Category Archives: National News

Paul Ryan Is Doing What?

This can’t be true.  Dan Mitchell of the Cato Institute is reporting that Paul Ryan, the man whom I thought might be the guy to inherit the mantel of Jack Kemp, is now flirting with the idea of allying himself with those Democrats who are “willing to give away the sequester’s real and meaningful spending restraint …”.  Oh, say it ain’t so, Paul.

Health Care Providers Taking It On The Chin Again

Michelle Malkin has up a new post entitled “Obamacare’s Perilous Protection Plan For Debtors”, about how doctors and hospitals are again getting stiffed, this time as a result of the ACA’s 90-day grace period.  A key bit:

The Affordable Care Act created a 90-day grace period before insurers can drop patients who fall behind on premiums.  So, delinquents who obtain tax-subsidized health insurance through an Obamacare health insurance exchange have three months to settle up their bills prior to their policy being canceled.  As written, the law puts insurers on the hook for the grace period.

But the bureaucrats at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services decided to issue a rule …

The full article is HERE.

Obama Gotta Have His Renewable Energy

MillPondPost_LogoBreitbart’s Robert Wilde is reporting today on the intent of the Obama administartion to weaken the regulations protecting our national symbol, bald eagles, particularly from deaths due to wind turbine farms.  This hazard was responsible for the recent $1M fine that Duke Energy had to pay for deaths resulting from birds flying into the deadly turbine blades at their wind farms.

The proposed new rules —

… will give wind farms thirty year permits for the “non purposeful take of eagles-that is where the take is associated with but not the purpose of, the activity.’’ The take of eagles is also a euphemism for the slaughter of them.

The wind farms fulfill Obama’s ambitious pursuit of developing renewable energy sources. Unfortunately, some bird species being destroyed by the turbines are not renewable. As a result, Obama finds himself wedged between the ire of opposing green groups. In July, wildlife groups met with administration officials and lobbied against the granting of 30 year permits for energy companies that own the wind farms.

Wildlife groups are advocating shorter leases and insist that a 30-year free pass for eagle “taking” is too long. They argue that before we are stuck with three decades of the rule, there are still some unanswered questions about how to prevent the destroying of the birds.

The text of the rule is on the OMB site, HERE, and from The Hill Blog, the full story is HERE.

Uh-Oh, Boehner has a new Immigration Policy Director

Something wicked this way comes?

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) is taking on a new and formidable immigration policy director, a sign that he could be more serious about passing immigration legislation than his critics suggest.

Rebecca Tallent, who currently serves as director of immigration policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center, will join Boehner’s staff on Wednesday.  Before joining the BPC, Tallent held several senior staff positions with Senator John McCain, including chief of staff.

During her time with McCain, she helped the Arizona Republican draft a handful of immigration overhaul measures, including the last big push McCain made with the late Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA) in 2007.  In 2008, she was a policy adviser on McCain’s presidential campaign.  Before working for McCain, she worked for former Rep. Jim Kolbe (R-AZ), a longtime advocate of overhauling the immigration system, and who was involved in immigration efforts before he retired in 2006.

Martin Bashir Out at MSNBC – Only 1 Limey Left?

Bashir_OutJust over two weeks ago, MSNBC host Martin Bashir delivered a harsh piece of commentary that culminated in the suggestion that someone should “s-h-i-t” in former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin‘s (R-AK) mouth.  Bashir offered an abject apology on his next broadcast, but a chorus of critics continued to demand action against the host.  After a reported “vacation” for the host earlier this week, Bashir announced, Wednesday afternoon, that MSNBC and Martin Bashir are parting ways.  (via Drudge Reports)

More News On The Exalted UNC/Duke Faculty

By way of the InsideHigherEd blog, the Raleigh N-&-O reports that Julius Nyang’oro, the former chair and former professor of African studies at UNC-CH, was indicted Monday on a felony charge of accepting $12,000 for a course he did not teach.  The phantom course was conceived as a way of improving the grade point average of UNC athletes, particularly football players.  An Orange County grand jury indicted Nyang’oro on a felony charge of obtaining property by false pretenses.  Although not identified, a second person is also under investigation and could be indicted next month, said Orange County District Attorney Jim Woodall.  Other probes have identified Nyang’oro’s longtime department manager, Deborah Crowder, as being involved in the bogus classes.  Ms. Crowder retired in 2009.

