Scary: Judge orders Goggle to comply with warrantless requests...

Screw the Constitution...

Via CNET:.com:

A federal judge has ruled that Google must comply with the FBI's warrantless requests for confidential user data, despite the search company's arguments that the secret demands are illegal.

CNET has learned that U.S. District Judge Susan Illston in San Francisco rejected Google's request to modify or throw out 19 so-called National Security Letters, a warrantless electronic data-gathering technique used by the FBI that does not need a judge's approval. Her ruling came after a pair of top FBI officials, including an assistant director, submitted classified affidavits.

The litigation taking place behind closed doors in Illston's courtroom -- a closed-to-the-public hearing was held on May 10 -- could set new ground rules curbing the FBI's warrantless access to information that Internet and other companies hold on behalf of their users. The FBI issued 192,499 of the demands from 2003 to 2006, and 97 percent of NSLs include a mandatory gag

DOJ: Eric Holder did not lie under oath...

Bullsh*t...

(CNN) – Attorney General Eric Holder’s sworn testimony before lawmakers this month was “accurate and consistent with the facts,” a Justice Department spokesman stressed late Thursday.

Holder’s statements at the May 15 hearing of the House Judiciary Committee have come under scrutiny from congressional Republicans, who are looking into whether the attorney general lied under oath earlier this month when he said he wasn’t involved in the “potential prosecution of the press for the disclosure of material.”

“That is not something I’ve ever been involved in, heard of, would think would be wise policy,” Holder said at the hearing.

It has since been reported that Holder signed off on the Justice Department’s decision to seek a search warrant for Fox News reporter James Rosen’s private e-mails. The affidavit used to obtain that warrant said there was probable cause the reporter had broken the law when he solicited classified information from the government source.

Marines sure are missing their hot meals in Afghanistan...

Well, I am sure Obama is still eating good...

Via NBC:

Marines at Camp Leatherneck in Afghanistan will lose a key daily meal starting Saturday, causing some to forgo a hot breakfast and others to work six-plus hours without refueling on cooked food, according to Marines at the base and Marine Corps officials.

The midnight ration service — known there as “midrats” — supplies breakfast to Marines on midnight-to-noon shifts and dinner to Marines who are ending noon-to-midnight work periods. It’s described as one of the few times the Marines at Leatherneck can be together in one place.

The base, which is located in Afghanistan’s southwestern Helmand Province, flanked by Iran and Pakistan, also will remove its 24-hour sandwich bar. It plans to replace the dishes long offered at midnight with pre-packaged MREs, said Marine Corps Lt. Col. Cliff Gilmore, who has been deployed in Afghanistan since February.

The moves, though unpopular with many Marines on the ground and their families back home, are emblematic of the massive drawdown of American troops in Afghanistan and the dismantling of U.S. military facilities. More than 30,000 U.S. service members will leave Afghanistan in coming months as the U.S. prepares to hand responsibility for security to Afghan forces in 2014.

Chart of the Day: Drug War Fail...

If you think the so called "War on drugs" is working, take a look at this chart...

Video: Illegal Immigrant Mother of Seven Given Food Stamps, Meds, Housing, and Social Security...

This is very common and will make you angry. Just wait until the Gang of Eight Immigration Reform Bill explodes taxpayer abuse...

Too Good To Check: Hezbollah Orders Hamas Out Of Lebanon Over Support For Syrian Rebels…

Let's hope they refuse to leave and  Hezbollah and Hamas start shooting each other...

Via JPost:

Lebanese Shi’ite group Hezbollah has ordered Palestinian Islamist group Hamas out of Lebanon effective immediately, the Middle East Online news agency reported on Thursday.

The move, the report says, is due to Hamas support for the opposition forces fighting to oust Syrian President Bashar Assad. Both Hezbollah and Syria are allies of Iran, which provides the two with financial and military support.

Hamas representative in Lebanon Ali Baraka denied the report to Lebanese paper Aliwaa, saying Hezbollah officials in Lebanon were were surprised by the report.
Lebanese Islamic Jihad representative Abu Imad Rifai also stressed to the paper that Hamas remains in Lebanon and that no changes have been made.

Hamas has denied any support for the Syrian rebels, but the Times of London reported last month that Hamas’ military unit has broken ties with Assad, and has begun training members of the opposition’s Free Syrian Army in Damascus.

Poll: Less than half of voters view President Obama as “honest and trustworthy.”

Democrats and women are still the most gullible... 

Via Telegraph:

The latest Quinnipiac University poll, published today, will send shivers through the White House, even though Washington is experiencing its first heat wave of the year. The Quinnipiac survey (hat tip: Jim Geraghty at The Campaign Spot) is the first major survey to show that the wave of recent scandals hitting the Obama administration are beginning to damage President Obama’s own standing with the American people.

According to Quinnipiac, Barack Obama’s job approval rating now stands at just 45 percent, with less than half of voters viewing the president as “honest and trustworthy.”
“President Barack Obama gets a negative 45 – 49 percent job approval rating, compared to 48 – 45 percent positive in a May 1 survey by the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University, conducted before the IRS allegations surfaced.

The president’s biggest drop is among independent voters, who give him a negative 37 – 57 percent score, compared to a negative 42 – 48 percent May 1. He gets a negative 9 – 86 percent from Republicans and a positive 87 – 8 percent from Democrats, both virtually unchanged. Women approve 49 – 45 percent while men give a negative 40 – 54 percent score.

Strange: Terry McAuliffe claims election of George W. Bush killed his father or something...

