politics

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News/Politics 5-9-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

We’ll start with a bunch of Benghazi links for those interested.

Benghazi whistleblower: ‘I’ve been demoted’ for challenging Susan Rice’s claims, from the Washington Examiner

White House struggles to respond to new Benghazi revelations, from the Washington Times

Diplomat Says Questions Over Benghazi Led to Demotion, from the NY Times

Top U.S. Diplomat In Libya Says Hillary Clinton’s Top Aide Chewed Him Out For Talking With Investigators… from Weasel Zippers

Top Ranking U.S. Diplomat In Libya After Ambassador Stevens Death Says FBI Never Bothered To Interview Him During Their Investigation… from Weasel Zippers

And of course a Democrat blames it all on budget cuts, from The Weekly Standard

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A pair of new studies will make the gun debate a little tougher for one side. From TheWashingtonPost

“Gun homicides have dropped steeply in the United States since their 1993 peak, a pair of reports released Tuesday showed, adding fuel to Congress’ battle over whether to tighten restrictions on firearms.

A study released Tuesday by the government’s Bureau of Justice Statistics found that gun-related homicides dropped from 18,253 in 1993 to 11,101 in 2011. That’s a 39 percent reduction.

Another report by the private Pew Research Center found a similar decline by looking at the rate of gun homicides, which compares the number of killings to the size of the country’s growing population. It found that the number of gun homicides per 100,000 people fell from 7 in 1993 to 3.6 in 2010, a drop of 49 percent.”

“Both reports also found that non-fatal crimes involving guns were down by roughly 70 percent over that period.”

Huh. You mean they’re being dishonest with their rhetoric? After all, they insist that booming gun sales are dangerous. Yet while ownership rose, deaths declined. Go figure. And yeah, it’s also funny that this comes just weeks after the Senate’s attempted regulations. Now you know why they were in a hurry.

Despite the actual facts, the public seems uninformed on the matter. Just like they and their media mouthpieces intended. Here’s more, from TheLATimes

“Gun crime has plunged in the United States since its peak in the middle of the 1990s, including gun killings, assaults, robberies and other crimes, two new studies of government data show.

Yet few Americans are aware of the dramatic drop, and more than half believe gun crime has risen, according to a newly released survey by the Pew Research Center.”

“Despite the remarkable drop in gun crime, only 12% of Americans surveyed said gun crime had declined compared with two decades ago, according to Pew, which surveyed  more than 900 adults this spring. Twenty-six percent said it had stayed the same, and 56% thought it had increased.

It’s unclear whether media coverage is driving the misconception that such violence is up. The mass shootings in Newtown, Conn., and Aurora, Colo., were among the news stories most closely watched by Americans last year, Pew found. Crime has also been a growing focus for national newscasts and morning network shows in the past five years but has become less common on local television news.”

Unclear? No. Not really.

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Joe Biden would like you to know that it’s immoral and callous to want Voter ID. From Politico

“Vice President Joe Biden on Tuesday bashed voting rights requirements — calling them “immoral, callous” — and warned of political consequences for those  who try to impose barriers to casting a ballot.

“To me it is the most immoral, callous thing that can be done, the idea of  making it more difficult to vote,” Biden said at the annual gala dinner of the  Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, a minority-focused public  policy organization.”

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More radical ties to Boston bombing suspect #1. From YahooNews

“Last year, when Tamerlan Tsarnaev spent six months in the Russian region of Dagestan, he had a guide with an unusually deep knowledge of the local Islamist community: a distant cousin named Magomed Kartashov. Six years older than Tsarnaev, Kartashov is a former police officer and freestyle wrestler—and one of the region’s most prominent Islamists.

In 2011 Kartashov founded and became the leader of an organization called the Union of the Just, whose members campaign for sharia law and pan-Islamic unity in Dagestan, often speaking out against U.S. policies across the Muslim world. The group publicly renounces violence. But some of its members have close links to militants; others have served time in prison for weapons possession and abetting terrorism—charges they say were based on fabricated evidence. For Tsarnaev, these men formed a community of pious young Muslims with whom he could discuss his ideas of jihad. Tsarnaev’s mother, Zubeidat, confirmed that her son is Kartashov’s third cousin. The two met for the first time in Dagestan, she said, and “became very close.””

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The chair of the Congressional Black Caucus is seeking leniency for Jesse Jackson Jr. From TheChicagoSunTimes

“Eight of the letters argued for a break. The most prominent advocate for Jesse Jackson was Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio), chair of the Congressional Black Caucus.

Fudge wrote that even though she and some congressional colleagues in hindsight saw signs of his bipolar illness “during the last 4 to 5 years,” nevertheless, he was a “tireless advocate for the poor and underserved.” He was also the charming “highlight of our karaoke nights.””

So it’s OK to steal campaign donations, as long as you can Karaoke. Got it. 🙄

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Jodi Arias is guilty, and she’d rather have the death penalty. From TheAP

“Jodi Arias spent 18 days on the stand sharing intimate, emotional and oftentimes X-rated details of her life before a rapt television and online audience. She had hoped it all might convince a jury that she killed her one-time boyfriend in self-defense.

But the eight men and four women on the panel didn’t buy it, convicting Arias of first-degree murder after only about 15 hours of deliberations. Jurors will return to court Thursday to begin the next phase of the trial that could set the stage for Arias receiving a death sentence.

It’s a punishment that Arias herself says she wants, telling a TV station minutes after her conviction that she would “prefer to die sooner than later.””

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News/Politics 5-7-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

We’ll start off with this one. A frightening story on the kidnapping of 3 women. They were all abducted as teens over a 10 year period , but thankfully all are now free. Their apparent kidnappers are in custody. Police will release more info this morning. From TheAP

“The woman’s voice was frantic and breathless, and she was choking back tears. “Help me. I’m Amanda Berry,” she told a 911 dispatcher. “I’ve been kidnapped and I’ve been missing for 10 years and I’m, I’m here, I’m free now.”

Those words led police to a house near downtown Cleveland where Berry and two other women who vanished a decade ago were found Monday, elating family members and friends who’d longed to see them again.”

“At first Tejeda said she didn’t want to believe who the young woman was. “You’re not Amanda Berry,” she insisted. “Amanda Berry is dead.”

But when Berry told her she’d been kidnapped and held captive, Tejeda said she gave her the telephone to call police, who arrived within minutes and then took the other women from the house.”

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I hate to say I told you so, but…..

Welcome to the Arab Spring. In Libya, Al-Qaeda is blooming. From TheDailyBeast

“A rare interview with a top Libyan intelligence official reveals that, as an unintended consequence of the French intervention to quash a radical Muslim insurgency in nearby Mali, which forced al Qaeda in the Mahgreb to move north earlier this year, Libya has now become the main base of the terror group in the region, heightening the instability of what is already a volatile country.”

““Libya has become AQIM’s headquarters,” says the intelligence source, adding that in just the last few weeks three new al Qaeda camps have opened in southern Libya.”

“Disgruntled militiamen in league with the Muslim Brotherhood last week applied a choke hold on the government by besieging key ministries in an effort to coerce approval of a measure that is likely to collapse of the government of Ali Zeidan, plunging Libya into even greater political turmoil and weakening Libya’s ability to battle jihadists.”

On the ropes huh? 

And we helped do it. We’re doing the same in Syria. And we’re about to give them more arms.