The Ugly End To The Duke Lacrosse Team Story

Many readers will know that Crystal Gail Mangum, the accuser of the Duke Lacrosse Team players, was convicted of murder in late November and sentenced to prison.  A week or so afterwards, Brent Bozell posted this comprehensive wrap-up at NewsBusters:

On November 22, with the national media focused on the 50th anniversary of President Kennedy’s death, few noticed the story of a jury in North Carolina convicting Crystal Mangum of murder in the 2011 kitchen stabbing death of her boyfriend Reginald Daye.  Why should that fact fixate the national media?

On its own, it shouldn’t.  But in 2006 and 2007, Mangum’s false charges of rape against three lacrosse players at Duke University caused a national tsunami of media sensation, an angry wave of prejudiced coverage that presumed the guilt of rich white college boys when accused by an African-American stripper.  

More than any other media outlet, the New York Times trumpeted Mangum’s rape accusations, even after they fell apart.  As other liberal media outlets were backing away, the Times published a notorious, error-riddled 5,700-word lead story by Duff Wilson on August 25, 2006, arguing there was enough evidence against the players for Michael Nifong, the atrocious local  prosecutor (who would be jailed and disbarred) to bring the case to trial.

Within the Times, perhaps the most aggressive accuser was then-sports columnist Selena Roberts, who made a habit of comparing the accused Duke lacrosse players to drug dealers and gang members.

Roberts continued to lob charges of white privilege in her last column on the subject in 2007: “Don’t mess with Duke, though. To shine a light on its integrity has been treated by the irrational mighty as a threat to white privilege. Feel free to excoriate the African-American basketball stars and football behemoths for the misdeeds of all athletes, but lay off the lacrosse pipeline to Wall Street, excuse the khaki-pants crowd of SAT wonder kids.”  She lamented “some news media jackknifed as they moved from victim’s advocate to angel-tinting the lacrosse team.”

To Roberts, the false accuser never stopped being the victim. Roberts never wrote a retraction for the columns that relentlessly championed a false narrative.  She is the Al Sharpton of sports columnists.

See the FULL STORY HERE.

I guess this means that Ms. Mangum will not be taking advantage of that free college education that Jesse Jackson promised her back when he was so certain of her verisimilitude.  [ NOTE:  Bill O’Reilly also did a short piece on this story on The Factor yesterday evening. ]

And the ObamaCare hits just keep a-coming …

In the latest of what seems to be an unending stream of outrages from the Obama administration in their attempts to keep the ObamaCare boat from being swamped by reality, the White House is floating several proposals to “help offset the loss in premium revenue and profit” that it said might occur if insurers went along with President Obama’s request to reinstate canceled policies.  The proposals will offer more money to insurance companies as an incentive for them to let people keep insurance policies that were to have been canceled next year.

And what congressional spending authority does the NYT article cite as underpinning for these proposals.  Don’t ask …

FBI Obstructing Justice?

Darrell Issa (R-CA), Chairman of the House Oversight & Government Reform Committee, has been doggedly pursuing information related to two of the big Obama administration scandals.  Benghazi is one of them, the IRS targeting of conservative groups the other.  He is now calling attention to the intransigence of the FBI in not cooperating with his committee in their IRS investigations.

Issa says that the FBI is refusing to turn over any documents related to its own investigation into the IRS, which began in the days after an auditor’s report revealed the tax agency had improperly targeted tea party groups for special scrutiny.  Moreover, Issa revealed that, six months after it began, the FBI’s investigation has resulted in no release of information.  The congressmen said the FBI even rescinded an offer for an in-person briefing with the assistant director in charge of the investigation. To Rep. Issa, the reversal, after the FBI consulted with the Justice Department, suggests political meddling.  He has given the FBI until December 16 to answer his questions rather than to have FBI Director James Comey appear by compulsion as the result of a subpoena from his committee.

The full Washington Times article is HERE.

The New York Times Swallows A Bitter Pill

This very good article from NYT reporters Sheryl Stolberg and Michael Shear sets the stage early on:

HealthCare.gov, the $630 million online insurance marketplace, was a disaster after it went live on Oct. 1, with a roster of engineering repairs that would eventually swell to more than 600 items. The private contractors who built it were pointing fingers at one another. And inside the White House, after initially saying too much traffic was to blame, Mr. Obama’s closest confidants had few good answers.

It is a fairly long article, but informative, and the full article is HERE.

Making Fuel From Food — Dumbest Idea Ever?

As a former farm boy and a guy who still owns an itty-bitty amount of tillable acreage in eastern NC, I have always thought that the ethanol fuel mandate was the height of idiocy.  It drives up the cost or corn, thus driving up the cost of beef and pork and lots of other food items, it causes farmers to favor corn over other crops in the competition for the available crop land, and it pushes up the true cost of motor vehicle fuel by diluting the miles driven per gallon of gasohol versus gasoline.

