Tweet of the Day: Michael Moore cites ice in Georgia as proof of Catastrophic Anthropogenic Global Warming...

I think if a new ice age materializes and half the world's population freezes or starves to death, Michael Moore will be yelling "Climate change!"

Georgia. Ice. Climate change deniers
— Michael Moore (@MMFlint) January 31, 2014

Former Port Authority official and high school friend of Christie claims he knew...

Ruh, Roh!

Via The New York Times:

The former Port Authority official who personally oversaw the lane closings at the George Washington Bridge, central to the scandal now swirling around Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey, said on Friday that “evidence exists” the governor knew about the lane closings when they were happening.

In a letter released by his lawyer, the former official, David Wildstein, a high school friend of Mr. Christie’s who was appointed with the governor’s blessing at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which controls the bridge, described the order to close the lanes as “the Christie administration’s order” and said “evidence exists as well tying Mr. Christie to having knowledge of the lane closures, during the period when the lanes were closed, contrary to what the governor stated publicly in a two-hour press conference” three weeks ago.

Cave: Demo Senators claim they never intended to vote on their Iran sanction bill...

Someones spine is missing. If anyone has a spare, send it to Sen. Joe Manchin.

Via The Hill:

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) said on MSNBC Tuesday night that he didn’t endorse the bill so that it could be voted on during negotiations with Iran. “Give peace a chance,” he said.
"I did not sign it with the intention that it would ever be voted upon or used upon while we were negotiating," Manchin said. "I signed it because I wanted to make sure the president had a hammer, if he needed it and showed them how determined we were to do it and use it, if we had to." Sens. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) and Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) authored the legislation late last year, after the United States announced with its allies they had reached an interim deal with Iran to curb its nuclear program. The six-month agreement took effect last week.
The sanctions bill, however, would add additional and tougher sanctions than those already in place.
In his State of the Union speech Tuesday night, Obama urged the bill’s 59 co-sponsors to reconsider their positions and to give diplomacy a chance. 

Blue-on-Blue action: Maryland Democrat attack each other Democrat over failed Obamacare roll out...

Popcorn anyone?

Via Politico Pro $:

Gansler has been attacking his Democratic rival Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown over his role in the state’s implementation.
“The Affordable Care Act was a great accomplishment, and Maryland should have led the way in implementing President [Barack] Obama’s legacy legislation,” Gansler said in a statement. “But in the nearly four months since the website launched, most Marylanders still are unable to use it to buy insurance.”
“It’s unfortunate that we have yet to hear any viable solutions proposed by Lt. Governor Brown to help uninsured Marylanders who can’t purchase coverage because of the broken website,” said Gansler’s running mate, Jolene Ivey. “We’re waiting for an explanation from him about how he spent $170 million in taxpayer dollars on a broken website,” said Ivey.

FOX News is the most trusted name in news by a huge margin...

FOX News wins the trust poll hands down. it's not even close. MSNBC and NBC are at the bottom.

NBC News and sister cable network MSNBC rank at the bottom of media outlets Americans trust most for news, with Fox News leading the way, according to a new poll from the Democratic firm Public Policy Polling.

In its fifth trust poll, 35 percent said they trusted Fox news more than any other outlet, followed by PBS at 14 percent, ABC at 11 percent, CNN at 10 percent, CBS at 9 percent, 6 percent for MSNBC and Comedy Central, and just 3 percent for NBC.

The pollster said Fox won because Republicans are devoted to it. “It leads the way because of its continuing near total support among Republicans as the place to go for news- 69 percent of Republicans say it's their most trusted source with nothing else polling above 7 percent,” said PPP.

Interesting: Dems ready to throw in the towel on House in 2014...

I heard one odds maker claim they had a 1% chance. i think they should go for it.

Via Politico:

With Democrats’ grasp on the Senate increasingly tenuous — and the House all but beyond reach — some top party donors and strategists are moving to do something in the midterm election as painful as it is coldblooded: Admit the House can’t be won and go all in to save the Senate.
Their calculation is uncomplicated. With only so much money to go around in an election year that is tilting the GOP’s way, Democrats need to concentrate resources on preserving the chamber they have now. Losing the Senate, they know, could doom whatever hopes Barack Obama has of salvaging the final years of his presidency.
The triage idea is taking hold in phone conversations among donors and in strategy sessions between party operatives. Even some of the people who have invested the most to get House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi back into the speaker’s chair are moving in that direction.
“There is no question that Democratic donors are shifting towards the Senate in 2014...

Unlikely: MSNBC president claims they have "never had an ideology”

I would respond if I could stop laughing...

Via Mediaite:

The Daily Beast’s new interview with MSNBC president Phil Griffin occurred before RNC chair Reince Priebus announced his boycott of that network, so unfortunately it does not contain his response to that issue. The article does however contain plenty of interesting tidbits from Griffin, including his insistence that MSNBC “has never had an ideology” like its competitor Fox News does.
Griffin explains, “An ideology is a single thought across all programs. We’ve never had that,” before adding, “Obviously I hire people who fit the sensibility.”
At the same time, Griffin says of Fox News, “I think they do have an ideology, because every Republican who’s in trouble goes on that network to be taken care of… They’re owned by News Corp., which is Rupert Murdoch. Roger Ailes runs it, and he comes out of the Republican Party.” He adds: “That’s fine. They’ve done an incredible job over there. They’ve been very successful. They drive a lot of the conversation.”
Keep on reading…

Syrian deal calls for them to have given up all chemical weapons next week. Only 4.1% actually given up.

How is this plan working out for you Obama? 

(Reuters) – Syria has given up less than 5 percent of its chemical weapons arsenal and will miss next week’s deadline to send all toxic agents abroad for destruction, sources familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.
The deliveries, in two shipments this month to the northern Syrian port of Latakia, totaled 4.1 percent of the roughly 1,300 tonnes of toxic agents reported by Damascus to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), said the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
“It’s not enough and there is no sign of more,” one source briefed on the situation said.
The internationally backed operation, overseen by a joint OPCW-United Nations mission, is now 6-8 weeks behind schedule. Damascus needs to show it is still serious about relinquishing its chemical weapons, the sources told Reuters.

