Who was behind the bizarre raid on Gibson Guitars?

More information is coming out...

Via Human Events

Time to revisit an old abuse-of-power scandal from President Obama’s first term: the utterly bizarre raid on Gibson Guitars by a paramilitary unit of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Nothing about this caper ever smelled right: a raid coming from out of nowhere, without warning, to kick Gibson’s doors down, ostensibly because they violated some vaporous provision of import laws when bringing hardwood into the country. It wasn’t even American law they were supposedly violating, but an American law that said they were in hot water for violating the laws of India and Madagascar, which came as something of a surprise to authorities in India and Madagascar. In a delightful inversion of American legal principle, the folks at Gibson were never allowed to see the sealed warrant that supposedly authorized the raid. Guilty until proven innocent! We’ll get back to you later on what you’re allegedly guilty of.

It was long suspected that the Gibson raid was a political hit, carried out because CEO Henry Juszkiewicz, made campaign donations to Republicans. The financial disruption to the company was considerable – a $250,000 settlement, a $50,000 payoff to environmentalist groups, over $2 million in legal fees, plus the cost of being essentially shut down for a while by the raid.

Forbes recently talked to Juszkiewicz, and he finally thinks he knows who was really behind it all: unions. He’s got some good reasons for thinking so:

Two months before the raid, lobbyists slipped some arcane supply-chain reporting provisions into an extension of the Lacey Act of 1900 that changed the technical definition of “fingerboard blanks,” which are legal to import.

With no clear legal standards, a sealed warrant the company has not been allowed to see too this day, no formal charges filed, and the threat of a prison term hanging over any executive who does not take “due care” to abide by this absurdly vague law, Gibson settled. “You’re fighting a very well organized political machine in the unions,” Juszkiewicz concluded. “And the conservation guys have sort of gone along.” Hey, what’s not to like about $50,000?

Keep on reading 

Obama admits he has had brain injury

Well, this explains a lot...

Via NBC News:

President Barack Obama said Thursday that he probably had multiple "mild" concussions when he played sports — and thought nothing of it at the time.Obama spoke as he kicked off a daylong summit on concussions at the White House. To help shine a brighter light on the issue, the president brought together researchers, parents, coaches, professional athletes and sportscasters.Obama recalled multiple times playing sports when he got a ringing in his ears, which he said might have been "a mild concussion" that he didn't think about. And he suspects others may have had concussions but not realized they had a brain injury.

Amnesty seeker driving Texas Border Patrol to brink of collapse...

'Kelly File' Exclusive: Texas Border Patrol on Brink of Collapse

Consequences...

Via Fox News Insider:

Filmmaker Dennis Michael Lynch has chronicled the problems along the Mexican border in his documentaries, including his latest: They Come to America II. Lynch sat down with Megyn Kelly to reveal some new information about just how bad things are getting at the Texas border.

Lynch said his information, which comes from “the guys who are down there” on the border, indicates that the Border Patrol there is nearing the point of collapse.

“What they told me is worse than I’ve ever been told before,” said Lynch, adding that he is being told there are a stunning 2,000 arrests of illegal immigrants a day in the Rio Grande Valley.

Lynch said the influx of immigrants from Central America, not Mexico, is becoming more than the Border Patrol in Texas can handle.

“The big driver of it all is the promise of amnesty. That’s what they’re all being told. We’re at the point right now where people are coming across and they’re just handing themselves in because they know they’re not going to be sent back,” said Lynch. “It’s so bad I don’t even know what to say anymore.”

Lynch explained that many illegal immigrants are just being brought to bus depots, where they’re taking buses to whatever area of the U.S. they want.

Keep on reading…

All Lied Out: Jay Carney Quitting As White House Press Secretary

Carney has a lot of black stains to clean off his soul...

Via Time:

President Barack Obama announced Friday the departure of White House Press Secretary Jay Carney after more than three years in the post

President Barack Obama made a surprise appearance in the White House Briefing Room on Friday to announce the departure of Press Secretary Jay Carney after more than three years in the post.

Obama praised Carney, his second press secretary, and announced the selection of Principal Deputy Press Secretary Josh Earnest as his choice to be the next press secretary. Earnest joined Obama’s first presidential campaign in Iowa in 2007, and will take control of the ceremonial flak jacket next month.

Change: Oregon school gives condoms to sixth graders...