This and lots of other ramifications are exposed in this comprehensive ARTICLE, written by Dina Cappiello of the AP, encouraging me to believe that at least some members of the MSM are coming around to my view.

George Will: How A Presidency Unravels

In his recent piece at the Washington Post, columnist George Will reveals, among other things, the shear awesomeness of President Barack Obama, at least in the opinion of his el-primo minion, Valarie Jarrett:

“He knows exactly how smart he is …  I think that he has never really been challenged intellectually …  He’s been bored to death his whole life.  He’s just too talented to do what ordinary people do.”

 Gag me with a spoon, then read the whole thing, HERE.

ObamaCare Delaying Yet Another Component? Yep!!

Fox News is reporting that the Obama administration “plans to delay the start of next year’s ObamaCare enrollment period, a move pitched as a way to give consumers and insurance companies more time to study their options — but which also conveniently pushes the second round of enrollment past the 2014 midterm elections.”  The article also says that the decision will not affect those trying to enroll this year, despite the myriad problems with the launch of the law and the HealthCare.gov website.  Rather, it affects those who will sign up late next year for 2015 coverage.

The full article is here …

New York Times Flip-Flops On The Nuclear Option

At the Volokh Conspiracy blog, Jonathan Adler posts about the Senate adoption of the “Nuclear” option.  The link for the full article is here …

Adler also notes The New York Times’ flip-flop on the issue:

In May 2005, the NYT editorial board insisted that the filibuster of judicial nominations was “part of the Senate’s time-honored deliberative role and of its protection of minority rights.” Invocation of the “nuclear option,” the Times insisted, would “desecrate” this tradition. “The damage would be incalculable,” the Times warned.

Fast forward eight years and, as Patterico notes, the NYT‘s is singing a different tune. Yesterday’s NYT editorial on Senate Democrats’ invocation of the “nuclear option” insisted there was “ample precedent for this kind of change” and cheered the move for heralding “a return to the democratic process of giving nominees an up-or-down vote, allowing them to be either confirmed or rejected by a simple majority.”

Who Shut Down the Government?

Who Shut Down the Government?
TownHall
Thomas Sowell | Oct 04, 2013
Even when it comes to something as basic, and apparently as simple and straightforward, as the question of who shut down the federal government, there are diametrically opposite answers, depending on whether you talk to Democrats or to Republicans.
There is really nothing complicated about the facts. The Republican-controlled House of Representatives voted all the money required to keep all government activities going — except for ObamaCare.
This is not a matter of opinion. You can check the Congressional Record.
As for the House of Representatives’ right to grant or withhold money, that is not a matter of opinion either. You can check the Constitution of the United States. All spending bills must originate in the House of Representatives, which means that Congressmen there have a right to decide whether or not they want to spend money on a particular government activity.
Whether ObamaCare is good, bad or indifferent is a matter of opinion. But it is a matter of fact that members of the House of Representatives have a right to make spending decisions based on their opinion.
ObamaCare is indeed “the law of the land,” as its supporters keep saying, and the Supreme Court has upheld its Constitutionality.
But the whole point of having a division of powers within the federal government is that each branch can decide independently what it wants to do or not do, regardless of what the other branches do, when exercising the powers specifically granted to that branch by the Constitution.
The hundreds of thousands of government workers who have been laid off are not idle because the House of Representatives did not vote enough money to pay their salaries or the other expenses of their agencies — unless they are in an agency that would administer ObamaCare.
Since we cannot read minds, we cannot say who — if anybody — “wants to shut down the government.” But we do know who had the option to keep the government running and chose not to. The money voted by the House of Representatives covered everything that the government does, except for ObamaCare.
The Senate chose not to vote to authorize that money to be spent, because it did not include money for ObamaCare. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says that he wants a “clean” bill from the House of Representatives, and some in the media keep repeating the word “clean” like a mantra. But what is unclean about not giving Harry Reid everything he wants?
If Senator Reid and President Obama refuse to accept the money required to run the government, because it leaves out the money they want to run ObamaCare, that is their right. But that is also their responsibility.
You cannot blame other people for not giving you everything you want. And it is a fraud to blame them when you refuse to use the money they did vote, even when it is ample to pay for everything else in the government.
When Barack Obama keeps claiming that it is some new outrage for those who control the money to try to change government policy by granting or withholding money, that is simply a bald-faced lie. You can check the history of other examples of “legislation by appropriation” as it used to be called.
Whether legislation by appropriation is a good idea or a bad idea is a matter of opinion. But whether it is both legal and not unprecedented is a matter of fact.
Perhaps the biggest of the big lies is that the government will not be able to pay what it owes on the national debt, creating a danger of default. Tax money keeps coming into the Treasury during the shutdown, and it vastly exceeds the interest that has to be paid on the national debt.
Even if the debt ceiling is not lifted, that only means that government is not allowed to run up new debt. But that does not mean that it is unable to pay the interest on existing debt.
None of this is rocket science. But unless the Republicans get their side of the story out — and articulation has never been their strong suit — the lies will win. More important, the whole country will lose.