Guess who is obstructing Obama now...

It's Harry Reid.  He must be a racist!

Via The Hill

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said Wednesday he is not inclined to put trade promotion authority on the floor, less than 24 hours after President Obama called for action on the legislation.
Reid made clear he is opposed to the trade promotion bill — sometimes called “fast track,” which labor unions staunchly oppose.
“I’m against fast track,” Reid said of the enhanced trade authority bill drafted by Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) that would speed up congressional consideration of trade deals.
Reid said he might not even let the bill come to the floor.
“We’ll see,” he said. “Everyone would be well advised just to not push this right now.”
“Everyone knows how I feel about this. Sen. Baucus knows. Sen. [Ron] Wyden [D-Ore.] knows,” he said in reference to the incoming chairman of the powerful Finance panel.
Obama exhorted Congress Tuesday evening to act on the proposal.

Shameful: MSNBC uses Cheerios ad to accuse Conservatives of hating biracial families...

MS NBC has deleted the tweet now. Here is a response from tweeter @Nayrue with a screen capture.

Hi @cheerios - do you know @msnbc is using your sweet AD to ridicule half the country?  cc: @comcast @comcastcares pic.twitter.com/iRVkRgvCNK
— Chic (@Nayrue) January 30, 2014

Rasmussen: 69% of likely voters want Obama to work with Congress instead of issuing executive orders...

Obama is unable to comply. He can't or won't do a real compromise. Obama's idea of a compromise is for Republicans to give him most of what he wants and in return he doesn't call them extremists for a short time. 

Via Rasmussen:

President Obama made it clear in his State of the Union speech last night that he is prepared to take independent executive action if he can’t get Congress to work with him on some major issues, but voters strongly believe it’s better for the president to work with Congress than to go it alone. However, most also think it’s more important for Republicans in Congress to work with the president than to stand for what they believe.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey, taken the night before and the night of the president’s speech, finds that 69% of Likely U.S. Voters think it it better for the president to work with Congress on things he considers important. Just 27% believe it is better for the president to go around Congress if necessary to accomplish what he feels is important. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
Fifty-three percent (53%) say it is more important for the Republican Party to work with the president, while 40% place more importance on the GOP standing for what it believes in. These attitudes are virtually unchanged from early November 2012 just after the president’s reelection.
But here’s the partisan rub. A plurality (49%) of Democrats thinks it’s better for the president to go around Congress if necessary, while 73% of Republicans believe it’s more important for their party to stand for what it believes in rather than to work with Obama.

Video: Democrats reacting to GOP-e Amnesty plans

Ted Cruz takes Eric Holder to the woodshed over IRS targeting Tea Party... (Video)

Cruz: Justice Department integrity compromised over IRS scandal


Eric Holder is so full of sh*t.

Tweet of the Day: As Obama preaches the perils of global warming tonight, Florida is covered in snow.

Mother nature likes making a mockery of "Warmists." ...

As Obama preaches the perils of global warming tonight, Florida is covered in snow. pic.twitter.com/3x8sIxrE45
— Sean (@massSNAFU) January 28, 2014

Was Joe Biden drunk at the SOTU

Just sayin'...

MS-DNC has an OFA page on their website now...

Check out OFA's page on @MSNBC's new site, and join in the conversation about the State of the Union tonight: http://t.co/3n5F8VNMqu #SOTU
— OFA (@OFA) January 28, 2014

OFA’s page on MSNBC via WZ:

NBC News Poll: Most used words like “divided,” “troubled,” and “deteriorating” to describe the current state of the nation

Obama should use those words in his State of the Union address... 

Via NBC News:

As President Barack Obama enters his sixth year in the White House, 68 percent of Americans say the country is either stagnant or worse off since he took office, according to the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll.
Just 31 percent say the country is better off, and a deep pessimism continues to fuel the public’s mood. Most respondents used words like “divided,” “troubled,” and “deteriorating” to describe the current state of the nation.
On the eve of Tuesday’s State of the Union address, more than six-in-10 Americans believe that the nation is headed in the wrong direction and 70 percent are dissatisfied with the economy.
Only 28 percent believe the country is headed in the right direction, while 63 percent say it’s on the wrong track.
What’s more, 71 percent are dissatisfied with the state of the economy (although more than 60 percent say they’re satisfied with their own financial situation).
And when respondents were asked which one or two words best describe the current state of the nation, the top answers were all negative: “divided” (37 percent), “troubled” (23 percent), and “deteriorating” (21 percent).

Global Warming Update: Deep South prepares for rare winter storm...

Of course the "Warmists" gave up the term "Global Warming" since it hasn't warmed for 18 years now. Climate change is more versatile. They blame both hot temperatures and cold temperatures and cold temperatures on climate change. More thangs can be blamed on climate change than George W. Bush.

Via USA Today:

ATLANTA – They were salting down bridges and overpasses Monday and pre-emptively closing schools and governments as the Deep South prepared for a rare winter storm.
Snow and ice were predicted Tuesday into Wednesday for places that rarely see it.
“We’re getting ready for some snow – there may be a few snowmen in our future,” said Columbus (Ga.) Mayor Teresa Tomlinson. “We’ve loaded up the truck with barricades in case we have to close roads, loaded up the trucks with sand and sharpened the chain saws. We’ve just got everything sitting on ready.”
She said officials in the city of 198,000 will wait until around noon Tuesday to reassess the situation. If the storm is as bad as predicted, the city will close except for essential services and cancel Tuesday night’s City Council meeting.
Several years ago, when a winter storm dumped snow on parts of the state, some parents from Columbus, 108 miles south of Atlanta, drove their elementary school-aged children 45 miles or so north to LaGrange to see snow for the first time. They won’t have to drive this year – maybe.
Keep on reading…

Obama's NSA is using your smartphone apps to spy on you...