The moonbattery runs deep in this family....

Via BuzzFeed:

Terry McAuliffe, the Democratic candidate for governor of Virginia, once blamed his father’s death on President George W. Bush’s election in 2000.

In a May 2001 interview with C-SPAN, titled the “Life and Career of Terry McAuliffe,” the former Democratic National Committee chairman says one of the “reasons” his father, Jack, died was “he could not go into a new year knowing that a Republican was actually moving into the White House.”

While his father was in the hospital, McAuliffe’s mother “went and came back in five minutes later, and he had passed away. And I told the story, you know, I gave at the eulogy at his funeral, and there are many reasons why people thought Jack had died,” McAuliffe told C-SPAN. “He was 83 years old. And I said the main reason is that he could not go into a new year knowing that a Republican was actually moving into the White House. I just don’t think he could’ve handled that.”

Keep on reading…

Quinnipiac University poll: 76 percent want a special counsel to investigate IRS scandal...

Eric Holder hardest hit...

Via The Hill:

A new poll finds an overwhelming majority support appointing a special prosecutor to investigate the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) targeting of political groups.
A Quinnipiac University poll released on Thursday shows 76 percent want a special counsel to 17 percent opposing.

The idea has strong support across all parties, with 88 percent of Republicans, 63 percent of Democrats and 78 percent of independents calling for a special prosecutor.

“There is overwhelming bipartisan support for a special prosecutor to investigate the IRS,” said Quinnipiac University Polling Institute assistant director Peter Brown in a statement. “Voters apparently don’t like the idea of Attorney General Eric Holder investigating the matter himself, perhaps because they don’t exactly think highly of him.”

Few news media attend Eric Holder "off the record" meeting...

I'll bet they missed out on a lot of lies...

Via Yahoo News:

A growing number of news organizations invited to meet this week with Attorney General Eric Holder to discuss the Justice Department's guidelines governing security leak investigations that involve reporters are refusing the invitation citing the meetings' off-the-record status.

A Justice Department official said on Wednesday that meetings with select bureau chiefs will be off the record to "best facilitate the candid, free-flowing discussions we hope to have in order to bring about meaningful engagement."

Holder called the meetings this week as part of a department review directed by President Barack Obama after controversy over the secret seizure of Associated Press reporters' and editors' phone records and secret monitoring of Fox News reporter James Rosen.

But by Thursday afternoon, Reuters, Fox News, CNN, McClatchy and Huffington Post had joined the Associated Press and The New York Times in deciding to boycott the meetings due to their off-the-record status.

NBC also decided not to attend. 

Obamanomics: 15.7 percent of Illinoisans are dependent on food stamps

Don't you love how they put an American flag on the EBT food stamp card to make getting food stamps look patriotic?

Change strikes Illinois...

Via CNS News:

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), over two million Illinoisans– or 15.7 percent of the state’s population- are currently enrolled in food stamps.

The USDA’s latest data shows 2,023,635 Illinoisans were enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in February 2013. In February of 2012, 1,831,898 people took part in the program. That’s an increase of 10.5 percent in just one year.

Illinois was the only state to see a double-digit increase of the number of residents enrolled in the SNAP program from the same time period last year.

The United States Census Bureau’s latest data shows the population of Illinois sitting at 12,875,255 people. If you take the number of residents on food stamps (2,023,635) and divide it by the population of the state (12,875,255), it shows 15.7 percent of Illinoisans are dependent on food stamps.

UK climate change advocate admits humans may not be cause of global warming...

Paging Al Gore...

Via Telegraph:

Humans may not be responsible for global warming, according to Tim Yeo, the MP who oversees government policy on climate change.

The chairman of the Commons Energy and Climate Change committee said he accepts the earth’s temperature is increasing but said “natural phases” may be to blame.
Such a suggestion sits at odds with the scientific consensus. One recent survey of 12,000 academic papers on climate change found 97 per cent agree human activities are causing the planet to warm.

Mr Yeo, an environment minister under John Major, is one of the Conservative Party’s strongest advocates of radical action to cut carbon emissions. His comments are significant as he was one of the first senior figures to urge the party to take the issue of environmental change seriously.

He insisted such action is “prudent” given the threat climate change poses to living standards worldwide. But, he said, human action is merely a “possible cause”.

Asked on Tuesday night whether it was better to take action to mitigate the effects of climate change than to prevent it in the first place, he said: “The first thing to say is it does not represent any threat to the survival of the planet. None at all. The planet has survived much bigger changes than any climate change that is happening now.

He went on: “Although I think the evidence that the climate is changing is now overwhelming, the causes are not absolutely clear. There could be natural causes, natural phases that are taking place.”

Team Obama sicks the FBI on Pro-Life group...

It's the Chicago way....

NEW YORK, May 29, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The FBI office charged with investigating terrorism has said it intends to question the national director of a chain of crisis pregnancy centers. The development is the latest in what pro-life activists have charged is a pattern of intimidation on the part of the Obama administration against pro-life activists.

Agents of the Joint Domestic Terrorism Task Force told Chris Slattery, national director of Expectant Mother Care (EMC) FrontLine Pregnancy Centers, only that they wanted to meet him “for a mutually beneficial relationship.”

“In other words, if I don’t meet with them, it will not be beneficial for me,” Slattery told LifeSiteNews.com. “I’m not sure what I’m going to get out of it,” he joked.

The questioning comes as New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has subpoenaed the group for not abiding by the standards of a consent agreement Slattery believed expired more than 20 years ago, as well as in relation to a question of some of its paperwork.