The Bleeding Heart becomes The Iron Fist

by Dave Carter

Whatever the perceived shortcomings of Ted Cruz and his hardy band of stalwarts, they’ve performed a remarkable public service by highlighting the fate that awaits all who rub wrongly the translucently thin skin of King Barack the Petulant. The Spartans may have had their shields, Native Americans their tomahawks and arrows, the Samurai may have wielded his sword with all the deadly grace of a tiger in mid-attack, but pound for pound, nothing comes close to the audacious stupidity of “Barrycades” and people in pointy little Smokey the Bear hats, poised to protect America’s monuments from law-abiding citizens.

Welcome to liberal utopia, where barriers are not erected against terrorists or illegal aliens on our nation’s borders, but rather against citizens, and where wheelchair-bound veterans enroute to honor their comrades face tighter security than terrorists enroute to murder a US Ambassador.

Read More -> The Bleeding Heart becomes The Iron Fist

Ted Cruz asks for a Tsunami

From NCTEA…

As August winds down, it’s time for the next wave in Ted Cruz’s grassroots TSUNAMI.

-You’ve asked representatives for town halls and set up your own when the rep didn’t want to hear from you. Great job!

-You’ve asked your members of Congress to represent America and to stop Obamacare in September by signing the Mark Meadows letter (US House) and the Mike Lee letter (US Senate). We’ve added two more signers from NC – Great job!

-Your Republican National Committee passed unanimously NC’s resolution instructing Congress to defund Obamacare on the Continuing Resolution (CR). Great job!

Yet, US House leadership, which has the power to stop Obamacare before it starts, is still not willing to do it.

Ted Cruz has again asked the grassroots to bring a “tsunami” (FF to 6:08). Here we go.

4 phone calls from each 1 of us = The Cruz Tsunami:

1. Flood the offices of Speaker of the House John Boehner. Ask him to honor the Meadows letter, the RNC Resolution, the wishes of his caucus, and the American people:

Call Speaker Boehner at 877.976.7521 or fax his office at 202.225.5117.

Tell him you expect him to defund Obamacare through the CR and to NOT raise the debt ceiling. Not raising the debt ceiling means there will be no additional funds for Obamacare. Boehner is using the debt ceiling debate as a “shiny object” to deflect from the defund issue.

2. Flood Senator Burr’s office and insist that he represent us and sign Mike Lee’s letter committing to defund: 202-224-3154 or 800.685.8916

Tell him you expect him to back up his co-sponsorship of the Cruz Act to Defund Obamacare by signing Senator Lee’s letter. Co-sponsoring the bill is meaningless without the procedural context outlined in the Lee letter. Burr is using political cover by signing the bill and not the letter. Tell him funding Obamacare is “dumb”.

3. If your rep is listed below, call and insist that they sign the Meadows letter. Tell them you expect them to back up their previous votes against Obamacare by signing on to the Meadows letter. A vote to defund doesn’t mean a vote to shut down government. Signing the letter gives procedural context to the Graves Defund Obamacare Act. Simply co-sponsoring the Act is only political cover. 

Virginia Foxx, District 5: (336) 778-0211 or 202-225-2071

Patrick McHenry, District 10: 800.477.2576 or 202-225-2576

Robert Pittenger, District 9: (704) 365-6234 or  202-225-1976

Renee Ellmers, District 2:  1-877-645-8764 or 202-225-4531

OR If your rep is listed below, thank him for signing the Meadows letter and ask him to stand firm:

 

Mark Meadows, District 11: 202-225-6401

Richard Hudson, District 8: 202-225-3715

Walter Jones, District 3: 202-225-3415

Howard Coble, District 6: 202-225-3065

George Holding, District 13: 202-225-3032

OR If your rep is listed below, ask them to represent you and to sign the Meadows letter to defund Obamacare. Democrats know the ACA is a train wreck, and we are asking them to be brave enough to stop it:

GK Butterfield, District 1: 202-225-3101

David Price, District 4: 202-225-1784

Mike McIntyre, District 7: 202-225-2731

Mel Watt, District 12: 202-225-1510

4. Call Sen. Kay Hagan (D-NC) 202-224-6342 or 877.852.9462

 

Tell her you expect her to listen to the majority of North Carolinians who don’t want Obamacare imposed on them. Point out that she and her staff are receiving 75% subsidies for Ocare provided by the taxpayers because Congress found out it was so expensive. Don’t let staffers tell you otherwise!