We were promised change if Obama was elected...

Via Washington Times:

One school district in Oregon has taken the step of allowing some teachers to distribute condoms to students in the sixth grade.

Superintendent Rick Hensel said he and the school board are concerned about teen pregnancy rates after nine students, including one in middle school, became pregnant in the Oregon County town of Gervais, according to a story by News Channel 8 Portland and The Associated Press.

According to the report, a study by Oregon Health & Science University found that 7 percent of high school girls in Gervais had gotten pregnant, with more than 40 percent of students admitting they “never” or only “sometimes” used a condom during sexual intercourse.

Keep on reading…

Study: Obamacare will cause significant reduction in the private insurance market in 2017 and beyond...

Private insurance will decline and Medicaid will expand. Nice job democrats.

Via WaPo:

National Enrollment Estimate: Private Insurance, Medicaid and the Uninsured 

The ACA offers subsidies in the private individual insurance market and offers states the choice to expand Medicaid coverage with federal support. As a result of varied Medicaid decisions and prior state market conditions, enrollment is expected to vary widely by state. States like California, New York and Pennsylvania are estimated to experience substantial increases in enrollment, while states like Texas, Ohio and Florida are likely to see a steady decline in individual and employer insurance enrollment leading to increase in the uninsured. We have included 10 state economic analyses in this report to provide additional insight into state insurance markets that are expected to experience significant levels of disruption.

Nationally, we estimate an initial decrease in the uninsured with greater use of the private health insurance subsidies, but over time health plan prices are likely to increase faster than the value of the insurance subsidy. As a result of the declining purchasing power of the insurance subsidy, the implementation of the qualified health plan requirements and the end of the reinsurance and risk corridor programs we estimate a significant reduction in the private insurance market in 2017 with steady declines continuing for the rest of the decade. The Medicaid population is estimated to grow substantially in 2015 as more individuals are enrolled in states who have chosen to expand the program. Medicaid enrollment is estimated to slow down to between 2% to 3% each year from 2016 to 2024.

Obama administration resorting to dropping illegals off at Greyhound bus stations...

The illegal floodgate is now officially open.

Scores of undocumented immigrants from Central America have been released at Greyhound Lines Inc. bus stations in Tucson and Phoenix over the past several days after they were flown to Arizona from south Texas, officials acknowledged.

Andy Adame, a spokesman for the Border Patrol in Tucson, confirmed that over the weekend federal officials flew about 400 migrants apprehended in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas to Tucson to be processed. He said the migrants were flown to Arizona because the Border Patrol does not have enough manpower to handle a surge in illegal immigrants in south Texas.

The release has drawn criticism from those on both sides of the immigration issue.

Border enforcement groups are concerned that the migrants will now disappear into the U.S., spurring even more to come illegally.

This is why you never vote for a RINO. They will back-stab you later...

Two former GOP RINO Senators  are endorsing Democrats in key Senate races. Don't give your vote to someone who despises you and your opinions this November just because they have an "R" beside their name and people claim they can win. If they hate conservatives and the Tea Party, it soesn't matter if they win or lose. Hi Micth McConnell.

Via The Corner:

The latest apostate is former senator John Warner of Virginia, who announced this week he is backing incumbent Democratic senator Mark Warner for reelection. He is thus giving the back of his hand to former RNC chairman Ed Gillespie, a former George W. Bush adviser, who has a decent shot at winning and is no wild-eyed radical. Last year, Warner also endorsed the Georgia candidacy of Michelle Nunn, a Democrat, who is the daughter of former senator Sam Nunn, with whom Warner served in the Senate. He even attended a fundraiser on her behalf. Georgia Republicans who find themselves defending an open Senate seat in Georgia are furious since the Warner support allows Nunn to position herself as a bipartisan moderate.Nor is Warner the only problem ex-senator the GOP has to contend with as it strives to assemble a team capable of winning a Senate majority. Former senator Richard Lugar of Indiana, who lost his Senate GOP primary in 2012 to conservative Richard Mourdock and then declined to endorse him, has also endorsed Nunn and had his political PAC send her the maximum $5,000 contribution. Nunn praised Lugar for his “collaborative approach” and pledged to “follow this legacy in the U.S. Senate.”

State Dept Spokeswoman Says Obama “Doesn't Give Himself Enough Credit” On Foreign Policy. Press laughs...