And our govt. won’t lift a finger to stop them, even when American lives are at stake. From FoxNews

“On the night of Sept. 11, as the Obama administration scrambled to respond to the Benghazi terror attacks, then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and a key  aide effectively tried to cut the department’s own counterterrorism bureau out of the chain of reporting and decision-making, according to a “whistle-blower”  witness from that bureau who will soon testify to the charge before Congress,  Fox News has learned.

That witness is Mark I. Thompson, a former Marine and now the deputy  coordinator for operations in the agency’s counterterrorism bureau. Sources tell Fox News Thompson will level the allegation against Clinton during testimony on Wednesday before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, chaired by  Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif.

Fox News has also learned that another official from the counterterrorism  bureau — independently of Thompson — voiced the same complaint about Clinton and Under Secretary for Management Patrick Kennedy to trusted national security colleagues back in October.”

Certainly explains the order to stand down as well.

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Meanwhile back in the States, our govt found yet another way to get more tax money from us. From TheAP

“The Senate sided with traditional retailers and financially strapped state and local governments Monday by passing a bill that would widely subject online shopping — for many a largely tax-free frontier — to state sales taxes.

The Senate passed the bill by a vote of 69 to 27, getting support from Republicans and Democrats alike. But opposition from some conservatives who view it as a tax increase will make it a tougher sell in the House. President Barack Obama has conveyed his support for the measure.”

“”We ought to have a structure in place in the states that treats all retail the same,” said Matthew Shay, president and CEO of the National Retail Federation. “Small retailers are collecting (sales tax) on the first dollar of any sale they make, and it’s only fair that other retailers who are selling to those same customers the same product have those same obligations.””

Sure. That’s the only motivation for retailers, and the extra money the govt pulls in has nothing to do with it for our elected officials. Riiiight. 🙄

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But hey it’s not all bad. The President is gonna concentrate on jobs now too. Apparently it took 4 1/2 years to focus that laser of his on jobs. He’s even gonna tour the country and tell folks about. Which will waste tons of money. Again. The Never-ending Campaign rolls on. From TheWashingtonPost

“President Obama will travel this week to Austin, where the jobs market has been booming, to kick off a new focus on the middle class and economic growth.

Obama is planning a campaign-style “Middle Class Jobs & Opportunity Tour” across the country, beginning Thursday in Austin, a magnet for new tech jobs. The push seems designed to help jump-start the president’s second term.”

“Now, White House officials hope that Obama, by campaigning outside of Washington, can galvanize the public and pressure Congress to back his legislative agenda, including economic measures he outlined in February’s State of the Union address.”

I love it. Hey, if you’re gonna try and grab credit for some good economic news, where else but Texas? He won’t mention that they got there by doing the opposite of what he would do, and in spite of him and his policies.

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And this last one…..  The printable firearm has arrived. From HotAir

“Just to establish a baseline of what we’re talking about here, any of you who regularly watch shows like How it’s Made, Modern Marvels or any of the other science and technology offerings on cable probably already know about 3-D printing. (One of the featured manufacturers of these machines has a nice video tutorial on it.) Basically, a 3-D model is designed and the “printer” lays down one layer after another of material until the model is produced. And some of these machines are already getting down to the affordable range.

So what would you do if you got one? Well, if you’re Cody Wilson, you’d print a gun of course. Forbes has the exclusive.”

““We want to show this principle: That a handgun is printable,” says Wilson, a 24-year-old second-year law student at the University of Texas. “You don’t need to be able to put 200 rounds through it…It only has to fire once. But even if the design is a little unworkable, it doesn’t matter, as long as it has that guarantee of lethality.””

So, sure as the sun rising in the East, Dems wanna ban it.

“New York congressman Steve Israel has responded to Defense Distributed’s work by introducing a bill that would renew the Undetectable Firearms Act with new provisions aimed specifically at 3D printed components. In January, personal 3D printing firm Makerbot removed all gun components from Thingiverse, its popular site for hosting users’ printable designs.

More on the banning, and some good ol’ fashioned media fear mongering, from TheNYDailyNews

“The future just got a lot scarier.

A Texas company is set to release blueprints for making a plastic gun with a  3-D printer — a development Sen.  Chuck Schumer called “stomach-churning” Sunday.

Defense Distributed, a collective of gun access advocates headed by  self-described “free-market anarchist” Cody Wilson, has announced it made such  an untraceable gun with the new plastic-making technology. The nonprofit Texas  group intends to post blueprints for “The Liberator” (pictured) online this  week.

The Liberator may look like a toy, but “this gun can fire regular bullets,” Schumer said, calling for legislation outlawing the technology’s weapons potential.”

The Daily News has no problem being a mouthpiece for anything anti-gun. Even if that means publicly attacking anyone who dares disagree. Like this, from TheNYDailyNews

“Sarah Palin showed up  at the NRA convention the other day, which was merely perfect. She belonged there as much as anybody in the hall just because from the start, from the time  John McCain picked her out of the chorus, Palin has most appealed to mean, dumb, angry crowds exactly like the one she found in Houston.

Palin should have worn a prom dress, but on this occasion wore a T-shirt  that read “Women Hunt.” In her case, that means hunting for attention.

Or relevance.”

“She wants to be a populist and a patriot, the way the phonies cheering her on  Friday think they’re patriots, and brave defenders of the Second Amendment. But all Palin did this time was turn herself out for the craziest and creepiest gun  lovers on the planet. It is the same as turning yourself out for gun  manufacturers.”

He goes on to whine and name call some more after calling Wayne LaPierre her pimp.

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by

News/Politics 5-6-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

Open Thread.

We’ve had a bunch of new stuff released on Benghazi over the weekend.

From the get go. From CBS

“Everybody in the mission” in Benghazi, Libya, thought the attack on a U.S. consulate there last Sept. 11 was an act of terror “from the get-go,” according to excerpts of an interview investigators conducted with the No. 2 official in Libya at the time, obtained by CBS News’ “Face the Nation.”

“I think everybody in the mission thought it was a terrorist attack from the beginning,” Greg Hicks, a 22-year foreign service diplomat who was the highest-ranking U.S. official in Libya after the strike, told investigators under authority of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Hicks, the former U.S. Embassy Tripoli deputy chief of mission, was not in Benghazi at the time of the attack, which killed Chris Stevens – then the U.S. ambassador to Libya – and three other Americans.”

Here’s the video of an Issa interview on “Face the Nation”. Looks like Bob Schieffer is coming around now that he knows they lied to him on his show.

 The Benghazi Talking Points, and how they were changed to obscure the truth, is addressed nicely at TheWeeklyStandard

“Even as the White House strove last week to move beyond questions about the Benghazi attacks of Tuesday, September 11, 2012, fresh evidence emerged that senior Obama administration officials knowingly misled the country about what had happened in the days following the assaults. The Weekly Standard has obtained a timeline briefed by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence detailing the heavy substantive revisions made to the CIA’s talking points, just six weeks before the 2012 presidential election, and additional information about why the changes were made and by whom.”

The Whistleblowers have been named. From FoxNews

More info in this video from Fox News Sunday.

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Israel has made strikes in Syria. From Bloomberg

“Syria accused Israel of attacking targets on the outskirts of Damascus in an aerial strike that sent a fireball over the capital and drew threats of retaliation.”

“Syria’s Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal al-Mekdad told CNN the airstrikes were a “declaration of war” and that the government would retaliate in its own time. The country’s information minister, Omran al-Zoubi, said in a statement on state TV that the attack opens doors to all possibilities and that Syria would use “any means” to protect its people.”