Thank you and Good luck!

Resources:

Who are the Biggest Chickens in Washington?

Congressional Republicans Don’t Need to Worry about the Defund Strategy Hurting the Party

What to do if My Representative Doesn’t Represent Me

 

Additional numbers for reference

US Capitol Switchboard (202) 224-3121

 

District Offices:

Rep. G. K. Butterfield, Jr. (D-01) (252) 237-9816

Rep. Renee L. Ellmers (R-02) 1-877-645-8764

Rep. Walter B. Jones, Jr. (R-03) 800-351-1697

Rep. David Price (D-04) 919.859.5999

Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-05) (336) 778-0211

Rep. Howard Coble (R-06) (336) 333-5005

Rep. Mike McIntyre (D-07) (910) 815-4959

Rep. Richard Hudson (R-08) 704-786-1612

Rep. Robert Pittenger (R-09) (704) 365-6234

Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-10) 800.477.2576

Rep. Mark Meadows (R-11) 828-693-5660

Rep. Mel Watt (D-12) (704) 344-9950

Rep. George Holding (R-13) 919-856-9778

Senator Burr: 800.685.8916

Senator Hagan: 877.852.9462

Senator Barack Obama on the Debt Limit

This quote is especially to those who voted for this man twice.

READ IT…OVER AND OVER AND OVER!!!

The Quote of the Decade: “The fact that we are here today to debate raising America ‘s debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that the US Government cannot pay its own bills. It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance our Government’s reckless fiscal policies. Increasing America ‘s debt weakens us domestically and internationally. Leadership means that, “the buck stops here.’ Instead, Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren. America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership. Americans deserve better.” ~ Senator

Barack H. Obama, March 2006

Pass it on and on and on

More "Not-So-Good" News About Obamacare

Morning Bell: The Next Threat to Your Privacy

August 9, 2013 at 7:00 am

(0)

Who has access to your Social Security number, your bank information, and your tax records?

When Obamacare’s health insurance exchanges open, your data could be exposed to shysters and hackers, thanks to serious vulnerabilities in the system.

The exchanges are scheduled to open on October 1 (just 53 days away). But the list of implementation failures keeps growing, and the security of Americans’ data is threatened.

THREAT #1: Obamacare “Navigators”

Navigators are a group of people and organizations that are going to be facilitating signups for Obamacare’s insurance exchanges.

  • Example: Planned Parenthood has applied for navigator grants to work with consumers.
  • Danger: HHS will not require navigators to undergo “minimum eligibility criteria and background checks.” The Administration’s training program does not require navigators to participate in anti-fraud classes. And many states do not have plans for investigating unscrupulous navigators who may attempt to prey on vulnerable and unsuspecting Americans. Even California’s Democratic insurance commissioner—a strong supporter of Obamacare—admitted “we can have a real disaster on our hands” if scam artists posing as navigators get access to applicants’ Social Security numbers, bank accounts, and other personal information.

THREAT #2: Obamacare’s Data Hub

The data hub is a massive compilation of tax filings, Social Security reports, and other government data that will be used to determine eligibility for subsidized insurance.

  • Insecure? The hub isn’t scheduled to be certified as secure until September 30—only one day before the exchanges open for business.
  • Cutting Corners: The HHS inspector general recently released a report highlighting major delays in implementation of Obamacare’s data hub. The report amplifies what former HHS officials have been saying for months: The Administration has been cutting corners on data privacy for the exchanges, raising major questions about whether the data on the hub can be certified as secure—or whether Obamacare will place Americans’ tax and other personal information at risk.

The Obama Administration’s shoddy, slapdash approach to Obamacare implementation is placing the sensitive personal data of millions of Americans at risk. It’s one more reason why Congress should refuse to spend a single dime implementing this unfair, unworkable, and unpopular law.

>>> Jim DeMint and Mike Needham in the Wall Street Journal: The Only Way to Stop Obamacare Is to Cut Off Its Funding

Read the Morning Bell and more en español every day at Heritage Libertad.

