Syria

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News/Politics 7-8-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

Open thread, as always.

Here’s a bunch to start you off.

First up, who’s in charge of the FISA court? John Roberts. From OutsideTheBeltway.com

“When it comes to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, which isn’t so much a Court unto itself as it is a rotating group of Federal Judges appointed to hear warrant requests and other matter designated as appropriate for secret proceedings under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, there’s nobody more powerful than Chief Justice John Roberts:

The 11 FISA judges, chosen from throughout the federal bench for seven-year terms, are all appointed by the chief justice. In fact, every FISA judge currently serving was appointed by Roberts, who will continue making such appointments until he retires or dies. FISA judges don’t need confirmation — by Congress or anyone else.

No other part of U.S. law works this way. The chief justice can’t choose the judges who rule on health law, or preside over labor cases, or decide software patents. But when it comes to surveillance, the composition of the bench is entirely in his hands, and, as a result, so is the extent to which the National Security Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation can spy on citizens.”

Which brings us to the next question, who watches the watchers? From PJMedia

“Eric Lichtblau of the New York Times has a shocking scoop on some of the secret decisions made by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court that would indicate that there has been a fundamental shift in the government’s attitude toward 4th Amendment protections for American citizens.

A secret body of law has been built since 2010 that gives the government vast powers — all perfectly legal — to snoop on American citizens as long as the surveillance is connected to terrorism or some other national security issue.

The rulings, some nearly 100 pages long, reveal that the court has taken on a much more expansive role by regularly assessing broad constitutional questions and establishing important judicial precedents, with almost no public scrutiny, according to current and former officials familiar with the court’s classified decisions.”

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File this one under “Things that make you go Hmmmmm…….”  From ForeignPolicy.com

“The offices of a Dallas law firm representing a high-profile State Department whistleblower were broken into last weekend. Burglars stole three computers and broke into the firm’s file cabinets. But silver bars, video equipment and other valuables were left untouched, according to local Fox affiliate KDFW, which aired security camera footage of the suspected burglars entering and leaving the offices around the time of the incident.

The firm Schulman & Mathias represents Aurelia Fedenisn, a former investigator at the State Department’s Office of the Inspector General. In recent weeks, she raised a slew of explosive allegations against the department and its contractors ranging from illicit drug use, soliciting sexual favors from minors and prostitutes and sexual harassment.

“It’s a crazy, strange and suspicious situation,” attorney Cary Schulman told The Cable. “It’s clear to me that it was somebody looking for information and not money. My most high-profile case right now is the Aurelia Fedenisn case, and I can’t think of any other case where someone would go to these great lengths to get our information.”

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Looks like the Employer regulations for ObamaCare that were put off now have company. Anti-fraud measures have now been put off too. Hey, just like Obama did with his campaign donations, removed anti-fraud protections.

But hey, what could possibly go wrong, right? 🙄  From TheWashingtonExaminer

“One of the biggest administrative hurdles facing Obamacare was the ambitious plan to verify the income and insurance status of applicants for federal health coverage subsidies. In theory, on Oct. 1 of this year, a prospective beneficiary of Obamacare was supposed to be able to visit a website like Orbitz, enter basic information, and wait as multiple state and federal government databases communicated with one another to confirm in real time the applicant’s income level, and then display the level of subsidy to which the applicant was entitled, if any. It was a level of technological sophistication unlike anything ever attempted by the government. Now, with less than three months to go before Obamacare’s health insurance exchanges are set to begin enrolling applicants, Obama’s Department of Health and Human Services is throwing up its hands. Just as it did with the employer mandate, the administration has announced it would delay the implementation of these anti-fraud procedures due to the administrative difficulty.”

“In a regulation released Friday and flagged by Washington Post reporters Sarah Kliff and Sandhya Somashekhar, the administration will now rely on self-reported data. You read that correctly. A man who earns $50,000 per year and gets insurance through his employer could log on to the new government website and say he earns $20,000 and gets no insurance through his employer, and the government would not even attempt to confirm that the information is accurate before forking over generous taxpayer subsidies. It’s a recipe for rampant fraud, which is already widespread in Medicare and Medicaid.

According to the rule as reported by Kliff and Somashekhar, “The exchange may accept the applicant’s attestation regarding enrollment in eligible employer-sponsored plan . . . without further verification” and “the Exchange may accept the attestation of projected annual household income without further verification.””