We also have a new report that says it was the rebels, and not the regime, that used chemical weapons in Syria. A possible false flag to get outsider(US) weapons and aid for the rebels. From TheHill

“United Nations human rights investigators said Sunday they have gathered  testimony from outside Syria suggesting rebels, not Bashar Assad’s regime, may  have used chemical weapons.

“Our investigators have been in neighboring countries interviewing victims,  doctors and field hospitals and, according to their report of last week which I  have seen, there are strong, concrete suspicions but not yet incontrovertible  proof of the use of sarin gas, from the way the victims were treated,” Carla Del  Ponte, a member of the independent commission of inquiry on Syria, told  Swiss-Italian television. “This was use on the part of the opposition, the  rebels, not by the government authorities.”

The allegations will likely make it harder for the Obama administration to  justify taking a more active role in the two-year-old civil war on the side of  the opposition. The administration has said in recent days that chemical weapons  appeared to have been used in Syria, which would violate the “red line” Obama  set for Assad’s forces.”

John McCain will be hardest hit by this news. He so wanted to help arm the rebels.

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The Editor of the Aurora Sentinel has called for cracking down on the real terrorists and kidnappers among us. Those dastardly NRA members. He wants to strip them of their rights and send them to Gitmo. If you suggested doing that to an actual terrorist, he’d flip his liberal lid. No word on if they will be waterboarded or not.

And they wonder why newspapers are dying. 🙄 Maybe it has something to do with constantly insulting half your readers. Just sayin’… From TheAuroraSentinel

“I have seen the light. After all these years, I now agree that it’s fruitless to give the benefit of the doubt to people who are so obviously corrupt, so clearly malevolent, so bent on hurting innocent people for their own sick gain.

No more due process in the clear-cut case of insidious terrorism. When the facts are so clearly before all Americans, for the whole world to see, why bother with this country’s odious and cumbersome system of justice? Send the guilty monsters directly to Guantanamo Bay for all eternity and let them rot in their own mental squalor.

No, no, no. Not the wannabe sick kid who blew up the Boston marathon or the freak that’s mailing ricin-laced letters to the president. I’m talking about the real terrorist threat here in America: the National Rifle Association.”

“Hundreds of editorials across the country used the same language, making it clear that the NRA had bullied a handful of low-life senators who are so cowardly, so corrupt that they would knowingly lie and distort the issue in a painfully obvious attempt to cover their political tracts and back ends. This, this is on par with Nixon’s nastiness. This is unforgiveable.”

Of course they used the same language, they all used the same White House talking points. What they made clear was that they’re all reading the same script. The JournoList is obviously alive and well.

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More evidence showing that Gosnell was not an exception, and that Pennsylvania isn’t the only state with a problem. From HotAir

“Besides the actions of the defendants in the Kermit Gosnell house-of-horrors abortion clinic in Philadelphia, the original grand jury expressed outrage in their 2011 report over the lack of intervention by the city and state of Pennsylvania to stop Gosnell’s operation.  The refusal to address numerous reports and complaints over a years-long period was “by design,” the grand jury emphasized, as the political and regulatory establishments chose to protect abortionists rather than the women they maimed and the children they killed.

Pennsylvania isn’t the only state with designs to protect abortionists, either.  Earlier this week, Michigan Live and WOOD TV exposed the cronyism and official neglect that allowed a now-defunct abortion clinic to operate while owned by a convicted felon and piling up complaint after complaint:”

“Michigan lawmakers say that an alleged conflict of interest on the state Board of Medicine allowed a Muskegon doctor, who served time in prison and whose abortion clinic recently closed due to unsanitary conditions, to continue performing abortions despite complaints of “horrendous” misconduct.”

“MLive and The Muskegon Chronicle reported that Dr. Robert Alexander’s abortion clinic was closed in December after police discovered “filthy” and unsanitary conditions throughout the Muskegon clinic, including “blood on the floor and walls in multiple locations.”

Turns out the Board Chairman responsible for deciding an investigation was un-necessary was also the same guy who mentored this felon in the 90’s, and helped him get his license back after he lost it for selling illegal prescriptions. Sounds like another Gosnell type clinic, and operator.

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by

News/Politics 5-4-13

What’s interesting in the news today.

Open Thread.

The President took his gun control campaign to Mexico, where he blamed the US for gun violence in Mexico. No mention of the thousands his admin allowed to go to drug cartels in his Fast and Furious fiasco. From TheDailyMail

“President Obama used a speech at Mexico’s  Museo Nacional de Antropología – the National Anthropology Museum – to claim  that ‘most of the guns used to commit violence here in Mexico come from the United States.’”

“‘But at the same time, as I’ve said in the  United States, I will continue to do everything in my power to pass common-sense  reforms that keep guns out of the hands of criminals and dangerous people.”

“Obama also did not mention the more than 2,000  firearms that his Department of Justice ‘walked’ across the Mexican border as  part of Operation Fast and Furious, a federal law enforcement project that aimed  to track weapons to drug traffickers.”

Gee, I wonder why… 🙄

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Meanwhile back in the States, the biggest opponent to his anti-gun agenda held their annual meeting. Needless to say, liberals are not happy that Republicans spoke to the NRA at the meeting. The comment section is quite amusing. The meme is R’s support gun rights and gun groups, so they support murder. Yet they have no problem with abortion and abortion groups, which are responsible for killing many millions more. From NBCNews

“In an indicator of the continued influence of the nation’s largest gun-owners’ group, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, and other Republican politicians addressed the National Rifle Association’s annual meeting in Houston Friday, celebrating the defeat of gun legislation in the Senate, assailing the media, and offering a strong defense of the powerful lobbying organization.”

“Alluding to the defeat of a Senate measure two weeks ago to expand background checks for gun buyers, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas told the crowd that gun control measures a month ago had “looked like an unstoppable freight train” but that they and fellow gun owners across the nation had mobilized to stop it in a victory that was “truly amazing.” But he said Obama and his allies have said “that they intend to come back at us” with another attempt to pass gun legislation in the Senate.

“We must do everything we can to stop violent crime,” the Texas Republican said, as he accused the Obama administration of not doing enough to prosecute felons and fugitives who try to buy guns as well as criminals who use a gun in the commission of a crime.”

While there, Ted Cruz issued a challenge to debate the issue with VP Joe Biden. That seems kinda unfair. Cruz would be in a battle of wits with an unarmed man. 🙂 From TheWashingtonExaminer

“Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, noting that Vice President Joe Biden reportedly plans to revive a legislative push for gun control,  challenged him to a debate about policy responses to gun violence.”

“Cruz indicated that he doesn’t regard Biden as a formidable opponent, noting that Biden’s home defense advice — firing a shotgun twice into the air — “is very useful, if it so happens that you’re being attacked by a flock of geese.”

So I guess it goes without saying, Chris Matthews is beside himself over the whole affair. 🙂 From NewsBusters

“The staunchly pro-gun control Chris Matthews on Friday sneered that the  National Rifle Association is doing a “dance of death” in celebration of their  victory over Barack Obama. Regarding senators who voted with the gun group, the Hardball host mocked, “These are the guys who took the easiest vote in  American political history. They backed the NRA.” He added that “it was almost a  religious experience for these clowns.” (Couldn’t that last part be said of  journalists in relation to Obama?)

Regarding speakers at the NRA conference in Texas, Matthews snarled, “I  think it might be a dance of death over the President’s political grave, is what  it really is. ”

🙄 Drama Queen.