Keep on reading…

Least shocking story of the day: Lincoln Chafee is admitting he is really a Democrat...

Former RINO Lincoln Chafee is switching from Independent to Democrat.  He has to do ,something to get re-elected. Former RINO Lincoln Chafee is now the most unpopular governor in the nation...

Via Politico:

Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee has notified senior Democratic Party officials that he intends to switch his party registration and join the Democratic Party, multiple sources familiar with Chafee’s decision told POLITICO.

Chafee, a former GOP senator elected as an independent in 2010, has struggled with low approval ratings. He also faces a difficult reelection fight in 2014.

But the ex-Republican campaigned for President Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012 and earned praise from Obama during his third-party bid for governor in 2010.

He ultimately won a three-way race with 36 percent of the vote.

Chafee “absolutely intends to switch his party registration” ahead of 2014, one national Democrat said.

Obvious: Ed Markey Can't Recall A Time He Has Ever Opposed A Tax Increase (Video)

Ed Markey Can't Recall A Time He Has Ever Opposed A Tax Increase 

Mother Of Boston Bomber: “He Is Locked Up Like A Dog, Like An Animal”…

Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is alive. that is more than he deserves...

BOSTON (WHDH) — Accused Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev called his mother from prison Monday, according to reports.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is recovering from a gunshot wound to the neck, but is apparently able to speak again. He spoke to his mother for the first time since his arrest. The conversation between Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and his mother, Zubeidat Tsarnaeva, lasted six minutes. Tsarnaeva was promised one phone call per month as Dzhokhar Tsarnaev continues to recover.

“I am absolutely fine, my wounds are healing. Everything is in God’s hands. Be patient. Everything will be fine,” Dzhokhar Tsarnaev reportedly told his mother, according to Bloomberg News. [...]

“Mentally he is normal, but the child is shocked,” Tsarnaeva told Bloomberg News. “It was really hard to hear him and for him to hear me. The conversation was very quiet. It was my child. I know he is locked up like a dog, like an animal.”

Kindergartener brings tiny (2 inch) LEGO gun on school bus, gets detention...

As crazy as many school districts are, he is lucky he wasn't tased and hauled off to jail...

Via The Daily Mail:

A 6-year-old kindergartner sparked an uproar at his Massachusetts school when he was spotted brandishing a tiny plastic Lego gun on the school bus last week.

Mieke Crane, the child's mother, insists that officials at Old Mill Pond Elementary School in Palmer overreacted when another student saw the toy, which is slightly bigger than a quarter, and alerted the driver Friday.

'She [driver] said he caused quite a disturbance on the bus and that the children were traumatized,' Crane told the local station WGGB. 

In the aftermath of the incident, the school sent a letter home to parents explaining what happened and stressing that there was no actual firearm aboard the bus, and that the students were never in any danger.

The missive was accompanied by a photo of the black toy gun showing its actual diminutive size.
Crane's son has been forced to write a letter of apology to the bus driver. He was also given detention Tuesday and could be temporary stripped off his busing privileges.

Read more here...

Obvious: Dingy Harry Reid wants GOP to 'rid itself of so-called Tea Party Republicans'

Harry Reid is dreaming of a herd of RINO's...

CARSON CITY — U.S. Sen. Harry Reid today renewed his threat to go after filibuster rules that have hindered President Barack Obama’s cabinet appointments, but don’t expect him to back eliminating the filibuster when it comes to legislation.

Despite having watched Republicans scuttle gun control legislation by invoking the 60-vote filibuster rule and routinely complaining of GOP “obstruction,” Reid said he has no intention of seeking its elimination entirely.

“I said when I left for recess that I was going to work with Republicans to try to get something done and I am going to do that,” Reid said for a taping of the public affairs television program “To the Point.”

Reid said the key to solving what he has labeled as Republican obstruction is for the party to rid itself of so-called Tea Party Republicans.

Keep on reading…

Russia selling sophisticated anti-aircraft missiles to Syria; Israel threatening to bomb shipment...

I would take the Israelis seriously...

JERUSALEM (AP) —Israel’s defence chief said Tuesday a Russian plan to supply sophisticated anti-aircraft missiles to Syria was a “threat” and signalled that Israel is prepared to use force to stop the delivery.

The warning by Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon ratcheted up tensions with Moscow over the planned sale of S-300 air-defence missiles to Syria. Earlier in the day, a top Russian official said his government remained committed to the deal.

Israel has been lobbying Moscow to halt the sale, fearing the missiles would upset the balance of power in the region and could slip into the hands of hostile groups, including the Lebanese militia Hezbollah, a close ally of the Syrian regime.

Israel has carried out several airstrikes in Syria in recent months that are believed to have destroyed weapons shipments bound for Hezbollah. Israel has not confirmed carrying out the attacks.

The delivery of the Russian missiles to Syria could limit the Israeli air force’s ability to act. It is not clear whether Israeli warplanes entered Syrian airspace in these attacks.

Bromance: Obama and Christie reunited...

Barf alert...

Via Politico:

President Obama received something of an iconic New Jersey welcome Tuesday, from a colorful gesture outside a Point Pleasant shop to losing an arcade game to Gov. Chris Christie.

Let’s go to the pool report from Christi Parsons of the Tribune:

The motorcade drove down Route 71 through Brielle to Point Pleasant. Crowds lined the street and grade-school age students on the street held a banner from Brielle Elementary.
A guy in front of a bait and tackle shop in Point Pleasant was giving the motorcade the finger as it rolled past. His sign had “Obama” with a slash through it.