Gotta love the Friday news dump. 😉

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Since we’re on the subject of debacles from the Obama admin…….  From TheLATimes

“A high-powered rifle lost in the ATF’s Fast and Furious controversy was used to kill a Mexican police chief in the state of Jalisco earlier this year, according to internal Department of Justice records, suggesting that weapons from the failed gun-tracking operation have now made it into the hands of violent drug cartels deep inside Mexico.

Luis Lucio Rosales Astorga, the police chief in the city of Hostotipaquillo, was shot to death Jan. 29 when gunmen intercepted his patrol car and opened fire. Also killed was one of his bodyguards. His wife and a second bodyguard were wounded”

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Continuing with the debacle theme…… From TheHill

“Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) called the ouster of Egyptian President Mohammed  Morsi a coup d’etat and pressed the Obama administration to suspend aid to the  country on Sunday.

“It was a coup and it was the second time in two and a half years that we  have seen the military step in,” McCain said on CBS’s “Face the  Nation.”

“Reluctantly I believe that we have to suspend aid until such time as there is a  new constitution and a free and fair election,” McCain added.”

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And lastly, does Zimmerman walk? We should know by the end of the week. From ABCNews

“Analysis: George Zimmerman Probably Won’t Be Convicted of Murder or Manslaughter — Here’s Why”

“I drew a legal conclusion on “Good Morning America” Saturday that would have surprised the Dan Abrams who covered the George Zimmerman case leading up to, and shortly after, his arrest.

Now that the prosecution’s case against Zimmerman is in, as a legal matter, I just don’t see how a jury convicts him of second degree murder or even manslaughter in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin.”

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News/Politics 7-5-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

Open thread, and here’s a few from me.

This first one I must caution you on. It is very hard to read, and comes with a strong CONTENT WARNING!! for adult subject matter. It’s a horrible story on just one of the many atrocities being committed by Syrian rebels against the Christian population. It involves 15 repeated forced marriages, rapes, and then repudiations, against an unwilling 15 year old Christian girl. And all of it sanctioned and authorized by the radical Sunni clerics in charge.

From Persecution.org

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Meanwhile in Egypt, Morsi has been replaced.

From TheTelegraph/UK

“Egypt coup: Interim president sworn-in as Morsi supporters protest

Adly Mansour, until now the head of the Egyptian supreme court, pledges to hold democratic elections, but Muslim Brotherhood supporters say “this is not freedom – we’re back to Mubarak.”

Meanwhile the military continues to crack down on the MB. The MB has responded by calling their supporters to the streets.

From FoxNews

“Egyptian military arrest top Muslim Brotherhood figures amid crackdown.”

“An Islamist coalition led by the Muslim Brotherhood is calling on their  supporters to peacefully protest the removal of former Egyptian President  Mohammed Morsi in a “Friday of Rejection,” after the Egyptian military arrested  top Brotherhood figures as part of a major crackdown against the group.”

More on the arrests here from Reuters

While all this goes on, the Sec. of State John Kerry, is all over the situation. Or not. Depends who you ask.

From Politico

“The White House’s photo of the Wednesday afternoon Situation Room meeting on Egypt shows several senior administration officials, but Secretary of State John Kerry is notably absent.”

“A CBS News producer tweeted a photo of Kerry’s yacht, Isabel, on Wednesday afternoon and said a colleague saw Kerry boarding it at the Nantucket Boat Basin. She shouted “Morsi,” but got no response from the secretary of state.

But the State Department said Kerry was not aboard a boat on Wednesday and has spent the day working the phones on Egypt. “Since his plane touched down in Washington at 4 a.m., Secretary Kerry was working all day and on the phone dealing with the crisis in Egypt,” spokeswoman Jen Psaki said. “He participated in the White House meeting with the president by secure phone and was and is in non-stop contact with foreign leaders, and his senior team in Washington and Cairo. Any report or tweet that he was on a boat is completely inaccurate.”

UPDATE!

Despite the insistence by the Obama admin that Kerry wasn’t on a boat yesterday, and was hard at work on the Egypt story, we now have proof that he was vacationing instead. Has lying become so easy for them that they do it even when they know the truth will come out? Despite the admins claims that Kerry was all over the situation, reality has photos of him on a boat and strolling the streets of Nantucket. John Kerry, reporting for duty. Eventually, but not on a holiday.