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New info, and confirmation, that it was high level people in the Obama admin that changed the talking points on Benghazi to more politically friendly language for the President’s benefit. From TheWeeklyStandard

“Even as the White House strove last week to move beyond questions about the Benghazi attacks of Tuesday, September 11, 2012, fresh evidence emerged that senior Obama administration officials knowingly misled the country about what had happened in the days following the assaults. The Weekly Standard has obtained a timeline briefed by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence detailing the heavy substantive revisions made to the CIA’s talking points, just six weeks before the 2012 presidential election, and additional information about why the changes were made and by whom.”

“As intelligence officials pieced together the puzzle of events unfolding in Libya, they concluded even before the assaults had ended that al Qaeda-linked terrorists were involved. Senior administration officials, however, sought to obscure the emerging picture and downplay the significance of attacks that killed a U.S. ambassador and three other Americans. The frantic process that produced the changes to the talking points took place over a 24-hour period just one day before Susan Rice, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, made her now-famous appearances on the Sunday television talk shows. The discussions involved senior officials from the State Department, the National Security Council, the CIA, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and the White House. ”

“The exchange of emails is laid out in a 43-page report from the chairmen of five committees in the House of Representatives. Although the investigation was conducted by Republicans, leading some reporters and commentators to dismiss it, the report quotes directly from emails between top administration and intelligence officials, and it includes footnotes indicating the times the messages were sent. In some cases, the report did not provide the names of the senders, but The Weekly Standard has confirmed the identities of the authors of two critical emails—one indicating the main reason for the changes and the other announcing that the talking points would receive their final substantive rewrite at a meeting of top administration officials on Saturday, September 15.”

No surprise that the lap-dog members of the media would dismiss it. Just like with Gosnell, it doesn’t fit their agenda. And heaven forbid they ever report on anything that may make their chosen one look bad.

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Israel appears to have carried out air strikes in Syria. From CNN

“The United States believes Israel has conducted an airstrike into Syria, two U.S. officials tell CNN.

U.S. and Western intelligence agencies are reviewing classified data showing Israel most likely conducted a strike in the Thursday-Friday time frame, according to both officials. This is the same time frame that the U.S. collected additional data showing Israel was flying a high number of warplanes over Lebanon.”

“The Israeli military had no comment. But a source in the Israeli defense establishment told CNN’s Sara Sidner, “We will do whatever is necessary to stop the transfer of weapons from Syria to terrorist organizations. We have done it in the past and we will do it if necessary the future.””

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This one is disappointing, and I must say a little surprising that it comes from Texas. From WFAADallas

“An act of faith has cost an area track team a win and a chance to advance to the state championships.

This past weekend, the Columbus High School Mighty Cardinals had just won a boys relay race when a runner’s final gesture got them disqualified.

As he was crossing the finish line, Derrick Hayes pointed up to the sky. His father believes he was giving thanks in a gesture to God.”

“Though O’Connor cannot say why the student pointed, he says it was against the rules that govern high school sports. The rules state there can be no excessive act of celebration, which includes raising the hands.”

C’mon Texas. I’ve come to expect better from you folks given past history. I mean really, it’s not like he Tebowed….. 🙂

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News/Politics 5-3-13

What’s interesting out there today?

Here’s a few and then you folks can have at it. 🙂

We’ll start with things that make you go Hmmmmmm…….  From FoxNews

“The State Department’s Office of Inspector General is investigating the  special internal panel that probed the Benghazi terror attack for the State  Department, Fox News has confirmed.

The IG’s office is said by well-placed sources to be seeking to determine  whether the Accountability Review Board, or ARB — led by former U.N. Ambassador  Thomas Pickering and former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike  Mullen — failed to interview key witnesses who had asked to provide their  accounts of the Benghazi attacks to the panel.”

“This disclosure marks a significant turn in the ongoing Benghazi case, as it  calls into question the reliability of the blue-ribbon panel that then-Secretary  of State Hillary Clinton convened to review the entire matter. Until the report  was concluded, she and all other senior Obama administration officials regularly  refused to answer questions about what happened in Benghazi.”

This video from Brett Baier’s Special Report with the disguised witness said much the same on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the FBI has finally gotten around to releasing photos of the Benghazi militants responsible. Maybe. From Reuters

“The FBI on Thursday released the photographs of three men it said were at the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, when it was attacked last September.

The FBI did not call the three men suspects in the attacks, saying only that they “may be able to provide information to help in the investigation.”

“The FBI is now asking Libyans and people around the world for additional information related to the attacks,” the U.S. investigative agency said in a statement with the photographs.”

Wow. And it only took like 8 months. And they won’t call them suspects. And you have video, but you’re not sure. OK then.

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Here’s a story on drone strikes. The allegation is that they’d rather kill suspected militants than send them to Gitmo. From TheGuardianUK

“The lawyer who first drew up White House policy on lethal drone strikes has accused the Obama administration of overusing them because of its reluctance to capture prisoners that would otherwise have to be sent to Guantánamo Bay.

John Bellinger, who was responsible for drafting the legal framework for targeted drone killings while working for George W Bush after 9/11, said he believed their use had increased since because President Obama was unwilling to deal with the consequences of jailing suspected al-Qaida members.

“This government has decided that instead of detaining members of al-Qaida [at Guantánamo] they are going to kill them,” he told a conference at the Bipartisan Policy Center.

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The Boston bombers were originally planning a July 4th attack, but they completed the bombs sooner than expected. From CNN

“The bombs used in the Boston Marathon attack were built in the apartment that suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev shared with his wife and child, a U.S. law enforcement official with first-hand knowledge of the investigation told CNN on Thursday. The official was not authorized to release the information.

Katherine Russell, Tsarnaev’s widow, has remained largely out of view inside her parents’ North Kingstown home since her husband’s death.

According to her attorney, Amato DeLuca, the 24-year-old widow knew nothing of plans to bomb the race, and reports of her husband’s involvement came as an “absolute shock” to Russell and her family.”

I don’t see how you and your brother produce multiple bombs in an apartment and no one else living there sees anything.

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And this last one, well I think we need to get a pool going. How many months until the “My neighbors are them hateful crazy christian people. And they have guns. You should go check them out.” calls start from “concerned” neighbors.? Tea Party Members and legal gun owners should worry too I’d imagine. From ThePalmBeachPost

“Florida House and Senate budget leaders have awarded Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw $1 million for a new violence prevention unit aimed at preventing tragedies like those in Newtown, Conn., and Aurora, Colo., from occurring on his turf.

Bradshaw plans to use the extra $1 million to launch “prevention intervention” units featuring specially trained deputies, mental health professionals and caseworkers. The teams will respond to citizen phone calls to a 24-hour hotline with a knock on the door and a referral to services, if needed.”

“Bradshaw is readying a hotline and is planning public service announcements to encourage local citizens to report their neighbors, friends or family members if they fear they could harm themselves or others.”

““We want people to call us if the guy down the street says he hates the government, hates the mayor and he’s gonna shoot him,” Bradshaw said. “What does it hurt to have somebody knock on a door and ask, ‘Hey, is everything OK?’ ””

I seem to recall similar programs in another country that I read about…… now where was that…..?

Oh well, anyway, I’m sure it’ll be fine.

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News/Politics 4-30-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

There’s a lot to choose from. Here’s a few.

First Benghazi is back. The Obama State Dept. says we should be happy with what they’ve given, and it should be dropped. From TheHill

“The State Department on Monday defended its decision not to have lower-level  employees testify before Congress about last year’s attack in Benghazi,  Libya.

House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) is pushing ahead  with his investigation of the terrorist assault, and has asked for legal  protections for lower-level employees who might be called to testify.

