The Internal Revenue Service official in charge of the tax-exempt organizations at the time when the unit targeted tea party groups now runs the IRS office responsible for the health care legislation.
Sarah Hall Ingram served as commissioner of the office responsible for tax-exempt organizations between 2009 and 2012. But Ingram has since left that part of the IRS and is now the director of the IRS' Affordable Care Act office, the IRS confirmed to ABC News today.
Her successor, Joseph Grant, is taking the fall for misdeeds at the scandal-plagued unit between 2010 and 2012. During at least part of that time, Grant served as deputy commissioner of the tax-exempt unit.
Grant announced today that he would retire June 3, despite being appointed as commissioner of the tax-exempt office May 8, a week ago.
As the House voted to fully repeal the Affordable Care Act Thursday evening, House Speaker John Boehner expressed "serious concerns" that the IRS is empowered as the law's chief enforcer.
"Fully repealing ObamaCare will help us build a stronger, healthier economy, and will clear the way for patient-centered reforms that lower health care costs and protect jobs," Boehner, R-Ohio, said.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell also reacted to the revelation in a brief statement late Thursday.
"Stunning, just stunning," McConnell, R-Ky. stated.
ABC News' Abby D. Phillip contributed to this report.
Watchdog: Witness protection lost track of 'known or suspected terrorists,' let others board planes
Published May 16, 2013
FoxNews.com
The Justice Department temporarily lost track of two known or suspected terrorists who were in the witness protection program -- and allowed others on the no-fly list to board commercial flights -- according to a watchdog report which fueled criticism of the administration.
"This is gross mismanagement -- pure and simple," Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said in a statement.
The allegations were made in an inspector general report released Thursday. The report found agencies in the department did not properly share the new identities of some in witness protection -- the lapse meant those new names were not updated in the no-fly list.
"Therefore, it was possible for known or suspected terrorists to fly on commercial airplanes in or over the United States and evade one of the government's primary means of identifying and tracking terrorists' movements and actions," the report said.
Second IRS Official to Resign from Post (But Guess How Long he Held it)
The Blaze | Becket Adams | May. 16, 2013 6:09pm
A second top Internal Revenue Service official has announced plans to step down from his post amid the controversy over the agency's targeting of conservative groups.
An internal IRS memo says Joseph Grant, commissioner of the agency's tax exempt and government entities division, will retire June 3. As part of his duties, Grant oversees the IRS division that targeted tea party groups for additional scrutiny when they applied for tax-exempt status.
But here's the fun part: Grant was appointed to that position just eight days ago.
Get a load of this May 8 press release: Here . . .
[When] Saturday, May 18th [Time] High Noon - Rally Starts, 1pm Speakers, Afterwards We March [Where] Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia 10 North Independence Mall W, Philadelphia, PA 19106
In a rather peculiar and ill-timed statement issued this past Friday, a mid-level IRS administrator publicly admitted that the agency has been harassing Tea Party and Patriot groups who filed for 501c tax-exempt status by forcing them to undergo additional burdensome scrutiny above and beyond the standard application process.
As many news outlets reported, IRS intimidation of conservative groups has been ongoing since 2010.
Association Editorial
None of this is news to the Independence Hall Tea Party Association.
Due to our concerns over the Obama Administration's control of the IRS, the Association decided not to file for tax exempt status. In addition, unlike most Tea Party groups across the nation, we formed a federal PAC to handle political endorsements and activities--thereby making it less likely that we would become potential government targets.
However, a left-wing, anarchist group called Anonymous did manage to hack into both of our websites during the 2012 primary--taking over the sites for a 24-hour period and posting pornographic images/racial slurs on our home page.
We believe the Anonymous attacks were directly related to our hosting an event with Governor Mitt Romney at the Franklin Institute in which we refused to admit members of Occupy who were threatening to disrupt the Governor's speech.
(Because of our limited resources, both the Association and the PAC decided only to report the matter to local authorities and to focus our efforts, instead, on our respective educational and political missions.)
As for the IRS, the Association, like everyone else, is waiting for the Inspector General's full report--which is expected early this week.
The Inspector General's report, we insist, should signal the beginning of a more thorough investigation--not the last word on this highly explosive scandal.
Internet Sales Tax
As we reported last week, the Internet Sales Tax bill, known as the 'Marketplace
Fairness Act,' cleared the US Senate in lopsided vote 69-27 vote--but we're still hoping it will never see the light of day in the US House.
Please continue to call the Capitol Switchboard @ 202.224.3121 and ask to be connected to your Congressman/woman. Tell your Representative to oppose the Internet Sales Tax bill!
Then, use the same number to call Speaker John Boehner and Majority LeaderEric Cantor. Tell them not to move the bill forward.
Next, call House Judiciary Committee Chairman, Congressman Bob
Goodlatte (R-VA). He and fellow Republicans on the committee can deal a lethal blow to the tax bill. Tell them to bury the bill in committee!
An Immigration Bill to Match ObamaCare
Again, as we reported last week, the US Senate began serious debate on the Immigration bill proposed by the 'gang of eight' Senators--an enormous 844-page tome described as a comprehensive bill.
For starters, we believe the only matter for Congress to consider after the 2013 Boston Massacre is how to prevent terrorists from gaining access to our land.
We note that the Boston Jihadist brothers were here legally!
Our entire immigration process is broken--and the sooner we focus on securing our nation from would-be terrorists and Jihadists--the safer we will be.
The most often heard retort to 'comprehensive' immigration reform is 'let's secure our boarders first.' So, Congress, let's secure our borders now! As the following article suggests, a majority of Americans are united on this front:
Secure borders, like 'energy independence,' has been an illusive goal for decades--but if our nation can send spacecraft to the far reaches of the Milky Way and beyond, we can certainly achieve other, less lofty, objectives.
Please call 202.224.3121 and ask to be connected to the offices of your US Senators (DE: Carper, Coons; NJ: Lautenberg, Menendez; PA: Casey,
Toomey). Tell them to oppose the 844-page "comprehensive" Immigration bill and to secure our boarders before passing any additional legislation!
Pot of Gold Money Drop
Our April/May Pot of Gold Money Drop has passed the half-way mark!
We hope to continue our efforts to restore limited government and free market principles--despite the IRS, President Obama, and his allies--but we need your help!
Many thanks to those who have already "dropped a donation!" So far, we have raised $3,000! If each of you gave just $5, we would surpass our goal many times over.
$5000
As an extra incentive:
* Those giving a $25 donation will receive an Independence Hall Tea Party t-shirt as our thank you.
* Those giving a $50 donation will receive one Independence Hall Tea Party golf shirt or two t-shirts as our thank you.
* Those giving a $100 donation will receive two Independence Hall Tea Party golf shirts as our thank you.
Zionist Organization of America in a Parade celebrating 65 years of
Israeli Independence.
Israel 65 Parade with Pat Ciarrachi and the Avalon String Band
When: Sunday, May 19, 11 AM
Where: Center City Philadelphia
The Celebration continues at the Pennsylvania Convention Center immediately following the Parade. For more information, call ZOA @ 610.660.9466
Later that week (Wednesday, May 22),
Drexel University College Republicans
will be hosting Brooke Goldstein -- author, filmmaker, and human rights attorney. Ms. Goldstein's documentary, The Making of a Martyr, will be shown prior to her talk.
Drexel CR's Present: Brooke Goldstein and The Making of a Martyr
When: Wednesday, May 22, 6-8:45 PM; Cocktail Hour, 5-6 PM
Where: The Skyroom, MacAlister Hall, 3250 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia
Cost: Free and open to the public.
Sponsored by Drexel University College Republicans.
And finally, last but not least, the Independence Hall Tea Party will sponsor its 5th Annual July 4th Celebration on Independence Mall. This year's theme:
Preserving America's Heritage.
Preserving America's Heritage--Independence Day 2013
When: Thursday, July 4, 1-3 PM
Where: Independence Mall, 5th and Market Streets
Free and open to the public. Many more details to follow.
Hope to see you soon!
On behalf of the Association Board,
Teri Adams
Shalom ZOA Members, Friends and Supporters of Israel,
Philadelphia is having a parade to celebrate the 65th anniversary of Israel's re-establishment on May 19 and ZOA will be one of the groups taking part.
March with ZOA through the streets of Philadelphia. Display your Israel pride and ZOA pride. We will have special T-shirts for the occasion.
The parade will wend its way through the heart of Center City from the Benjamin Franklin Parkway to the Pennsylvania Convention Center, stepping off at 11 a.m.
This is a great opportunity for young and old - and all of those in between - to come out to celebrate Israel.
If you've always wanted to take part in a parade but never had an opportunity, this is your chance! Let's show Philadelphia that support for Israel is stronger than ever!
The annual Israel Independence Day Festival will take place after the parade inside the Pennsylvania Convention Center at 11th and Arch Sts. ZOA will have a booth at the festival, and we will need volunteers to help us.
Please RSVP about participating in the parade either by email or phone - 610-660-9466.
If you are able to volunteer during the festival from noon to 5 p.m. (for all or part of the afternoon) please let us know as well.
Thank you.
See you on May 19!
On Thursday, May 30, the organization Friends of Israel will celebrate its 75th anniversary of helping Jews and the Jewish State of Israel with a gala in Voorhees, N.J. We hope you will attend their reasonably priced dinner as a show of support and unity.
As you will note, this Christian Zionist group began its mission 10 years before Israel was re-established. They were originally known as "The Friends of Israel Refugee Relief Committee." To this day they continue to be advocates for Israel throughout the world and lead an annual mission to Israel. Though this group is international in scope, it is based in South Jersey.
Friends of Israel leadership have attended our Philadelphia ZOA Gala each year and last year we honored its immediate past executive director, William Sutter, and his wife, Annette. We see Bill (who is still quite active) and his successor, Jim Showers, at nearly every pro-Israel event in the region. They truly are, as their name indicates, "friends of Israel."
Tickets are just $45. The event takes place at The Mansion on Main Street, on May 30, beginning at 5:30 p.m.........
Kosher meals are available
Please call me at our Office for all of the details at 610-660-9466. I hope you will be able to attend.
Thank you,
Steve
THE UNION LEAGUE PUBLIC AFFAIRS COMMITTEE and
PHILADELPHIA FREEDOM CENTER
present
Michele
Bachmann
United States House of Representative for Minnesota
Friday, June 7, 2013 at 11:30 AM (EDT) at the Union League of Philadelphia.
WITH TRADITONAL VALUES, STRONG CONVICTIONS & FAITH IN OUR CONSTITUTION, HEAR MICHELLE BACHMANN'S VISION FOR OUR NATION.
In 2006, Congresswoman Michele Bachmann became the first Republican woman to be elected to represent Minnesota in the U.S. House of Representatives. As a self-proclaimed "Constitutional Conservative" she is committed to fixing Washington's broken ways by advocating for America's adherence to the Constitution. As a believer in the traditional values upon which this country was founded, Bachmann consistently defends America's religious liberties and the importance of family as the first unit of government. As the federal government continues to grow under the current administration, Bachmann was honored to establish the Tea Party Caucus in July 2010. She is proud to stand with the Tea Party to call for lower taxes, renewed focus on the Constitution and smaller government.
Reception: 11:30 am * Luncheon/Speaking Engagement: Noon
Price: $50.00 inclusive
For additional information please call 484-380-2549 or log on to www.phillyfreedom.org.
Announcing the 2013 National Conference
& Legislative Briefing!
June 19 - 21 we will convene at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC for our fourth annual National Conference & Legislative Briefing.
And here's some really great news: This year's registration fee is only $229! Register by April 15th and you'll receive our "Early Bird" rate of just $189!
We also offer again this year special benefits for Patriot Eagle and Patriot sponsors.
We have some exciting new wrinkles planned for this year's event, and our list of confirmed speakers already includes:
Steven Emerson - Journalist, author, and the Executive Editor of the Investigative Project on Terrorism. A. M. Rosenthal, late-managing editor of The New York Times, described Emerson as "one of the nation's best national security correspondents."
John Guandolo - Former FBI agent and one of America's leading authorities on the Muslim Brotherhood and its inner workings in America. Guandolo spoke at our conference in 2011 and received rave reviews from conference attendees!
Ezra Levant - Canadian lawyer, author, newspaper columnist with Sun Media, and former publisher of the Western Standard. Hauled before a Canadian "human rights commission" because he published the Danish cartoons that satirized Muhammad, Levant's personal account of a politically correct government inquisition is something you won't want to miss!
The National Conference & Legislative Briefing will begin on Wed. evening, June 19th, and conclude on Friday, June 21st at noon, with additional optional training sessions Friday afternoon.
It will again feature our very popular Capitol Hill Awards Luncheon and our signature gala banquet-and of course, our Legislative Briefing, where Members of Congress will brief you on various issues and answer your questions.
So make your plans now to join us in our nation's capital for what promises to be our best National Conference & Legislative Briefing ever!
More details to come!