From TheBostonHerald

“U.S. Secretary of State John F. Kerry — who spent the Fourth of July on sun-splashed Nantucket even as the chaos from a military takeover rocked Egypt — drew fire from Republican critics who said it’s a bad time for the nation’s top diplomat to be seen cavorting on an island getaway.

“It doesn’t look good, and I think it sends the wrong message” said Republican strategist Brad Marston. “If I were advising him, I’d already have him on a plane.”

As first reported on bostonherald.com, Kerry, who owns a house and a yacht on the ritzy retreat, was seen yesterday strolling down Federal Street away from July Fourth festivities on Main Street in jeans and a light-colored polo shirt.

Later in the afternoon, Kerry was seen offloading bags from a single-person kayak to a boat in Nantucket Sound after launching from the beach behind his home at 5 Hulbert Ave.”

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And I always thought July in New Mexico would have weather that’s drier. Who knew?  🙂

You should see the pics at the link, from TheWeatherChannel

“A lone thunderstorm dumped over a foot of hail in the town of Santa Rosa, N.M. Wednesday evening, leaving a surreal sight the day before the Fourth of July.

Photos from the Santa Rosa Fire Department showed snow plows clearing city streets clogged with accumulated hail drifts.”

That’s crazy. 😯

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by

News/Politics 7-1-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

First up, he who laughs last……..

From HotAir

“In an exclusive* Hot Air interview, Lt. Governor David Dewhurst of Texas insists that the attempt to hijack the legislative process by pro-abortion activists this week will not stop the state from passing a limitation on late-term abortions and requirements for clinics to meet the same standards as other ambulatory surgical centers.  Dewhurst also says that his office is reviewing the security tapes from the demonstration that derailed the bill at the end of the regular session, and that arrests may be made for inciting a riot — including perhaps some members of the media.

“I had the votes,” Dewhurst told me, “I had the strategy.” He had wanted the Senate to tackle the bill, SB5, a little earlier in the session to prevent the obstructionism that he foresaw.  When it came time to clear the galleries, Dewhurst lacked the resources to finish the job on time.  “These are common sense … measures that the majority, the big majority of Texans support,” Dewhurst insisted, “so I was frustrated.  I’m not going to let a minority group of demonstrators — Planned Parenthood and ACLU — block the will of the majority. And I will pass this bill.””

“Dewhurst talked about how the “ugly mob … went wild,” and ripped the media for its coverage of the event.  When I asked whether the same media would provide the glowing coverage of a demonstration where Tea Party activists blocked a tax increase, Dewhurst said, “Absolutely not.” Dewhurst went on to tell me that he suspects that reporters may have helped incite the crowd to riot, and that his office plans on reviewing security tapes to identify any individuals who did.

“We have reports, and I have my staff taking a look at the video,” Dewhurst explained, “and if I find, as I’ve been told, examples of the media waving and trying to inflame the crowd, incite them in the direction of a riot, I’m going to take action against them.” Dewhurst continued, “We take a democratic policy seriously.” I asked whether Dewhurst could confirm whether members of the media took part in pushing the demonstration forward. “We have reports that members of the media on the floor, on the floor of the Senate, were looking up at the people in the gallery, waving their hands, trying to motivate them to yell more,” he replied. “If I find examples of that, proof certain on our video,” Dewhurst warned, “I’m going to address this firmly.””

Unbiased media? Anyone?………

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Looks like the Muslim Summer has begun. Alternate title, We Backed the Wrong Horse.

From WeaselZippers

“Millions came out in protests all over Egypt today, but especially in Cairo, where there were hundreds of thousands, with huge crowds outside the Presidential Palace.

Chanting against the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood and demanding that Morsi leave office, they cut a huge swath throughout the area. The majority seen in this video were secular in their expression, shouting “Muslim and Christians are one!”

Many also called on Obama to “stop supporting terrorism” against the Egyptian people through his support of the Muslim Brotherhood.”

See also,

Video Of Uniformed Egyptian Police, Joining Protests Against Morsi, Calling For A Military Coup

Here’s further evidence we backed the wrong horse in Syria as well. With a CONTENT WARNING!!!