Obama and Christie then paid an unannounced visit to the Point Pleasant boardwalk…
…The party then moved to an arcade called “TouchDown Fever” to try and win a stuffed bear by tossing a football through a tire. Obama tried and missed a few times. Christie then threw the ball through the tire, on his first and only try. Obama gave him a high five ending in a clasp. And said,  “That’s because he’s running for office.”

The guy behind the counter gave Obama a “Chicago” bear…

The skies were cloudy and it drizzled on them the whole time.

Outrageous: Liberals Sign "Thank You" Card to IRS for Targeting Conservatives

So, liberals think it's OK for the IRS to target people based on their political beliefs?

Interesting: All IRS computer data is in the process of being locking down all computers...

I have a feeling the fecal material is about to hit the air impeller device on this one...

Via NRO:

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. During this time, the IRS will not discard any laptop and desktop computers that are replaced, and it is  ”working on securing a location” where they will be kept, according to the e-mail.

National Review Online previously reported that data on computer hard drives in the Tax Exempt and Government Entity division in Cincinnati was being preserved and uploaded to a restriccted server where investigators can access it.

Keep on reading…

Amusing: Democrats get binders and binders full of Obamacare propaganda...

There aren't enough binders full of lies in the world to sell that pig to most voters...

Via Roll Call:

House Republican leaders recently subjected their Democratic colleagues to the 37th vote in two and a half years to repeal “Obamacare.”

But heading into the week-long Memorial Day recess, Democratic leadership went on the offensive to prepare the rank and file to defend President Barack Obama’s 2010 health care law back home.

The Democratic Steering and Policy Committee sent members back to their districts last week armed with “Affordable Care Act Toolkits,” meticulously organized binders containing every piece of information lawmakers could possibly need to communicate the nuances of the law to their constituents.

“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. CNN released a new poll on Monday showing 54 percent opposing Obamacare.

Keep on reading…

Unlikely: 30 percent of George Washington University professors want Obama on Mount Rushmore...

These are liberal college professors. I am surprised it is only 30%. 

Via Daily Caller:

According to a survey of George Washington University professors, some 30 percent generally endorse the eventual addition of President Barack Obama’s face to the Mount Rushmore National Memorial.

The survey, conducted and reported by The College Fix, is hampered by an extremely limited sample size. Nonetheless, the results are fascinating. Of the 10 history and political science profs queried, three suggested that Obama may eventually be added to the huge sculpture of four enormous presidential heads carved into the granite face of a mountain in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

Professor Paul Wahlbeck, who chairs the political science department at GW, says he believes that Obama could be added to the monument because of his race.

“History undoubtedly will accord President Obama a special place by virtue of being the first African-American President,” Wahlbeck told The College Fix via email.

Wahlbeck added that he is, of course, “reluctant to venerate political leaders while or shortly after they served.”

History and public policy professor Edward Berkowitz offered a similar sentiment.

Funny video: Obama added to Mount Rushmore

Nanny Stater Bloomberg takes on sidewalk cafes...

I am beginning to think Bloomberg is insane...

Via NY Post:

The city Department of Consumer Affairs has served notice to 17 popular restaurants that this will be their last season to offer sidewalk cafes — unless they can prove that they comply with zoning regulations.

In some cases, the eateries have been serving street-side customers for more than two decades.

“Please be advised you have 100 business days from and including May 1 to complete one of the following options,” the agency notified owners on April 29.

The options include a “certified land survey” to show they’re operating on private property, filing for a zoning exemption or simply surrendering their permits.

“I don’t know what to do,” said Chel Seng, owner of Sushi Choshi on Irving Place, yesterday.

“It will affect us. It’s very busy in the summer. It’s a main reason people come — to sit outside.”

Other eateries that received the jolting notice include Sant Ambroeus and Friend of the Farmer on Irving Place.

“The owners are panicked,” said Joseph Levey, whose law firm, Helbraun, Levey & Odonoghue, reps hundreds of city eateries. He warned that many could go under.
And diners were not happy about the latest Bloomberg administration crackdown.

“That’s ridiculous. That would take away the cultural image of the West Village,” said Jane Lowe, who was dining outside at Sant Ambroeus with her parents.

Stupid: Massachusetts Democrat gets in trouble for allowing a Republican in his home...

God forbid he should hear a dissenting point of view...

BRAINTREE —

It's a case of mistaken identity -- the kitchen table was not his, but belonged to his inlaws and was in their apartment, which is in his home, Jim Regan, a member of the Braintree Demcratic town committee, said Saturday.

Facing heat for allowing Republican Senate candidate Gabriel Gomez to come to his house May 13 and explain his political views and policy positions, Regan said the invitation came from his inlaws, David and Pat Lear, ages 84 and 76, who live in an apartment in Regan's house on Hobart Road.
The meeting took place in their apartment. Gomez is opposing Democratic U.S. Rep. Edward Markey in the contest for the special Senate seat next month.

"I did absolutely nothing wrong," Regan said Saturday afternoon, as his other phone lept ringing with incoming calls.

"I have been getting calls all day, because the story just grew and this has gotten blown out of proportion," he said. "All put together, it makes me into a bad Democrat and I know I am a good Democrat."

Read more Here...

John Kerry wants to spend $4 billion to stimulate the economy...of Palestinians...

Lurch is playing fast and loose with our money...

Via Guardian:

John Kerry revealed his long-awaited plan for peace in the Middle East on Sunday, hinging on a $4bn (£2.6bn) investment in the Palestinian private sector.