The State Department pushed back on Monday and said the independent probe  into the attack “should be enough” for lawmakers.

“We think that we’ve done an independent investigation, that it’s been  transparent, thorough, credible, and detailed, and that we’ve shared those  findings with the U.S. Congress,” State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell  said. “And that should be enough.””

Special Report with Brett Baier makes a strong case against these assertions from the State Dept. He also does a hidden interview with a military operator who was on the ground, and in the de-briefings. That witness says more could have been done, but wasn’t. It also reports on threats to whistleblowers from the White House and State. This from an attorney representing one of the four whistleblowers.

More from FoxNews

““I’m not talking generally, I’m talking specifically about Benghazi – that  people have been threatened,” Toensing said in an interview Monday. “And not  just the State Department. People have been threatened at the CIA.””

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Here’s a new development in the Boston bombing case. From TheWallStJournal

“Investigators have found female DNA on at least one of the bombs used in the Boston Marathon attacks, though they haven’t determined whose DNA it is or whether its presence means a woman helped the two brothers suspected in the bombings, according to U.S. officials briefed on the probe.

In another development, Russian officials revealed details about contacts between the older brother and suspected Islamist radicals in the Caucasus, including Internet exchanges that led to concerns by investigators that he was trying to join up with jihadist fighters.

Speaking Monday about the DNA discovery, the U.S. officials cautioned that there could be multiple explanations for why genetic material from someone other than the two bombing suspects—Tamerlan Tsarnaev and his younger brother, Dzhokhar—could have been found on remnants of the exploded devices. It could have come, for example, from a store clerk who handled materials used in the bombs or a stray hair that ended up in the bomb.”

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More bad news out of Syria. From AsiaNewsIt

“The two Orthodox bishops kidnapped in Aleppo are still in the hands of kidnappers, Mgr. Jean-Clement Jeanbart, Greek Melkite bishop of Aleppo, told AsiaNews. “The Catholic and Orthodox Churches are doing their best to mediate with the kidnappers,” the prelate added, “but at present no one understands the reasons for this act and who is behind these criminals.”

“This morning, mortar rounds hit one of the city’s main Christian neighbourhoods. The shelling killed four people and several houses have collapsed.”

“Christians have not taken sided with either the rebels or regime. “I do not know who fired at Christian homes or why,” the prelate explained, “but it sure was not a ballistic mistake.””

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These last 3 are all related. The issue is religious freedoms in the military. There’s a battle going on here, and it seems to be aimed at the Christian religion. The people seeking to determine training material and policy are without a doubt hostile to Christianity. They have an obvious hatred. They don’t even try to hide it. So of course most of the press, and the WaPO On Faith column, will carry water for these haters. We’ll start with this, from TheWashingtonPost

“Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is worried about the Pentagon budget, but there are much more serious issues he must deal with. Religious proselytizing and sexual assault are at the top of the list.”

“The armed forces are on the verge of falling apart,” Larry Wilkerson, former chief of staff to Colin Powell, told me in an interview. Aside from proselytizing, he said, other problems include “sexual assault, suicides, lowering entrance standards and war weariness. They are in trouble, and the leadership is oblivious.” Sexual assault and proselytizing, according to Wilkerson, “are absolutely destructive of the bonds that keep soldiers together.”

Wilkerson was speaking to me in an interview with former ambassador Joe Wilson and the head of the private Military Religious Freedom Foundation, Mikey Weinstein. They were on their way to a meeting at the Pentagon on April 23 where they would discuss religious issues in a group that included several generals and a military chaplain.”

How bad is it?

“The stories are legion. Most complainants don’t want to be identified for fear their careers would be destroyed or, worse, for fear for their safety, even their lives.”

So religious proselytizing is destroying the military. Who knew? 🙄

And then with this next one we get a little better picture of some of the players in this battle. Let me introduce you to Mikey Weinstein of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation.  He’s also a big fan of the SPLC. Shocking right? You’re gonna love him. 🙄  But again, the real hater gets a sympathetic outlet to run his hateful rants. Here’s a piece he penned for TheHuffingtonPost 

“Ladies and Gentlemen, let me tell you of monsters and monstrous wrongs. And let me tell you what these bloody monsters thrive on.

I founded the civil rights fighting organization the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) to do one thing: fight those monsters who would tear down the Constitutionally-mandated wall separating church and state in the technologically most lethal entity ever created by humankind, the U.S. military.

Today, we face incredibly well-funded gangs of fundamentalist Christian monsters who terrorize their fellow Americans by forcing their weaponized and twisted version of Christianity upon their helpless subordinates in our nation’s armed forces. Oh my, my, my, how “Papa’s got a brand new bag.””

“If these fundamentalist Christian monsters of human degradation, marginalization, humiliation and tyranny cannot broker or barter your acceptance of their putrid theology, then they crave for your universal silence in the face of their rapacious reign of theocratic terror. Indeed, they ceaselessly lust, ache, and pine for you to do absolutely nothing to thwart their oppression. Comply, my friends, and you, too, become as monstrously savage as are they. I beg you, do not feed these hideous monsters with your stoic lethargy, callousness and neutrality. Do not lubricate the path of their racism, bigotry, and prejudice. Doing so directly threatens the national security of our beautiful nation.”

At this point I think it’s safe to say that this man has no business deciding anything policy related. His hostility to those with opposing views is extreme, and obvious, and not at all rational. Which is why this last piece is so troubling. From Breitbart

“Those words were recently written by Mikey Weinstein, founder of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF), in a column he wrote for the Huffington Post. Weinstein will be a consultant to the Pentagon to develop new policies on religious tolerance, including a policy for court-martialing military chaplains who share the Christian Gospel during spiritual counseling of American troops.”

“According to Weinstein, “We should as a nation effusively applaud Lt. Col. Rich.” He adds that the nation should “venture further” than Rich’s recommendations, saying, “We MUST vigorously support the continuing efforts to expose pathologically anti-gay, Islamaphobic, and rabidly intolerant agitators for what they are: die-hard enemies of the United States Constitution. Monsters, one and all. To do anything less would be to roll out a red carpet to those who would usher in a blood-drenched, draconian era of persecutions, nationalistic militarism, and superstitious theocracy.””

“Yet the little coverage this story is getting is positive, such as this Washington Post column that somehow manages not to carry any of these frightening quotes from Weinstein and instead actually endorses the Pentagon’s meeting with him. Sally Quinn’s Post column also approvingly quotes MRFF Advisory Board member Larry Wilkerson as saying, “Sexual assault and proselytizing, according to Wilkerson, ‘are absolutely destructive of the bonds that keep soldiers together.’”

Did you get that? They say having someone share the Christian gospel with you is akin to being raped. Weinstein makes sure there are no doubts, being quoted by the Post as adding, “This is a national security threat. What is happening [aside from sexual assault] is spiritual rape. And what the Pentagon needs is to understand is that it is sedition and treason. It should be punished.””

It’s no surprise that the DoD has gone way left when this is the type they take counsel from.

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News/Politics 4-29-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

Open Thread, as always.

Some interesting developments in the Boston bombing case. From TheBostonHerald

“A top-ranking Republican congressman said yesterday he expects the feds to make more arrests in their ever-widening probe of the deadly Boston Marathon bombings, which took a new frightening turn yesterday when officials revealed the accused terrorist brothers made “spontaneous” plans to launch an attack on Times Square.

“I hear a lot of definitive statements out there that it was just these two men and it’s over, but I will tell you I hear these briefings every day, and I don’t think this is over,” said U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, a Michigan Republican who chairs the House Committee on Intelligence. “There are clearly more persons of interest, and they’re not 100 percent sure if there aren’t other explosives.””