From TheBlaze

“Syrian Catholic priest Francois Murad killed last weekend by jihadi fighters was beheaded, according to a report by Catholic Online which is linking to video purportedly showing the brutal murder.

As TheBlaze reported last week, Murad, 49, was setting up a monastery in Gassanieh, northern Syria. Last Sunday, on the Christian leader’s Sabbath, extremist militants trying to topple President Bashar Assad breached the monastery and grabbed Murad.””

“The Catholic news service quotes local sources who report that the radical Al-Qaeda-linked Jabhat al-Nusra, or Al-Nusra Front, was behind the savage killing.”

The same group our govt is now arming and training. Again, the politically correct muslim influence in the Obama admin has us siding with our enemies, and ignoring the treachery and bloodshed they’re responsible for.

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The number of federal wiretaps rose 71% in 2012.

From TheWashingtonPost

“The number of wiretaps secured in federal criminal investigations jumped 71 percent in 2012 over the previous year, according to newly released figures.

Federal courts authorized 1,354 interception orders for wire, oral and electronic communications, up from 792 the previous year, according to the figures, released Friday by the Administrative Office of the United States Courts. There was a 5 percent increase in state and local use of wiretaps in the same period.”

““This is just one more piece of evidence demonstrating the need for a full, informed public debate about the scope, breadth, and pervasiveness of government surveillance in this country,” Mark Rumold, a staff attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, said in an e-mail. “We have a secret surveillance program churning in the background, sweeping in everyone’s communications, and, at the same time, in the shadows (and frequently under seal), law enforcement is constantly expanding its use and reliance on surveillance in traditional criminal investigations.””

EU officials aren’t pleased with the news that they were bugged too. Must be more of that “smart diplomacy” Obama is using in the Mid-East.

From TheNYPost

“Senior European officials expressed concern Sunday at reports that U.S. intelligence agents bugged EU offices on both sides of the Atlantic, with some leftist lawmakers calling for concrete sanctions against Washington.

The president of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, said he was “deeply worried and shocked about the allegations of U.S. authorities spying on EU offices” made in a report published Sunday by German news weekly Der Spiegel.The magazine said the surveillance was carried out by the U.S. National Security Agency, which has recently been the subject of leaks claiming it scanned vast amounts of foreign Internet traffic. The U.S. government has defended its efforts to intercept electronic communications overseas by arguing that this has helped prevent terror attacks at home and abroad.

Schulz said that if the allegations that the NSA bugged European Union offices were confirmed “it would be an extremely serious matter which will have a severe impact on EU-US relations.””

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Next up, the stupidity over Paula Dean’s decades old remarks continues.

From TheWashingtonTimes

“Just a couple days after Paula Deen’s  forthcoming cookbook topped Amazon’s best-sellers  list, Ballantine Books, a Random House imprint, announced Friday it was making  the “difficult decision” to cancel publication of the book.

Advance  sales for “Paula Deen’s New  Testament: 250 Favorite  Recipes  All  Lightened Up,” which was scheduled to be  released in October,   skyrocketed  after numerous sponsors dropped the TV chef  after she   admitted to using  racist language more than two decades ago.”

🙄   Meanwhile Alex Baldwin’s days old homophobic rants elicits barely a chirp from the PC crickets. It’s hard not to call the left total hypocrites.

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And lastly, atheists get tossed a bone. It has absolutely no historical significance unlike what it seeks to compete with, but hey, if it shuts them up, whatever…..

From Yahoo

“A group of atheists unveiled a monument to their nonbelief in God on Saturday to sit alongside a granite slab that lists the Ten Commandments in front of the Bradford County courthouse.

As a small group of protesters blasted Christian country music and waved “Honk for Jesus” signs, the atheists celebrated what they believe is the first atheist monument allowed on government property in the United States.”

Again, 🙄

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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 5-13-13

UPDATE!

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

From HOTAIR

More on the other charges as it becomes available.

UPDATE! 2

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

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What’s interesting in the news today?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 Watch out for Petraeus in Benghazi scandal, from TheWashingtonTimes

Hmmmmmm……

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Next up, Syria.

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

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

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

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

Giddy up! 🙂

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

So much for it being just a low level operation.

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

10 crazy things the IRS asked Tea Party groups from HotAir

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

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

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

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And in Other News….