Is it time to just dump our smartphones?

Via The Guardian: 

The National Security Agency and its UK counterpart GCHQ have been developing capabilities to take advantage of "leaky" smartphone apps, such as the wildly popular Angry Birds game, that transmit users' private information across the internet, according to top secret documents.
The data pouring onto communication networks from the new generation of iPhone and Android apps ranges from phone model and screen size to personal details such as age, gender and location. Some apps, the documents state, can share users' most sensitive information such as sexual orientation – and one app recorded in the material even sends specific sexual preferences such as whether or not the user may be a swinger.

Interesting: Google executive to help GOP close the Democrat's vote harvesting technological gap...

Hillary Clinton hardest hit...

Via The Politico:

Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt may have helped Barack Obama build a political technology juggernaut, but now another top Google executive is trying to help Republicans catch up.

Michele Weslander Quaid, who serves as the company’s “Innovation Evangelist” and chief technology officer for its public-sector division, is joining the board of directors of Voter Gravity, a campaign technology company that serves GOP candidates and conservative groups.

It’s a bit of a political coming-out for Weslander Quaid, who joined Google in 2011 and had not previously been active in partisan politics.

The move comes as Google, which had become known in Washington as a reliable source of campaign cash and technology talent to Democrats, is working to diversify its political footprint. The tech giant has pumped cash into conservative groups and hired an array of Republicans to interface with the press and politicians, including former Rep. Susan Molinari, who became head of its Washington office in 2012, as well as former George W. Bush aide Rob Saliterman and GOP campaign flak Jill Hazelbaker.

Abortion fee hidden in Obamacare policies...

Rep. Joe Wilson was right. 

FOX News reported:

Insurance companies working under the Obamacare umbrella have secretly added a surcharge to cover the cost of abortions, an apparent violation of federal law that forbids the practice, congressional leaders charge.
Consumers signing up for insurance in an Obamacare exchange won’t find a single sentence telling them that they will pay at least $1 a month to fund abortions.
“The president promised when the health care bill passed that it would not cover abortion. We knew that was an empty promise as the bill stipulated a $1 a month surcharge for plans that covered abortions,” said Rep. Joe Pitts, R-Pa., who chairs the House’s Energy and Commerce subcommittee on Health. “On top of that … it’s near impossible to decipher which plans include abortion and at what cost!”
To fix this, a House bill will be introduced this week to demand full disclosure and a separate itemized premium. It also will prohibit federal subsidies for Obamacare insurance plans that cover abortion. That bill, HR-7, or the “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act,” will be introduced by House Majority Leader Eric Cantor.

 Republicans House bill to fix this travesty will die in the Senate without Harry Reid calling a vote. 

H/T Jim Hoft

Out of touch: Hillary Clinton hasn't driven a car since 1996...

Hillary has been chauffeured around on the taxpayer's dime for 18 years. It's time to put this to an end. 

Via FOX News:

Hillary Clinton hasn't gotten behind the wheel in a long, long time.
The former first lady and potential 2016 Democratic presidential candidate, who has had drivers for much of her three decades in public life, said Monday that she hasn't driven a car since 1996. Clinton made the confession at the National Automobile Dealers Association meeting in New Orleans.
“The last time I actually drove a car myself was 1996,” the 66-year-old Clinton told the audience. “And I remember it very well, and so does the Secret Service, which is why I haven’t driven since then.”

Dumb Tweet of the Day from CNN's Sally Kohn

Seriously? 

Watching Frozen, it's awesome. But come on @DisneyPictures ain't it finally time for a kid's film where the princess marries a princess?!
— Sally Kohn (@sallykohn) January 25, 2014

Gun manufacturer refuses to comply with California’s “microstamping” law

This law may be a de facto ban on semiautomatics in California. 

Via The Washington Times:

Gun manufacturer Smith & Wesson refused Thursday to comply with California’s controversial “microstamping” law, causing more of its products to fall off the state’s permissible firearms list and be ineligible for sale.
In a two-page statement on its website, Smith & Wesson criticized Assembly Bill 1471, which requires new or redesigned semiautomatic weapons to carry microstamping technology, imprinting its make, model and serial number onto shell casings when a bullet is fired.
Though the law was passed in 2007, language in the legislation stipulated it would go into effect when the necessary technology was widely available. It was not enacted until May 2013.
Critics argue that the technology is flawed. In its statement, Smith & Wesson said “a number of studies have indicated that microstamping is unreliable, serves no safety purpose, is cost prohibitive and, most importantly, is not proven to aid in preventing or solving crimes.”
“Smith & Wesson does not and will not include microstamping in its firearms,” the statement said. “The microstamping mandate and the company’s unwillingness to adopt this so-called technology will result in a diminishing number of Smith & Wesson semiautomatic pistols available for purchase by California residents.”

Obvious: Rand Paul calls Bill Clinton a sexual predator...

Sen. Rand Paul also points out Bill Clinton's lack of an ability to control himself could derail Hillary in 2016...

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) on Sunday accused former President Bill Clinton of “predatory” sexual behavior, saying he used the Oval Office to take advantage of Monica Lewinsky.
“I think, really, the media seems to have given President Clinton a pass on this,” Paul said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “He took advantage of a girl that was 20 years old and an intern in his office. There is no excuse for that and that is predatory behavior and …  we shouldn’t want to associate with people who would take advantage of a young girl in his office.”
In an interview with Vogue magazine, Paul’s wife, Kelley, said Hillary Clinton’s potential presidential run could be derailed by her husband’s “predatory” behavior while in office.
“I would say his behavior was predatory, offensive to women,” she said.
Paul on Sunday said he agreed with his wife.
“The Democrats – one of the big issues they’ve concocted is saying Republicans are committing a war on women,” he said. “One of the workplace laws and rules that, I think, is good is that bosses shouldn’t prey on young interns in their office.”

Rock bottom for Wendy Davis: Bristol Plain slams her for being a poor mother...

Via Wonkette:

Take it away, Bristol!