2013 RedState Gathering -- Early Bird Special
Dear RedStater,
We announced earlier this week that we'll be headed to New Orleans the first weekend in August for this year's RedState Gathering. As a member of our RedState family, we'd like to extend exclusive Early Bird registration and pricing to you (just use the promo code EARLYBIRD on the registration page).
The 2013 RedState Gathering will be held August 2-3 at the Westin Canal Place in New Orleans, LA. We'll have two full days of speakers and activities and you can expect a good mix of elected officials and potential candidates for the 2014 cycle (we'll keep you informed as additions are made).
The Gathering has always been a unique event, in that all speakers, even the most in-demand and influential, pay their own way and make their own travel arrangements. This helps keep our costs low, a savings we are happy to pass along to our conference attendees. Additionally, we strive to get you up close to the speakers, ask them to take your questions, and we take care of nearly all your meals during the conference. Bottom line: fewer frills, more thrills and access.
We are thrilled to once again be joined by Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, who will be hosting a reception for all attendees and appear at the Gathering podium as a keynote speaker. A huge hit in 2012, we're looking forward to Gov. Jindal playing an even larger role this year as he welcomes us to his home state.
Now, more than ever, true conservative activists must come together to exchange ideas and strategize for the future. That's what this year's Gathering is all about. We hope you'll join us.
P.S. Don't delay! You'll receive 20% off if you register today - just use the promo code EARLYBIRD. Click here.
From a trusted friend:
As some of you may know, I am associated with Coventry Christian Schools as a parent of a graduate (2010) and as member of the Board of Trustees. Last October we spent a wonderful evening honoring Mark Niehls at our revitalized Founder's Dinner and celebrated our shared heritage in the remarkable community that is Coventry Christian Schools. Our vision for future Founder's Dinners is to inspire and inform not only our alumni and current CCS families but to inspire and inform the Tri-County Area and even our region by hosting speakers and artists who can uniquely assist us in celebrating the heritage, core values, and mission of CCS while also lifting our vision for an even greater future built upon the foundation of our past. The caliber of our speakers and guest artists should provide us with wonderful opportunities to share our CCS story with new partners in Christian education. Proceeds from the dinner will be applied to our annual Coventry Kids Fund for CCS scholarships.
This year we are proud to announce that our distinguished guest and speaker is Dr. Benjamin Carson, and our dinner's theme is "Faith of Our Fathers: The Role of Faith in American Schools." Please join us as we welcome Dr. Carson to the Tri-County Area and celebrate the great things God is doing at CCS!
Dr. Carson is a highly regarded neurosurgeon and motivational speaker who has addressed various audiences across the country. He is one of the most honored and recognized physicians in the world and holds more than 60 honorary doctorate degrees along with hundreds of awards and citations. He is a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States. He is the author of five books and is the founder of the Carson Scholars Fund. The 2009 award-winning movie entitled Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story, starring Cuba Gooding, Jr. as Carson, premiered on TNT and is based on his memoir. Dr. Carson is an authentic disciple of Christ, has been married to his wife Candy for more than 37 years, and is the father of three sons.
The 2013 Founder's Dinner, which will once again be a part of our Homecoming festivities, will be held at the historic Sunnybrook Ballroom in Pottstown on Sunday, October 13th, 2013. Doors will open at 4:30pm, followed by dinner at 5:15. Dress will be business/professional. Tickets will be priced at $100 until May 15th, then will be $125, so reserve your tickets for the reduced price.
Due to Dr. Carson's international reputation and recent prominence in the media, including his recent speech at the 2013 National Prayer Breakfast, we fully anticipate that this event will sell out quickly once advertised to the public. Tickets go on sale to the public April 15. If you are interested in attending, tickets can be purchased online. I will send the link out to those who wish to go on April 15
th
. While online reservations are preferred because they facilitate efficient event planning, you may also complete a paper order form, which I can forward to you as well.
All of us at Coventry Christian Schools, look forward to sharing this very special evening with you and acquainting you with the school and its mission!
Blessings,
Christine Gordon
Sponsorships are available as well and are as follows:
Gold Sponsor $3,000
Two tickets at Speaker's Table
Two tickets at Headmaster's Table
Listed as sponsor on school website through 12 months post event
Listed as sponsor on pre-event print marketing
Mentioned by name at event
Full Page ad in Dinner Program
Silver Sponsor $1,500
Two tickets at Speaker's Table
Listed as sponsor on school website through 12 months post event
Half page ad in Dinner Program
Bronze Sponsor $500
Two tickets at Headmaster's Chairman's or Founder's Table
Listed as sponsor on school website through 12 months post event
·Quarter page ad in Dinner Program
Heritage Foundation weighs in on Common Core
By Rachel Sheffield April 11, 2013: Policy Analyst, The Heritage Foundation (courtesy of Citizens' Alliance of Pennsylvania)This coming school year, Pennsylvania public schools will begin implementing the Common Core education standards. Like many other states, Common Core standards are quickly making their way into the classroom. While proponents of the standards continue to champion their predicted benefits, there is significant cause for concern.First, the standards represent a massive federal overreach. The Obama Administration jumped on board from the get go, promoting national education standards, via policy and federal taxpayer dollars, as part of their education agenda. Billions of federal dollars have gone towards and are continuing to fund, the promotion and implementation of these standards nationwide. The federal government's involvement with the standards should be alarming. Pushing state and local leaders away from classroom curriculum is not only a breach in federalism but gives parents, teachers, and communities less say over what children learn in school. Education experts have also raised alarm over the quality of the standards. Sandra Stotsky, Professor of Education Reform at the University of Arkansas, has particularly expressed concern over the English Language Arts. Common Core's ELA standards reduce emphasis on literature by promoting the study of "informational texts." Stotsky says
, "A diminished emphasis on literature in the secondary grades makes it unlikely that American students will study a meaningful range of culturally and historically significant literary works before graduation. It also prevents students from acquiring a rich understanding and use of the English language. Perhaps of greatest concern, it may lead to a decreased capacity for analytical thinking."
Common Core goes SOCIAL MEDIA!!! Please share with everyone you know and help us make this a huge success. MARK YOUR CALENDAR!!! Not a TWITTER person.....grab a kid and have some fun.
Parent-Led Reform (@ParentLedReform) will host a Twitter Rally on April 16, 2013 which will start will go from 12:00p-2:00p (EST). We will discuss how the Common Core State Standards effect your family, community and schools? We invite you to participate.
There will be an expert panel and several organizations that will discuss#StopCommonCore. So far I know the panel will consist of:
I'll update with a live link for the Twitter Rally (or you can just follow the hashtag #StopCommonCore) and as the expert panel is finalized.
Update: Be sure to RSVP with the Facebook event invite, this will help keep you up to date with pertinent info.
The whole story on Common Core
Read the sourced and footnoted response to the National Review Online and get all the facts you need to know about Common Core HERE. Compiled by American Principles project and Glenn's research team.
Common Core is the new set of federal education standards being pushed by the Obama administration and several leftist organizations but it's even seeing some support from some conservatives.
defending Common Core, and Glenn gave the definitive response on radio today."Common Core is something that we didn't really get for quite some time and again it's something we've learned from the 9/12 project and concerned parents all around the country that have been bringing this to our attention. When we started in on this work, we thought it was pretty bad. The more we do, the worse it becomes," Glenn said.
Below are some of the points made by the National Review Online in defense of Common Core, followed by Glenn's response.
Today on radio, Glenn gave the definitive response. See that and get all the sources to back it up HERE.
Students in some Albany High School English classes were asked to participate in the unthinkable this week as part of a persuasive writing assignment. The objective? Prove why Jews are evil and convince the teacher of their loyalty to the Third Reich in five paragraphs or less. See the actual lessonHERE.
A concerned parent tipped off TheBlaze to the disturbing fact that NY public schools are teaching the U.N.'s Socialist-leaning Universal Human Rights. We also discovered that the schools are delivering this indoctrination using videos made by the Church of Scientology. Learn what our investigation revealedHERE.
TheBlaze has been at the forefront in uncovering the disturbing details of the nationalized curriculum standard known as Common Core. One of the most troubling aspects of this federal program is that government bureaucrats are currently mining sensitive and highly personal information on children through Common Core's tracking system. Watch the powerful segments from The Glenn Beck Program HERE.
We all know how tough it is to maintain your morals in today's media world. Here are two gifts from the AFA to you, each meant to help you navigate your way through media today:
The article discusses how far TV has fallen in recent years and outlines some practical steps you can take to protect your family.
And the free movie guide is a great way to find movies for family night that the whole family can enjoy.
I hope these tools are a blessing to you!
Sincerely,
Tim Wildmon, President American Family Association
America needs a history lesson
Sign up now for Hillsdale's newest online courses - available FREE to every American!
Did you know that over 500,000 other students have already registered for one of our free online courses?
As Ronald Reagan once said during a speech delivered on our campus in 1978, "Hillsdale deserves the appreciation of all who labor for freedom...Your creative outreach on national issues enables little Hillsdale to cast a long shadow."
As a school of only 1,400 students, we reach over 350 TIMES that number with our online courses on the Constitution and America's founding principles.
Now is your chance to join with your fellow citizens!
Register now for this free "American Heritage" online course so you can better understand - and defend - the principles of liberty. This is the type of education America's Founders thought necessary to preserve our republic. Lectures in this not-for-credit online course are delivered by members of Hillsdale's history department faculty, and readings are drawn from the American Heritage Reader used in the American Heritage core course taught on Hillsdale's campus.
Course Schedule
Approximately 40 minutes in length, lectures will be released each Monday according to the schedule below. Once available, each week's materials can be viewed at your convenience.
The critically-acclaimed film, The Third Jihad - Radical Islam's Vision for America educates about the nature of radical Islamic ideology. Law enforcement agencies across the country have used the film in their counter-terror training.
Understanding the threats of terror is the first step in preventing deadly attacks.
Please consider supporting our efforts
"This fantastic documentary is both entertaining and educational" - Dove Foundation
Rev. C.L. Bryant's documentary Runaway Slave has been a runaway hit! The film recently won the Crystal Dove Seal, and has been making waves across the country.
Runaway Slave is the story of C.L. Bryant, a former NAACP Chapter president who realized that the Democrat Party and progressive movement was hurting Africa-Americans and keeping them stuck on the government dole. Rev. Bryant discusses the impact of progressivism on the African-American community and how freedom works with a host of leaders including Dr. Alveda King, Herman Cain, Allen West, Dr. Thomas Sowell, and many others.
The Crystal Dove Seal award is given to films that are family-friendly and provide wholesome, educational content. Runaway Slave is an important movie for all audiences, and it has a message that should be heard if we want to achieve a society where character is king.
Congratulations to Rev. C.L. Bryant and the Runaway Slave team on their achievement!
Seniors Cheer Speaker Boehner and Leader McConnell for Opposing IPAB Appointments
Jim Martin: "These principled leaders stand as a firewall against Obama's Medicare slashing panel so that it may take its rightful place in history alongside the Edsel and Dodo bird."
(Alexandria, Virginia) - The 60 Plus Association, the nation's largest conservative seniors organization and acknowledged alternative to the liberal AARP today offered praise and thanks to Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) for informing President Obama via letter that they 'respectfully decline' to recommend names to serve on the Individual Payment Advisory Board (IPAB). Created as part of Obamacare, IPAB is scheduled to appoint 15 bureaucrats charged with cutting reimbursement rates and eliminating procedures covered by Medicare to help fund Obama's health care law.
The letter stated the two leaders opposed Obamacare "because we knew it would increase health costs, impose costly burdens on job creation and raid Medicare to pay for a massive new entitlement," and for that reason they declined to participate in empowering IPAB. This brought praise from 60 Plus Chairman Jim Martin, leader of the 7.2 million strong seniors' organization.
"Speaker Boehner and Leader McConnell stand on principle in refusing to be complicit in the wholesale dismantling of Medicare in order to pay for President Obama's massive new healthcare law. We and tens of millions of Americans have supported them in their past efforts to repeal IPAB, because if it were ever to become reality, it would take power away from the people and their elected representatives and put Medicare's fate into the hands of an unelected, unaccountable collection of backroom bureaucrats who will gash Medicare to the bone.
"I am personally proud to see that some in Washington can still disagree respectfully, even with their political opponents who consistently fail to show respect in return. Obama, the Democrats in Congress and the AARP shoved Obamacare down the throats of the American people after serving it up on a silver platter of falsehoods and phony promises, claiming it would make healthcare better and protect seniors. Well now the Obamacare train wreck is in full swing, and as long as IPAB is on the books, it is seniors who are still stuck on the tracks.
"America's elderly as well as future generations will forever remember the courage and consistency of these two principled leaders who have stood strong to protect seniors and their families from total Medicare devastation. We owe them a debt of gratitude, and a promise that we will continue to stand by their side until IPAB and Obamacare are no more."
RedState Morning Briefing
For May 17, 2013
1.The Obama Scandals Aren't About Bad Government, but Big Government
When scandal rocks any administration, its partisan opponents smell blood in the water and move in to inflict as much political damage on the president as possible.
