FBI director defends surveillance programs, says 9/11 could have been prevented
[FoxNews.com]
Published June 13, 2013
Feb. 2, 2012: FBI Director Robert Mueller testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP)
Following revelations about the federal government’s surveillance programs, FBI Director Robert Mueller defended the government’s collection of millions of U.S. phone records, emails and other information that people transmit online as vital to the nation’s national security. Mueller told a House Judiciary panel Thursday that law enforcement must stay “a step ahead of criminals and terrorists” while still heeding Americans’ civil liberties.
Early in the hearing, Mueller tried to make the case for the National Security Agency surveillance programs and said that law enforcement “must stay a step ahead of criminals and terrorists” while still heeding the civil liberties of Americans.
Mueller, who is stepping down from his post in September, says that if the metadata collection program had been in place before the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, they would have identified one of the 9/11 hijackers in San Diego and most likely derailed the plot.
Internal IRS Mandate: ‘Be on the Lookout’ for ‘Organizations Involved In … Educating on Constitution and Bill of Rights’
[CNSNews.com]
First Lady Michelle Obama and President Barack Obama (AP Photo)
(CNSNews.com) – A timeline of Internal Revenue Service activities that was developed by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration and provided to congressional staff indicates that early last year–as the nation was headed toward a presidential election–the IRS issued a “be on the lookout order” (BOLO) for officials in its “Determinations Unit” to ferret out for heightened scrutiny organizations applying for tax exempt status that were involved in educating Americans “on the Constitution and Bill of Rights.”
The inspector general’s timeline indicates that as early as March 2010 the IRS’s “Determinations Unit” had begun targeting for special scrutiny organizations that used in their tax-exempt applications the words “Tea Party” or “Patriots.”
The IG’s timeline says that in March-April 2010: “The Determinations Unit began searching for other requests for tax exemption involving the Tea Party, Patriots, 9/12 and I.R.C. § 501(c)(4) applications involving political sounding names, e.g., ‘We the People’ or ‘Take Back the Country.’”
In July 2010, according to the IG’s timeline: “Determinations Unit management requested its specialists to be on the lookout for Tea Party applications.”
But by the beginning of the 2012 election year, the IRS had adjusted its “be on the lookout order” to more generally target groups that were involved in teaching people about the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights.
Kerry to NKorea: New Missile Launch Would Be ‘Huge Mistake’
[Newsmax.com]
Friday, 12 Apr 2013 12:15 PM
(more…)
Big Government: An Unnecessary Evil That Should Be Abolished
[Infowars.com]
March 31, 2013
There are two types of people in this world; those who worship the ideal of centralized command authority, and those who do not. Those who value freedom regardless of risk or pain, and those who value slavery in a desperate bid to avoid risk and pain. When I consider the ultimate folly of man, in the end I look to the meek and unquestioning masses who strive to avoid risk, because it is they who always end up feeding the machines of war, despair, and tyranny. The power thirsty halls of elitism surely instigate and manipulate the tides of this wretched ocean of quivering souls, but ultimately, the weak-hearted and weak minded make all terrible conquests possible.
They live by the rule of fear, and their fear drives them to seek control; control of their environment, control of others, and by extension they believe, control of the future. They attempt to mitigate their overwhelming fear by containing the world and sterilizing it of everything wild, untamed, and unknown. They dream of a society of pure predictability, and zero responsibility. They are willing to sacrifice almost anything to attain this position of artificial comfort.
The concept of “big government” appeals to such people for many reasons…
Government in most cases is nothing but an abstraction. It is merely a tool that serves the interests of a particular group of people at any given time. Modern politics is an expression of the foolish cat fight between factions of people to decide who gets to wield the weapon of government and impose their ideology on the rest of us. At least, that’s what it almost always devolves into. The great illusion of the system, though, is that ANY group of average people ever actually wields any power. The truth is, big governments are always operated by very small and exclusive clubs of root beneficiaries out of the sight of the population.
CNN Throws Liberal Smears and Talking Points at NRA
[Newsbusters.org]
By Matt Hadro | December 27, 2012
CNN’s Carol Costello threw ugly smears and liberal talking points at the NRA’s president David Keene on Thursday. Keene repeatedly had to deflect criticisms that the NRA is out of touch with most Americans during a lengthy 15-minute grilling.