More here from TheWashingtonTimes

“The chairman of the House Homeland Security  Committee says that evidence  suggests the Boston bombing suspects had help  in the attack and that he is concerned about a “wider conspiracy.”

“Given  the level of sophistication of this [explosive] device, the fact   that  the pressure cooker is a signature device that goes back to  Pakistan  and  Afghanistan … leads me to believe there  was a trainer,”  Rep. Michael  T.  McCaul, Texas Republican, told “Fox News  Sunday.”

Also, from TheDailyMail

“The FBI has revealed that they now know the  identity of the American known as Misha who helped radicalize the Boston bombing  suspects.”

“Under the tutelage of a friend known to the  Tsarnaev family only as Misha, Tamerlan gave up boxing and stopped studying  music, his family said. He began opposing the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

He turned to websites and literature claiming  that the CIA was behind the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001, and Jews  controlled the world.”

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Here’s a piece on the problem in Syria, from TheNYTimes

“In Syria’s largest city, Aleppo, rebels aligned with Al Qaeda control the power plant, run the bakeries and head a court that applies Islamic law. Elsewhere, they have seized government oil fields, put employees back to work and now profit from the crude they produce.”

“Across Syria, rebel-held areas are dotted with Islamic courts staffed by lawyers and clerics, and by fighting brigades led by extremists. Even the Supreme Military Council, the umbrella rebel organization whose formation the West had hoped would sideline radical groups, is stocked with commanders who want to infuse Islamic law into a future Syrian government.

Nowhere in rebel-controlled Syria is there a secular fighting force to speak of.”

How do you help the Syrian people without further aiding Al-Qaeda and other radical groups? Seems impossible.

Here’s a good example of why it matters. Do we really think it’s a good idea to let Al-Qaeda affiliated fighters take control of a chemical weapons plant? How can you even prevent it at this point?

From TheTelegraphUK

“The fight for al-Safira is no ordinary turf war, however, and the prize can be found behind the perimeter walls of the heavily-guarded military base on the edge of town. Inside what looks like a drab industrial estate is one of Syria’s main facilities for producing chemical weapons – and among its products is sarin, the lethal nerve gas that the regime is now feared to be deploying in its bid to cling to power.”

“But as the West now ponders its response, the fear is not just that President Assad might start using his chemical arsenal in much greater quantities. Of equal concern is the prospect of it falling into even less benign hands – a risk that the stand-off at al Safira illustrates clearly.”

“For among the rebel lines in al-Safira flutters the black flag of the al-Nusra Brigade, the jihadist group that recently declared its allegiance to al-Qaeda. Known for their fighting prowess honed in Iraq, they are now taking the lead in nearly every frontline in the Syrian war, and earlier this month, pushed to within just over a mile of al-Safira, only to for the Syrian troops to regain the ground last week.”

I strongly disagree with Sen. McCain and others who are urging us to assist these people. I don’t see how any good comes from that decision.

But if this is accurate, it looks like Israel is tired of waiting for others to act. If we won’t stop it, looks like they will. From UPI.com

“The Free Syrian Army says Israeli air force jets flew over President Bashar  Assad’s palace and bombed a chemical weapons site near Damascus, Maariv  reported.

The report said Israeli jets entered Syrian airspace close to 6 a.m Saturday  and flew over Assad’s palace in Damascus and other security facilities before  striking a chemical weapons compound near the city.

The Hebrew language daily said a Syrian army air defense battery positioned  in the city fired at the Israeli jets, but the aircraft left Syrian airspace  unscathed. FSA rebels posted a video showing smoke rising from the headquarters  for chemical weapons.”

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It will be interesting to see what the Congressman has in mind here. From TheBlaze

“Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) on Saturday promised that “explosive” congressional hearings over the Benghazi, Libya attacks are on the way.

“There are more Benghazi hearings coming, I think they’re going to be explosive,” Gowdy said on Fox News.

Gowdy, a member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said the hearings are going to be “coming quickly” and seemed to hint that the public might for the first time hear from witnesses to the September assault that left four Americans dead.”

Let’s hope so. It’s time they got to the bottom of this.

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I think this is what they refer to as a Momma Grizzly. She’s got guts, that’s for sure. 🙂  From FoxNews

“Through the slit of the burqa she wore to blend in on the streets of  Alexandria, Egypt, Kalli Atteya waited and watched until the boy climbed off the school bus. When she saw him, she moved quickly, grabbing his arm and steering  him toward the waiting motorized cart.

“Get in,” she said to the 12-year-old, who recognized his mother’s piercing  blue eyes and obeyed wordlessly.

Soon, they were speeding toward a safehouse where they would wait for three weeks before returning to the U.S., and ending a 20-month ordeal that began with another abduction — one the boy, Khalil Mohamed “Niko” Atteya, did not accept  willingly. His father, Mohamed Atteya, who is wanted by the U.S. authorities, is accused of luring the mother and son to his homeland, then snatching the boy and  leaving Kalli Atteya and her sister on the side of a desolate road between Cairo and Port Said on Aug. 1, 2011.”

Good for her.

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This one is the last from me today. But it comes with a

CONTENT WARNING!!!

for adult content and some pretty gruesome details. The Pro-life group Live Action is about to release another series of undercover videos that show Kermit Gosnell was not the exception, but the norm, in the late term abortion industry. From LifeNews

“The video shows how the kinds of gruesome late-term and live-birth abortions done at abortion practitioner Kermit Gosnell‘s “House of Horrors” abortion clinic are not limited to his abortion facility alone.

The pro-life group Live Action today released an undercover video of an abortion counselor at a clinic describing, in gruesome details, what is done with a baby that survives an abortion attempt.  This is the first in a series of videos Live Action will release videos , found at www.liveaction.org/inhuman, that will show a number of late-term abortion clinics engaging in illegal and inhuman practices, as well as explaining in explicit detail what happens to the victims of late-term abortion.

“Dr. Kermit Gosnell is not an aberration, ” said Lila Rose, Founder and President of Live Action.  “The gruesome and brutal practices exposed in Gosnell’s ‘House of Horrors’ are business as usual for the abortion industry in America.  Nationwide, it’s just another day at the office.”

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News/Politics 4-27-13

What’s interesting out there today?

Open Thread.

First some good news, but only for your taste buds, not your diet. 😦

From GMA/Yahoo

“The bankrupt assets of Hostess Brands, Inc., the company responsible for Twinkies, Ho Ho’s, Sno Balls and Ding Dongs, are being put back to work by a buyout firm. What’s not being put back to work are the former Hostess unionized employees.”

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The idea of the US military being used to aid Al-Qaeda in Syria really bothers me. But that’s the idea being pushed. From RT.com

“The White House says that United States President Barack Obama may approve of using military force against the Syrian government.

Early afternoon on Friday, White House press secretary Jay Carney said that the administration has a number of options in regards to handling reports that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has used chemical weapons, and those routes include but are not exclusive to using military force.”

Pelosi is pushing it too. From TheHill

“House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Friday that it was time  for the United States to “take it to the next step” in Syria in response to  possible chemical weapons use, although she said that did not include putting “troops on the ground.”

“I myself think that we have tolerated for too long all of the assaults on  the Syrian people made by its own government,” Pelosi told reporters. “I think  we have to take it to the next step. That does not mean troops on the  ground.””