Dick Cheney: Obama Is Weakest President of My Lifetime (Video)

West Point cadets dissed Obama

It must have taken a lot of restraint for them to not actually boo Obama.

Via The Washington Times:

President Obama was welcomed by the Black Knight of the Hudson for his speech at West Point on Wednesday, but less than 25 percent of the cadets gave him a standing ovation upon his introduction, the Daily Mail reported.

“Receiving tepid applause and a short standing ovation from less than one-quarter of the audience upon his introduction, Obama argued for a contradictory foreign policy that relies on NATO and the United Nations while insisting that ‘America must always lead on the world stage,’ the paper reported.

During his speech, which the Wall Street Journal called “consistent with that of every post-Cold War administration,” the president also took a swipe at critics, saying: “I believe in American exceptionalism with every fiber of my being. But what makes us exceptional is not our ability to flout international norms and the rule of law; it’s our willingness to affirm them through our actions.”

Keep on reading…

2010 Pentagon directive allows drone use to quell U.S. unrest...

This shouldn't be shocking. Obama already uses drones to assassinate U.S. citizens abroad.

Via The Washington Times:

A 2010 Pentagon directive on military support to civilian authorities details what critics say is a troubling policy that envisions the Obama administration’s potential use of military force against Americans.

The directive contains noncontroversial provisions on support to civilian fire and emergency services, special events and the domestic use of the Army Corps of Engineers.

The troubling aspect of the directive outlines presidential authority for the use of military arms and forces, including unarmed drones, in operations against domestic unrest. “This appears to be the latest step in the administration’s decision to use force within the United States against its citizens,” said a defense official opposed to the directive.

Directive No. 3025.18, “Defense Support of Civil Authorities,” was issued Dec. 29, 2010, and states that U.S. commanders “are provided emergency authority under this directive.”

Flashback Jan 2013: Obama brags about liberating Libya. Now, US urging all citizens to evacuate...

From Obama and Hillary's 60 Minute interview in January of 2013.


This is what is happening now in Libya.

As Libya deteriorates into an increasingly armed conflict between hardline Islamic groups and forces loyal to renegade Gen. Khalifa Hifter, the State Department urged U.S. citizens to leave the country as the U.S. began positioning troops to quickly evacuate Americans if necessary.

The amphibious ship Bataan with Ospreys and 1,000 Marines on board has moved into the eastern Mediterranean to be ready for a possible evacuation, CBS News correspondent David Martin reported. The ship had been taking part in an exercise with Jordan.

This is a significant increase over the 200 Marines who had been moved to Sigonella, Sicily, and a significant decrease in the distance Marines would have to travel to evacuate Americans.

The State Department on Tuesday night warned U.S. citizens against traveling to Libya and urged Americans currently in the North African nation to “depart immediately.” …

There is no evacuation currently planned for the U.S. Embassy staff in Tripoli, who can still use the airport if necessary, reported CBS News correspondent Margaret Brennan. Positioning the Marines is part of contingency planning put in place after the the 2012 attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, in which U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans died.

Phoenix Veterans Affairs facility average wait for doctor: 115 days

This is government run healthcare in action.

Via The Washington Times:

A preliminary report released Wednesday found “serious conditions” at the Phoenix Veterans Affairs facility, including hundreds of veterans who were never placed on an official wait list and faulty scheduling practices that meant some veterans would never see a doctor.“We identified an additional 1,700 veterans who were waiting for a primary care appointment but were not on the [electronic wait list,]” the report from the VA inspector general said. “Most importantly, these veterans were and continue to be at risk of being forgotten or lost in Phoenix [healthcare system’s] convoluted scheduling process. As a result, these veterans may never obtain a requested or required clinical appointment.”...The report also found real wait times different drastically from what was reported by the Phoenix facility. Of 226 veterans, the data from Phoenix showed the average wait time to be just 24 days for their first primary care appointment. The inspector general, however, found the average wait time was 115 days.

Amusing: Iranian judge summons Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg to appear in court

There is zero chance Mark Zuckerberg will show up. 

Via The Hill:

An Iranian judge wants Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg to appear in court and answer questions about privacy protections.

According to the Iranian ISNA news service, a judge in the southern Iranian province of Fars ordered the Silicon Valley titan to testify in response to complaints that Instagram and WhatsApp, both of which Facebook owns, violated people’s privacy.