Consultants assure us it'll "gin up the base." It makes headlines. And it's always easy to kick someone when he's down.
But for conservatives, especially in the case of the various scandals enveloping the Obama Administration this month, it's also unwise.
For these scandals present conservatives a much greater opportunity than the chance to win a few news cycles or claim a few bureaucratic scalps.
The ballooning Obama scandals - IRS, HHS, DOJ, EPA - are not really about character or competence, but the danger of big government itself.
The more power any government has, the more power it will abuse. The more money it spends, the more money it will mis-spend. Dysfunction and corruption grow on government like mold on otherwise perfectly good bread.
Republicans must remember that the problem is not Democrats in charge of government, but government itself. The argument falls flat if Republicans revert to "big government conservative" arguments of "put us in charge" and we'll do better with the same. No they won't.
Government is the problem. The vastness, complexity, and nefarious encroachment into our personal lives should be fought, not just blamed on the other side. Once we have actual evidence that the White House was involved, then the story can shift. For now, this is big government out of control, which is what the Democrats - not just Obama - want. . . . please click here for the rest of the post →
3.Meet the Partisan Union Behind The Partisan Internal Revenue Service
At a protest in downtown Manhattan last week, a group of federal workers chanted: "Hey, hey, ho, ho, sequestration has got to go!"
I worked at the Leadership Institute in Arlington for a little more than four years; it was my first job out of college and one of the most important times of my career. I learned a tremendous amount about the conservative movement, the nature of coalitions, and how political technology was philosophically neutral. I also learned about character and left with a hero: Morton Blackwell. Today, I'm proud to be a Leadership Institute donor, and readily recommend LI to every young conservative I meet.
5.White House: All Americans Can Opt-Out Of ObamaCare
Believe it or not, RedStaters, the White House has just announced that every American with private health insurance can opt-out of ObamaCare!
Yes. In a response to my petition on the White House website, the administration states very clearly:
"If you currently have private health insurance, you should be able to keep it, and that's exactly what the health care law says. It's not a question of opting out of health reform - the idea that individuals who like their insurance should keep it is a central part of the law."
Many in our country and in the districts we represent feel that Congress is out of touch and that members are more focused on re-election than on providing real solutions to our nation's biggest challenges. We hear from constituents all the time that there is a lack of urgency and focus when it comes to solving our country's toughest issues like tackling the deficit and putting policies in place that will lead to economic growth. . . . please click here for the rest of the post →
Experts can't always predict exactly how public policy will affect the nation, despite our best efforts. But when it comes to immigration policy, we have tried many of the types of reforms advocated by today's Gang of Eight-so we should consider the effects these reforms had in the past.
In the mid-'80s, many Members of Congress advocated amnesty for long-settled illegal immigrants. President Reagan considered it reasonable to adjust the status of what was then a relatively small population, and as his attorney general, I supported his decision.
The path to citizenship was not automatic. Immigrants had to pay application fees, learn to speak English, understand American civics, pass a medical exam, and register for military selective service. Those with convictions for a felony or three misdemeanors were ineligible.
This should sound familiar, as it's quite close to the path and provisions set forth by the Gang of Eight.
Today they call it a "roadmap to citizenship." Ronald Reagan called it "amnesty." And he was right.
The 1986 reform did not solve our immigration problem-in fact, the population of illegal immigrants has nearly quadrupled since that "comprehensive" bill.
Has the Obama Team Finally Lost the Juice? Lauri B. Regan For those of us who have been writing about the Obama administration from the beginning, the past several days of the news cycle have been a gift from heaven. More
The Senate's Anti-Dog-Eat-Dog Law Gene Schwimmer The Marketplace Fairness Act has nothing to do with marketplace fairness and everything to do with politicians -- of both parties -- searching for additional revenue to shovel into the voracious maw that is government today. More
The IRS Patriots Daniel Payne "Ineffective management?" In a very real sense, the exposé of the IRS scandal seems to point to effective management instead. More
Economic data point to slowing economy May 16, 2013 A spike in jobless claims and a big drop in new home starts add to worries of a second quarter swoon for the economy. More
Members of the House of Representatives are scheduled to vote Thursday to repeal all of Obamacare. Given that the House voted to repeal the law last year, some commentators and observers have questioned the need for another repeal vote.
However, the scandals coming to light over the last week perfectly make the case for why Congress must eradicate the law from the statute books.
On Friday, the Internal Revenue Service finally disclosed that it had spent years targeting tea party and other conservative groups, delaying their applications for non-profit status and giving those applications additional scrutiny - solely because of those groups' political beliefs.
Also on Friday, The Washington Post revealed that Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius personally asked health industry groups to contribute to Enroll America, a pro-Obamacare front group working to "educate" the public about the law's supposed benefits.
While we don't yet know all the details about these scandals, we do know that the IRS grossly abused its power at a time when Obamacare grants it massive new authority. The Treasury Department's Inspector General has said Obamacare represents "the largest set of tax law changes in 20 years," with at least 42 provisions adding to or amending the tax code.
Obamacare taxes most people with health insurance, and most people without health insurance. Likewise, the law taxes many employers who provide health insurance, and most employers who don't provide health insurance.
Obamacare's heavy reliance on the IRS seems somehow fitting, as the entire law relies on a scheme of government controls and regulations to work its will on the health care system. The law imposes price controls on insurance companies and extends a system of price controls for pharmaceutical companies. Obamacare also places a board of unelected, unaccountable bureaucrats at the center of its plans to control health care costs.
A 2010 Congressional Research Service report found that the number of new bureaucracies "that will ultimately be created" by Obamacare "is currently unknowable." Little wonder that Vice President Biden boasted shortly before the law was passed, "We're going to control the insurance companies."
That's what Obamacare is about. It's not about health care. It's about government control and power. And the record of this Administration shows its willingness to use this power in arbitrary and harmful ways.
Secretary Sebelius's recently disclosed fundraising campaign tried to make an end-run around Congress, forcing private companies to give money for a pro-Obamacare marketing campaign that Congress itself has refused to fund.
It isn't the first time the secretary has skirted the law, either. HHS's infamous waivers, the majority of which went to individuals in union health plans, weren't mentioned in Obamacare. And in recent weeks, Democrats who support the law have criticized the secretary for taking funds from other programs to fund Obamacare implementation.
Just like the IRS, HHS has also targeted the First Amendment rights of private organizations. In 2009, the department applied an infamous "gag order" on Medicare Advantage plans, ordering them not to communicate with seniors about how Obamacare's cuts to Medicare Advantage would affect their coverage.
If past experience is any guide, IRS and HHS could use their newfound Obamacare powers to target their political opponents. Will individuals who choose not to buy insurance under Obamacare's mandate find themselves subjected to government audits?
Will corporations who choose not to "donate" to Sebelius's fundraising campaign find themselves targeted by Obamacare regulators - or even the IRS itself? Given the events of the past week, few can answer these questions with an unequivocal "no."
There's one easy way to stop the rot, and that's to repeal Obamacare once and for all. At a time when this week's revelations show how the government has abused its existing powers, it's exactly the wrong time to give the government yet more authority. Congress should instead focus on repealing Obamacare and restoring freedom.
Read the Morning Bell and more en español every day at Heritage Libertad.
Quick Hits:
An explosive set of emails released yesterday revealed how the State Department and the White House edited talking points on the Benghazi terrorist attack, removing references to al-Qaeda and Islamic extremists, as well as evidence of prior warnings.
The acting commissioner of the IRS has been ousted, but congressional committees and the FBI are still investigating potential civil rights violations in the IRS's targeting of conservative groups.
Attorney General Eric Holder went before a congressional committee yesterday on the AP phone record scandal, though the hearing yielded few answers.
After days of media leaks and back-and-forth wrangling about administration officials' deliberations on talking points about the Benghazi attack, the WH released documents showing that both CIA and State Dept. officials pressed for the removal of all references to al-Qaeda and previous terror activity in Libya.
Senator Alexander compared HHS Sec. Kathleen Sebelius' fundraising for non-profits that support the ObamaCare law to the Iran-Contra Scandal. Since then, Sen. Alexander has asked the GAO to investigate her fundraising.
While they pretend to champion privacy rights, top left-wing operatives have routinely ransacked and plundered through the private documents and personal records of conservative groups...
When I was getting ready to work at the State Department way back in the last century, Henry Kissinger gave me good advice: The only reason to write a memo is if you want it leaked.
"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same." ~ Ronald Reagan
Before I forget, I (and perhaps Jonah Goldberg) will be "guest bartending" at a National Review Happy Hour, held at our D.C. office at 233 Pennsylvania Avenue the evening of Thursday, May 30. It's being organized by a nascent women-focused NR group called "Conserva-Chicks" -- clearly, no focus group examined that name -- so attendance by those with two X chromosomes is particularly appreciated. You can watch a quick promotional video, demonstrating my bartending skills, here.
Holder Melts Down
Can anyone, with a straight face, argue that Eric Holder should remain as attorney general, and the country can have faith in his abilities and judgment in the coming months and years? I mean, apparently he doesn't even write things down anymore:
Lawmakers skewered Attorney General Eric Holder yesterday over the Justice Department's sweeping effort to snoop on Associated Press reporters and editors -- while the embattled Cabinet secretary kicked responsibility down the chain of command.
Holder was in the hot seat for hours of testimony before the House Judiciary Committee just days after the scandal broke, telling lawmakers that his deputy, James Cole, was the one who authorized the sweeping subpoena that caused an uproar in both parties.
"It's an ongoing matter and an ongoing matter in which I know nothing," Holder said.
Holder says he recused himself from the matter completely -- but in an embarrassing admission, he said he hasn't found a written record of that action.
As the nation's top law enforcement official, Eric Holder is privy to all kinds of sensitive information. But he seems to be proud of how little he knows.
Why didn't his Justice Department inform the Associated Press, as the law requires, before pawing through reporters' phone records?
"I do not know," the attorney general told the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday afternoon, "why that was or was not done. I simply don't have a factual basis to answer that question."
Why didn't the DOJ seek the AP's cooperation, as the law also requires, before issuing subpoenas?
"I don't know what happened there," Holder replied. "I was recused from the case."
Why, asked the committee's chairman, Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), was the whole matter handled in a manner that appears "contrary to the law and standard procedure"?
"I don't have a factual basis to answer the questions that you have asked, because I was recused," the attorney general said.
On and on Holder went: "I don't know. I don't know....I would not want to reveal wht I know...I don't know why that didn't happen...I know nothering so I'm not in a position really to answer."
What do you know that Eric Holder doesn't know? A lot, apparently.
The IRS Abuse Story: It's Not As Bad As You Feared. It's Worse. Much Worse.
Let me get this straight: The acting IRS commissioner who was in charge when the agency admitted its wrongdoing has resigned, but will keep his pension and there's no sign he will face criminal charges . . . and this is accountability?
At the time when tea party groups were targeted, Miller was a deputy commissioner who oversaw the division that dealt with tax-exempt organizations.
The report by the Treasury inspector general for tax administration does not indicate that Miller knew conservative groups were being targeted until after the practice ended. But documents show that Miller repeatedly failed to tell Congress that tea party groups were being targeted, even after he had been briefed on the matter.
The director of the Internal Revenue Service division under fire for singling out conservative groups sent a 2012 letter under her name to one such group, POLITICO has learned.
The March 2012 letter was sent to the Ohio-based American Patriots Against Government Excess (American PAGE) under the name of Lois Lerner, the director of the Exempt Organizations Division.
In February 2010, the Champaign Tea Party in Illinois received approval of its tax-exempt status from the IRS in 90 days, no questions asked.
That was the month before the Internal Revenue Service started singling out Tea Party groups for special treatment. There wouldn't be another Tea Party application approved for 27 months.
In that time, the IRS approved perhaps dozens of applications from similar liberal and progressive groups, a USA TODAY review of IRS data shows.
As applications from conservative groups sat in limbo, groups with liberal-sounding names had their applications approved in as little as nine months. With names including words like "Progress" or "Progressive," the liberal groups applied for the same tax status and were engaged in the same kinds of activities as the conservative groups. They included:
Bus for Progress, a New Jersey non-profit that uses a red, white and blue bus to "drive the progressive change." According to its website, its mission includes "support (for) progressive politicians with the courage to serve the people's interests and make tough choices." It got an IRS approval as a social welfare group in April 2011.
Missourians Organizing for Reform and Empowerment says it fights against corporate welfare and for increasing the minimum wage. "It would be fair to say we're on the progressive end of the spectrum," said executive director Jeff Ordower. He said the group got tax-exempt status in September 2011 in just nine months after "a pretty simple, straightforward process."
Progress Florida, granted tax-exempt status in January 2011, is lobbying the Florida Legislature to expand Medicaid under a provision of the Affordable Care Act, one of President Obama's signature accomplishments. The group did not return phone calls. "We're busy fighting to build a more progressive Florida and cannot take your call right now," the group's voice mail said.
