketplaces will pay the same or less than they do for their coverage right now,” it says, citing tax credits available for health-care premiums.” From BuzzFeed

Uh-huh. That sounds familiar. Kinda like “If you like your plan you can keep it.” If you can still afford it once the rates climb. And climb they have. That will continue as well. And once again, Democrats are optimistic about costs, even after the advertised cost has already doubled. 🙄

And like all good propaganda, it must be coordinated.

“Reforming our health care system is an historic opportunity to make health care more affordable and bring the kind of change we were all elected to achieve for the American people,” Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California and committee co-chairmen Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut and Robert E. Andrews of New Jersey wrote in a May 22 introductory letter accompanying each toolkit, one of which was obtained by CQ Roll Call.

“Nothing could be more important,” the letter continues, “which is why we now want to educate our constituents about the new law, help to implement it, and strengthen the hands of those who have worked for this historic reform.”

In other words, the toolkits — the culmination of months of collaboration and coordination — are meant to help get Democrats “on message” about the law that’s consistently derided by the GOP as a government overreach that will kill jobs. It’s certainly not the first time Democrats have tried to retool their sales job on the health care law, as polls consistently show Democrats have yet to win over the public.”  From RollCall

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Here’s an IRS scandal update. Looks like that “low-level employees” lie has officially past it’s expiration date.

“Additional scrutiny of conservative organizations’ activities by the IRS did not solely originate in the agency’s Cincinnati office, with requests for information coming from other offices and often bearing the signatures of higher-ups at the agency, according to attorneys representing some of the targeted groups. At least one letter requesting information about one of the groups bears the signature of Lois Lerner, the suspended director of the IRS Exempt Organizations department in Washington.” From NBCNews

The investigation seems to be expanding to all IRS data on the matter, and thereby, anyone involved.

“The Internal Revenue Service is in the process of locking down all computer data across the agency, a sign that investigations into the scandal-plagued agency may be taking a broader sweep than initially anticipated.

Agency employees last Thursday received an e-mail alerting them, “This is a late breaking top priority and things could change in the future,” according to an IRS employee who asked not to be named. 

Employees were directed not to “wipe, re-image or otherwise destroy any hard drives” on any machine currently in use or in stock.” From NationalReview

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This last one is just sad. With people in charge who come up with ideas like this, is it any wonder they abort 41% of pregnancies in NYC?

“The New York City Health Department’s NYC teen website now includes an app that teens can download to their smart phones to  get information on “sexual health,” including where they can get birth  control and abortions.

 The app, under the heading “Important Links and Info,” has three main  links – Where to Go; sexual health services, What to Get; condoms and  birth control; and What to Expect; at the clinic. From CNSNews

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by

News/Politics 5-10-13

What’s interesting out there today?

Another day, another whistleblower. And like all Obama admin whistleblowers, they’re attempting to silence him. At least they didn’t imply he was crazy like they did the last IG to cross them. At least not yet. From HotAir

“In yesterdays hearings on Benghazi, Gregory Hicks told the House Oversight Committee that the State Department warned him about cooperating with investigators and retaliated against him for challenging the bogus talking points about a “spontaneous demonstration.” Mark Thompson further testified to being cut out of the loop after he insisted that FEST should be activated, and Eric Nordstrom dismissed the supposedly independent ARB effort as a whitewash aimed at protecting senior officials in the State Department.

Those aren’t the only complaints coming from career professionals within the Obama administration.  Politico reports that the Inspector General for the reconstruction of Afghanistan is now claiming that “bureaucrats” are trying to silence him to keep the reports of corruption in the Karzai government from doing any more damage.”

“The watchdog who tracks the billions of taxpayer dollars spent to rebuild Afghanistan says government officials have tried to silence him because they think he’s embarrassing the White House and Afghan President Hamid Karzai by pointing out the waste and fraud.”