Syria has become the go to place for jihadists looking to fight. From RT.com

“War-torn Syria is now “number one” destination for jihadists who could then return to Europe experienced “in weapons and explosives” to carry out terror attacks, Britain’s Foreign Secretary William Hague warns.

As the violent military conflict rages on, the threat to Western countries from Syria-grown extremists is rising; and the risk that it may breed a new generation of battle-hardened militants is “growing the longer the fighting in Syria continues,” Hague said in his speech Thursday at the Royal United Services Institute.”

Here’s 4 of the bad arguments being used to argue the case for arming them. From RealClearWorld

“Slowly but steadily, the United States (scratch that, Washington, DC) is talking itself into a deeper involvement in Syria’s civil war. There are already reports indicating that the U.S. is taking an active hand in determining which Syrian rebel groups will receive shipments of weapons purchased by Gulf allies.  The CIA has reportedly been training “secular” fighters in Jordan to send into the fray.

All the while, the Obama administration has been goaded ever-deeper by a series of dubious arguments about U.S. involvement in Syria’s civil war. Four, in particular, have surfaced frequently.”

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Meanwhile, Obama’s speech to Planned Parenthood was a first. It was also quite disgusting to watch. He’d like Planned Parenthood to help him push ObamaCare. From Politico

“President Obama asked Planned Parenthood and its supporters to play a key role in informing Americans of the details of the Affordable Care Act as he addressed the group Friday.

“I’m here to … ask for your help, because we need to get the word out,” he said in Washington during a speech rescheduled from Thursday night, when he chose to spend extra time with victims of the West, Texas, explosion. “We need you to tell your patients, your friends, your neighbors, your family members what the health care law means for them.”

It was about as controversial as Obama got in the speech — the first to the group by a sitting U.S. president — as he avoided talking about the Kermit Gosnell trial or a recent ruling on the morning-after pill.”

Gee, I wonder why? 🙄

From TheDailyCaller

“President Obama became the first sitting U.S. president to deliver a speech  to Planned Parenthood on Friday.

The organization is America’s leading abortion provider.

During a speech at the Planned Parenthood National Conference in Washington,  Obama told the room of about 1,000 attendees that the organization is here to  stay, despite efforts by Republicans to strip the group of federal funding.”

He ended the speech with “God Bless Planned Parenthood.” He also told the adoring crowd at the start that they were “making him blush.” Classless and clueless. He should be embarrassed. If he’s gonna blush, it should be from shame.

And yes, there’s video, from WeaselZippers

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The NY Times has done something I’d never thought I would see. They said Andrew Breitbart was right about the Pigford Settlement to minority farmers all along. From HotAir

“It’s rare to get this kind of vindication, so let’s enjoy it in memory of Andrew Breitbart for as long as possible.  For more than two years, Andrew and Lee Stranahan have investigated the Pigford settlement and the fraudulent claims that not only have cost taxpayers billions, but have left the original black farmers who sued the USDA over discrimination in the lurch.  Today the New York Times reports what Andrew and Lee have been saying all along — that the Pigford settlement was a political hack job by Tom Vilsack’s Department of Agriculture, and that it’s a magnet for fraud (via Twitchy):”

“Career litigators, who had successfully defended the Agriculture Department all the way to the Supreme Court, were aghast:

The payouts pitted Mr. Vilsack and other political appointees against career lawyers and agency officials, who argued that the legal risks did not justify the costs.

Beyond that, they said it was legally questionable to sidestep Congress and compensate the Hispanic and female farmers out of a special Treasury Department account, known as the Judgment Fund. The fund is restricted to payments of court-approved judgments and settlements, as well as to out-of-court settlements in cases where the government faces imminent litigation that it could lose. Some officials argued that tapping the fund for the farmers set a bad precedent, since most had arguably never contemplated suing and might not have won if they had.”

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And lastly, an interesting read from Pat Buchanan over at CNS News called “The Dark Side of Diversity”

“”I do not know the method of drawing up an indictment against a whole people,” said Edmund Burke of the rebellious Americans.

The  same holds true of Islam, the majority faith of 49 nations from Morocco  to Indonesia, a religion that 1.6 billion people profess.

Yet, some assertions appear true.

Islam  is growing in militancy and intolerance, evolving again into a fighting  faith, and spreading not only through proselytizing, but violence.”

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News/Politics 4-26-13

What’s of interest in the news today?

Open Thread.

Boston Bombing suspect #1 was on 2 watch lists. From TheWallStJournal

“U.S. authorities put alleged Boston bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev on two separate watch lists in 2011 after Russian security agencies twice reached out to their American counterparts, raising new questions about missed opportunities to prevent the attack.

U.S. officials said Wednesday that at the request of the CIA, Mr. Tsarnaev was added to a broad database called Terrorist Identities Datamart Environment, which holds hundreds of thousands of names flagged by multiple U.S. security agencies.”

“The FBI’s earlier contact with Mr. Tsarnaev already had caused his name to be put in another database, called TECS, which is used by U.S. police and national-security agencies, two law-enforcement officials said.”

Here’s more on suspect #2 being read Miranda rights and the effect it had on questioning. And who sent the judge and public defender? The DoJ. From WLTX

“Sixteen hours after investigators began interrogating him, Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev stopped talking after being read his constitutional rights.

Officials briefed on the interrogation say the 19-year-old suspect went silent after a magistrate judge and a representative from the U.S. Attorney’s office gave him his Miranda warning. The officials insisted on anonymity because the briefing was private.”

The FBI was not pleased. They were under the impression that the exemption gave them 48 hours to interrogate. That ended after 16 hours. Megyn Kelly has that and more from Fox News.

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All 5 living President’s attended the dedicating of the George W. Bush Presidential Center. From USAToday

“Bush opened his remarks with wry humor. He joked that there was a time in his life that he wouldn’t be found in a library, much less found one, and noted that Obama, unlike the other ex-presidents, has a job.

Noting Alexander Hamilton’s concern that ex-presidents would wander the nation like “discontented ghosts,” Bush said, “Actually, I think we seem pretty happy.” Bush, a stickler for punctuality, began his remarks a few minutes early.

He thanked his wife, parents, former aides, world leaders and his vice president, Dick Cheney, adding, “I’m proud to call you friend.””

Liberals hate that too. They acted as you’d expect, so no link to them. Why encourage them?

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Democrat leaders have changed their mind on that ObamaCare exemption for Congress. They claim it wasn’t their intent to do so. From TheHill

“Republicans hammered Democrats for allegedly seeking to  carve themselves out  of a requirement in the healthcare law.

Democratic leaders said Thursday they’re not seeking an exemption from a  central requirement of ObamaCare — that members of Congress and their staff  purchase healthcare coverage through insurance exchanges.”

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Frank Lautenberg has introduced legislation which will have the public paying for Peace Corps rape victims to have abortions. From Lautenberg.Senate.gov

“Today, U.S. Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) introduced legislation to ensure that basic health care benefits are offered to women in the Peace Corps and provide them with the same standard of health care that most women with federal health care coverage already receive. Lautenberg’s bill corrects the current inequity in law that prevents the Peace Corps from offering any abortion coverage for volunteers, even for volunteers who have been sexually assaulted or when the life of the woman is endangered.

“We must not stand idly by while Peace Corps volunteers continue to be subjected to this gross inequity in their health care coverage,” Lautenberg said.  “Peace Corps volunteers choose to provide a valuable public service despite inherent risks to their safety, including sexual assault, and it is unacceptable that their own country restricts their access to care.  My legislation would ensure that Peace Corps volunteers don’t have to forfeit their rights or jeopardize their health when they volunteer to help underserved populations throughout the world.”