Like the Tea Party groups, the liberal groups sought recognition as social welfare groups under Section 501(c)(4) of the tax code, based on activities like "citizen participation" or "voter education and registration."
Eight months passed without word from the agency about the group's application, Ryun said. In February 2012, Ryun's attorney contacted the IRS to ask if it needed more information to secure its non-profit status as a 501(c)3 organization. According to Ryun, the IRS told him that the application was being processed by the agency's office in Cincinnati, Ohio-the same one currently facing scrutiny for targeting conservative groups-and to check back in two months.
As directed, Ryun followed up with the IRS in April 2012, and was told that Media Trackers' application was still under review.
When September 2012 arrived with still no word from the IRS, Ryun determined that Media Trackers would likely never obtain standalone non-profit status, and he tried a new approach: Starting over. He applied for permanent non-profit status for a separate group called Greenhouse Solutions, a pre-existing organization that was reaching the end of its determination period.
The IRS approved Greenhouse Solutions' request for non-profit status in three weeks.
And suddenly every organization that has ever tangled with the Obama administration or its allies is reexamining its interactions with the IRS, and finding funny business or unusual levels of interest:
The Internal Revenue Service reviewed Watchdog's news website in record numbers late last year, Watchdog.org's analytics show.
The IRS' interest in Watchdog.org content comes as news reports revealed that IRS officials were looking more closely at conservative nonprofits. The agency declared that activity "inappropriate" and limited to fairly low-level agents.
According to Google Analytics, Watchdog.org posted record government traffic on Dec. 14, generating 1,142 unique visits from addresses marked .gov - more than three times the normal daily count. Compare the one-day total to 9,193 total government-entity visitors who stopped by between Dec. 1, 2012 and Jan. 31, 2013.
The IRS generated 456 unique visitors, between January 2009 and May 2013, according to Google Analytics. The report notes 552 visits and 709 page views from the IRS. Most of the traffic occurred between the second half of 2012 and this week.
The analytics show 60 unique visitors and 84 page views to Watchdog.org from eop.gov, the Executive Office of the President, between December 2009 and May 2013.
Neither the White House nor IRS responded to requests for comment. An IRS official said he didn't know if he could respond, but said he would call back if he could. He didn't. EOP did not return an email, and the office's voicemail was full. A recorded message did advise that, "This call may be monitored but not recorded."
The December spike may have an innocent explanation - that federal officials occasionally read Watchdog stories in great numbers. On Dec. 13, Watchdog published an investigation tracking the secret National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). The story was headlined "'We're not federal employees,' says federal spokesperson for secret Colorado lab."
Conventional political theory holds that only the state can provide public goods such as parks, sidewalks, roads, and the like. Television commentator Rachel Maddow offered a typically exaggerated expression of this view when she visited the Hoover Dam and remarked, "When you are this close to Hoover Dam, it makes you realize how small a human is in relation to this as a human project. You can't be the guy who builds this. You can't even be the state that builds this. You have to be the country that builds this." (Never mind that Hoover Dam was in fact built by a consortium of private firms headed by Bechtel-Kaiser, under precisely the sort of outsourcing/private contractor arrangement that Maddow has no time for in most other contexts -- in fact, she includes a chapter in one of her books denouncing this practice.) In a sense, Maddow is correct -- the Hoover Dam is an economically nonviable project from the time of its conception, and the mighty installation, visually impressive as it is, produces significantly less electricity than does a typical small nuclear power plant. Which is to say, it is a majestic boondoggle. Only politics can do that -- and stay in business. And, needless to say, a "guy" attempting a project with the environmental impact of Hoover Dam would never get permission from environmental regulators, given that its construction entailed wiping out an entire local ecosystem.
So the only parts Maddow got right were the points she didn't intend to make.
The concept that Hoover Dam was not actually built by the federal government, but was ultimately built by private companies, seemed so contrary to our usual narratives that I went and looked it up:
The Hoover Dam project was too big for any one company. So W. A. Bechtel helped form a consortium calling itself Six Companies, Inc. W. A. knew the heads of the consortium companies as friends and business associates, having been in partnerships with most of them. There was tall, lean Harry Morrison, head of Morrison-Knudsen of Boise, Idaho, and the man most directly responsible for bringing the group together; and the white-haired Wattis brothers of Utah Construction Co., the region's foremost railroad builders. They were joined by the wry Felix Kahn of MacDonald & Kahn, a premier builder of office buildings, industrial plants, and hotels, including the Mark Hopkins in San Francisco. Phil Hart ran Pacific Bridge Co., one of the oldest construction firms on the West Coast, and was justly famous for his underwater work -- a critical component in dam construction. Charlie Shea, the pugnacious, acid-tongued boss of J. F. Shea Co., was the best tunnel and sewer man west of the Rockies. And finally there was the legendary Henry Kaiser, whom W. A. had long valued for his enthusiasm and vision. W. A. Bechtel served as the second president of Six Companies; his son Steve was a member of the executive committee; and sons Warren and Ken served on the board.
ADDENDUM: Hmmm: "Obama's top staff spent much of early Wednesday locked behind closed doors figuring out the best way to move ahead -- without causing any new headaches -- on all three fronts."
We recently received a card and contribution from a woman in Illinois, who wrote:
She has hope because ACT! for America is successfully fighting back against the threat of radical Islam.
Despite the fact that there's more information available about radical Islam today than ever before, it will take organized ACTION to prevail in this struggle.
Education is necessary to combat this threat, but it's not sufficient.
Education alone won't change faulty portrayals of Islamic history in school textbooks...or protect our free speech rights against those who want to silence us...or stop sharia law from being applied in our courtrooms...or foil terrorist attacks...or keep organizations like CAIR out of our children's classrooms.
It will take organized, strategic action-which is the heart of the ACT! for America mission and the linchpin of our success.
Over the past several weeks we have presented to you eight threats posed by radical Islam, and what ACT! for America is doing to push back against these threats. We've asked for your financial support to help us continue these winning efforts.
The evidence is clear (see, for example, our Victory Timeline)-our strategy and action plan is working.
From a school principal removing a book that contained numerous historical errors about Islam, to our leading the grassroots effort that has gotten ALAC (American Laws for American Courts) passed in Tennessee, Kansas, Arizona and Oklahoma...
...ACT! for America is accomplishing what few thought possible six years ago. We're sure that groups like CAIR and ISNA didn't think this was possible!
So if you've already made a contribution during our Spring Pledge Drive, we thank you!
The more fuel we have, the more victories we'll win.
To illustrate, a Patriot Partner giving $15 a month for one year makes it possible for us to recruit and train 1 new chapter leader and add 35 new members to our organization.
With every new chapter leader and new member we increase our ability to effectively combat the threat of radical Islam.
So please don't think your gift won't make a difference. It will.
It will provide hope.
It will help us win.
And please don't think, "Well, somebody else will do it." What if that "somebody else" is thinking the same thing?
Remember, education is necessary, but it's not sufficient.
Congratulations' on your magnificent effort. I always forward your emails to my contact list. Thank you once again. It is a pleasure to be a watchman on the Wall. S.V.
Our political correctness and misplaced "tolerance" is destroying us. There is no doubt the West will wake up … but it will most likely be too late to avoid a cataclysmic collision of ideologies. T.M.
This goes well beyond the pathology of Political Correctness. What the Toronto Police have demonstrated here is quite simply rank cowardice. S.H.
Good article on the duplicity of York Regional Police in shutting down Pam Geller's speech at The Flamingo Shul, while allowing Imams and Muslim leaders to continue preaching anti-Jewish and anti-western ideology in this country. Looks like another hit on the chin for free speech in this country. J.S.
U-Report!
ClarionProject.org invites you to write to us to report issues concerning radical Islam in your area. Let us know about attempts to impose Islamic law in your community, report about radical Islamic demonstrations or activities on your college campus or in your neighborhood.
If you are a Muslim, send us details about any radical literature or sermons in your mosque.
Send us all the details. After being reviewed, your story may be published on ClarionProject.org
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her senior staff conducted a conference call with Gregory Hicks, deputy chief of the U.S. mission in Libya, in the early morning hours of Sept. 12, 2012.
Hicks was overseeing a chaotic scene in Tripoli, where his staff was busy destroying classified material with axes and whatever else was at hand and as the few security people left in Tripoli were preparing to evacuate to a safer location at dawn. (Think the opening scenes of the movie "Argo.") The U.S. Consulate in Benghazi had been stormed and the ambassador was missing.
In his testimony Wednesday before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, the inspiring and obviously fearless Hicks recounted that, at the end of the 2 a.m. call, Hillary concurred with his decision to evacuate, and the call ended.
An hour later, having received "the saddest phone call of his life," Hicks then relayed to the State Department in Washington that Ambassador Christopher Stevens was dead.
Attorney: Ruling by Michigan judge lets Muslims silence Christians with violence
American Muslims stone Christians in Dearborn, MI (Original edit)
Credits:
J. Mark Campbell
On Tuesday, federal judge Patrick J. Duggan dismissed a civil rights lawsuit brought by Christian evangelists who were violently assaulted by a hostile Muslim mob while preaching at an Arab festival last year in Dearborn, Mich., the American Freedom Law Center said.
The AFLC filed the lawsuit against Wayne County, the Wayne County Sheriff, and two Wayne County Deputy Chiefs alleging authorities refused to protect the Christians while threatening to arrest them.
A 22-minute video showing the Christians being attacked and stoned as police watched went viral last year. Instead of controlling the crowd, authorities threatened to arrest the Christians under attack for disorderly conduct.
Despite the video evidence, Judge Duggan, sitting in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, granted Wayne County's motion for summary judgment, dismissing the lawsuit, AFLC said. The judge also denied a motion requesting the court issue an order preventing the Wayne County Sheriff and his deputies from restricting the Christian evangelists from displaying their banners and signs on the public sidewalks outside this year's Arab Festival, set to be held in June.
"The court finds that the actual demonstration of violence here provided the requisite justification for [the Wayne County sheriffs'] intervention, even if the officials acted as they did because of the effect the speech had on the crowd," the judge said in his ruling.
Michele Bachmann Uses IRS Scandal To Discredit Obamacare At Washington Tea Party Rally
Bill Cunningham Battles Dem Guest on Hannity: IRS Destroys Tea Party for Obama Elected
Glenn Beck: White People Lynched By The KKK Would Be Tea Party Activists Today
Subject: Urgent - Thomas Perez
Please call your Senators and request they vote down Thomas Perez's nomination as Secretary of DOL. This guy is currently the head of the Civil Rights Division at the DOJ, a former head of CASA of Maryland, and someone who, in tandem with the former DOL Secty, Hilda Solis, has spent 99.9% of his time in office advocating for and working on behalf of illegal aliens.
House Passes 37th Bill on ObamaCare
May 16, 2013
ObamaCare is falling apart. Two-thirds of the states have refused to set up the health insurance exchanges. Only 26 Governors support Medicaid expansion. And, as Phyllis noted in a recent column, even one of ObamaCare's leading architects, Sen. Max Baucus (D-Montana), admits it is heading for a "train wreck" later this year.
ABC News reported that the IRS official in charge of tax-exempt organizations from 2009 to 2012, when tea party conservative groups were improperly targeted for scrutiny and harassment, is now in charge of the office responsible for enforcing ObamaCare! The IRS official, Sarah Hall Ingram,received over $100,000 in bonuses during the years 2009-2012 on top of her $170,000 annual salary.
This evening, in the House of Representatives, two Democrats voted with 227 Republicans and passed another full repeal of ObamaCare. This is the 37th bill to pass the U.S. House that repeals or rescinds funding for all or part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Seven of these bills have been passed by the Senate and signed into law by the President. See that list here.
It is important to follow up with your Representative on this vote by either thanking them or disapproving of their position. Click here to send your member a note, with talking points provided, according to their vote.
The Organizing Director for FWD.us is Daniel Shih, "an experienced community organizer," in the 2008 Obama campaign and later "served in the White House as Domestic Policy Analyst for Vice President Biden." Lisa Conn, a "regional field director with the 2012 Obama campaign" is listed as the Organizer.
Feere's CIS analysis listed exactly what the TV ad claimed and provided a detailed response, partial excerpts of which follow:
"Of those men who have overturned the liberties of republics, the greatest number have begun their career by paying an obsequious court to the people, commencing demagogues and ending tyrants." --Alexander Hamilton (1787)
As the first conservative digest of news, policy and opinion on the Internet, our startup team knew that if we were effective at advocating forLiberty and Rule of Law, we would someday be targeted, organizationally and individually, by those wanting to silence us.
We must be fulfilling our mission, because over the years we have received all manner of threats. So vivid have some of those threats been that we screen incoming mail and packages. Apparently, some NeoComs are not so "tolerant" of diverse viewpoints.
If you asked me whether I thought card-carrying members of the Socialist Democratic Partywould, by way of their bureaucratic surrogates, use the IRS and other government agencies to target groups with the name "Patriot," I would have said, "Of course." If you asked me whether I thought they would get caught at it, I would have said "No," because they're smart enough to use "cutouts" between their office and the bureaucrats committing the offense.