Costello resorted to sharing smears of the NRA from her Facebook page. “And many, many comments said, ‘Why is the NRA crazy? Why are they, like, out of touch with reality?’ A lot of people said – why do you think that people say those things about the NRA?” she asked Keene. [Video below the break. Audio here.]
Costello also quoted GOP pollster Frank Luntz smacking the NRA as out of touch. She described Luntz “as conservative as you can get,” even though he also polled for the anti-gun Mayors Against Illegal Guns.
Michigan Dem on right-to-work law: There will be blood
[HumanEvents.com]
By: John Hayward
12/11/2012 12:34 PM
As protests against Michigan’s right-to-work laws swelled, pro-union Democrat legislator Douglas Geiss took to the state House floor – and Twitter – to promise violence. “We are going to undo 100 years of labor relations,” said Geiss. “And there will be blood. We will relive the Battle of the Overpass.”
The Battle of the Overpass was a 1937 clash between the United Auto Workers and security troops for the Ford Motor Company, in which dozens of union activists were beaten up. It has long been considered one of the worst examples of corporate-stooge union busting. Geiss is pulling the neat trick of threatening violence while casting his side as the victims. Or, if you prefer another interpretation, he’s casting the right-to-work law as an act of “violence” against unions, which justifies whatever they choose to do when they “fight back.”
Union forces have already gotten frisky, storming the tent erected by right-to-work supporters Americans for Prosperity of Michigan and tearing it down. Fortunately, no injuries from the attack were reported.
Report: ATF review board recommends firings over Fast and Furious
[INFOWARS.com]
Wall Street Journal
December 5, 2012
Four senior managers who oversaw the ill-fated federal gun-tracking probe called “Fast and Furious” will be fired if recommendations from a disciplinary panel are accepted.
People familiar with the matter said the Professional Review Board of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives sent notices of its decision in recent days to bureau managers, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.
In addition, two lower-level employees face disciplinary actions, short of firing. The move from the ATF’s review board is the first step in what could be a months-long process, including appeals.
Could Obamacare Go the Way of McCain-Feingold?
[American Spectator]
By David Catron on 11.30.12 @ 6:10AM
The “Affordable Care Act” might die a death of a thousand legal cuts.
Last June, upon learning that the Supreme Court had ruled Obamacare’s individual mandate constitutional, many observers were forced to concur with the Dickens character who opined, “If the law supposes that… the law is an ass.” Yet, the increasing number of anti-PPACA lawsuits that have been receiving serious attention from the courts suggests that the legal system may not be as irrational as it seemed when Chief Justice John Roberts began braying from the bench on June 28. If this seems Pollyannaish, consider the fate of McCain-Feingold.
‘When Obama Goes to Hell,’ GOP Official Says, He’ll Claim ‘This Is All Bush’s Fault’
[Newsbusters.org]
By Randy Hall | November 21, 2012
Here’s another sterling example of the premise that liberals have no sense of humor.
Virginia Republican Official Bob FitzSimmonds had no idea what was going to happen when he stated in a Facebook posting on Wednesday that “When Obama is 90 years old and he dies and goes to Hell, he is going to say ‘This is all Bush’s fault’!”
Of course, members of the GOP instantly recognized the post as a joke referring to the claim often made by the president and his fellow Democrats that everything bad that happened during Obama’s first term was the fault of the previous occupant of the White House, Republican George W. Bush.
As you might expect, the comment drew heated responses from both sides of the political aisle on that social networking site.
Ben Marchi said that the remark was “completely inappropriate” even when made in jest, and Karen Hand Mason noted that whether or not Obama goes to Hell is “God’s decision.”
“This is a good example of how far our country has gone,” wrote Muneer Baig. “People have been so blinded by politics that they are treating themselves as Gods and passing judgment over others.
“May God help us and our country and help us to see beyond the fake walls we have ourselves created around us,” he added.
Reagan: Gov’t Claiming ‘I’m Here To Help’ The ‘Most Terrifying Words In The English Language’
[CNSNews.com]
Today, The Drudge Report ran a headline (“I’m Here To Fix It”) about Pres. Obama’s promise to Hurricane Sandy victims in New York, and it reminded me of Pres. Reagan’s famous warning.