An official with the paramilitary volunteer force Basij, seeming to speak on behalf of the court, referred to Zuckerberg as “the Zionist manager of Facebook” and ordered him to appear in court “to defend himself and make compensation for damages,” according to a translation from Agence France-Presse.

Feel Good Story: Leading Hezbollah commander killed by rebels in Syria

The world would be better is all the fighters on both sides killed each other in Syria.

Beirut (AFP) – A senior Hezbollah commander branded by the FBI as one of the world’s most wanted terrorists was killed fighting in Syria, residents of his village in southern Lebanon told AFP Tuesday.
Powerful Shiite movement Hezbollah has deployed thousands of fighters into neighbouring Syria to back President Bashar al-Assad’s army as he battles insurgents who have been trying to overthrow him for the past three years.
“Fawzi Ayoub was killed fighting in Syria. His funeral was held in (his home village of) Ain Qana yesterday (Monday). Many people came to the funeral, to give their condolences to his family,” a resident of the village said on condition of anonymity.
According to another resident of Ain Qana, some 50 kilometres (30 miles) southeast of Beirut, “Ayoub was a leading Hezbollah commander in the Aleppo area” in northern Syria.
The FBI’s website says Ayoub was indicted in the United States in 2009 for “wilfully and knowingly” trying to enter Israel, Hezbollah’s arch-enemy, with a fake US passport “for the purpose of conducting a bombing.”

Pelosi Debates Defining Veterans Dying On Secret VA Waiting Lists As A Scandal

Someone sell Nancy a vowel...

Moonbat Alert: Prince Charles calls for an end to capitalism as we know it

The planet hasn't warmed in the last 17 years, but it is a crisis or something...

Via Telegraph:

Prince Charles has called for an end to capitalism as we know it in order to save the planet from global warming.

In a speech to business leaders in London, the Prince said that a “fundamental transformation of global capitalism” was necessary in order to halt “dangerously accelerating climate change” that would “bring us to our own destruction”.

He called for companies to focus on “approaches that achieve lasting and meaningful returns” by protecting the environment, improving their employment practices and helping the vulnerable to develop a new “inclusive capitalism”.

In a politically-charged speech at the Inclusive Capitalism conference, the Prince said: “I remember when the Iron Curtain came down there was a certain amount of shouting about the triumph of capitalism over communism. Being somewhat contrary, I didn’t think it was quite as simple as that. I felt that unless the business world considered the social, community and environmental dimensions, we might end up coming full circle.”

Keep on reading…

First Lady Michelle Obama on feeding school kids more filling lunches: "This is unacceptable,"

Maybe Michelle should lose a few pounds before she worries about the size of someone else's children.

Via Breitbart:

First Lady Michelle Obama sent a strong message to Republicans in Congress who want to allow local school districts to opt out of the federal regulations on school lunches."This is unacceptable," she said during a roundtable discussion of the issue. “It's unacceptable to me not just as First Lady but also as a mother."The strict rules, passed in 2010, limit the amount of fat, calories, sugar, and sodium served in school meals.

#Obamacare unintended consequences: Less free care for the poor...

Oh, the irony of a program that clams to be about helping poor people get health care actually making it more difficult.

Via HotAir: 

There are multiple levels of irony in this New York Times report on the impact of ObamaCare on poor patients in the nation’s hospitals. Congress demanded the power to revamp the health-insurance industry and expand Medicaid in order to help the poor get better medical care for less money. In reality, the opposite appears to be happening, as hospitals attempt to force the poor into ObamaCare:

Hospital systems around the country have started scaling back financial assistance for lower- and middle-income people without health insurance, hoping to push them into signing up for coverage through the new online marketplaces created under the Affordable Care Act.

The trend is troubling to advocates for the uninsured, who say raising fees will inevitably cause some to skip care rather than buy insurance that they consider unaffordable. Though the number of hospitals tightening access to free or discounted care appears limited so far, many say they are considering doing so, and experts predict that stricter policies will become increasingly common.

Why did this unintended consequence occur? In part, because ObamaCare penalizes hospitals for extending charitable assistance:

Driving the new policies is the cost of charity care, which is partly covered by government but remains a burden for many hospitals. The new law also reduces federal aid to hospitals that treat large numbers of poor and uninsured people, creating an additional pressure on some to restrict charity care.