Quick Hits:

The Muslim World Hates the US More than Ever

 

http://www.prophecynewswatch.com/2013/April26/261.html

The Muslim World Hates the U.S. More Than Ever
If there was one thing the left was certain about in 2008 it was this: George W. Bush had catastrophically undermined America’s world reputation with his unprovoked aggression and use of torture. The advent of Obama would reverse the damage. As Andrew Sullivan wrote in 2007, among best assets Obama brought to the “rebranding” of America was “his face.” The election of Obama and his friendly approach to the Muslim world would make the United States safer as well as more just.

No one believed this tale more fervently than Obama himself. His first official act was to direct the closing of Guantanamo Bay within one year and the elimination of harsh interrogation techniques. The “message we are sending around the world,” he intoned, “is that the United States intends to prosecute the ongoing struggle … in a manner that is consistent with our values and our ideals.” In Cairo a few months later, he declared, “a new beginning” of relations between America and the Muslim world.

Obama participated in erecting a Bush straw man — a Bush who disdained and caricatured Muslims in general and committed war crimes in the name of national security. In fact, Bush had gone to great pains, within hours of the 9/11 attacks, to appear with imams and to stress that Islam was a “religion of peace.”

Because Iraq had been Bush’s war, as Obama saw it, he squandered the hard-won victory by failing to obtain an agreement that would have kept a stabilizing American force on the ground, electing instead to withdraw completely. And because Afghanistan was the war that Bush allegedly neglected, Obama sent 33,000 more troops (fewer than the generals requested) — a surge that, unlike Bush’s in Iraq — failed, but not before causing 70 percent of the American deaths in that conflict.

Most of all, the Obama administration fled from the concept of a struggle against Islamic terrorism as if fighting jihadis (the small subset of Muslims who’ve declared war on us) were equivalent to warring against all Muslims. Orwellian language flowed. The war on terror became “overseas contingency operations.” When Major Nidal Hassan gunned down his fellow soldiers shouting “Allahu Akbar!” the president warned against jumping to conclusions (a caution he failed to show himself in the Trayvon Martin and Henry Louis Gates cases). His administration later dubbed Hassan’s attack “workplace violence” rather than jihadism or terrorism.

When Faisal Shahzad attempted to explode a car bomb in Times Square, the administration at first declared it to be a lone wolf attack, only later reluctantly conceding that the Pakistani Taliban had been culpable. When the consulate in Benghazi was attacked (undermining the administration narrative that al-Qaida had died with bin Laden), the administration conducted a prolonged disinformation campaign designed to deny the obvious.

Tiptoeing through language after the Boston bombings, the administration at first declined to use the word “terror,” perhaps fearing that to use the word would imply a Muslim connection. “You use those words and it means something very specific in people’s minds,” explained David Axelrod. Besides, he continued, the president suspected “tax day” protesters.

What has this excruciating torture of the language and elaborate “rebranding” achieved? The U.S. is not safer. Terror attacks have been attempted at the same rate as during the Bush years (and have been thwarted slightly less successfully). As for U.S. standing in the Muslim world, the Guardian reports that a 2011 poll found favorability ratings for the U.S. have plummeted. “In most countries they are lower than at the end of the Bush administration, and lower than Iran’s favorable ratings.” A 2012 Pew poll of six predominantly Muslim nations — Turkey, Lebanon, Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan and Pakistan — found U.S. approval ratings below those during the Bush Administration and well under the popularity of China.

It’s one thing to create a bogeyman for political purposes. Obama did it to Bush in 2008 (for use against McCain), and he did it to Romney in 2012. It’s quite another to believe your own propaganda and make policy in response. Bush was no anti-Muslim bigot. If he erred, it was in believing too credulously in the readiness for western-style democracy in the Arab world.

As for Obama, his doubletalk about the nature of our enemies — jihadis — has achieved neither greater safety for Americans nor improved popularity in the Muslim world. He’s 0 for 2.

Poverty Professionals And The Crony Capitalists Who Love Them

April 15, 2013

by Bill Frezza

Poverty Professionals And The Crony Capitalists Who Love Them

Yes, it looks like a wedding announcement out of The Onion, but when it comes to making a killing off the never-ending “War on Poverty,” the marriage of convenience between the financial services industry and federal bureaucrats is no laughing matter.