Turns out, she lied about much of her “pulling herself up by her own bootstraps” story. Actually, she found a man to marry her, pay her way through college, and then through Harvard Law School. The day after he paid the last bill, she left him. By the way, she left her kids too. She said, “it’s not a good time for me right now” to be a parent.

Is everyone paying attention? This woman is the hero of the Left? A woman whose ambition and ego were so big she couldn’t have both a career and kids at the same time.

Top State department official responsible for Benghazi did not resign. She is getting a promotion...

 Well, this is shameful.

The Blaze reported:

Charlene Lamb, cited for failures in leadership from the Department of State’s own Accountability Review Board report, has been promoted to Regional Security Officer. We’ve heard rumor that she’s slated for international duty in Canada. She started the security officer training last week, much to the dismay of many within the State Department.
For those not keeping track, Charlene Lamb was in charge of the office that denied extra security personnel to the U.S. Ambassador in Libya before the Sept. 11, 2011 attacks.

Here is the ABC News report where we were told the responsible officials resigned. 



Hillary Clinton claimed she took responsibility for what happened at Benghazi, but actually nobody has been held responsible. I guess the State department took Hillary at her word when she said of four dead Americans, 

"What difference, at this point,  does it make?"

Interesting Video: Ring removal technique: Using an oxygen mask strap

Never cut a ring off again...

Ring removal technique: Using an oxygen mask strap 

Secrets: Sec. of State John Kerry's daughter is married to an Iranian-American with family ties to Iran...

I am a news junkie and I had no idea. It is amazing how the mainstream media will help politicians secrets. Granted, this secret is likely only a human interest story, but all the networks kept it anyway. I have to wonder if the liberal media would have done the same for a Republican.

Via FRONTPAGE MAG:

In a greeting to the Iranian people on the occasion of the traditional New Year (Nowruz) holiday last week, Secretary of State John Kerry exposed a secret that journalists and academics have been agonizing over for the past six weeks: the fact that his daughter has married an Iranian-American who has extensive family ties to Iran.
“I am proud of the Iranian-Americans in my own family, and grateful for how they have enriched my life,” Kerry said in the official statement. Kerry also said he was “strongly committed to resolving” the differences between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran, “to the mutual benefit of both of our people.”
Politicians like to keep their families off-limits to the press, a decorum enforced vigorously when it comes to politicians who are in favor with the national media but ruthlessly discarded for others. But in Kerry’s case, there could be larger ramifications.

Snowden: NSA uses data it collects for economic purposes

But we were told they were only trying to keep us safe... 

Berlin (AFP) - The US National Security Agency (NSA) sometimes uses data it collects for economic purposes, intelligence leaker Edward Snowden reveals in an extract of an interview with a German television chain to be broadcast Sunday.

"If there is information, for example on Siemens, which is in the national interest, but has nothing to do with national security, they will still use this information," said Snowden, according to the German translation of the interview on public television ARD. 

The interview was carried out by a journalist for NDR, a regional chain belonging to the broadcaster that has analysed secret documents that Snowden leaked to journalists.

Under top secrecy, the chain this week in Moscow filmed the first interview with Snowden since he left Hong Kong in 2013 to seek refuge in Russia.

House Speaker John Boehner claims he agrees with Tea Party “90 percent of the time.”

The way politicians lie at the drop of a hat never ceases to amaze me. 

Via CNS News:

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) says he has “no problem” with the Tea Party and that he agrees with them “90 percent of the time.”
Boehner appeared on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno last night and told the host, “I don’t have any problem with the Tea Party. Those people have brought great energy to the political process, most of them have never been involved before.”
“When you agree with someone 90 percent of the time they’re not your enemy, “ Boehner continued.
Keep on reading…

Harvard study: Being raised by a single parent biggest hindrance to social mobility...

Wikiphoto

There are a lot of good single parents out there and being a good single parent is a tough job. Having said that, children are almost always better off in a two parent home unless one of the parents are abusive or suffering from substance abuse. Children need a role model of the same sex and the higher average income of two parent families opens many doors. The disintegration of the two parent family is at the root of much of what is wrong with America. Unfortunately,we are still heading in the wrong direction. The government entitlement system actually promotes single parent families. Many young women raised in the era of feminism think they don't need to get married. The government will take care of them. Young men know if they get married and have a child, the system is stacked against them if there is a divorce. There is still a tax penalty for some people who itemize on there returns and both social security and Obamacare subsidies treat the single better. Democrats have built a franchise out of providing government services to young women. The law will never be reformed while they are in power.

Via Washington Examiner:

A new study from Harvard University on the ability of low-income children to achieve social mobility found that the largest hindrance to moving up the income ladder is being raised by a single parent.
“The strongest and most robust predictor [of social mobility] is the fraction of children with single parents,” the study said.
Further, the study found that “[children] of married parents also have higher rates of upward mobility if they live in communities with fewer single parents.”
Now, obviously there are cases of successful children who were raised by single parents, but the study suggests that it is more likely for a child to climb the income ladder if they are living with both parents in a community of married parents.
Keep on reading…

HuffPo: Prophet Muhammad was a " universal champion of human rights" or something...

Seriously? 

Via HuffPo:

Muslims worldwide have recently joined together to celebrate Mawlid al-Nabi, the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad. This day is an opportunity for Muslims and non-Muslims, such as myself – a Catholic – to reflect upon the life and legacy of the prophet of Islam. In this short essay, I want to share with you what I have learned about Muhammad and how his legacy informs my understanding of Islam.
Muhammad’s beliefs on how to treat religious minorities make him a universal champion of human rights, particularly as it pertains to freedom of conscience, freedom of worship, and the right for minorities to have protection during times of strife.

Here is how it has been reported Muhammad treated some of those religious minorities he defeated.