“We’ve got some work to do and I want you to know I’m here to do it,” Pres. Obama promised while standing in front of a church in storm-torn New York, The Weekly Standard reports in its article titled, “Obama, In Front Of Church Devastated By Sandy: ‘I’m Here’ To Fix It.”
Both headlines reminded me of Pres. Ronald Reagan’s famous warning to Americans about the dangers of government “help”:
“The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the government and I’m here to help.”
Voter fraud monitors on high alert for Election Day
[FoxNews.com]
Published November 05, 2012
Nov. 5, 2012: Early voters mark their ballots in Indianapolis. (AP)
With Election Day polls set to open in mere hours, those monitoring the vote for fraud and funny business are already on high alert.
Late last month, the state of Florida raised flags after strange letters started to go out telling voters that their citizenship was being questioned and that voting could expose them to possible jail time.
Then in Ohio, Nevada and other battlegrounds, reports surfaced of voters trying to make their choice for president on touch-screen machines only to see the machine register a different candidate. Typically, they voted for Mitt Romney and the machine marked President Obama.
Among the latest allegations is that NAACP workers showed up at a polling site in Houston “electioneering” for Obama and refused to leave — though the NAACP adamantly denies it.
The incident was detailed by a poll watcher for the group True the Vote. In a written statement, monitor Eve Rockford claimed NAACP representatives arrived at the Houston site Friday afternoon “with probably 50 cases of bottled water” and began handing them out to voters.
Unemployment Rises to 7.9%, Payrolls Rise Sharply in October
[Newsmax.com]
Friday, 02 Nov 2012 07:50 AM
© 2012 Thomson/Reuters. All rights reserved.
U.S. employers stepped up hiring in October and the jobless rate ticked higher as more workers restarted job hunts, a hopeful sign for a lackluster economy that has dragged on President Barack Obama’s reelection chances.
Employers added 171,000 people to their payrolls last month, the Labor Department said on Friday. The government also said 84,000 more jobs were created in August and September than initially estimated.
The jobless rate edged a tenth of a point higher to 7.9 percent, but that was due to a surge of workers back into the workforce. Only people who have recently looked for a job can count as unemployed.
The employment data was the last major report card on the economy before Tuesday’s presidential election, which pits Obama against Republican Mitt Romney.
While the rise in the jobless rate was expected, the increase in payrolls beat even the most optimistic forecast in a Reuters poll.
Shock poll: Obama could lose Illinois, Romney leads in Chicago suburbs
[DailyCaller.com]
Political Reporter
President Barack Obama could lose his home state of Illinois in November, a new poll shows.
A poll conducted by Illinois-based pollster and political strategist Michael McKeon found Obama leading Republican Mitt Romney by 49 percent to 37 percent in Cook County, the home of Chicago. That puts him ahead by a far thinner margin than expected in a county he should be winning handsomely.
Cook is the most Democratic leaning county in the state. It is also the most populous.
Those numbers do not bode well for the president.
“He has to come out of Cook County with a big lead or he’s gonna have problems downstate,” explained McKeon, who said that based on the numbers he had seen, Obama polled only in the forties in downstate Illinois.
As Carney labels Libya strike terrorism, Obama continues to cite anti-Islam film
[FoxNews.com]
Published September 20, 2012
After the White House for the first time Thursday explicitly called the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Libya an act of terror, President Obama ducked an opportunity to clear up the confusion about the ever-changing narrative — appearing to hold firm to the story that an anti-Islam film was to blame.
The president spoke Thursday at a town hall hosted by the Spanish-language Univision. He declined to get into specifics, even as lawmakers said after an intelligence briefing that there clearly was “some pre-planning” in last week’s deadly attack.
Instead, Obama launched into an explanation about how the U.S. saw something it’s seen before, where “there is an offensive video or cartoon directed at the Prophet Muhammad” and that is used “as an excuse by some to carry out inexcusable violent acts” against the U.S.
Obama stressed that we’re “still doing an investigation” and said he didn’t know whether Al Qaeda was involved.
No-bama 2012: Young voters fed up with economy
[WND.com] EXCLUSIVE
‘Millennials have concluded government intervention is the problem, not the solution’
August 17, 2012
by Drew Zahn
Young voters – the ones who so notably turned out for Barack Obama in 2008 – are fed up with being unemployed, and many are beginning to turn against the president’s big-government solutions to America’s economic woes.