Cutouts are bureaucratic managers who act as surrogates to do the political bidding of elected officials. They are blamed and sacrificed for the "good of the cause," in order to protect (read: "provide plausible deniability for") elected officials who feign outrage and indignation at the violation of law in support of their political agenda. When the president of the United States is the elected official behind a culture of corruption and abuse of power, the layers of cutouts make it nearly impossible to find impeachable evidence of executive collusion.
Needless to say, Barack Obama and his black-bag dirty tricks team learned well from their Democrat predecessors, FDR, JFK and Clinton, how to use the Internal Revenue Service to harass their opponents. But they also learned a few things from Richard Nixon about the importance of using cutouts. Nixon resigned to avoid impeachment after being caught on tape discussing the Watergate burglary with key staffers, where today those staffers would never directly discuss such abuse of power with a sitting president.
When I was young, a legislative aid to our senator took my father and me to hear the testimony of one of those staffers, H.R. Haldeman, former chief of staff to Nixon. I was too young to fully grasp Watergate, but I sensed that this hearing had significant implications for the president.
I'm older and a little wiser now, and I assume that, unlike Nixon, Obama is probably clever enough to ensure his fingerprints are not on anything directly related to the most significant scandal of his administration -- the politically-motivated adulteration of the Benghazi talking points ahead of his 2012 re-election campaign.
Likewise, don't expect Obama to be convicted for "guilt by association" with those in his administration who have apparently been using the IRS to target his political opponents since at least 2010. As his former chief dirty trickster, David Axelrod, said this week, "Part of being president is there's so much beneath you that you can't know because the government's so vast." Yes, many, many layers.
Indeed, it has been confirmed this week that senior IRS administrators in Washington did have knowledge that the agency targeted conservative groups for harassment. A legal and tax advisor to The Patriot Post informed us that the Post and Patriot Foundation Trust, our education fund advocating constitutional integrity, clearly "met the corrupt criterion for the IRS inquisition," but for a couple of reasons (which we can't disclose publicly) we were passed over for review.
However, almost 500 other groups with "Patriot" or "Tea Party" in their name were not so fortunate.
Obama's political handlers certainly recall Article II, Section 1 of the 1974 House impeachment against Nixon, which could be a template for a case against Obama today if not for all the cutouts: "He has, acting personally and through his subordinates and agents, endeavored to ... cause, in violation of the constitutional rights of citizens, income tax audits or other income tax investigations to be initiated or conducted in a discriminatory manner."
Undoubtedly, the current regime's dirty tricksters have learned their history and covered all the bases to protect their radical socialist leader.
As for his knowledge of the IRS case, Obama claims, "I first learned about it from the same news reports that I think most people learned about this. I think it was on Friday. And this is pretty straightforward." Apparently he's invoking the administration's now-familiar Sergeant Schultz defense: "I know nothing, I see nothing, I was not here, I did not even get up this morning."
However, it's difficult to reconcile Obama's claim with the 54-page report issued by the Inspector General of the U.S. Treasury regarding the targeting of his political opponents.
"Nip the shoots of arbitrary power in the bud, is the only maxim which can ever preserve the liberties of any people. When the people give way, their deceivers, betrayers, and destroyers press upon them so fast, that there is no resisting afterwards." ~ John Adams
Time To Get Out The Scorecards
Obama's 4th Scandal By Jane Chastain WorldNetDaily.com Barack Obama is fighting for his political life, embroiled in three scandals: the criminal use of the IRS, using the Justice Department to spy on reporters and the cover-up of the attack in Benghazi.
Obama: IRS Acting Commissioner Has Resigned By Greg Richter NewsMax.com President Barack Obama announced Wednesday that the acting commissioner of the IRS has been asked to resign and has done so over the tax-collecting agency's recent admission that it targeted conservative groups for extra scrutiny.
Guess Who The Man Behind The IRS Scandal Curtain Is ...
Soros Gave $6.1 Million To Groups Linked To Pressure on IRS To Target Conservative Nonprofits By Mike Ciandella CNSNews As IRS efforts targeting politically-conservative groups gained momentum, George Soros-funded liberal groups repeatedly called on the IRS to investigate conservative nonprofit organizations.
A Note for Nullification Deniers By Joel Poindexter RightSideNews.com Misunderstanding the history of nullification is so commonplace that when I come across a news article or commentary (the lines are so often blurry) that gets things half-right, I'm pleasantly surprised.
May 16, 2013 01:39 pm Over the last few days, I've heard the word "impeachment" from more of my sources on Capitol Hill than in the last six years combined. One member of Congress told me to look at the Richard M. Nixon articles of impeachment and just change the name to Barack Obama. That member believes that many of the arguments [...]
Video: CBS: Obama Not In Control Of His Administration
May 16, 2013 01:28 pm
Charlie Rose and Bob Schieffer discuss how Obama Is not in control of his own Administration Related posts: CBS's Schieffer: White House Gets More Manipulative With Each Administration Bob Schieffer, the host of CBS' "Face the Nation" told... Tales From Fast And Furious Part 6: Obama Administration Cover-up Dynamo CBS Reporter Sharyl Attkisson, who broke [...]
May 16, 2013 01:19 pm The revelations about the IRS targeting voices opposed to Barack Obama's political agenda came of no surprise to filmmaker Joel Gilbert. His private financial accounts were hacked into, and the information was used by a George Soros-linked journalist (Seth Rosenfeld) before the presidential election. Gilbert wants to know who provided Rosenfeld with his private bank [...]
During a debate on Obama's scandals on "The O'Reilly Factor," Bernie Goldberg, a frequent guest, mocked "birthers"... Related posts: FOX FEUD? GERALDO HITS BACK AT GOLDBERG: 'IDEOLOGICAL' & 'OPINION MEISTER' Geraldo Rivera hit back hard against regular Fox News contributor... Goldberg Says Liberal Media Is A Threat To Democracy Human Events Media bias is nothing [...]
May 16, 2013 01:10 pm Obama being born out of an apple pie in the middle of a Kansas wheat field as Toby Keith sings the National Anthem-such are the contents of an amicus brief filed by an Alabama Democrat Party that has resorted to ridicule in responding to the Obama eligibility case McInnish-Goode v Chapman, which will be held [...]
Video: WH Benghazi Emails Released - Nearly 100 Pages!
May 16, 2013 01:04 pm
These e-mails show how Obama's admin developed those darned talking points... Related posts: New Benghazi Emails Reveal 'Incredibly Stupid Cover-up' Officials at the White House and State Department were advised... Carney Blames GOP For Leaking Benghazi Emails Jay Carney really needs to read his Bible; you reap...
May 16, 2013 12:56 pm Mike Zullo - "I think the general public is now on the verge of a great awakening. With the situation unfolding in Benghazi, Fast and Furious, the IRS scandal, and finally the national media that just learned ... (that) they are now finding themselves as victims." The newly released 207-point Cold Case Posse affidavit relating [...]
May 16, 2013 12:50 pm Not even Barack Obama can defy the laws of physics. Certain things are absolute. As Newton said, what goes up must come down. The wrinkles you see staring back at you in the mirror validate the second law of thermodynamics: eventually, things fall apart. And, as any farmer will tell you, if you plant cucumbers [...]
Video: Obama Classmate, Audited By IRS, Vindicated!
May 16, 2013 12:48 pm
Wayne Allyn Root had the IRS target him since he was so outspoken about Obama's background... Related posts: Obama's Columbia Classmate Speaks Out Wayne Allyn Root, Obama's outspoken classmate, talks to radio host... Obama Classmate Schools Geraldo Rivera About Barry Soetoro Wayne Allyn Root, Obama's outspoken classmate at Columbia, appeared on...
IRS Targets Tea Party, Constitutional Groups With Extra Scrutiny
May 16, 2013 12:46 pm Imagine that the IRS decided to begin investigating certain groups who were "tea party" or "patriot" groups? Imagine the outcry that would ensue. Lots of anger being thrown at the IRS. Lots of angry phone calls. Lots of angry people voicing their opinions all over. Now, lets come to reality. In reality, the IRS has [...]
Video: Boehner: Who's Going To Jail Over IRS-Gate?
May 16, 2013 12:41 pm
We're wondering the same thing ourselves... Related posts: Oregon To Jail Rain Water Collector, Force Condemned Murderer To Go Free Oregon is indeed a strange place. Somewhere, George Orwell is... Lawmaker Wants Marine Freed From Mexican Jail Jon Hammar held over antique gun... Watch the latest video...
May 16, 2013 12:33 pm WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama held assets last year that were worth between $1.8 million and nearly $7 million, according to federal financial disclosure forms the White House released Wednesday. Required by law, the forms allow public officials to list their assets in broad ranges, such as between $1 million [...]
Caleb Bonham dissects the IRS scandal, Julian Bond's comments that the Tea Party is akin to the Taliban, and the IRS targeting of the Jewish community... Related posts: Anti-Obama Ad Features A Jewish Democrat The first in a series of ads by the Republican... Netanyahu Appears In $1Million Anti-Obama Ad Targeted At Jewish Voters Netanyahu [...]
May 16, 2013 12:21 pm Remember the 1996 movie, "A Time to Kill"? An adaptation of John Grisham's 1989 legal thriller, it stars Matthew McConaughey as a small-town lawyer in Mississippi who defends a black man who killed the two white racists who had raped his 10-year-old daughter. In his closing arguments, McConaughey asks the jury to close their eyes [...]
Video: Holder: I Wasn't Involved In Seizure Of AP Phone Records
May 16, 2013 12:20 pm
Holder says he had removed himself from the decision to secretly seize phone records from the AP, and that the decision to seek a subpoena was made by the deputy attorney general. Related posts: Obama Hailed 'World Press Freedom Day' As His DOJ Was Seizing AP Phone Records (CNSNews.com) - President Barack Obama issued a [...]
May 16, 2013 12:16 pm Rep. Jason Chaffetz reiterated Tuesday that the impeachment of President Barack Obama is possible as the White House faces scrutiny over its role in responding to the terror attack on a U.S. diplomatic post in Benghazi, Libya. "Look, it's not something I'm seeking," the Republican congressman from Utah said on CNN's "The Situation Room with [...]
Carney was hammered with questions from the Lap Dog Media -who have been covering for Obama for the last 5 years... Related posts: Obama's Love Affair With The Media By Guy W. Farmer, the Nevada Appeal When I... The Media's Love Affair With President Obama By Matt Mackowiak, Philadelphia Inquirer Perhaps John McCain was [...]
Judge Says It's Ok For Muslim Violence Against Christians
May 16, 2013 12:09 pm If you want to experience the Middle East, you only have to travel as far as Dearborn, Michigan. This western suburb of Detroit has a population of close to 100,000. Over 40,000 of them are Arab or of Arab descent, giving Dearborn the distinction of having the largest Muslim population of any city in the [...]
During a House Judiciary Committee hearing this afternoon, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) grilled Attorney General Eric Holder over whether his office plans to turn over potential evidence of alleged violations of the Federal Records Act by President Obama's new Labor Secretary nominee, former Assistant Attorney General Thomas Perez. The resultant exchange was a tense one, [...]
May 16, 2013 12:03 pm WASHINGTON - The White House release of some 100 pages of emails and notes about the deadly attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, last year has failed to satisfy congressional Republicans, who are demanding more information. "Why not release all of the unclassified documents?" said Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, a member of [...]
Here, I explain... Related posts: Why Media Ignore Black Conservatives As we have observed, conservative black Americans have become more... Black Conservatives Ask Supreme Court To Invalidate Section 5 Of Voting Rights Act Legal Brief Argues Voting Rights Act's Selective "Preclearance" Restrictions are...
May 16, 2013 11:38 am Hillary Clinton asked a darn good question during her January 2013 testimony about the Benghazi terrorist attack: "What difference does it make"? This question has been in search of an answer for eight months and was perhaps best addressed by Eric Nordstrom, the State Department's regional security officer assigned to Libya. This is what he [...]
Obama Ousts IRS Commissioner After Tea Party Controversy
May 15, 2013 06:58 pm WASHINGTON - President Obama said on Wednesday that he's accepted the resignation of acting IRS commissioner Steven Miller in the aftermath of revelations that agency officials were putting extra scrutiny on Tea Party groups' applications for tax-exempt status. In brief comments Wednesday evening after discussing the Internal Revenue Service controversy with Treasury Secretary Jack Lew and [...]
Under fire all week from critics and even allies, the Obama White House shifted gears and fired back yesterday. Attorney General Eric Holder delivered an award-winning performance on Capitol Hill on the AP phone records controversy. President Obama spoke to the nation about the IRS scandal. And the White House tried to tamp down Benghazi by releasing nearly 100 pages of emails. Here's our take.
The IRS Scandal
The damning IRS inspector general's report has been known all week and Barack Obama has been telling us how angry he was going to be if its findings were true. After reviewing the report, President Obama last night announced to the American people, "I will not tolerate this kind of behavior in any agency." Really? Under this administration, virtually every government agency has been grossly politicized.