Keep on reading... 

Guess which former democratic presidential nominee is back to chasing ambulances.

If you guessed John Edwards, you are correct.

Via Washington Examiner:

Former Sen. John Edwards came within a few electoral votes of being vice president of the United States. But now, after a loss in the 2004 election, a brief run in 2008 ended by spectacular adultery and love-child scandal, a hung jury in a multiple-felony campaign-finance case, and the death of wife Elizabeth, Edwards has returned to the occupation in which he first made his name: the practice of personal injury law.

Edwards’ new firm, Edwards Kirby, based in Raleigh with an office in Washington, is pursuing customers with all the zeal of a late-night, local-cable informercial. Its website – call 1 (866) 409-2250 — is dominated by the words: “…AND JUSTICE FOR ALL” and outlines the firm’s expertise in personal injury litigation.

“Whether your loss occurred on an operating table, a factory floor, at the workplace or on the highway, our wrongful death lawyers will explore every avenue of recovery,” the Edwards Kirby site says. “We have a history of securing record-setting verdicts and settlements in cases involving personal injury, including: Trucking and Auto Accidents; Wrongful Death and Catastrophic Injury; Drowning Accidents; Burn Injuries; Construction and Premise Liability; [and] Defective or Unsafe Products.”

Edwards has scored some of his biggest wins in medical malpractice suits; indeed, he was once so successful that he was accused of driving entire fields of medical specialists out of North Carolina and sending insurance rates through the roof. The new Edwards Kirby firm is looking for the same type of business. “Whether your case involves birth injuries caused in the delivery room, botched surgery or a missed diagnosis, the medical malpractice lawyers at Edwards Kirby can advise and represent you,” the website says.

Snowden/Greenwald finale: Reveal names of US citizens targeted by their own government

This could cause an uproar...

(RCP)- The man who helped bring about the most significant leak in American intelligence history is to reveal names of US citizens targeted by their own government in what he promises will be the “biggest” revelation from nearly 2m classified files.

Glenn Greenwald, the journalist who received the trove of documents from Edward Snowden, a former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor, told The Sunday Times that Snowden’s legacy would be “shaped in large part” by this “finishing piece” still to come.

His plan to publish names will further unnerve an American intelligence establishment already reeling from 11 months of revelations about US government surveillance activities.

Greenwald, who is promoting his book No Place To Hide and is trailed by a documentary crew wherever he goes, was speaking in a boutique hotel near Harvard, where he was to appear with Noam Chomsky, the octogenarian leftist academic.

“One of the big questions when it comes to domestic spying is, ‘Who have been the NSA’s specific targets?’," he said.

Feel good video: Jihadi workplace accident explosive belt detonates at a party

Oops!

Tweet of the Day: Global cooling has been taking place since 2005...

Put Al Gore on suicide watch...

.@MichaelEMann @TheTweetOfGod , are you aware that the planet has cooled since 2005? #globalwarming #fraud pic.twitter.com/0ch7ld8a0j
— Tom Nelson (@tan123) May 25, 2014

If Christie signs the new NJ gun law, many common .22 rifles will be banned...

This  just proves the gun control advocates writing these New Jersey laws are idiots when it comes to guns.

The gun ban that has gone to New Jersey Governor Christie for signature has been described as a “gun magazine restriction“,  but it bans numerous common sport and hunting rifles. The ban has no exemption for rifles with fixed magazines, including most common .22 rimfire rifles that are used for sport and small game hunting…and almost never used in crimes. Assembly Bill 2006 bans rifles that meet this definition: (4) A semi-automatic rifle with a fixed magazine capacity exceeding [15]10 rounds . . .
The bracket and underline show the existing and proposed laws. There are no exemptions for grandfathering. Anyone who possesses such rifles after the ban goes into effect will be guilty of a felony. This has already happened at least once, when the owner of a .22 Marlin that he won at a police raffle was convicted for owning the firearm. The model owned was either the one pictured below a very similar Marlin.  It is an “assault weapon” under current New Jersey law, as it has a magazine capacity of 17: 

Marlin Model 60 with 17 shot magazine:
 

After the ban, Marlin modified the design to reduce the magazine capacity to 15 so that the rifles could be sold throughout the nation without having to cater to specific state laws. Now New Jersey is pushing to tighten the restrictions even further, outlawing the current Marlin model 60. It has a 15 round capacity and is arguably one of the most popular .22 rifles in the world. Keep on reading...