The US secretary of state, speaking at the World Economic Forum on the Jordanian shores of the Dead Sea, told an audience including Israeli president Shimon Peres and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas that an independent Palestinian economy is essential to achieving a sustainable peace.

Speaking under the conference banner “Breaking the Impasse”, Kerry announced a plan that he promised would be “bigger, bolder and more ambitious” than anything since the Oslo accords, more than 20 years ago.

The Palestinian Authority isn't interested unless it comes with Israel's head on a pole...

Via Times of Israel:

The Palestinian Authority on Monday rejected the idea of economic benefits in exchange for political concessions put forward by US Secretary of State John Kerry one day prior.
“The Palestinian leadership will not offer political concessions in exchange for economic benefits,” PA President Mahmoud Abbas’s economic adviser, Mohammad Mustafa, said in a statement, according to the Palestinian Ma’an news agency. “We will not accept that the economy is the primary and sole component.”

The statement came a day after US Secretary of State John Kerry announced a $4 billion investment plan meant to jumpstart both the Palestinian economy and peace talks with Israel.

Nanny State Alert: California wants to ban campfires at the beach

Why does anyone who is not a flaming liberal still live in California?

Via The Washington Times:

“Since man first rubbed a pair of sticks together to make a fire, we’ve gathered around a campfire to cook food, enjoy good company and bask in the warmth of the glowing embers. Now the green spoilsports in Southern California want to take that all way, sending beach ring fire pits the way of the caveman. 

The South Coast Air Quality Management District will decide this summer whether to order the removal of 850 bonfire pits from Los Angeles and Orange county beaches on the pretense that fire is bad for the environment. To support its position, the agency concocted a study concluding that an evening beach fire creates as much particulate matter pollution as a diesel truck driving 564 miles

Man’s taming of fire enabled him to cook his food, bring light to the darkness, make stronger tools and survive the harshest of winters. It’s the one discovery upon which all civilizations are built. The assault on bonfires, fireplaces and stoves undermines one of the cornerstones of society. It’s what happens when government gets big enough to snuff out man’s greatest achievement.”

Mother Jones: GOP banning “convicted murderers, rapists, and pedophiles” from getting food stamps is racist or something...

Isn't it racist of Mother Jones to assume more African Americans will murder, rape and commit pedophilia?

GOP Food Stamps Proposal Would Discriminate Against African-Americans – Mother Jones

On Wednesday the Senate agriculture committee approved a GOP proposal that would amend the farm bill the Senate is considering to ban “convicted murderers, rapists, and pedophiles” from getting food stamps. On its surface, the idea sounds unobjectionable, but the measure would have “strongly racially discriminatory effects,” according to the non-partisan Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP).

The amendment, introduced by Sen. David Vitter (R-La.), and agreed to by unanimous consent in the committee, would bar anyone who has ever been convicted of certain violent crimes—even if they committed the crimes in their youth and have served their sentence—from ever getting food stamps (called SNAP benefits) ever again. CBPP president Robert Greenstein slammed the amendment in a statement Tuesday, calling it “stunning.” Because African Americans are incarcerated at a higher rate than other races, he says, “the amendment would have a skewed racial impact. Poor elderly African Americans convicted of a single crime decades ago by segregated Southern juries would be among those hit.” Under current law, there is only a lifetime ban on food stamps for convicted drug felons, and many states have opted out of that ban.

The measure wouldn’t just hurt ex-cons. Greenstein points out that “the amendment would mean lower SNAP benefits for their children and other family members.”

Plus the amendment could cause higher rates of recidivism. “Ex-offenders often have difficulty finding jobs that pay decent wages,” Greenstein says. “The amendment could pose dilemmas for ex-offenders who are trying to go straight but can neither find jobs nor, as a result of the amendment, obtain enough food to feed their children and families.”

Keep on reading…

Let's pause and honor those who has served or given their all...

Let's pause and honor those who has served or given their all...


Memorial Day Tribute 2013

Shocking: Congressional Democrats say they don’t believe the investigation into the IRS’s targeting of conservative groups needs a special prosecutor...

I wonder why? 

Via The Hill:

Leading congressional Democrats say they don’t believe the investigation into the IRS’s targeting of conservative groups needs a special prosecutor – at least not yet.
Democrats on Capitol Hill, like their colleagues across the aisle, have expressed deep anger about how the IRS handled applications from Tea Party groups.

But like Republicans, top Democrats also want to give their own probe into the issue more time, two weeks after news first broke and following three hearings left many questions unanswered.

“I think it’s too soon,” said Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.), whose committee held one of those three hearings. “I don’t think there’s enough evidence to warrant a special prosecutor.”

Unbelievable: IRS still harassing Tea Party Groups...

Don't these morons know when the gig is up?

Via Breitbart:

Though the White House has insisted the IRS stopped formally targeting Tea Party and conservative organizations in May of 2012, two attorneys representing conservative organizations have claimed the IRS’s targeting may still be ongoing.

Jay Sekulow of the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) and Cleta Mitchell, the attorney representing True the Vote, have evidence their clients are still being targeted.

According to National Review, Sekulow “plans to file suit in federal court in the coming weeks on behalf of more than two dozen conservative groups that claim their harassment at the hands of the nation’s tax authority continued long past the White House’s purported end date.”

At least ten organizations the ACLJ is representing still have not received their determination letters. National Review notes the Albuquerque Tea Party applied for 501(c)(4) status in December of 2009 while Linchpins of Liberty applied in January 2011. Both organizations still have not received their letters.