“John Sopko, the special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction, used a speech at the New America Foundation on Wednesday to blast government “bureaucrats”’ who have told him to stop publicizing damning audits that detail case after case of waste, corruption and mismanagement of rebuilding efforts in Afghanistan. Some government officials have even complained that they aren’t allowed to pre-screen or edit his reports, he said. …”

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The Benghazi Patsy, from Politico

“Nakoula Basseley Nakoula deserves a place in American history. He is the first person in this country jailed for violating Islamic anti-blasphemy  laws.

You won’t find that anywhere in the charges against him, of course. As a practical matter, though, everyone knows that Nakoula wouldn’t be in jail today if he hadn’t produced a video crudely lampooning the prophet Muhammad.”

“After Benghazi, the administration was evidently filled with a fierce resolve — to bring Nakoula Basseley Nakoula to justice. Charles Woods, the father of a Navy SEAL killed in Benghazi, said Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told him  when his son’s body returned to Andrews Air Force Base: “We will make sure that  the person who made that film is arrested and prosecuted.”

Lo and behold, Nakoula was brought in for questioning by five Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies at midnight, eventually arrested and held without bond, and finally thrown into jail for a year. He sits in La Tuna Federal Correctional Institution in Texas right now, even as the deceptive spin that blamed his video for the Benghazi attack looks more egregious by the day.”

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More ObamaCare fraud and waste. From Reuters

“The Obama administration said on Thursday it is making $150 million available to community health centers to enroll uninsured Americans in healthcare coverage under President Barack Obama’s reform law.

The new funds would help about 1,200 health centers hire and train staff, conduct community outreach efforts and assist consumers in applying for benefits under the law, which provides coverage through subsidized insurance markets and an expansion of the Medicaid program for the poor, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said.”

Community organizers with lot’s of cash. Or as I like to call it, ACORN Reborn.  Again, Politico

“President Obama will speak Friday about the Affordable Care Act’s effects “on the health, lives and pocketbooks of women and their families,” the White House said in his schedule.

Timed to coincide with Mother’s Day, which is on Sunday, the event comes also comes as House Republicans plan to vote next week on a bill to repeal the health care law.

The audience for the 2:40 p.m. event will include representatives from women’s groups, including Planned Parenthood.”

Sure, ‘cuz everybody thinks of PP whenever Mother’s Day is mentioned. 🙄

Maybe they want to be the Grinches of Mother’s Day. Like these folks. From TIME

“It’s the time of year when we celebrate mothers and — about a month later — fathers. But the way we view each holiday reveals a lot about the growing gap between cultural gender stereotypes and the reality of most families’ day-to-day lives.”

“Other messages in Mother’s Day and Father’s Day cards also reinforce sex stereotypes. Moms are thanked for the hugs, for drying the tears, for “always being there.” Dads, though, tend to be thanked as role models and individuals to look up to. A typical Hallmark Father’s Day card reads, “Integrity. Respect. Honor. I learned these things from you.”

Of course, there is not a thing wrong with children saying thank you for all those cuddles and comfort, or for expressing gratitude for models of strength and responsibility. These are all lovely sentiments. The question is: why in 2013, are we still dividing all these traits by gender? It’s insulting to both women and men and it has less and less to do with contemporary American families. Dads can be nurturers. Moms can be role models. Many, of course, already are.”

Why are leftists so miserable that they want to ruin everything that people might enjoy? Sad.

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Domestic Terrorist Teaching at Colleges?

Uh….,  yeah. And here’s a list, from TheOtherMcCain

“Controversy ensued when the news broke that Kathy Boudin, former member of the Weather Underground who was convicted in 1984 of felony murder, received the position of adjunct professor at Columbia University.  While it may be ironic that Boudin received a teaching position at a university she was plotted to bomb, she is not the only former domestic terrorist to receive such a position.

At least a dozen former members of domestic terrorist organizations are now college professors. Members of the Weather Underground make up half of this list; some are well known, like Bill Ayers and his wife Bernadine Dohrn, Ayers is now retired from the University of Illinois, while Dohrn is still teaching at Northwestern Law.

Other lesser-known members of the group include Howard Machtinger, who was charged with conspiring to bomb the Detroit Police Officers Association Building and was on the run from the law for five years from 1973 to 1978. Machtinger now works for the School of Education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.”

And many more as well.

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