Memorial Day Video: Ronald Reagan A Soldiers Pledge: Listen, Learn, Remember

Ronald Reagan A Soldiers Pledge Listen Learn Remember

Video: The revolutionary auto plant Ford built in Brazil, but can't in America because of the UAW...

Suppliers liens are located in the same plant and integrated into Ford's line.  If a U.S. supplier visits some UAW plants in the U.S. over a quality problem, they can't even pick up one of their defective parts and carry it to the door. A UAW flunky has to do that.

Ford's Joint Venture assembly plant in Brazil

Santa Barbara shooting suspect Elliot Rodger's family “supports gun-control laws.”

Gun control laws don't prevent these kind of tragedy. Rodger allegedly stabbed three people to death. Both California and Connecticut, where the Sandy Hook shooting took place, have strong gun control laws. 

Via Breitbart:

On May 24, the family of Santa Barbara shooting suspect Elliot Rodger released a statement through their attorney saying they are “against guns” and support gun control.

On May 23, their son allegedly shot and killed 7 people, including himself, and wounded 7 others. Breitbart News reported his motive was “retribution” for women who had rejected his advances.

Elliot was the son of Peter Rodger, one of the assistant directors of Hollywood’s The Hunger Games.

According to the Post and Courier, attorney Alan Shifman spoke on behalf of the family, saying: “My client’s mission in life will be to try to prevent any such tragedies from happening again. This country, this world, needs to address mental illness and the ramifications from not recognizing these illnesses.”

Shifman also said the Rodger family is “staunchly against guns” and “supports gun-control laws.”

The Great Pretender: Obama heads to Afghanistan to pretend he cares about the troops...

What are the chances of this surprise trip and the VA scandal being related?

Via FOX News:

President Obama has made an unannounced visit to Afghanistan this Memorial Day weekend, arriving under the cover of darkness Sunday night to visit U.S. troops serving in the final months of their country’s longest war.
The president landed at Bagram Air Field, in Afghanistan, at about 8:30 p.m. local time, or 11: 46 a.m. Eastern time.
He is scheduled to spend a few hours at the base and deliver some remarks following a performance by country music star Brad Paisley.
This was Obama's fourth visit to Afghanistan as president but his first since winning re-election in 2012.
Also making the trip with Obama on Air Force One is National Security Adviser Susan Rice, senior White House adviser John Podesta, whose son is serving in Afghanistan, and advisers Dan Pfeiffer and Ben Rhodes.

Obama's favorite organization (U.N.) finally blacklists Boko Haram

This shows why the U.N. is completely worthless. Boko Haram has been kidnapping and murdering people for many years. They have killed thousands. One of their favorite targets is Christian churches.

The United Nations blacklisted Boko Haram as an al-Qaida-linked terror group and imposed sanctions Thursday, a month after the it claimed the kidnapping of more than 200 schoolgirls in Nigeria.The designation, immediately welcomed by Britain and the United States, came into effect after no objections were raised by the Security Council's 15 members.The move automatically subjects Boko Haram to U.N. sanctions, including an arms embargo and asset freeze.The group, which was created 10 years ago, wants to establish an Islamic state in mainly Muslim northern Nigeria. Its militants have killed several thousand people in a campaign of violence since 2009.

ABC, NBC and CBS spent more time on Bridgegate than VA scandal...

Because a closed bridge in New jersey is so much more important in their minds than vets dying because they can't get medical care...

Via NewsBusters:

In nearly four and a half weeks, the ABC, CBS and NBC morning and evening news shows have offered 110 minutes to an evolving Obama administration scandal involving secret lists designed to keep veterans from receiving proper medical treatment. Back in January, it took those same network shows just four and a half days to churn that much coverage for Chris Christie's Bridgegate. Since the VA story broke on April 23 with the news that as many as 40 veterans seeking treatment at one Phoenix facility died while on secret waiting lists, CBS has provided the most coverage, 48 minutes and 46 seconds. NBC allowed 44 minutes and 53 seconds and ABC came in last with a scant 16 minutes and 44 seconds. None of the networks bothered covering the story until May 6, almost two weeks after it broke. (This is despite heavy investigative reporting by Fox News and CNN.)

Video: Socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders excuses VA Scandal: “People Die Every Day”

Carrying Obama's water...