Tens of millions of your hard-earned tax dollars were spent by the government promoting Obamacare in the months leading up to last year's election. Hundreds of millions of stimulus dollars were given to major Democrat donors. Obama distorted his appointment powers to gain control of the National Labor Relations Board to benefit Big Labor. He abused his executive authority to circumvent our immigration laws pandering to the pro-amnesty crowd.
So what did the now angry president do about the IRS scandal? He demanded the resignation of Acting IRS Commissioner Steven Miller, who was leaving in a couple of weeks anyway. Big deal. As Charles Krauthammer said last night:
"That was a holding operation. That was the absolute minimum [Obama] could have done. He relieves one person, he obviously had to. He had to relieve at least one person. He chose, of course, the acting commissioner but I would have expected more. ...Obama and this administration have said a hundred times they're going to hold x, y, or z accountable for all kinds of behavior. ...And then he says there will be an investigation from the Treasury. Well, that just means the left hand of the government investigating the right hand."
Obama also said he would cooperate with Congress on additional fixes so long as they were done "in a way that doesn't smack of politics or partisan agendas." Wait a minute! For the past three years the Obama IRS engaged in a campaign to intimidate the Tea Party movement, Christians and pro-life organizations. And he has the chutzpah to warn Congress about politics and partisan agendas!
Now the latest line from the administration is that they are focusing on a few "rogue employees" who may face criminal prosecution. I'd hate to be those guys because the "big boys" in Washington are desperate for a sacrificial lamb.
But guess what? The "rogue employees" are insisting that they only followed the orders of their superiors! Not surprisingly, one of their bosses donated $2,000 to Obama's campaign. This scandal has not been put to rest!
Holder To The Hill
Eric Holder testified yesterday before the House Judiciary Committee. Taking a page from Hillary's playbook, the substance of his remarks was overshadowed by a testy exchange he had with Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA). Believe it or not, Holder had the audacity to challenge the integrity of Rep. Issa.
Beyond that, Holder offered virtually no answers yesterday. Asked about the unprecedented seizure of phone records from the Associated Press, Holder very conveniently said he couldn't answer any questions because he had recused himself from the investigation when it began.
Asked when he recused himself, he couldn't remember. And when asked to provide a letter or a memo with the formal recusal, Holder said he had nothing to offer because there was nothing in writing.
As you can imagine, Holder's evasiveness (watch it here) did not sit well with some members of Congress. Rep. Doug Collins (R-GA) blasted Holder for showing up to the committee completely unprepared.
Commenting on the various scandals today and the Obama Administration's reaction to them, Speaker John Boehner said:
"Our system requires the bonds of trust between the American people and their government. Those bonds once broken are very hard to repair. Nothing dissolves the bonds between the people and their government like the arrogance of power here in Washington. And that's what the American people are seeing today from the Obama Administration. Remarkable arrogance."
Benghazi Email Dump
Responding to demands from major media outlets for more details on the Benghazi talking points, the White House released nearly 100 pages of emails yesterday. But once again, the emails raise nearly as many questions as they answer.
For example, the released messages begin 67 hours after the attacks. The parallels to Nixon just keep coming. One of the things that brought down Nixon was an 18-minute gap of Oval Office tape recordings. Here we've got two days of missing information!
Do the emails exonerate the administration from charges it tried to manipulate the talking points? Not at all. The Weekly Standard writes: "Benghazi Emails Directly Contradict White House Claims," while ABC News declares, "Talking Points Changed at State Dept.'s Request." And the emails reinforce how much the Obama White House and State Department watered down the talking points with then-CIA Director General David Petraeus concluding, "Frankly, I'd just as soon not use this."
Taken together, Obama's counterattack was enough to cause some of his media allies to back down and insist it was time to move on. I'm not convinced.
Every day we learn more. Like the fact that the IRS was running interference for Planned Parenthood, targeted as many as 500 organizations and was so focused on protecting Obama that it even went after a Catholic professor over a few columns she had written.
Again, something like this didn't happen by accident. Some of Obama's apologists are trying to suggest that there is no scandal here because there is no "smoking gun" connecting it to the Oval Office. But you don't need one.
Consider the IRS "rogue employees." Think back to 2009 and 2010 and all the horrible things that were said about the Tea Party or religious conservatives being bigots, accused of spitting on members of Congress, and referred to as the "American Taliban."
If a group applies for tax exempt status and the group has been compared to the Taliban and smeared as racist and dangerous, is it surprising that leftists at the IRS would harass it and prevent it from getting tax-exempt status?
The White House did not have to send official orders to discriminate against conservatives. As Senator Marco Rubio said, it is all part of a bigger "culture of intimidation."
With the IRS evidently watching our every move and the Associated Press and who knows who else under surveillance, I feel quite literally like I'm back in the USSR. And I haven't even left home.
You're in the government, and a journalist or a reporter threw your name into the scandal septic tank. You haven't done anything wrong, in fact you pride yourself on doing The Right Thing. So you're actually relieved when your department's inspector general asks if she can drop by for a chat. Wrong! Don't be relieved. Be frightened. Trust me, I've been there.
Many corporate media outlets have been reporting on the new Department of Justice (DOJ) report titled "Firearm Violence, 1993-2011," which reports that shooting homicides have declined dramatically during the last two decades. But they never explain why violent crime hasn't surged in recent years due to the faltering economy, but instead continued declining.
Attorney General Eric Holder passed the buck on blame with a series of non-answers in regard to recent scandals during a scheduled appearance before the House Judiciary Committee today. Holder was due before the panel for a regular oversight hearing, but the timing as the IRS and AP scandals unfolded meant he was under extra fire for the handling of his department.
House Republicans Prove Effective At Restraining Runaway Democrat Spending
This column by ACRU General Counsel and Senior Fellow for the Carleson Center for Welfare Reform (CCWR) Peter Ferrara was published May 9, 2013 on Forbes.com.
House Republicans are proving effective in restraining the runaway federal spending desired by President Obama and Congressional Democrats. That does not remotely mean that the House Republican majority has solved Washington's spending, deficit and debt problems. But while they looked helpless at the turn of the year when Obama and the Democrats rolled over them in enacting Obama/Democrat tax increases on capital investment, official federal government budget numbers show that the House Republican majority has restrained the spending increases that President Obama and Congressional Democrats have been seeking.
This column by ACRU Senior Fellow Robert Knight was published May 13, 2013 on The Washington Times website.
You just knew press coverage of the congressional hearing on the Benghazi cover-ups last Wednesday would be nonexistent or squirrely, right?
It was mostly the latter, so break out the nuts.
After the hearing, an ABC radio segment utterly ignored the content. Three State Department whistleblowers had exposed alarming contradictions in the official White House account, but ABC News led with a clip of Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, Maryland Democrat, who said the hearing was politically motivated, followed by a GOP spokesman who said it wasn't. That was it.
This column by ACRU General Counsel and Senior Fellow for the Carleson Center for Welfare Reform (CCWR) Peter Ferrara was published May 8, 2013 on The American Spectator website.
The day after his second inauguration, the New York Times and the Washington Post blared about Obama's speech heralding a new vision and agenda for equality in America. But apparently the Left is happy with just words.
Official U.S. government data shows that inequality is rising sharply under President Obama. It was stable under Bush. But Obamanomics has brought back exactly the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer.
Obama proclaimed in that second Inaugural Address, "our country cannot succeed when a shrinking few do very well and a growing many barely make it." But that is exactly what is happening under Obama's economy.
This column by ACRU Policy Board Member and Professor of Economics Dr. Walter E. Williams was published May 8, 2013 on Townhall.com.
One definition given for insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results; it might also be a definition of stupidity. Let's look at some cities where large percentages of black Americans live under poor conditions.
Experiencing a violent crime rate of 2,137 per 100,000 of the population, Detroit is the nation's most dangerous city. Rounding out Forbes magazine's 2012 list of the 10 most dangerous cities are St Louis; Oakland, Calif.; Memphis, Tenn.; Birmingham, Ala.; Atlanta; Baltimore; Stockton, Calif.; Cleveland; and Buffalo, N.Y. The most common characteristic of these predominantly black cities is that for decades, all of them have been run by Democratic and presumably liberal administrations. Some cities -- such as Detroit, Buffalo, Newark, N.J., and Philadelphia -- haven't elected a Republican mayor for more than a half-century. What's more is that in most of these cities, blacks have been mayors, chiefs of police, school superintendents and principals and have dominated city councils.
During a radio interview, Congressman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) said that the Justice Department�s investigation of the Associated Press involved obtaining phone records from the House of Representatives cloakroom. What's so important about the phone in the House cloakroom? Find outHERE.
Although Kermit Gosnell, the Philadelphia abortionist found guilty this week of three counts of first-degree murder, has been successfully removed from civil society, another similar abortion practitioner may be on the loose in Houston, Texas. Watch video featuring three former female staffers of a doctor they claim performed illegal abortions HERE.
Prospective gun owners in Washington, D.C., may be in for a surprise if a proposed bill gains the local council�s support. The new law would require those who wish to license a gun to purchase a $250,000 liability insurance policy. Get the full storyHERE.
Obama has a secret police force of 20K+ civilians: teachers, plumbers, engineers� You'll never guess what they're preparing for. Click here to learn more.
President Obama took a break from his regularly scheduled events Wednesday to speak for three minutes and 24 seconds on the increasingly-serious Internal Revenue Service scandal. The President said; �I�ve reviewed the Treasury Department watchdog�s report, and the misconduct that it uncovered was inexcusable.� Mr. Obama added; �It�s inexcusable, and Americans are right to be angry about it, and I�m angry about it.� He also added that Steven Miller, the IRS acting commissioner, had tendered his resignation. And that was about everything the President said. Conservative commentator Charles Krauthammer breaks down the very brief press eventHERE.
A rifle equipped with technology that allows even a novice marksman to achieve a perfect shot nearly every time has ruffled some feathers. The manufacturer of the new system has said that demand has been so high there�s a wait list for interested customers. Learn more about the Tracking Point rifle and its "Xact System"HERE.
The Internal Revenue Service is not playing ball. At least, they�re not playing softball. The IRS softball team has canceled their game -- scheduled for this Friday against Sen. John Cornyn�s staff. Some blame the evolving scandal of targeting conservative organizations. The game has not been rescheduled. Wondering why this is newsworthy? The answer is in the name of the IRS's softball team. See itHERE.
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder appeared before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday to answers questions on the IRS� targeting of conservative groups, the Justice Department�s seizure of the Associated Press� phone records, and the Sept. 11, 2012, terrorist attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi. Holder answered a lot of questions with �I don�t knows� and �I�m not sures.� Watch the montage of his non-answers HERE.
A man in Tampa, Florida, is being accused of secretly slipping his girlfriend an abortion drug, an act that killed the couple�s unborn baby. The alleged details of the troubling story are ghastly. Watch the local news coverageHERE.
Glenn Beck -- Scandal Update! The IRS, Benghazi, & the AP are also joined by some new scandals, including student loans, gold, and abortion. --5pm ET or on-demand on TheBlaze TV.
In this YouTube video, a man can be seen walking through the brush with his shotgun when his buddies alert him to a quail coming his way. The guy doesn't raise his gun, instead he stretched out his hand and snatches the bird right out of the air. Is it real? See the clipHERE.
A pregnant Texas mother with a 3-year-old son was �not in a good place� in her life and felt like she couldn�t care for her son. Not knowing what else to do, the woman posted an ad on Craigslist to �adopt out� the boy. Read the heartbreaking postHERE.
Daily Email - May 16, 2013 Top StoryObama Fires IRS Commissioner as Scandal Grows By Roger Aronoff | May 15, 2013 The scandal involving the politicization of the IRS under the Obama administration continues to grow. Congressmen briefed by IRS officials say that instead of 300 groups that received closer scrutiny, the number has climbed to 471. More drip, drip, drip. But in an effort to stop the bleeding, President Obama has fired the acting commissioner, [...] From the AIM Blogs Obama Gives New York Times the Chills By Don Irvine | May 15, 2013
Obama being born out of an apple pie in the middle of a Kansas wheat field as Toby Keith sings the National Anthem-such are the contents of an amicus brief filed by an Alabama Democrat Party which has resorted to ridicule in responding to the Obama eligibility case McInnish-Goode v Chapman which will be held in front of Judge Roy Moore and the Alabama Supreme Court! In an exclusive story reported by WND reporter Drew Zahn, (1) the flippant nature of this brief indicates that the Obama team will be unable to brush off legitimate questions about how he can serve as a U.S. President without showing legitimate and verifiable evidence of eligibility!
The IRS scandal just keeps growing. Yesterday we heard that two employees would be singled out for responsibility by agency management, and had somehow been "disciplined" already. That was never going to contain the scandal, not least because the mistreatment of conservative groups was spread across at least four different offices. But even in the now-infamous Cincinnati office, we quickly learned from local news that at least four employees have been linked to the affair... and they're reportedly claiming they "simply did what their bosses ordered."