The idea that government welfare programs could eliminate poverty, rather than temporarily alleviate its worst impacts during hard times, took root during Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society initiative. From modest beginnings, a panoply of federal welfare programs expanded and multiplied to the point where they now consume one-sixth of the federal budget—some $588 billion last year, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

This is a lot of spending—even by contemporary standards—and this figure doesn’t even include the current explosion in unemployment benefits, as these are considered social “insurance” payouts rather than welfare. Nor does it include Social Security or Medicare, our largest and most rapidly growing federal expenditures. To make matters worse, these programs, which were designed to keep the elderly out of poverty, are entitlements not yet subject to means testing, so payments go to rich, middle class, and poor alike.

With anti-poverty programs enjoying meteoric growth thanks to the economic policies of the current and previous administrations, we may someday look back fondly on the days when we “only” had to fork over half a trillion a year to support the longest and least successful “war” in American history, with no sign of stopping. Continue reading →

Hobby Lobby May Close it's Doors

Letter from Hobby Lobby CEO, “True” according to Snopes.com

Subject: *Hobby Lobby, We may close*

David Sloan “The wisdom that comes from above is, first, pure, then
peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits,
without uncertainty or insincerity.” – James 3:17

By David Green, the founder and CEO of Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc.

When my family and I started our company 40 years ago, we were working
out of a garage on a $600 bank loan, assembling miniature picture
frames. Our first retail store wasn’t much bigger than most people’s
living rooms, but we had faith that we would succeed if we lived and
worked according to God’s word. From there, Hobby Lobby has become one
of the nation’s largest arts and crafts retailers, with more than 500
locations in 41 states. Our children grew up into fine business
leaders, and today we run Hobby Lobby
together, as a family.

We’re Christians, and we run our business on Christian principles.
I’ve always said that the first two goals of our business are
(1) to  run our business in harmony with God’s laws, and (2) to focus on
people more than money. And that’s what we’ve tried to do. We close
early so our employees can see their families at night. We keep our
stores closed on Sundays, one of the week’s biggest shopping days, so
that our workers and their families can enjoy a day of rest. We
believe that it is by God’s grace that Hobby Lobby has endured, and he
has blessed us and our employees. We’ve not only added jobs in a weak
economy, we’ve raised wages for the past four years in a row.
Our   full-time employees start at 80% above minimum wage.

But now, our government threatens to change all of that. A new
government healthcare mandate says that our family business MUST
provide what I believe are abortion-causing drugs as part of our
health insurance. Being Christians, we don’t pay for drugs that might
cause abortions, which means that we don’t cover emergency
contraception, the morning-after pill or the week-after pill. We
believe doing so might end a life after the moment of conception,
something that is contrary to our most important beliefs. It goes
against the Biblical principles on which we have run this company
since day one.

If we refuse to comply, we could face $1.3 million PER DAY in
government fines. Our government threatens to fine job creators in a
bad economy. Our government threatens to fine a company that’s raised
wages four years running. Our government threatens to fine a family
for running its business according to its beliefs. It’s not right. I
know people will say we ought to follow the rules; that it’s the same
for everybody.

But that’s not true. The government has exempted thousands of
companies from this mandate, for reasons of convenience or cost.
But    it won’t exempt them for reasons of religious belief. So, Hobby Lobby
and my family are forced to make a choice. With great
reluctance, we filed a lawsuit today, represented by the Becket Fund
for Religious Liberty, asking a federal court to stop this mandate
before it hurts our business. We don’t like to go running into court,
but we no longer have a choice. We believe people are more important
than the bottom line and that honoring God is more important than
turning a profit.

My family has lived the American dream. We want to continue growing
our company and providing great jobs for thousands of employees, but
the government is going to make that much more difficult. The
government is forcing us to choose between following our faith and
following the law. I say that’s a choice no American and no American
business should have to make.

The government cannot force you to follow laws that go against your
fundamental religious belief. They have exempted thousands of
companies but will not exempt Christian organizations including the
Catholic church.

Since you will not see this in the liberal media, please pass this on
to all your contacts.

Sincerely,

David Green,
CEO and Founder of Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc.

Why Is Obama's Growing DHS Army Buying Armored Vehicles?

There are several articles like this posted on the internet; however, this is from a well-known, reputable source. Why is this not on the news? Why aren’t our elected representatives calling for hearing? Why is Obama gearing up for war on the streets in the United States? Call, write, and email Congressman Jones, and Senators Richard Burr and Kay Hagan and ask why they are not protecting their constituents from what appears to be preparation for attacking US citizens. Not only that, why can’t our government cut this kind of radical, over-the-top spending instead of cutting security in airports and laying off teachers as Obama has said Sequestration will do?
Posted 03/05/2013 06:26 PM ET

Security: In addition to stockpiling over a billion bullets and thousands of semiautomatic weapons the feds would deny U.S. citizens, the vehicle of choice for fighting the counterinsurgency war in Iraq is appearing on U.S. streets.