“The “Peace Corps Equity Act of 2013” would allow the Peace Corps to provide its volunteers with health insurance coverage for abortion in cases of rape or incest, or when the life of the woman is endangered.  Almost all other women covered under federal health plans receive this same coverage.  With more than 1,000 Peace Corps volunteers having experienced sexual assault over the past decade, this technical fix is needed to protect the reproductive rights of women in the Peace Corps.  The bill is co-sponsored by U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Patty Murray (D-WA), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).”

I find it strange that the Senator mentions sexual assaults as justification. But he doesn’t address what they are going to make the Peace Corps do in order to address this threat that female workers face in many foreign countries. These assaults are all too common. There are even websites advising women not to join, and they claim the Peace Corps covers it up. The Senator should be more concerned with preventing the assaults, and calling the Peace Corps to task for their failures, rather than just aborting the sometime result.

The following links come with a CONTENT WARNING!!! because it’s adult subject matter, and it’s difficult to read some of these stories. The Senator is treating a symptom, not the problem.

From TheHuffingtonPost

“Jessica Smochek told members of Congress on Wednesday that, after being brutally gang-raped in Bangladesh in 2004, a Peace Corps medical officer refused to give her a proper physical examination. Instead, the medic confiscated the former English teacher’s cellphone so that she could not alert her fellow volunteers and instructed her to tell anyone who asked about her sudden departure from the program that she was returning to the U.S. to get her wisdom teeth out. When Smochek arrived in Washington, D.C., a Peace Corps official asked her to write down everything she had done to provoke the attack.

“Shortly after I left, the country director — who never attempted to contact me after I was raped — called a meeting of several women in my former volunteer group and told them, without my permission, what had happened to me,” she said. “Then, he told them that rape was a woman’s fault and that I had caused what happened to me by being out alone after 5:00 PM. As for the other women in the group, who had been very vocal about being constantly stalked and afraid, he threatened them with administrative separation.”

Smochek was one of a growing number of former Peace Corps volunteers who are speaking out about the sexual assaults they endured while serving abroad. Their stories have sparked Congressional hearings, as well as pledges for institutional reform.”

More From About.com

“Is the Peace Corps safe for women? The news that over a thousand female Peace Corp Volunteers (PCVs) have been raped or sexually assaulted in the past decade has prompted Congress to hold hearings on the matter. These findings, reported by ABC News on their investigative news show 20/20 in mid-January 2011, are the most recent in a long line of stories that suggest the Peace Corps is more interested in protecting its reputation than its female volunteers throughout their two-year volunteer overseas assignments.”

Some victims have even submitted affidavits to Congress. From TheWashingtonPost

The Senator has a misguided approach to the problem, and it isn’t a solution at all.

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News/Politics 4-25-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

It appears from press reports that Boston bomb suspect #1 was on a watch list, yet it didn’t help, or work as it’s supposed to. From Reuters

“The name of one of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, was listed on the U.S. government’s highly classified central database of people it views as potential terrorists. But the list is so vast that this did not mean authorities automatically kept close tabs on him, sources close to the bombing investigation said on Tuesday.”

“After being put in the TIDE system, his name was entered in another database, this one maintained by the Homeland Security Department’s Customs and Border Protection bureau which is used to screen people crossing U.S. land borders and entering at airports or by sea.

Tsarnaev was flagged on that database when he left the United States for Russia in January 2012 but no alarm was raised, presumably because the FBI had not identified him as a threat after the interview.”

It was the CIA who asked that his name be put on the list. From TheWashingtonPost

“The CIA asked the main U.S. counterterrorism agency to add the name of one of the suspected Boston Marathon bombers to a watch list more than a year before the attack, according to U.S. officials.

The agency took the step after Russian authorities contacted officials there in the fall of 2011 and raised concerns that Tamerlan Tsarnaev — who was killed last week in a confrontation with police — was seen as an increasingly radical Islamist and could be planning to travel overseas. The CIA requested that his name be put on a database maintained by the National Counterterrorism Center.”

“The CIA’s request came months after the FBI had closed a preliminary inquiry into Tsarnaev after getting a similar inquiry about him from Russian state security, according to officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter.

The new disclosure suggests that the U.S. government may have had more reason than previously known to scrutinize Tsarnaev in the months leading up to the bombings in Boston.”

John Kerry has made some statements that raised eyebrows. From Politico

“Secretary of State John Kerry said Wednesday that Tamerlan Tsarnaev returned from Russia last year “with a willingness to kill people.”

“Well, of course we have the same problem. We just had a young person who went to Russia, Chechnya, who blew people up in Boston,” Kerry said. “So he didn’t stay where he went, but he learned something where he went and he came back with a willingness to kill people.”

His remarks appear to go further than those made by other U.S. officials, who have said they haven’t determined yet if Tsarnaev received terrorist training during his 6-1/2 month stay in Russia. Tsarnaev and his younger brother, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, are suspected of carrying out the Boston bombings last week.”

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And in an unrelated domestic terrorism case we have some interesting testimony from Floyd Lee Corkins II, the Family Research Council shooter. His motivation? He explained to investigators that he attacked the group’s headquarters because the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) identified them as a “hate group” due to their traditional marriage views. The hate preached by the SPLC motivated him. From TheWashingtonExaminer

““Southern Poverty Law lists anti-gay groups,” Corkins tells interrogators in the video, which FRC obtained from the FBI. “I found them online, did a little research, went to the website, stuff like that.””

“The Southern Poverty Law Center still lists FRC as an “anti-gay” hate group on the “hate map” Corkins used. “The SPLC’s reckless labeling has led to devastating consequences,” said FRC President Tony Perkins.  “Because of its ‘hate group’ lists, a deadly terrorist had a guidemap to FRC and other organizations.  Our staff is still reeling from the attack, and the chilling effect this could have on organizations that are simply fighting for their values is outrageous.”

And yes, there’s a short video.

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And the Obama admin and DHS have been handed a loss in federal court. It’s not the final decision, but the judge feels the ICE Agents Union is likely to prevail. The Union filed suit over the admin insisting that agents NOT do their jobs. It’s a shame that these folks had to sue, but the admin only enforces laws it likes. From BusinessWeek

“A court challenge by federal immigration agents seeking to block President Barack Obama’s deferred-deportation initiative will probably succeed, a judge said.

U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor in Dallas today put off his own decision on whether to grant the request for a preliminary injunction by 10 U.S. Immigration and Customs agents. He asked both sides to file additional arguments no later than May 6.”

““The court finds that DHS does not have discretion to refuse to initiate removal proceedings” when the requirements for deportation under a federal statute are met, O’Connor said today in a 38-page decision, referring to the Department of Homeland Security.”

More here from TheWashingtonExaminer

“The judge’s comments come one day after Napolitano scolded the union, during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the Gang of Eight’s immigration bill, for challenging the policy she and Obama have implemented.

“There are tensions with union leadership, unfortunately,” Napolitano told Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., on Tuesday. “Here’s what I expect as a former prosecutor and attorney general: that is that law enforcement agents will enforce the law in accordance with the guidance they are given [by] their superiors.”

Sessions faulted Napolitano for refusing to meet with the ICE officers’ union. “I have never heard of a situation in which a group of law officers sued their supervisor, and you, for blocking them from following the law,” he said. “They weren’t complaining about pay, benefits, working conditions — they were saying their very oath they took to enforce the law is being blocked by rules and regulations and policies established from on high, and that this is undermining their ability to do what they are sworn to do.””

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