Sekulow told the publication that “to suggest this tactic ended a year ago is not only offensive, but it is simply inaccurate as well.” He said the White House’s timeline of events “simply does not square with the facts.”

True the Vote, the nonprofit that trains workers to find and report voting fraud, is waiting for approval as a tax-exempt organization three years after initially filing its application with the IRS. In addition, the group’s founder, Catherine Engelbrecht, “saw her family’s manufacturing firm audited by the IRS and visited by OSHA, the ATF, and the FBI.” Keep on reading...

Stupid: AZ Gov. Jan Brewer vetoing all bills until Obamacare medicaid expansion passes...

It's time for Jan Brewer to go...

Via Mediate:

Making good on a threat to veto all legislation until the Arizona legislature approved a 2014 budget and passed Medicaid expansion, Brewer shredded five bills, including one allowing people to sue over violations of religious freedoms, and another detailing plans for failing schools.

Brewer was brazen over the cause: “I warned that I would not sign additional measures into law until we see resolution of the two most pressing issues facing us: adoption of a fiscal 2014 state budget and plan for Medicaid. It is disappointing I must demonstrate the moratorium was not an idle threat.”

The governor savaged her state’s legislature, which she said had been in session for 130 days without passing a budget. “We have just five weeks until the end of the fiscal year,” Brewer wrote, “by which time it is necessary that the state of Arizona have a new budget in place in order to assure there is no suspension of critical services or programs.”

The Arizona Senate cobbled bipartisan support for the Medicaid bill last week, but the law has stalled in the House. Read more here...

DOJ scandal builds: Obama DOJ investigated NY Times reporter for leaks...

This investigation was about a story last year about the Stuxnet virus last year.  

Via The Atlantic:

The New York Times reports the Department of Justice investigated national security leaks given to Times reporter David Sanger over his story last year about the Stuxnet virus by pulling all the email and phone records of government officials who communicated with the reporter. Last summer, Sanger reported the U.S. helped develop the Stuxnet virus and used it to attack Iran, becoming the first country to carry out a sustained cyber attack with the intent of destroying another country’s infrastructure. The was some hoopla and a hullaballoo about leaks and DOJ investigations, the Associated Press case, and now a year later we’re finding out just how far things went.

The Times’ Ethan Bronner, Charlie Savage and Scott Shane report the FBI requested for any phone and email logs from the White House, the Defense Department and other “intelligence agencies” that showed any contact between employees and Sanger. It does not appear they went so far as to seize Sanger’s telephone records or emails, as they did with the Associates Press and Fox News reporter James Rosen. They at least got creative this time. Instead of looking at his communication records, they looked at the communications between him and every government employee by looking on their end.

The Times report does paint a very detailed picture of how far the Justice Department goes with these investigations, even before they get into the legally and morally questionable practice of subpoenaing a reporters’ email and phone records. As a result of the intense scrutiny, the Times says some sources are starting to clam up.

Keep on reading…

Liberal blog Daily Kos uses Oklahoma tornadoes to claim free market conservatism kills...

The kids at Daily Kos are outrageous as usual...

Via Newsbusters:

(Daily Kos) — . . . Free market conservatism kills? Yes, that’s right…[T]here were no rules in Moore or anywhere else in Oklahoma mandating that buildings…have so-called “safe rooms” or underground shelters to protect people during a storm…

What happened in Moore is outrageous, and represents a(nother) failure of conservative ideology, an ideology built around faith in the free market and a reflexive rejection of regulation. This kind of Ayn Rand-based extreme thinking claims to exalt “freedom” of the individual, but what it does in reality is force individuals into a death race where, in order to compete on cost, they have to cut corners — putting themselves and others at risk if something goes wrong — or lose the race. If the chances of disaster are relatively small, too many will choose to cut those corners…

…Freedom does not mean the right to not build an underground shelter because no pointy-headed government regulator’s gonna tell me I have to. That’s the “freedom” of a five-year old who won’t eat his broccoli and spills his plate on the floor…

Karma: CCTV of thief hit by bus after robbing woman in Colombia (Video)

 Sadly, he wasn't seriously injured...

CCTV of thief hit by bus after robbing woman in Colombia 

Interesting: Illinois Republicans have a hot 2014 gubernatorial candidate...

Erika Harold is half African-American/Native American, has a degree from Harvard Law School, and was Miss America.

Via The Weekly Standard: 

In the short-term it’s difficult to see how the Republicans in Illinois can break the Democratic stranglehold.

But they may have a political star in the wings by the name of Erika Harold. Harold’s resume is almost too good to be believed: born and raised in downstate Champaign, she is half African-American/Native American, has a degree from Harvard Law School, and was Miss America. Lest anyone doubt her conservative bona fides, her platform as Miss America was teen abstinence. She’s been practicing law in Chicago and doing all the little things expected of someone who aspires to a political career.

That career almost began last year: in March 2012, shortly after winning his uncontested primary, Congressman Tim Johnson announced he would retire from Congress at the end of the term. The post-primary retirement is a common maneuver by Illinois congressmen hoping to put their political (or actual) scions in their seat without the messiness of a primary. Johnson’s former chief of staff announced shortly thereafter (his website was actually up before the announcement) that he would stand for the nomination, which post-primary is chosen by the chairs of the various Republican County Committees.

As Johnson’s district director for most of his decade in office he knew these people well—and they weren’t fans. Shortly after his announcement downstate Congressman John Shimkus’s district director, Rodney Davis, who also happens to be from the district, announced his candidacy, and the other downstate congressmen quickly coalesced behind him.