Magnanimity or moderation are nowhere discernible as features in the conduct of Mahomet towards such of his enemies as failed to tender a timely allegiance. Over the bodies of the Coreish who fell at Badr, he exulted with savage satisfaction; and several prisoners,—accused of no crime but that of scepticism and political opposition,—were deliberately executed at his command. The Prince of Kheibar, after being subjected to inhuman torture for the purpose of discovering the treasures of his tribe, was, with his cousin, put to death on the pretext of having treacherously concealed them: and his wife was led away captive to the tent of the conqueror. Sentence of exile was enforced by Mahomet with rigorous severity on two whole Jewish tribes at Medîna; and of a third, likewise his neighbours, the women and children were sold into distant captivity, while the men, amounting to several hundreds, were butchered in cold blood before his eyes. ... The perfidious attack at Nakhla, where the first blood in the internecine war with the Coreish was shed, although at first disavowed by Mahomet for its scandalous breach of the sacred usages of Arabia, was eventually justified by a pretended revelation. ... The pretext on which the Bani Nadhîr were besieged and expatriated (namely, that Gabriel had revealed their design against the prophet’s life,) was feeble and unworthy of an honest cause. When Medîna was beleagured by the confederate army, Mahomet sought the services of Nueim, a traitor, and employed him to sow distrust among the enemy by false and treacherous reports; “for,” said he, “what else is War but a game at deception?” ... And what is perhaps worst of all, the dastardly assassination of political and religious opponents, countenanced and frequently directed as they were in all their cruel and perfidious details by Mahomet himself, leaves a dark and indelible blot upon his character.^[59]

California's Obamacare Success Story: 900,000 canceled policies, 500,000 signed up for Obamacare...

If California is the best democrats can do when citing a state that successfully implemented Obamacare, they have a big problem. 

Via The Weekly Standard:

But even if all or most of the 500,000 people who signed up for Obamacare by December 31 end up paying their bills, is that really a success? Leaving aside important questions about the quality and cost of Obamacare plans, the enrollment numbers are not impressive. The California exchange is doing very little to achieve the goal of insuring the uninsured.
Recall that California did not allow insurers the opportunity to re-offer plans canceled by Obamacare. Anne Gonzales of Covered California confirmed to THE WEEKLY STANDARD in a phone call that all 900,000 non-grandfathered plans in California “had to be discontinued by January 1.” So how many of the 500,000 people who signed up for Obamacare before January 1 previously had insurance? “I don’t think we have those [numbers],” Gonzales said.
But it’s easy to infer that the majority of people who signed up for Obamacare already had insurance. “Of those 900,000 [who lost plans], 310,000 of those would have been subsidy eligible if they came to the exchange,” Gonzales said. Another 20,000 subsidy-eligible Californians lost plans because their insurance carriers were dropping out of the market.
Health care industry expert Bob Laszewski points out that that means at least 330,000 of the 500,000 people who signed up for Obamacare already had health insurance. “If you want to know how many uninsured bought it, subtract by at least” 330,000, Laszewski told THE WEEKLY STANDARD. “The only place they can get the subsidy is in the exchange. So if they’re going to replace their policy, unless they’re really stupid, they’re going to replace it in the exchange.”

Ukraine shows how cellphone metadata can be used by a government and it isn't good...

If a tool like cellphone metadata is available for a government to use, they will use it against their political enemies. It is just a matter of time.That time has arrived in the Ukraine.

Via NPR:

The protests have been mostly peaceful, but after violent clashes on Sunday that killed several protesters, something strange happened on Tuesday. A chilling text message showed up on cell phones in Ukraine earlier this week.
“Dear Subscriber,” it read, “you are registered as a participant in a mass disturbance.” It was interpreted by those who received it as an Orwellian warning to protesters who’d clashed with riot police in Kiev.
Presumably, the recipients were identified because their cell phone data showed they’d been in the area of the protests. That same kind of data is routinely requested — and received — by U.S. law enforcement agencies.

King Obama asks cabinet for Royal Decree ideas...

Wonderful...

Via Washington Examiner:

As President Obama prepares for his State of the Union speech Tuesday night, he has solicited members of his Cabinet for ideas of executive actions he could take without Congressional approval that would further his goal of tackling income inequality. [...]
In addition to his Cabinet, Carney said the White House is also reaching out to business, faith and community leaders and “average folks” across the country on ideas for executive action.
On Tuesday, more than 100 independent experts submitted to the White House some 200 ways Obama can build his environmental legacy change through executive action.

Obamacare support hits new low

Only 36% favor the law now. If democrats keep supporting it, they are toast. 

Via Fox News:

A record high number of voters now oppose the 2010 Affordable Care Act and a record low number supports it, according to the latest Fox News poll.
In addition, a majority thinks the new law will increase their health care costs, while few think it will improve their quality of care.
The new poll finds 59 percent of voters oppose the health care law, up from 55 percent who opposed it six months ago (June 2013).  The increase in opposition comes from both independents and Democrats.
Nearly a third of Democrats — 30 percent — oppose the law, up from 22 percent in June.
Opposition among independents went from 53 percent to 64 percent today.
Overall, 36 percent of voters favor the new health care law.  That’s down from 40 percent in June and marks a new low.

Gov. Chris Christie's re-election campaign and the state Republican Party get grand jury subpoenas

Hmm...

 Via NYT:

Federal prosecutors in New Jersey conducting a preliminary inquiry into accusations that aides to Gov. Chris Christie shut down access lanes to the George Washington Bridge as political retribution have issued grand jury subpoenas to Mr. Christie’s re-election campaign and to the state Republican Party, the lawyer for the campaign and the party said Thursday.
A person briefed on the matter said the prosecutors had also issued grand jury subpoenas to a number of the 20 people and entities — including both potential witnesses and people who have come under scrutiny in the inquiry — that received subpoenas last week from a New Jersey legislative committee whose investigation largely parallels the federal inquiry.
“We can confirm that the Christie for Governor re-election campaign and the New Jersey Republican State Committee received subpoenas for documents from the U.S. Attorney’s office, in addition to the subpoena the campaign previously received from the state legislative committee,” the lawyer, Mark D. Sheridan, said in an email.
Keep on reading…

Obamacare causes Moody's to turn negative on healthcare companies...