Question of the day: Why does the USDA need submachine guns?

Is there a giant boll weevil out there somewhere????

Via Newsmax:

Following the Department of Agriculture’s May 7 solicitation for submachine guns with 30-round magazine clips, Rep. Jim Bridenstine is demanding an explanation.

“The fear of my constituents is that the USDA is expanding outside of its intended mission,” the Oklahoma Republican wrote the agency on Wednesday.

According to AmmoLand Shooting Sports News, the timing of the USDA request for the weaponry is suspect, coming “just one month after the [Cliven] Bundy embarrassment.”

“It seems that the USDA, which oversees America’s vast tracks of forested land, may be preparing itself in the event some cowboys want their heads of cattle to munch government-owned grass,” the website stated.

Keep on reading…

Allen West says he knows the “ground truth” of what happened in Benghazi

I hope the source comes forward and testifies to the select Committee. 

Via Allen West:

Today as I returned from Detroit, I had a moment that I truly felt was God sent, as I don’t believe in coincidences. It happened on one of my flights, and it was two hours I will never forget.

I was seated beside someone who personally knew one of the men who was there on the roof in Benghazi. This person was excited to share with me the “ground truth” of what happened September 11, 2012.

My seat mate drew schematics to orient me to the “time and spacing” and the direction of the attack. I learned about the repeated orders to the men at the CIA annex to stand down and do nothing — thank God two of them, Glenn Doherty and Ty Woods, lived up to their code of honor and ran to the sound of the guns, resulting in their loss of life — but the preservation of life for others, their fellow Americans.

Keep on reading…

Mexican drug cartels hanging mannequins from billboards in Texas

This is both weird and scary. Can we secure the border now?

EL PASO, Texas -- El Paso police are investigating two mysterious billboards that appeared just off I-10, each with a mannequin hanging from a noose. .
“It’s not an advertisement,” said Mike Mons, regional manager for Lamar Outdoor advertising.
The first vandalized billboard off I-10 had Plata o Plomo in large black letters which translates into silver or lead. It is usually a warning targeting police or government officials in Mexico. The warning: work with a cartel and take a bribe or get a bullet.
The hanging mannequin was dressed in a suit and tie.
“This symbol has historically been used by Mexican drug cartels to threaten or intimidate Mexican citizens, business owners and government officials; however, we have never experienced this in El Paso,” said police in a statement released to media.

Irony: Death penalty opponents forcing Tennessee to bring back 'old sparky'

One of the favorite tactics of death penalty opponents is to claim the method is 'cruel and unusual.' In response to this, most states have switched to lethal injection. The drugs needed for this come mostly from countries opposed to the death penalty. That are refusing to sell them. This leaves states with no choice but to reconsider firing squads and the electric chair.

(CNN) -- Gov. Bill Haslam on Thursday signed a bill allowing Tennessee to electrocute death row inmates when the state is unable to obtain lethal injection drugs. With the governor's signature, Tennessee becomes the first state to make it mandatory to use the electric chair when lethal injection drugs are unavailable, said Richard Dieter, the president of the Death Penalty Information Center.

"This is unusual and might be both cruel and unusual punishment," he said.

Other states allow for use of the electric chair, but at the inmate's discretion.

"No state says what Tennesse says. This is forcing the inmate to use electrocution," according to Dieter, who believes "the inmate would have an automatic Eighth Amendment challenge."

Three armed men rob restaurant with "no weapons" sign...

Photo via An NC Gun Blog

I guess they didn't read the sign or, if they did, they knew the employees were unarmed.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Tweet Attack Plan Against U.S. Navy…

چگونگى غافلگير كردن دشمن در خليج فارس توسط رزمندگان سپاه پاسداران pic.twitter.com/NLzxXoyaZu
— سپاه پاسداران (@IRGCspy) May 22, 2014

This plan will likely fail. They ships, boats and lanes will be destroyed before they get in strike range.

Via Business Insider:

The IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps), the branch of Iran’s military whose role is to protect Tehran’s Islamic system, has published on Twitter an interesting drawing showing how they imagine an attack on an enemy warship entering the Persian Gulf.

The plan is to use several different weapons systems in a coordinated attack, opened by high speed boats to create a diversion.