Then Harold announced that she would contest the seat. She made a few appearances and was beyond impressive, and people began to pay notice to her... Keep on reading...

Amusing: Demo rising start and LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa broke and desperately seeking work...

Welcome to the real world  Mayor Villaraigosa...

With just over a month left in his second and final term, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa will leave office in June reportedly without a place to live or a car of his own to drive, according to a report published Thursday.

Jill Stewart, L.A. Weekly’s managing editor, told KNX 1070 NEWSRADIO that Villaraigosa faces an uncertain political – and financial – future when he steps down June 30.

In order to maintain his current lifestyle, which includes frequent cross-country travel, a mayoral mansion at the taxpayer-supported Getty House, an Los Angeles Police Department security detail for his personal SUV, courtside seats to Lakers games, and several other perks, associates estimate Villaraigosa’s next gig would need to pay about $750,000 a year, according to Stewart.

“His friends are so concerned because he’s lived so flamboyantly and spent basically so much of other people’s money on a very, very costly lifestyle,” Stewart said, adding that Villaraigosa has lived “far better than Gov. Jerry Brown and far more flamboyantly than actual multi-millionaire mayor Richard Riordan.”

Feel Good Story: Eight Taliban accidentally explode at a Afghanistan Mosque...

Karma...

Kabul: Authorities in eastern Afghanistan say explosives transported by suspected Taliban militants accidentally detonated while they were stopped at a mosque, killing 12 people.

Local official Qasim Desewal on Saturday said that four civilians and eight militants died in the blast during evening prayers the night before in Ghazni province’s district of Andar.

He said that the Taliban had apparently stopped at the mosque while traveling and the explosives they were carrying went off while they were inside.

The Ghazni explosion was on the same day as Taliban fighters supported by a suicide car bomb attacked a compound for international aid workers in the capital.

A shocking example of how Team Obama and supporters used the power of government to punish conservative political activists...

If reading this doesn't make you angry, you aren't a freedom-loving American...

Via WSJ:

In July 2010 she sent applications to the IRS for tax-exempt status. What followed was not the harassment, intrusiveness and delay we're now used to hearing of. The U.S. government came down on her with full force.

In December 2010 the FBI came to ask about a person who'd attended a King Street Patriots function. In January 2011 the FBI had more questions. The same month the IRS audited her business tax returns. In May 2011 the FBI called again for a general inquiry about King Street Patriots. In June 2011 Engelbrecht's personal tax returns were audited and the FBI called again. In October 2011 a round of questions on True the Vote. In November 2011 another call from the FBI. The next month, more questions from the FBI. In February 2012 a third round of IRS questions on True the Vote. In February 2012 a first round of questions on King Street Patriots. The same month the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms did an unscheduled audit of her business. (It had a license to make firearms but didn't make them.) In July 2012 the Occupational Safety and Health Administration did an unscheduled audit. In November 2012 more IRS questions on True the Vote. In March 2013, more questions. In April 2013 a second ATF audit.

All this because she requested tax-exempt status for a local conservative group and for one that registers voters and tries to get dead people off the rolls. Her attorney, Cleta Mitchell, who provided the timeline above, told me: "These people, they are just regular Americans. They try to get dead people off the voter rolls, you would think that they are serial killers."

This week Ms. Engelbrecht, who still hasn't received her exemptions, sued the IRS.

Please read it all...

Many liberals like to claim conservatives suffer from paranoid fantasies, but if the government is really out to get you, you aren't paranoid. 

French Socialists continue their obsession with high taxes...

This time they want to tax salaries over €1 million at a 75% rate. This idea is making Barack Obama drool...

Businesses rather than employees will foot the bill for a new 75 percent tax on salaries over €1 million, French Finance Minister Pierre Moscovici said in an interview with Les Echos on Thursday, while a plan to cap directors’ pay has been dropped.

 

French businesses will face a 75 percent tax on employees’ salaries above €1 million a year under new legislation set to be introduced by the country’s government in 2014.

However, the government will stop short of introducing a cap on executive pay in the private sector, France’s Finance Minister Pierre Moscovici revealed in an interview with French daily Les Echos published on Thursday.

Actual Good News: Sen. Robert Menendez claims Gang of Eight’s immigration reform bill does not have enough votes to pass

Best news of the day...

Via Breitbart:

According to Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ), the so-called Gang of Eight’s immigration reform bill does not have enough votes at this point to pass the Senate.

Even though the bill has exited the Senate Judiciary Committee with a 13-5 vote, Menendez says that it will not receive 60 votes thanks to Republican opposition. “We don’t currently have 60 votes identified in the Senate,” Menendez told Univision. “We need to add more votes on the floor. That means that the community in your state, in every state, should be contacting your state’s two US Senators saying that they want comprehensive immigration reform, that they are going to judge their political future based on this vote.”

Several Republican senators have expressed support for debating the bill, but do not support the bill itself yet, including Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY). Menendez does believe that by the time of the Senate vote, which he said will take place just after July 4, the votes will be there. “I believe that in those three weeks we can get the necessary votes and we will have the community. We are expecting that and working for that.”

Keep on reading…

Interesting: Lois Lerner gets personally sued...

Couldn't happen to a more deserving individual... 

Lois Lerner was today slapped with papers, @truethevote lawsuit against her personally delivered to her house. #IRS
— Christian Adams (@ElectionLawCtr) May 24, 2013

Why does the IRS hate adoptive families?