It's only going to get worse because the worse is yet to come. 

Via The Washington Times:

Moody’s Investor Service has changed its outlook for the U.S. health care insurance sector from stable to negative, citing Obamacare’s rollout and the uncertainty it brings.
The private credit rating agency said potential fallout from the Affordable Care Act’s implementation — including changes to the individual market and the impact of the law’s “employer mandate” on commercial group plans in January 2015  —  presents the greatest challenge to health insurers’ credit profile. Lower reimbursement rates among Medicare Advantage plans also are creating financial pressure, it said.
“While all of these issues had been on our radar screen as we approached 2014, a new development and a key factor for the change in outlook is the unstable and evolving regulatory environment under which the sector is operating,” Moody's said. “Notably, new regulations and presidential announcements over the last several months with respect to the ACA have imposed operational changes well after product and pricing decisions had been finalized.”

Study finds 6 out of 7 uninsured young adults better off if they pass on Obamacare...

Math...

Via The Daily Caller:

The free-market American Action Forum (AAF) found that in Obamacare’s first year, 6 out of 7 uninsured young adults will pay less if they go without health insurance than if they enroll in Obamacare. As Obamacare’s individual  mandate tax penalty rises drastically over the next several years, the proportion will only slightly decrease to 71 percent in 2015 and 62 percent in 2014.
Analyzing data collected from a 2011 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Household Component — a large-scale, nationally-representative, household survey collected by one of the Department of Health and Human Services’ own agencies — AAF discovered that paying out-of-pocket for health care will overwhelmingly cost “young invincibles” less overall.

Not a flashback to medieval times: Al-Qaeda fighters in Iraq cut off heads and place them on spikes...

It seems some adherents of Islam are still living in the dark ages...

(Al Jazeera) — Al-Qaeda fighters have struck a bloody blow in scenes of medieval violence in Syria’s northern border-town of Jarabulus. Fighting came to a head on January 17, between rebel groups Liwa al-Tawhid Brigade and the al-Qaeda-linked Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in the town, when reinforcements arrived from Raqqa and reclaimed the city in a brutal four-hour battle.
By nightfall, at least 10 men had been beheaded, their heads mounted on spikes, and more than 1,000 refugees fled the 3kms across the border to Turkey.
It’s a shocking turn of events for residents and Free Syrian Army (FSA) fighters alike, who just a week ago believed they were hours away from expelling the al-Qaeda group from their city altogether after surrounding the last 40 fighters in the city’s cultural centre.

WH Dodges Question on Whether It Will Bypass Congress on Iran Deal

Obama thinks he was elected king...

WH Dodges Question on Whether It Will Bypass Congress on Iran Deal 

Apparently, retweeting wanting Obama to be tried and hanged for treason will get you a Secret Service visit...

"@civilwarcometh: @BrandonMArms @RedNationRising I'm past impeachment. It's time to arrest and hang him high. http://t.co/Li1e0fzCLi" Agreed
— Joshua Black 2014 (@JoshuaBlack2014) January 20, 2014

Via The Daily Caller: 

The Secret Service visited with a Florida Republican running for the state assembly Tuesday after he tweeted that President Obama should be arrested and hanged.
Joshua Black, a candidate for state assembly in Florida’s 68th District, on Monday retweeted another person who wrote, “I’m past impeachment. It’s time to arrest and hang him high.”

Retweeting a tweet wanting Obama to be tried and hanged for treason hardly seems to be a threat that should attract the attention of the Secret Service. This looks like more political intimidation by the Obama administration. Mr. Black is unapologetic and unafraid.

@ChrisLatvala I don't do drugs. Not intimidated by the secret service, or #criminalpoliticians like you.
— Joshua Black 2014 (@JoshuaBlack2014) January 20, 2014

Mr. Blacks tweet got 72 retweets. I wonder if the Secret Service visited all them? I think you already know the answer to that question. 

Tweet of the Day from @SteveSGoddard: So far, this winter is the coldest since 1979 in the US

Al Gore hardest hit...

So far, this winter is the coldest since 1979 in the US pic.twitter.com/nVvJcxD5kD
— Steve Goddard (@SteveSGoddard) January 22, 2014

Global warming is killing my gas bill this winter. :(

Irony: House Democrats check into a $695 a night hotel to discuss income inequality...

Chutzpah! 

Via Mike Flynn:

Democrats have made the issue of “income inequality” the cornerstone of their platform going into the November elections. In less than two months, the House Democrats will discuss this and other issues at the swanky and posh St. Regis hotel in Manhattan. Rooms start at $695 a night if you would like to join them.
Of course, you can’t simply show up at the DCCC’s “Issues Conference.” According to the email invitation, “[t]his annual Issues  Conference is open to 2014 DCCC Business and Labor Council Platinum Members and to our 2014 Chairman’s Council Members.” I’m not certain what it takes to be a “plantinum member,” but I imagine it takes the kind of money that doesn’t blink at a $695 hotel room. Helpfully, the DCCC says you can contact them to determine one’s “eligibility.”

Gallop: Two-thirds of Americans think the federal government is too big for it's britches...

Democrats and the GOPe hardest hit...

Via Gallop:

One reason Americans are dissatisfied with how the government system is working is that they believe it is too big and powerful. Two-thirds of Americans (66%) are unhappy with the size and power of the federal government. These views potentially hamper President Barack Obama’s ability to propose large-scale government solutions in his State of the Union speech next week. However, this problem is not a new one for the president. Roughly two-thirds of Americans have expressed this view consistently since at least 2011, after the measure jumped a full 10 points between 2008 and 2011.

Obamacare Update: Target dumps part-time employees health insurance

Part-time workers at Target are being dumped into the Obamacare insurance exchanges. If Obamacare isn't overturned, many more Americans will get this treatment from their employers. Obamacare provides a mechanism and financial incentive for employers to get out of the health insurance business.