Meanwhile, President Obama held a very brief news conference in which he declared step one of the IRS cleanup would be firing the current Acting Commissioner, Steven Miller. But Miller was telling his employees by email that his temporary assignment was ending anyway: "As I wrap up my time at the IRS, I will be focused on an orderly transition."
Pro-life groups claim to have been singled out for IRS abuse, along with the hundreds of Tea Party, constitutionalist, and pro-Israel Jewish groups that had trouble securing tax-exempt status. One group claims it was told it would have to promote abortion, along with its pro-life message, in order to receive its tax exemption.
Why does the IRS have anything to do with regulating speech in the first place? The ability to grant, or withhold, those valuable tax exemptions gives the agency great power over American politics, and such power is easily abused. Thanks to ObamaCare, the agency will soon become even more powerful. In light of the past week's events, there is nothing paranoid about fears that more power will lead to more abuse.
Americans assembling to gripe about Washington should not have to petition Washington for the right to do so. Yet Democrats (and Republicans such as John McCain) have, for a long time, advocated deputizing the IRS with deep and wide-ranging powers over free speech. | READ MORE »
The deeper question to be asked and investigated is to what extent the Obama administration's hardball political tactics encouraged the agency's strong-arm war against groups who opposed President Obama's policies and re-election. | READ MORE »
Woonsocket, RI used to live the American dream, but it has been dragged down by a combination of outsourcing and aggressive promotion of dependence. | READ MORE »
We take this brief time out from our ongoing Obama scandal coverage for a detour in the intellectual fever swamps of the left, in particular a bizarre article out in the current issue of The Nation by Corey Robin, author of The Reactionary Mind: From Edmund Burke to Sarah Palin. Nothing subtle about that title. The Nation article, "Nietzsche's Marginal Children: On Friedrich Hayek" attempts to discredit Hayek's free market philosophy by tying it to Nietzsche's nihilism.
It's a long slog indeed, and through the fog of Robin's vivisection of the labor theory of value, Hegel, Marx, Nietzsche, and the "marginal revolution" in economics that presaged the rise of Hayek and other "Austrian" economists, eventually you figure out that this is just one big apologia for labor unions and the stick-figure "working man" of the romantic left. Unraveling and refuting Robin's tortured reading of Hayek would be a considerable labor (irony alert!), but fortunately Mark Lilla is on the job.
Lilla, no friend of conservatives these days, reviewed Robin's book a while back in the New York Review of Books (also not a go-to spot for sympathetic treatment of conservatives), and as Robin's Nation article is merely an extension of his book, I'll let Lilla do the heavy lifting:
This is history as WPA mural, and will be familiar to anyone who lived through the Thirties, remembers the Sixties, or was made to read historians like Howard Zinn, Arno Mayer, E.P. Thompson, Eric Hobsbawm, and Christopher Hill at school. In their tableau, history's damnés de la terre are brought together into a single heroic image of suffering and resistance. Their hats are white, immaculately so. Off in the distance are what appear to be black-hatted villains, though their features are difficult to make out. Sometimes they have little identification tags like those the personified vices wear in medieval frescoes-"capital," "men," "whites," "the state," "the old regime"-but we get no idea what they are after or what their stories are. Not that it matters. To understand the oppressed and side with them all you need to know is that there are oppressors. . .
If you accept these claims, then you will have no trouble accepting what Robin says in the book's most extraordinary paragraph:
I use the words conservative, reactionary, and counterrevolutionary interchangeably: not all counterrevolutionaries are conservative...but all conservatives are, in one way or another, counterrevolutionary. I seat philosophers, statesmen, slaveholders, scribblers, Catholics, fascists, evangelicals, businessmen, racists, and hacks at the same table: Hobbes next to Hayek, Burke across from Palin, Nietzsche between Ayn Rand and Antonin Scalia, with Adams, Calhoun, Oakeshott, Ronald Reagan, Tocqueville, Theodore Roosevelt, Margaret Thatcher, Ernst Jünger, Carl Schmitt, Winston Churchill, Phyllis Schlafly, Richard Nixon, Irving Kristol, Francis Fukuyama, and George W. Bush interspersed throughout.
Chuck Schumer easily makes my list of the ten politicians I dislike most. So my ears perked up when I heard that, in 2012, he signed a letter that, as it has been characterized, told the IRS to go after conservative groups. The other signers were Sens. Bennet, Whitehouse, Merkley, Udall, Shaheen, and Franken.
The letter can be found on Schumer's website. I don't read it as calling on the IRS to do anything improper; nor would Schumer have posted such a call in an open letter posted on his website.
The letter asks that IRS "change the administrative framework for enforcement of the tax code as it applies to groups designated as 'social welfare' organizations" - i.e., groups that receive tax and other advantages under section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code. It points out that some of these groups are engaged in a substantial amount of political campaign activity, and argues that this fact should disqualify the groups from 501(c)(4) status.
The letter acknowledges that, as IRS interprets the law, social welfare need only be the primary purpose of a 501(c) organization, not its exclusive purpose. But Schumer and the others express their disagreement with this interpretation.
The letter concludes by asking the IRS to take three administrative steps:
First, we urge the IRS to adopt a bright line test in applying its "primary purpose" regulation that is consistent with the Code's 501(c)(4) exclusivity language.
Second, such organizations should be further obligated to document in their 990 IRS form the exact percentage of their undertakings dedicated to "social welfare."
Third, 501(c)(4) organizations should be required to state forthrightly to potential donors what percentage of a donation, if any, may be taken as a business expense deduction.
The letter does not call for discrimination against conservative 501(c)(4) groups, nor does it call for harassment. The first action item is a matter of legal interpretation. The second pertains to documentation regarding the central question in determining 501(c)(4) status under IRS regs. The third is a matter of transparency to donors.
It's possible that overzealous bureaucrats may have seized upon the letter as a pretext for harassing conservative organizations. But legislators are entitled to make non-improper requests of a bureaucracy even though the bureaucrats may construe them as a mandate to proceed improperly.
Unless there's other evidence of Schumer's involvement, I don't we can blame him for what the IRS did.
Eliana Johnson points out that the director of the Office of Rulings and Agreements, which oversees the determination of tax-exempt organizations, is a donor to Barack Obama. Holly Paz donated $2,000 to Obama's 2008 campaign, according to Open Secrets, which maintains a database of individual political donations.
Liberal Democrats comprise the vast majority of federal bureaucrats. For example, in the past two presidential races, roughly 85 percent of the money contributed to a candidate by IRS employees went to Barack Obama.
This is consistent with what I observe here in the Washington, D.C. area. I estimate the percentage of bureaucrats to be at least 85. And most federal bureaucrats I know hate conservatives as a class (but not me, I hope).
That's one reason why, as I wrote the other day, conservatives should never support legislation that empowers the federal government to promote liberalism. Any constraints written into such legislation are likely to be ignored by the bureaucrats who administer the law.
And conservatives should begin adhering to this rule by rejecting the Schumer-Rubio immigration bill.
According to Eric Holder, Eric Holder is no more responsible for the investigation of the Associated Press than Barack Obama is for events in Benghazi according to Barack Obama. That was Holder's theme in his testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, which I first read about yesterday in a post by Allahpundit at Hot Air.
Looking around for a narrative account of Holder's testimony this morning, I find the liberal hack Eleanor Clift writing at the Daily Beast about Holder's response to questions involving "the secret subpoena of the AP's phone records" in the leak investigation:
He couldn't remember when he recused himself, or even exactly how he did it, only that it was before the subpoena was issued, and that a staff search revealed nothing in writing. Alabama Republican Spencer Bachus nailed it when he said, "Do you think it would be a best practice to memorialize that recusal in writing?" By then, the subject had come up several times, and Holder said that just thinking about it through the hearing, his critics were right.
Fear not that anything untoward has occurred. Holder promised: "I pledge to the American people an after-action analysis." Well, alright.
John and Paul comment on the AP leak investigation here. I urged the Bush administration to investigate the worst national security leaks mostly involving the New York Times in "Exposure" for the Weekly Standard and many times on Power Line. Indeed, I urged prosecution of the reporters involved, who seemed to me to have violated our espionage laws. Yesterday former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said that the Bush administration once considered issuing the type of subpoena that the Justice Department issued against the AP, but ultimately opted against it. Did any Bush administration leak investigation expose the wrongdoers (other than those whose names appeared in the bylines of the Times articles)? I don't think so.
The notorious national-security leaks that were featured on page one of the Times during the Bush administration seem to me to have done vastly greater harm than the leaks involved in the AP story. Here is the original AP story of May 2012 that appears to have triggered the leak investigation in which the AP phone records were subpoenaed. (I found the AP story via Max Fisher's comments on the investigation.) Here are the key paragraphs about the AP's communications with the White House:
The AP learned about the thwarted plot last week but agreed to White House and CIA requests not to publish it immediately because the sensitive intelligence operation was still under way.
Once those concerns were allayed, the AP decided to disclose the plot Monday despite requests from the Obama administration to wait for an official announcement Tuesday.
The White House confirmed the story after the AP published it on Monday afternoon. Caitlin Hayden, the deputy national security council spokeswoman, said in a statement that Obama was first informed about the plot in April by his homeland security adviser John Brennan, and was advised that it did not pose a threat to the public.
Conor Fridersdorf takes a look at the subpoena of the AP phone records in the context of Holder's characterization of the leak investigation. It seems to me that Friedersdorf raises a good question about the alleged harm caused by the AP story. I think it's fair to say that skepticism is warranted and, as to Holder's testimony yesterday, a laugh track would be appropriate.
NOTE: In the original version of this post, I said exactly the opposite of what I meant about the apparent seriousness of the leaks leading to the AP article versus the leaks leading to the notorious Times articles. I have revised the post accordingly.
Holder seemed to regard this ignorance as a shield protecting him and the Justice Department from all criticism of the Obama administration's assault on press freedoms. But his claim that his "recusal" from the case exempted him from all discussion of the matter didn't fly with Republicans or Democrats on the committee, who justifiably saw his recusal as more of an abdication. . . when the Justice Department undermines the Constitution, recusal is no excuse.
50 years ago, the nation witnessed seven dramatic days in May, as helmeted policemen used dogs and fire hoses against black children chanting freedom songs and hymns in Birmingham, Alabama. More than 3,000 peaceful demonstrators were arrested. The images from those days, including that of Birmingham police chief "Bull" Connor, are indelibly etched in the minds of those of us who saw them, and many of those who have seen them replayed since.
The events of May helped solidify national sentiment in favor of civil rights for blacks. President Kennedy reportedly said at the time that Connor had done as much for the civil rights movement as Abraham Lincoln. That's a gross exaggeration. But by June 1963, Connor had done more than Kennedy for civil rights.
Indeed, looking back at reports by major northern newspapers of the Birmingham demonstrations (full disclosure - I was looking for material on baseball, not civil rights), I was struck by the criticism leveled at the Kennedy administration for doing so little on behalf of civil rights for blacks. Kennedy had campaigned hard for the black vote, and he scored a coup late in the 1960 campaign when he came to the defense of Martin Luther King, who had been imprisoned in Georgia. Upon his release, King stated:
I understand from very reliable sources that Senator Kennedy served as a great force in making the release possible. I think a great deal of Senator Kennedy, I have met him and I've talked with him on three different occasions since the nomination and I think a great deal of him. But I would not, at this point, endorse any candidate because of the non-partisan position that I follow.
Unfortunately, as of May 1963, the Kennedy administration had proposed no significant civil rights legislation. Moreover, it had often failed even to set the right tone on civil rights.
Among the criticisms I came across in reading newspapers from May 1963 were these:
Kennedy appointed Charles Merriweather to head the export-import bank, even though (according to critics) he had ties to the Ku Klux Klan and the White Citizens Council. Kennedy made the appointment on the recommendation of former Alabama governor Patterson, a key Kennedy supporter in the state.
The Kennedy administration rejected the recommendation of the Civil Rights Commission that it move to cut federal aid to Mississippi in response to that State's treatment of black citizens.
Robert Kennedy failed to defend 10 civil rights marchers who were arrested at the Alabama-Mississippi border when they tried to cross state lines to deliver a petition - as was their constitutional right - to the governor of Mississippi.
Later in 1963, the Kennedy administration finally proposed major civil rights legislation, which became the basis for the Civil Rights Act of 1964. But it's not unfair to say that, in this effort, Kennedy was leading from behind - the northern response to the events like those that take place in Birmingham showed that the nation was beyond ready to enact sweeping civil rights legislation. All it took was a president willing to take on Southern Democrats.
Kennedy's delay, and his tepid support for civil rights in general, is difficult to defend. It appears to be based on political calculation - a desire not to ruffle the feathers of Southern Democrats who, to be fair, held disproportionate power in the U.S. Senate and whose constituents would have a say in the upcoming 1964 election.