According to Good Morning Iran blog, who translated the text accompanying the rendering, the plan assumes that Iranian high speed boats, equipped with missiles and mines — and disguising themselves as normal fishing boats — would carry out an initial attack against the enemy ship.

While facing the boats, the U.S. warship would be attacked by Iranian submarines, backed by IRIAF (Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force) warplanes, including some F-14 Tomcat jets with indigenous modifications (most likely providing some sort of air superiority in the vicinity), followed by ballistic missiles.

Keep on reading…

During Benghazi attack Obama, 1) Sent in the Marines, 2) Ordered air support, 3) Called YouTube.. What?

Yes. During the Benghazi attack, the Obama administration may not have taken any action to save the four Americans who were battling for their lives. They did take time to call YouTube and try to get them to not post anti-Islamic videos.

Via ABC News:

A still-classified State Department e-mail says that one of the first responses from the White House to the Benghazi attack was to contact YouTube to warn of the “ramifications” of allowing the posting of an anti-Islamic video, according to Rep. Darrell Issa, the Republican chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

The memo suggests that even as the attack was still underway — and before the CIA began the process of compiling talking points on its analysis of what happened — the White House believed it was in retaliation for a controversial video.

The subject line of the e-mail, which was sent at 9:11 p.m. Eastern Time on the night of the attack, is “Update on Response to actions – Libya.” The was written hours before the attack was over.

Issa has asked the White House to declassify and release the document. In the meantime he has inserted a sentence from the e-mail in the Congressional Record.

“White House is reaching out to U-Tube [sic] to advice ramification of the posting of the Pastor Jon video,” the e-mail reads, according to Issa.

Tweet of the Day: Cartoon blasts Obama admin's VA

pic.twitter.com/n9Bg2W0veK
— Lachlan Markay (@lachlan) May 21, 2014

Stupid: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau scraps employee ratings, decides to pay everyone the highest rate...

Since there were statistical differences based on race and other factors, everyone will now be rated a 5 on a scale of 1 to 5.  Any chances of this happening in your job in private industry? I thought not. So, if schools find statistical differences, they should give everyone an A?

WASHINGTON — The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau released an internal report on Monday that showed "statistically significant disparities" in employee evaluations based not just on race, but also age, location, tenure, and whether staffers were part of the agency's union.
As a result, the CFPB said it was scrapping its current system and would pay most agency employees as if they received the highest rating available at the time of their evaluation. Ultimately, the remediation to its staff is expected to cost between $5 million to $5.5 million, a spokesman said.
In an e-mail to all employees, CFPB Director Richard Cordray acknowledged the disparities, saying there "was no single factor that caused this result."

Obamanomics: 47 percent of unemployed have completely given up on finding a job...

Or as democrats would say, "They have been liberated form the burden of having to work for a living."

Via Weekly Standard:

Key findings:

47 percent agree with the statement, “I’ve completely given up on looking for a job.” (7 percent said they “agree completely,” 7 percent “agree a lot,” 15 percent “agree somewhat,” and 18 percent “agree a little.”)

60 percent say looking for work has been harder than expected. 10 percent say it’s been easier than expected.

Nevertheless, 91 percent agree with the statement, “I’m hopeful that I will find a job I really want in the next six months.”

Keep on reading…

Flashback to 2011: NYT's Paul Krugman touts the VA as socialized medicine that works...

Krugman was wrong as usual...

Via NY Times:

Many people still have an image of veterans’ health care based on the terrible state of the system two decades ago. Under the Clinton administration, however, the V.H.A. was overhauled, and achieved a remarkable combination of rising quality and successful cost control. Multiple surveys have found the V.H.A. providing better care than most Americans receive, even as the agency has held cost increases well below those facing Medicare and private insurers. Furthermore, the V.H.A. has led the way in cost-saving innovation, especially the use of electronic medical records.
What’s behind this success? Crucially, the V.H.A. is an integrated system, which provides health care as well as paying for it. So it’s free from the perverse incentives created when doctors and hospitals profit from expensive tests and procedures, whether or not those procedures actually make medical sense. And because V.H.A. patients are in it for the long term, the agency has a stronger incentive to invest in prevention than private insurers, many of whose customers move on after a few years.
And yes, this is “socialized medicine” — although some private systems, like Kaiser Permanente, share many of the V.H.A.’s virtues. But it works — and suggests what it will take to solve the troubles of U.S. health care more broadly.