Via  Bloomberg:

Target Corp. said it will end health insurance for part-time employees, joining Trader Joe’s Co., Home Depot Inc. and other retailers that have scaled back benefits in response to changes from Obamacare.
About 10 percent of Target’s part-time employees, defined as those working fewer than 30 hours a week, use the company’s health plans now, according to an announcement posted today on the Minneapolis-based company’s website. Target said it would pay $500 to part-timers losing coverage and a consulting firm will help workers sign up for new Obamacare plans.
The U.S. Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is the largest regulatory overhaul of health care since the 1960s, creating a system of penalties and rewards to encourage people to obtain medical insurance. The law known as Obamacare doesn’t require most companies to cover part-time workers, and offering them health plans may disqualify those people from subsidies in new government-run insurance exchanges that opened in October.
“Health care reform is transforming the benefits landscape and affecting how all employers, including Target, administer health benefits coverage,” Jodee Kozlak, Target’s executive vice president of human resources, said in the web posting. She cited “new options available for our part-time team, and the historically low number of team members who elected to enroll in the part-time plan.”

Keep on reading…

Change: Rich neighborhoods claim de Blasio not snow plowing their streets...

Politics...

Via The NYP:

Huge swaths of the city’s wealthiest neighborhood had been not been plowed by early Tuesday evening, leaving 1-percenters out in the cold, according to the city’s own map of snow-plower activity.
“He is trying to get us back. He is very divisive and political,” said writer and Life-long Upper East Sider and mom Molly Jong Fast of Mayor de Blasio.
“By not plowing the Upper East Side, he is saying, ‘I’m not one of them.’ But we have everyone in this area on the Upper East Side. We have rich people, middle class people, and housing projects. We have it all.”
There appeared to be no snow plowing between East 59th and 79th Streets and between Second and Fifth Avenues.

Heartache: Obama is losing popularity among liberals...

Nobody likes to support a failure...

Via CNS News:

President Barack Obama’s job approval sunk to an all-time low among liberals in Gallup polling done in the week of Jan. 13 to Jan. 19, according to data released by the polling company.
Sixty-two percent of self-described liberals told Gallup last week they do not approve of the job Obama is doing as president. That was down from 71 percent in the previous two weeks. Last week’s approval of 62 percent was the lowest job approval Obama has ever gotten from liberals in the Gallup poll.
Keep on reading…

Wendy Davis to paralyzed GOP opponent: “never walked a mile in my shoes.”

Seriously? How did anyone with optics this poor ever rise to prominence in the democratic party?With democrats it's about the image, not the substance. Unfortunately for democrats, much of the image Wendy Davis has constructed id fake. Based on her college yearbook picture, her hair color appears fake too (or it was then.)

Via LifeNews:

It’s just getting worse and worse for abortion activist Wendy Davis, who is falling on her own sword in the Texas gubernatorial race.
First, Davis was caught by a Dallas newspaper lying about her story of being a single mom who overcame adversity. Then, she sought to blame her problems on pro-life candidate for governor Greg Abbott. Now, in attacking Abbot, she’s stuck her foot in her mouth saying he’s “never walked a mile in my shoes.”
Problem is, Abbott can’t. He’s a paraplegic who is confined to a wheelchair.

Governor Chris Christie calls for an end to the war on drugs...

Well, it has been an abysmal failure. However you feel about legalizing some currently illegal substances, the current system isn't effective. It's time to try something different.

“We will end the failed war on drugs that believes that incarceration is the cure of every ill caused by drug abuse. We will make drug treatment available to as many of our non-violent offenders as we can and we will partner with our citizens to create a society that understands this simple truth: every life has value and no life is disposable,” Christie said during his inaugural speech this morning.
The governor expressed desire to help those struggling with drug addiction in a bipartisan manner. “And, while government has a role in ensuring the opportunity to accomplish these dreams, we have now learned that we have an even bigger role to play as individual citizens. We have to be willing to play outside the red and blue boxes the media and pundits put us in; we have to be willing to reach out to others who look or speak differently than us; we have to be willing to personally reach out a helping hand to a neighbor suffering from drug addiction, depression or the dignity stripping loss of a job,” said Christie.
Governor Christie’s inaugural remarks are being applauded by drug policy reform advocates.

Abortion Barbie's image meltdown continues...

Democrats are good at creating fake resumes.  They fall apart is the press does it's job. Unfortunately, when it comes to Obama, the press is afraid to do it's job. Wendy Davis isn't that lucky.

Via Red State:

News has broken that Wendy Davis lied about her background. She is now playing victim blaming Greg Abbott.
It is her ex-husband who talked to a left-of-center Dallas reporter. It is also her ex-husband who asked a Texas District Court to issue a temporary restraining order against Wendy Davis in 2003.
In that order, the judge ordered that Wendy Davis “be immediately restrained from . . . using illegal drugs or consuming alcohol within 24 hours before or during the period of possession of or access to the child.”
Speaking of the child, at the time her twelve year old daughter requested her father serve as her managing conservator.
Keep on reading…

Obvious: Michelle Obama is a Hanoi Jane admirer...

Now we know where she got the hairstyle...

Via Newsbusters:

In their latest interview with Michelle Obama, People magazine asked if there were role models the First Lady looked at to think “When I’m 70 or 80, I want to look and live like her?” [...]
“I just went to see Cicely Tyson on Broadway. She is in her 80s [just turned 80 in December] and did a two-hour play with stamina and passion. I told her ‘I want to be you when I grow up!’” And then she added: “There’s Jane Fonda, a beautiful, engaged, politically savvy, sharp woman.”
Keep on reading…

H/T WZ.

If you think enrolling in Obamacare was hard, just try cancelling your plan...

This is really shocking. Please read the whole thing.