Kennedy's approach to civil rights reminds me in some ways of Obama's approach to gay marriage and immigration reform. Obama was elected with the strong support of gays and Hispanics. Yet well into his administration, he had done nothing much to promote the pet projects of these groups, and was drawing some fire as a result. That began to change in the run-up to the 2012 election.
But Kennedy's failure to move seems more cynical than Obama's. For one thing, the injustices to blacks in the early 1960s far exceeded the injustice, if any, to gays and illegal immigrants. For another, opposition to civil rights legislation for blacks in the early 1960s was essentially regional, which is not the case with the issues as to which Obama was slow off the mark.
In any case, it is worth recalling not just that Republicans were instrumental in passing the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (a point often made), but also that, for most of his administration, John Kennedy was no good friend of the civil rights movement.
The corruptions of the Obama administration are finally starting to be revealed and it isn't pretty. The question we have is, "why has it taken so long?"
Now we know, from IRSgate, EPAgate and even the Benghazi affair, a little bit of how Obama managed to steal the last election. I strongly suggest that the revelations so far, as bad as they are, are very likely only the tip of the iceberg of Obama corruption.
Our series on Obama's radical Marxist associated get-out-the-vote head told us that that the Obama organization must have a modus operandi of any means is justified to achieve the end. That's radical Marxist strategy. It means that, as we said after the election, there must have been all kinds of dirty tactics used during the election that most of the public has no idea about.
For instance, I have grave suspicions that the collapse of the entire Romney campaign's get-out-the-vote computer system on the very day that it was absolutely needed - election day - was much more than a technical error. Way too convenient for you-know-who.
"With Obama at the head, the Democratic Party is becoming associated with extreme left-wing politics," American Life League executive director Paul Rondeau told LifeSiteNews.
According to the autopsy, the child had a healthy head of hair and skin consistent with "a neonate" (newborn). The autopsy also determined that she was eight months old.
"With the recent murder convictions of Dr. Gosnell, we've got to encourage Americans to ask-how different really is Gosnell's House of Horrors from abortions that occur in clinics throughout the country?" said Rep. Chris Smith, R-NJ.
"We want to give our staff the tools to know what to do should an incident of homophobic bullying occur," said St. Mary's Catholic Primary School headmaster Sarah Crouch.
Military and "hospital chaplains will be protected in exactly the same way as any other clergy and could not be forced to conduct marriages of same sex," said Equalities Minister Maria Miller.
ObamaCare will give the government the ability to decide which health care plans will be allowed to participate - or to receive government funds and reimbursements.
David "Cole" Withrow, a North Carolina high school senior, is an Eagle Scout, an honor roll student, and now possibly a felon. Cole is being prosecuted for bringing an unloaded gun onto school property. Withrow accidentally left the unloaded shotgun in his truck after a weekend skeet shoot when he came to school.
Today, a growing number of small business owners are unintentionally finding themselves on the wrong side of the law. Under a statute aimed at identifying organized crime, small businesses and farmers are being prosecuted for ordinary business transactions. Fortunately, Congressman Andy Harris (R-MD) is attempting to fix that.
The Definitive Book on Why andHow to Reform Criminal LawAvailable Now
ABOUT OVERCRIMINALIZATION
The Heritage Foundation and a coalition of public interest legal groups are committed to reversing the troubling trend of overcriminalization, which is defined by three attributes:
1. Federalizing crime that properly belongs under state and local jurisdiction;
2. Imposing criminal penalties upon persons who acted without criminal intent (mens rea);
3. Applying criminal sanctions to conduct that historically has not been considered wrongful.
This Legislative Update includes bills our researchers have identified that add or expand federal criminal offenses or penalties, but it generally does NOT include bills involving drugs, firearms, or crimes of violence.
The Center for Legal and Judicial Studies at The Heritage Foundation Founded in 1973, The Heritage Foundation is the nation's most broadly supported public policy organization. Heritage created the Center for Legal and Judicial Studies in 2001 to educate government officials, the media and the public about the Constitution, legal principles and how they affect public policy.
Medicaid Expansion May Be Forced Into Law in Montana
One of the important lessons in Montana is that special interest groups will go to great lengths to get their hands on new federal money.
Much to everyone's surprise, nearly 60 of Montana's 90-day legislative session lapsed before Democratic Governor Steve Bullock introduced his long-awaited Medicaid expansion bill.
That bill was promptly and predictably killed in the Republican-controlled House. Regrettably, a handful of big-government Senate Republicans then teamed up with Democrats, Big Medicine, and the usual professional victim industry lobbyists to spend the session's waning hours parading the expansion corpse around from committee to committee and chamber to chamber until the House leadership finally put a stake through its heart.
By the time it was finally over, five Republicans, along with all Democrat Senators, repurposed no fewer than three bills and flouted House and Senate rules-as well as the Montana Constitution-until eventually the entire battle came down to a 50-50 procedural House vote. During this, an apparently oblivious Democrat accidentally pushed the wrong button, voted against his caucus, and validated the maxim that sometimes it's better to be lucky than good.
What was particularly appalling about this was that it violated both the Senate rules and Montana's Constitution, which clearly states that a bill's contents must reflect its original purpose. This approach by a handful of Republicans has poisoned the conservative well to the point that it may throw Montana's next election to the progressive side.
Nevertheless, the bill passed the Senate with all Democrats and five of 29 Republicans voting aye. It then went to the House, where the Speaker promptly sent it to the Great Medicaid Expansion Dying Grounds, aka the Health and Human Services Committee. The Speaker's action was naturally challenged on the floor, leading to the aforementioned 50-50 vote and the fat lady's aria, at least for this session.
$41 BillionTHE INCREASE IN COSTS DUE TO EXPANDING MEDICAIDIf all states expand Medicaid, by 2022 state spending will increase by billions. Learn More >>
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Amnesty Watch
Wed May
15
Today: New paper analyzes the deceptions in Marco Rubio's national ad campaign to push his amnesty bill -- His poll numbers already were dropping with the conservatives he hoped would be his 2016 base.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) is the center of both Democratic and Republican open-borders enthusiasts' hopes for passing the massive S.744 bill for amnesty and a doubling of future legal immigration.
Both Parties have put him forward as something of the celebrity pitch man on TV and radio shows and now a huge ad campaign in which he touts his Gang of Eight bill as "conservative" reform.
But the ads just aren't true.
< p style="margin-top:0;line-height:1.35;margin-left:0;margin-right:0;margin-bottom:15px;font-family:'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">John Feere at the Center for Immigration Studies has just put out a backgrounder on RUBIO'S DECEPTIVE AMNESTY AD.
Feere examines virtually every phrase in the ad and compares them with reality.
On the report's page, you will see an imag e of the ad which you can watch for yourself. You can tell that his script includes every phrase that pollsters found resonates with conservatives -- and Americans in general. But it is rather comical listening to him string them all together, even though his bill backs up hardly any of them.
Rubio has been assigned the task of convincing conservative voters to persuade Republican Senators to vote for the amnesty bill.
Doing so makes Rubio extremely popular with the billionaires who tend to run the national Republican Party.
But what does it do with his popularity among the grassroots?
Indications that Rubio hurting Rubio
A.J. Delgado of Breitbart.com has done some interesting comparisons of the latest results from the firm, Public Policy Polling, and the results of its survey back in February.
Just like with fellow Gang member, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Rubio has been losing voter support since details of the amnesty bill became public.
When asked for their preferred GOP candidate, only 17% of "very conservative" respondents favored Rubio, while only 18% of "somewhat conservative" respondents favored Rubio.
This is a steep decline from the same poll's findings in April, when Rubio's support was 26% among the "very conservative" and 22% among the "somewhat conservative."
The earlier survey was conducted in late March before the Gang of Eight amnesty bill was released and the public finally began to learn what is in it and that the innards didn't match the platitudes they had been hearing from the Gang.
The latest survey was conducted between May 6th and 9th.
National Republican Party leaders and consultants have claimed that Rubio would help the Party pick up more support from Hispanic voters by championing the a mnesty bill. But Delgado writes:
Notably, Rubio's support among Hispanics also appears to have decreased following the unveiling of the "Gang of 8" bill. The previous poll demonstrated 39% of Hispanics had a favorable view of Rubio, while the latest poll demonstrates that number has decreased to 34%.
In many ways, the person undermining Rubio's ad credibility more than anybody is Rubio.
Even as his ads have been running making great claims about border security and tough enforcement, he has written op-eds and made press statements about his concerns that the bill doesn't really guarantee border security, for example.
The Washington Times today revealed that it has obtained a list that Rubio is circulating among Republican Senators of a couple dozen criticisms of the bill that he thinks may keep the bill from passing.
It doesn't sound like Rubio the ad pitch man is even believed by Senator Rubio himself.
While the Times indicates that Rubio thinks the criticisms may warrant amendments, the Judiciary Committee has already shot down efforts to respond to many of the criticism during its first few days of markup.
Obama: The Buck Doesn't Stop Here By Ben Shapiro This week saw the utter implosion of the Obama second term. And the legacy of the Obama administration is to blame everyone else. It began with Bush. Then it became Congressional Republicans. Now it's everybody within the Obama administration with the sole exception of the president.
Even worse than Gosnell -- Houston abortion doctor is terrifying
Seems like the disturbing story of Kermit Gosnell may be just the beginning. Already we are seeing others come out and speak of the frightening abortion clinics around the country - one in Houston, Texas stands out. Three women who worked at the clinic came forward to talk about what they did and it is nothing short of brutal infanticide. Warning - it's very a graphic conversation - get the details from radio today.
Sen. Rand Paul: "Somebody needs to go to jail for this."
Glenn spoke with Senator Rand Paul on radio today about the ongoing scandals at the White House. What was Paul's reaction? Glenn asked Sen. Paul whether or not it was possible that the IRS auditing of conservative groups applying for 501(c)(4) status really could have been the work of just a few rogue employees, or if higher-ups, including President Obama, had to have been aware of what was going on. How high up does the corruption go? Check out the interview HERE.
Was the IRS used as a weapon against Glenn?
The IRS has been under fire this week for all kinds of abuse of power - from targeting the Tea Party to targeting professors, it appears they operated with political motivations. Was the IRS even used to target Glenn Beck? He talks about it on radio today.
Nothing to see here: Arrest in MA shrugged off
What happens when authorities find a group of foreign nationals from Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, who all recently graduated with chemical engineering degrees from different U.S. colleges, trespassing at a major reservoir outside of Boston at 12:30AM? Nothing, of course. Glenn has more on radio today.
The Chicago Way
Last night on TheBlaze TV, Glenn went through the history of how this administration has treated those who disagree with them: The Chicago Way. Step out of line, they bring out the bats. From the Chamber of Commerce, to the Tea Party, to Glenn Beck - anyone who dares to speak out against Obama will be targeted. Glenn breaks out the bat - WATCH.
B.S. of A. Benghazi Whistleblower: Brian gets the skinny on Benghazi from someone who was there. WATCH
Obama press conference: Denies knowledge of IRS scandal
President Obama gave another press conference today and was asked about the IRS scandal. Did he or did he not know about what the IRS was doing? MORE
So was Obama telling the truth when he said IRS chief was fired?
President Obama's reaction to the IRS scandal was pretty weak, to say the least. He "fired" the acting commissioner...who was already planning to step down as soon as the Senate nominated and confirmed his replacement. Glenn has more on the President's "response" HERE.
You asked, we listened! Read & share news from TheBlaze.com directly in TheBlaze App!
TheBlaze iOS App is your direct portal into "the network that YOU are building". Get access to live and on demand video from TheBlaze TV, listen to TheBlaze Radio Network, and much more! Plus, with the new TheBlaze newsreader, access to breaking news from TheBlaze.com is easier than ever! Download TheBlaze iOS App HERE.
Are you being safe online?
Recent news has once again shed light on the ever increasing need to engage your cyber security with the same vigilance as your personal security. You don't need to be a skilled practitioner of computer science or a tech guru to keep yourself safe. Learn how to employ the basics HERE.
Lost in Translation: Pat & Stu helpfully translate the Turkish PM's remarks during this afternoon's press conference. WATCH
Watch On Demand: For The Record
Episode 2 of For The Record is now available on demand! Two shocking stories you won't won't believe the mainstream media isn't talking about are exposed: the horrifying persecution of Christians in Egypt and unbelievable stories of human trafficking inside our own borders. We need your help to get these stories out. Watch For The Record on demand -- only on TheBlaze.
Tonight's primetime lineup on TheBlaze TV
5pm ET - The Glenn Beck Program: Scandal Update! The IRS, Benghazi, & the AP are also joined by some new scandals: student loans, gold, and abortion.
6pm ET -Real News: Intimigate: The White House plays defense.
7pm ET -Wilkow!: Spreading around the rogue government employees does not solve the problem.
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. The report found agencies in the department did not properly share the new identities of some in witness protection -- the lapse meant those new names were not updated in the no-fly list. 
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Even worse than Gosnell -- Houston abortion doctor is terrifying