One group tracking this turnaround is Generation Opportunity, or GO, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that seeks to mobilize Americans aged 18-29 toward “real solutions” to joblessness and the flailing economy.
GO boasted this past week that its family of Facebook pages – with names like “We Like Small Government” and “Gas Prices Are too D— High” – have topped over 4 million “likes” and growing, fueled by a young demographic that polls show is increasingly disillusioned with Obama’s economic policies.
Ryan Candidacy Puts Debts, Deficits Front and Center
[Breitbart.com]
by Wynton Hall 11 Aug 2012, 4:34 PM PDT
Liberals who are “giddy” at the prospects of Mitt Romney’s selection of Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan are in for a rude and sober awakening when they realize the strategic genius behind the decision.
Team Romney’s strategy? Lure the Obama campaign into attacking Ryan’s “Path to Prosperity” deficit reduction plan as a means to frame the 2012 election as a battle over the economic consequences of debt and deficits. If Obama strategists David Axelrod and David Plouffe take the bait, Mitt Romney will win.
Fast and Furious report: Gunwalking idea came from top Holder deputies in 2009
[DailyCaller.com]
Published: 12:11 AM 08/01/2012
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A new congressional report explores how gunwalking, as it occurred in Operation Fast and Furious, appears to have had its “genesis” in the offices of Attorney General Eric Holder’s top deputies.
The report also lays blame for Fast and Furious at the feet of five senior Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) officials.
Gunwalking describes a law enforcement operation in which law enforcement agents choose not to interdict or seize firearms they know were illegally bought by straw purchasers — in the case of Fast and Furious, representatives of Mexican drug cartels — with the goal of allowing them to penetrate further into a criminal conspiracy chain.
Once Fast and Furious-related weapons were “walked” across the U.S.-Mexico border, they could only be recovered at crime scenes in Mexico and the United States, or during raids other law enforcement officials conducted. Mexican drug cartel operatives commonly leave murder weapons at crime scenes so they aren’t found with them at a later time.
Why is Barack Obama Afraid to Release His College Records? posted on July 21, 2012 by da Tagliare
[GodfatherPolitics.com]
July 21, 2012
In the world of political hypocrisy, Barack Obama and other Democrats have been attacking Mitt Romney for not releasing more of his federal income tax returns than he has. Ironically, both Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, who have been quite vocal on the topic, refuse to release any of their tax returns.
Coming to Romney’s defense, Donald Trump is advocating that Romney and the rest of the GOP should demand to see Obama’s records before Romney should release any more of his. Trump is not referring to Obama’s tax returns but to his birth and college records.
Trump’s comments were made earlier this week after the revealing press conference with Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and Mike Zullo, the lead investigator for the Cold Case Posse investigation into Obama’s birth certificate. On Tuesday, Arpaio and Zullo released additional information that seems to clearly prove that the birth certificate presented by the White House for Barack Obama was a forgery and that the act of presenting it constitutes fraud.
In response to the press conference, Trump told Sean Hannity that:
“The fact is Sheriff Arpaio is, in my opinion, correct. Nobody was ever in the hospital by the name of his mother … and a lot of crazy things.”
“If that were a conservative, let’s say a George Bush or somebody, he would have been out of office already.”
“Nobody has more sealed records than this president. So many of his applications … are sealed. He spent $3 million to keep everything sealed. You can’t find out anything about his college. I’m not talking about his marks. I’m talking about his application. It would be so interesting to see.”
TSA hasn’t yet complied with order to start public discussion on body scanners
[DailyCaller.com]
July 17, 2012
It’s been one year since a federal court ordered the Transportation Security Administration to open up its new body scanner system to a process that includes taking comments from the public and justifying the policy, yet the TSA has not yet followed through with the order yet.
Because the agency hasn’t complied, the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) organization plans to file a motion with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit on Tuesday to ask the court to enforce it.
Ginger McCall, a director at EPIC, confirmed to The Daily Caller on Monday that the group is planning to file the motion Tuesday about the failure of TSA to comply with the court’s notice-and-comment rulemaking order.