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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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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 4-23-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

Open Thread, you decide. Here’s a few from me…

Once again, the FBI, DHS, and INS dropped the ball. From TheDailyMail

“The Department of Homeland Security was  dragging its feet on processing Boston bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s U.S.  citizenship after a routine background check revealed he had been questioned by  the FBI in 2011.

Tamerlan, 26, filed an application for  citizenship six months ago but immigration officials had not yet made a decision  on his case at the time of the Boston Marathon bombings.

Authorities knew the alleged bomber had a  domestic violence charge on his record but the fact he had been grilled by  federal agents is reportedly what threw up red flags, halting the progress of  his application.”

And he wasn’t deported because…….?

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TheAP finally reports the obvious…….

“Two U.S. officials say preliminary evidence from an interrogation suggests the suspects in the Boston Marathon attack were motivated by their religious views but were apparently not tied to any Islamic terrorist groups.”

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You can read the criminal complaint against bomber #2 here, from TheWeeklyStandard

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Canada has thwarted a terrorist attack, with the help of DHS. From TheTorontoSun

““Had this plot been carried out, it would have resulted in innocent people being killed or seriously injured,” Royal Canadian Mounted Police official James Malizia told reporters in Toronto.

The RCMP said it had arrested Chiheb Esseghaier, 30, of Montreal, and Raed Jaser, 35, of Toronto, in connection with the plot, which authorities said was not linked to the Boston Marathon bombings, which killed three and injured more than 200 people last week.

Neither is a Canadian citizen, but the police did not reveal their nationalities.”

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More here from TheNYDailyNews

“Two suspected Al Qaeda terrorists were busted Monday in Canada before they  could wreak havoc on the rails by blowing up a New York-to-Toronto passenger  train.

The plan hatched by Chiheb Esseghaier and Raed Jaser — and directed by Al  Qaeda operatives based in Iran — was derailed by the Mounties before it ever got  out of the station, officials said.”

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Meanwhile the rebels our govt. is backing continue to commit atrocities against Christian minorities in Syria. From AssyrianInternationalNewsAgency

“Syria’s Christians fear an Islamist takeover should the current government be overthrown. During the ongoing civil war there has been a well-documented rise in the number of salafi-jihadist groups operating in Syria that pose a direct threat to Syria’s Christian community.These militant opposition forces espouse an Islamist ideology, which incorporates elements of Wahhabism and Salafism and whose stated goals and objectives are by definition hostile towards Christians. Firsthand accounts from Syrian Christian refugees in Lebanon reported by award winning investigative journalist Nuri Kino detail the horror in which they described kidnappings, rapes, harassment, theft and other violent reprisals at the hands of Islamist groups.

Those who survived reported “just being Christian is enough to be a target,” disproving theories that violence and kidnapping directed towards Syrian Christians is purely incidental or for economic reasons. One individual openly declared “We’re not poor. We didn’t run from poverty […] we ran from fear.”

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Two Bishops have been kidnapped by rebels as well. From Reuters

“Two prominent Syrian bishops, who had warned of the threat to religious tolerance and diversity from the two-year conflict in their country, were kidnapped on Monday by armed rebels in the northern province of Aleppo, state media said.

SANA news agency said the Syriac Orthodox and Greek Orthodox Archbishops of Aleppo, Yohanna Ibrahim and Paul Yazigi, were seized by “a terrorist group” in the village of Kfar Dael as they were “carrying out humanitarian work”.”

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John F. Kerry, reporting for duty…….

From AmericanThinker

“While  speaking in Istanbul, Turkey, Secretary  of State John Kerry compared the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings with  the terrorists who attacked IDF forces aboard the ship Mavi Marmara in  2010.”

“Speaking  at Istanbul, Turkey, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry made a jarring comparison between the victims of the Boston Marathon terror bombs and terror activists from the IHH  group who were killed  when they attacked IDF forces aboard the Mavi Marmara in 2010.

Kerry  told his hosts in Turkey that he understands the pain of the  families whose  loved ones were killed aboard the Marmara – and added  that he can understand  their pain well, having just dealt with the  families whose loved ones were  slain in Boston.”

Is it really any wonder our govt. supports the terrorists in Syria, Egypt, and Libya? They don’t seem capable of even telling the difference between the parties involved. Their ideology blinds them to the obvious.

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