The sequestration question du jour is why the Department of Homeland Security, busy releasing hundreds, if not thousands, of deportable and detained illegal aliens due to budget constraints, is buying several thousand Mine Resistant Armored Protection (MRAP) vehicles?

And just who are they intended to be used against?

This acquisition comes on top of the recent news of the stockpiling by DHS of more than 1.6 billion (with a ‘b’) bullets of various calibers, enough by one calculation to fight the equivalent of a 24-year Iraq War, and the ordering of some 7,000 5.56x45mm NATO “personal defense weapons” (PDW) — also known as “assault weapons” when owned by civilians.

Additionally, DHS is asking for 30 round magazines that “have a capacity to hold thirty (30) 5.56x45mm NATO rounds.”

The Department of Homeland Security (through the U.S. Army Forces Command) recently retrofitted 2,717 of these MRAP vehicles for service on the streets of the U.S. They were formerly used for counterinsurgency in Iraq.

These vehicles are specifically designed to resist mines and ambush attacks. They use bulletproof windows and are designed to withstand small-arms fire, including smaller-caliber rifles such as a .223 Remington. Does DHS expect a counterinsurgency here?

After IEDs began to take a toll on U.S. military forces in Iraq, the Pentagon ordered a large supply of MRAPs.

“They’ve taken hits, many, many hits that would have killed soldiers and marines in uparmored Humvees,” Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in a recent interview.

A DHS officer, Robert Whitaker, stationed in El Paso, Texas, recently proudly described the agency’s new armored toy as “Mine-resistant … we use to deliver our team to high-risk warrant services … (with) gun ports so we can actually shoot from within the vehicle; you may think it’s pretty loud but actually it’s not too bad … we have gun ports there in the back and two on the sides as well. They are designed for .50-caliber weapons.”

This is needed to serve warrants? Perhaps it might have been useful at Waco.

So the question is what does DHS need 1.6 billion bullets, 7,000 Ar-15s and 2,700 armored vehicles for?

What are they anticipating or planning for, and why are few in the media and Congress asking about it, particularly in the light of daily apocalyptic bleats from the administration about sequestration cuts?

Read More At Investor’s Business Daily: http://news.investors.com/ibd-editorials/030513-646857-dhs-buys-special-armored-fighting-vehicles.htm#ixzz2MogSqnOi
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Keystone pipeline is the key to the future

Keystone pipeline is the key to the future

Source: State.gov

By Bill Wilson — Everything we will ever need to know about the Obama Administration may come down to a single decision. And that is whether Obama, along with newly sworn in Secretary of State John Kerry, approve the Keystone XL pipeline from the Alberta tar sands to the U.S.

For, contained in that decision is not just the future energy independence of North America — the U.S. currently depends on foreign sources for 45 percent of our fuel — but perhaps the future prosperity of the American economy.

If completed, the expanded pipeline — there actually is another Keystone pipeline from Alberta  operated by TransCanada that already delivers about 590,000 barrels of oil a day — will add another 500,000 barrels a day to the mix.

The fact the Chinese are waiting in the wings to claim this energy for themselves would be reason enough to approve it. Beijing has offered to pay for building an alternative pipeline to the Pacific coast to have  the oil shipped there.

For now, global production keeps up with global demand, but developing economies like China and India — oil importers both — invariably are leading to higher demand.

Which means every drop we fail to develop here, whether in the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico, or fail to gain access to, as in Canada, is driving up prices at the pump. Continue reading →

The Feds Want Your Retirement Accounts

via AmericanThinker

 

February 22, 2013

The Feds Want Your Retirement Accounts

By John White

Quietly, behind the scenes, the groundwork is being laid for federal government confiscation of tax-deferred retirement accounts such as IRAs. Slowly, the cat is being let out of the bag.

Last January 18th, in a little noticed interview of Richard Cordray, acting head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Bloomberg reported “[t]he U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau [CFPB] is weighing whether it should take on a role in helping Americans manage the $19.4 trillion they have put into retirement savings, a move that would be the agency’s first foray into consumer investments.”  That thought generates some skepticism, as aptly expressed by the Richard Terrell cartoon  published by American Thinker.

Days later On January 24th President Obama renominated Cordray as CFPB director even though his recess appointment was not due to expire until the end of 2013. Continue reading →