Via Fox News:

Think it’s hard to enroll in ObamaCare? Try getting out of it.
Missouri resident Lesli Hill learned the hard way that terminating an Affordable Care Act plan can be far more difficult than navigating the website to buy one. She spent six weeks being bounced from operator to operator, calling the help line, using the online chat, blasting out emails to anyone who would listen, before ultimately driving to Kansas City last week to enlist her insurance company’s help. Only then was she able to break through the bureaucratic logjam, and cancel her policy.
“It’s consumed my whole life,” she told FoxNews.com, albeit with a hint of relief in her voice as she described the Kafkaesque experience behind her.
“I felt like I’d slipped into a parallel universe. … It’s just as hard to go off as it is to get on.”
Hill’s experience stands as a cautionary tale to anyone who, for whatever reason, is trying to bow out of insurance they purchased on the exchanges. Hill’s troubles started last fall, after the high-risk pool coverage she had was discontinued due to the health law. For lack of options, she went on the exchange and bought a policy with a $950-a-month premium.
She wasn’t thrilled about it, but at least she was covered.
However, shortly afterward Hill, 62, learned she could once again purchase an individual plan — with better benefits — outside the exchange. She checked with Blue Cross Blue Shield in early December and was told she’d have to cancel her ObamaCare plan first.
“At that point, I hadn’t paid my premium … so I thought okay, that’ll be easy to do,” she said.
Ostensibly, yes. She tried using a simple “terminate button” on the website — but it wasn’t working.
Keep on reading…

TSA will check grannies depends, but the Muslim Brotherhood gets a free pass...

Team Obama is taking good care of the Muslim bros. 

Via IPT:

Newly released records confirm a 2012 Investigative Project on Terrorism (IPT) report that the State Department cleared the way for a visiting delegation of Muslim Brotherhood officials to enter the country without undergoing routine inspection by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents.

The April 2012 visit came before the Muslim Brotherhood's candidate was elected Egypt's president, although the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) had won a plurality of seats in parliamentary elections. The expedited entry is known as a "port courtesy" normally reserved for high-ranking visiting government officials and dignitaries.

Chris Christie is in trouble with major GOP donors?

The Tea Party isn't going to bail him out. That's a fact.

Via the Corner:

By the time Christie romped to reelection in November, the chattering class was pronouncing him the front-runner in the race to clinch the GOP nomination in the 2016 presidential election. Some were comparing him to George W. Bush, who was elected after Democrats held the White House for eight years and who, in the final years of his governorship, courted donors and party operatives in Austin as he plotted his run for office.
No longer.
“The idea that he’s the prohibitive front-runner is over,” says a Republican strategist. Among the party’s money men, the reaction to the scandal that has rocked Trenton for the past week is divided. While some remain firmly supportive, others say the release of e-mails showing that one of Christie’s top aides colluded to close traffic lanes leading onto the George Washington Bridge has confirmed their worst suspicions about him. “This is one of the few moments where there’s not a pack mentality,” says the strategist.

Islamic militant group in Russia on Sochi: “for the tourists who come, there will be a present, too.”

Scary...

MOSCOW (AP) — An Islamic militant group in Russia’s North Caucasus claimed responsibility Sunday for twin suicide bombings in the southern city of Volgograd last month and posted a video threatening to strike the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.
There had been no previous claim of responsibility for the bombings, which killed 34 people and heightened security fears before next month’s Winter Games.
In the video, two Russian-speaking men warned President Vladimir Putin that “If you hold these Olympics, we will give you a present for the innocent Muslim blood being spilled all around the world: In Afghanistan, in Somalia, in Syria.”
They added that “for the tourists who come, there will be a present, too.”
In a statement posted with the video on its website, the militant group Vilayat Dagestan claimed responsibility for the Volgograd bombings.
The video claims that the two men, identified as Suleiman and Abdurakhman, were the suicide bombers and purports to show the explosives being prepared and strapped to their bodies.

Europe to dump climate change goals and take up fracking...

Obama still thinks climate change is important, but the rest od the world is losing interest.

Via Spiegel Online: 

The EU's reputation as a model of environmental responsibility may soon be history. The European Commission wants to forgo ambitious climate protection goals and pave the way for fracking -- jeopardizing Germany's touted energy revolution in the process.

The climate between Brussels and Berlin is polluted, something European Commission officials attribute, among other things, to the "reckless" way German Chancellor Angela Merkel blocked stricter exhaust emissions during her re-election campaign to placate domestic automotive manufacturers like Daimler and BMW. This kind of blatant self-interest, officials complained at the time, is poisoning the climate.
But now it seems that the climate is no longer of much importance to the European Commission, the EU's executive branch, either. Commission sources have long been hinting that the body intends to move away from ambitious climate protection goals. On Tuesday, the Süddeutsche Zeitung reported as much.

Obama blames his sagging poll numbers on racism...

It's not racism. People are getting tired of Obama's lying and poor leadership ability.

Via Bloomberg

President Barack Obama said that racial tensions may have softened his popularity among white voters within the last two years, according to a story posted on the New Yorkermagazine’s website today.
“There’s no doubt that there’s some folks who just really dislike me because they don’t like the idea of a black president,” Obama said in the article by David Remnick, appearing in the magazine’s Jan. 27 edition.
“Now, the flip side of it is there are some black folks and maybe some white folks who really like me and give me the benefit of the doubt precisely because I’m a black president,” Obama said in his most direct comments on how race has affected his political standing since he’s been in office.

Yet another Obamacare delay...

According to The New York Times,the Obama administration will not enforce the equality clause of Obamacare in 2014 because they haven't written the regulations yet.

Via FOX News:

The Obama administration is reportedly delaying enforcement of another aspect of ObamaCare, one that prohibits employers from providing better health benefits to top executives than those being offered to regular employees.
According to The New York Times, tax officials said they would not enforce the provision in 2014 as they had not yet issued the appropriate regulations.
The Affordable Care Act, commonly known as ObamaCare, says employer-sponsored health plans must not discriminate “in favor of highly compensated individuals” with respect to either eligibility or benefits, and provides a tax break for employer-sponsored insurance, while demanding employers not provide better coverage to higher-paid employees.
Yet Bruce I. Friedland, a spokesman for the I.R.S., told the New York Times that employers would not have to comply until the agency issued regulations or other guidance.