Apparently, they do. 70 percent of adoptive families get audited...

Via Fox:

Add another item to the list of red flags that may get you audited: Adopting a child.
The Internal Revenue Service mishandled tax returns of adoptive families, flagging for further review 90 percent of those who claimed the adoption tax credit for the 2012 filing season. And a report by the federal agency’s Taxpayer Advocate Service also found that nearly 70 percent of adoptive families — more than 35,000 — had at least a partial audit of their tax return. By contrast, just one percent of all returns are audited.

“The IRS’s misguided procedures, and its failure to adequately adjust these processes when it learned its approach was seriously flawed, have caused significant economic harm to thousands of families who are selflessly trying to improve the lives of vulnerable children,” according to the report.

Unless the IRS alters its approach to refundable credits and incorporates more taxpayer-focused procedures, the federal agency will continue to cause problems for taxpayers, the report continues, including those eligible for the new refundable credit contained in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act — also known as “ObamaCare”.

Keep on reading…

Silly: Obama promises Eric Holder will thoroughly investigate Eric Holder

Seriously? Obama thinks Americans are idiots...

Via HotAir: 

Shot: President Obama’s speech today:

Journalists should not be at legal risk for doing their jobs. Our focus must be on those who break the law. That is why I have called on Congress to pass a media shield law to guard against government over-reach. I have raised these issues with the Attorney General, who shares my concern. So he has agreed to review existing Department of Justice guidelines governing investigations that involve reporters, and will convene a group of media organizations to hear their concerns as part of that review. And I have directed the Attorney General to report back to me by July 12th.

Chaser: NBC News:

Attorney General Eric Holder signed off on a controversial search warrant that identified Fox News reporter James Rosen as a “possible co-conspirator” in violations of the Espionage Act and authorized seizure of his private emails, a law enforcement official told NBC News on Thursday.

Amusing Video: Schumer, Franken scurry from questions about IRS scandal

Watch Demos scurry like cockroaches...

Schumer, Franken scurry from questions about IRS scandal 


Note: Both Schumer and Franken asked the IRS to crack down on conservative groups.

AG Eric Holder signed off on warrant that identified FNS reporter as a “possible co-conspirator”

Obama claims he is troubled by this incident. Is he lying or will he throw his buddy Eric Holder under the bus? 

Attorney General Eric Holder signed off on a controversial search warrant that identified Fox News reporter James Rosen as a “possible co-conspirator” in violations of the Espionage Act and authorized seizure of his private emails, a law enforcement official told NBC News on Thursday.

The disclosure of the attorney general’s role came as President Barack Obama, in a major speech on his counterterrorism policy, said Holder had agreed to review Justice Department guidelines governing investigations that involve journalists.

"I am troubled by the possibility that leak investigations may chill the investigative journalism that holds government accountable," Obama said. "Journalists should not be at legal risk for doing their jobs."

Reunited: Obama and Chris Christie to go on tour again...

Man-love...

Via Politico: 

President Barack Obama and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie are getting back together for another tour of the Jersey Shore.

Obama will travel to New Jersey on Tuesday to inspect the Shore’s recovery from Hurricane Sandy, a White House official said Thursday.

While in New Jersey, Obama will deliver remarks about “expanding economic opportunity for middle class families who were hard hit by the storm” and meet with residents who have benefited from the federal recovery efforts.

Update: A musical tribute to this momentous event. H/T Headshakers ‏@headshakers

Peaches & Herb - Reunited 

Anthony Weiner warns there may be more Weiner weener pictures out there...

Please God, no....


Weiner pics already released (barf alert)...

Darrell Issa calling Lois Lerner back to testify before his committee; believes she waived Fifth Amendment rights...

Go get her...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Republican Representative Darrell Issa said on Thursday he will call Internal Revenue Service official Lois Lerner back to testify before his committee on the IRS-Tea Party scandal after she asserted her constitutional right not to answer questions.

“We are obligated to bring Lerner back because she did not properly take the Fifth (Amendment),” Issa said.

“She clearly chose to make her statements and then not open herself up to even any questioning as to the statement she made,” said Issa, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

Scary: President Obama declares end to “Global War on Terror.”

You can't unilaterally declare peace. the is a global Jihad against America and the West.

Via Weekly Standard:

President Obama is using his national security address today to reject the “Global War on Terror.”

“Beyond Afghanistan, we must define our effort not as a boundless ‘global war on terror’ – but rather as a series of persistent, targeted efforts to dismantle specific networks of violent extremists that threaten America. In many cases, this will involve partnerships with other countries. Thousands of Pakistani soldiers have lost their lives fighting extremists. In Yemen, we are supporting security forces that have reclaimed territory from AQAP. In Somalia, we helped a coalition of African nations push al Shabaab out of its strongholds. In Mali, we are providing military aid to a French-led intervention to push back al Qaeda in the Maghreb, and help the people of Mali reclaim their future,” Obama will say.

Good News: Lois Lerner goes under the bus...

It couldn't happen to a more deserving individual...

Via NRO:

Lois Lerner, the Internal Revenue Service’s director of exempt organizations, has been placed on administrative leave, according to a source in the agency’s Cincinnati office.

Lerner on Thursday afternoon sent an e-mail to employees in the exempt organizations division she oversees stating, “Due to the events of recent days, I am on administrative leave starting today. An announcement will be made shortly informing you who will be acting while I am on administrative leave. I know all of you will continue to support EO’s mission during these difficult times.” She concluded, “I thank you for all your hard work and dedication,” adding, “The work you do is important.”