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Our Disgraceful President
[Townhall.com]
Jul 15, 2012
Warren G. Harding was corrupt, as was Richard M. Nixon. Bill Clinton and John F. Kennedy were like blind golfers, looking for a hole, any hole, every hole. Woodrow Wilson and Franklin Roosevelt were power-mad narcissists convinced they knew best how everyone else should live. Jimmy Carter was clueless. But as we approach the 100-year anniversary of the first of these men to serve as president, all have been lapped in debasing their office by its current occupant: Barack Obama.
It is understandable President Obama would not want to run on his record. Who would? “Give me four more years so I can make up for the first four” is not the stuff of campaign slogan greatness.
But even that wouldn’t work because, as he told CBS News this week, “The mistake of my first term – couple of years – was thinking this job was just about getting the policy right. And that’s important. But the nature of this office is also to tell a story to the American people that gives them a sense of unity and purpose and optimism, especially during tough times.” In other words, his only flaw is he’s too damn close to perfect.
It’s like someone bragging about being the most humble person on the planet.
Romney to Latinos: Obama ‘Taking Your Vote for Granted’
[Breitbart.com]
Posted CWN: June 23, 2012
by Tony Lee
President Barack Obama has taken the Hispanic vote for granted, according to Mitt Romney in a much-anticipated speech to the National Association of Latino Elected Officials (NALEO) in Florida on Thursday.
“He’s taking your vote for granted,” Romney said of Obama. “I’ve come here today with a simple message: You do have an alternative. Your vote should be respected.”
Romney was referring to Obama’s inaction on immigration even though Democrats were in the majority in the House and Senate when he became president.
Romney said Obama, because he cannot sell his economic policies that have left more Latinos (11% as opposed to 8%) unemployed than the general population, will simply tell Hispanics that “things could be worse” and “imply that you really don’t have an alternative.”
Man visited by armed EPA agents not satisfied with answers, wants agency changes
[FoxNews.com]
Published June 09, 2012
This undated handout photo provided by the EPA shows Al Armendariz. Armendariz resigned from the agency in April. (AP)
The North Carolina man visited by armed EPA agents after sending an email to a controversial agency official says he not satisfied with the explanations about what he considers an excessive response and that he wants changes to agency policies and procedures.
“This isn’t over,” Keller said. He told Fox News.com that Environmental Protection Agency officials have said the agency followed procedures and that the agents acted appropriately during their visit last month. However, Keller is still invited to come to EPA headquarters to discuss the situation.
Fast and Furious amnesia hits Attorney General Eric Holder during House testimony
[FoxNews.com]
Published June 07, 2012
Attorney General Eric Holder frustrated his most fierce Capitol Hill accuser and other GOP lawmakers Thursday when asked about the Justice Department’s Fast and Furious weapons sting and which high-ranking Obama administration officials knew about the botched operation.
Holder sidestepped questions by GOP Rep. Darrell Issa about whether he or other Justice Department officials had even started to pull together Fast and Furious documents requested in an October 2011 subpoena Issa sent the agency.
“Nothing has come from your department, not a shred of paper,” Issa said tersely during a House Judiciary Committee meeting.
Issa, R-Calif., is a member of the committee. He also is the chairman of the chamber’s Committee on Oversight and Government Affairs, from which he issued the subpoena. The requests were largely related to an ill-conceived and executed Fast and Furious tactic known as “gunwalking,” which has been linked to the 2010 death of a U.S. Border Patrol agent.
Postal Service offers buyouts, with $15K incentive in latest cost-cutting plan
[FoxNews.com]
Published May 26, 2012
The U.S. Postal Service announced late Friday it would offer thousands of mail-handlers a $15,000 incentive to retire early, the most recent attempt by the financially-strapped agency to cut costs and stay open for business.
The voluntary offer was extended to roughly 45,000 full-time union employees. It is part of the agency’s larger plan to cut its workforce by 150,000 over the next three years and close hundreds of mail-procession centers.
Postal officials said such changes are necessary as a result of the recession and because Americans continue to pay bills and perform other, similar tasks online, instead of doing them through the mail.
Officials said 60 percent of Americans now pay their bills online, compared to just 5 percent in 2000. They also said mail volume peaked at 213 billion in 2006, but has since plummeted by more than 25 percent.
Official also have said the congressional mandate to pre-fund retirement health care benefits has contributed to financial problems.
The agency reportedly lost more than $6 billion in the first two quarters of fiscal 2012.
(more…)
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